Infant on Airplane

[sperk99]

Hello,

We will be travelling with our 20 month old (at that time) son. This will be the first plane ride he has been on. How does everyone do it? Do we bring his car seat with us? We didn't reserve a seat for him and we're hoping that one will be empty next to us. We also are wondering what to pack as far as his stuff...

We are staying in a condo in Kissimmee with some friends...

Travel high chair?
Pack n Play?
Car seat?

Help!

Thanks!

 

[kimwim8]

I've flown with an 8 month old & a 13 month old (not the same trip). They are actually pretty easy at that age. Bring crayons, coloring books, stickers, stuff like that to keep them busy. Definitely bring a sippy cup and a pacifier (if still using one) for the ascent & descent. Another good idea is fruit snacks, since they are kind of chewy, that helps pop their ears.

My pediatrician recommends giving the kids a decongestant about 1/2 hour before getting on the plane, to help their ears.

Good luck!

 

[mickeymousefan]

I would buy him a seat. It is too risky to hope for an empty seat next to you. In case of bad turbulence or worse, it would not be possible to hold on to him.

 

[CarolA]

He will have to have the car seat to sit in an empty seat.

However, I fly every week and there are NOT many empty seats on my plane so I would not count on this. The safest place for your child is the car seat in his own seat. I realize that this may be cost prohibitive however.

Without knowing which Condo I doubt anyone can tell you if they have the other stuff you asked about.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Twice in my life I've had turbulence that if I had been holding my child, she would have been airborne.

That said, I would occasionally fly without buying her a seat because I would intentionally fly odd times during the week (back and forth to my parents) when I knew the plane would be pretty empty.

Perhaps you could call the airline a few weeks ahead and check on availablity. If it looks like the plane might be full, buy her a seat.

If you flying on around one of the holiday's then I would count on the plane being full and buying a ticket.

 

[sperk99]

Thanks for the replies. I am flying at 315PM on Thurs. Feb 24. I am returning at 730AM on 3/11 (a Friday)

I called Delta today and they said that they don't expect a full plane...I guess I will have to wait and see

 

[ZuZugal]

There was a very interesting report on the Today show just yesterday about this subject. I'm sure they still have the info on their website. It basically covered how important it is to have a separate seat for all children. Numerous airlines charge 1/2 price for a child's seat (1/2 published fare, which might not be cheap). We will be flying w/our 21 month old soon, and I purchased a seat for him. We will be taking his car seat along, because he "knows" he has to stay in it while traveling. This will be his first time to travel, and he is a very active child. I'm thinking of purchasing a DVD player for the trip (he only watches Nemo).
The tip about giving a decongestant is also a good one. We'll be doing that as well (my older son has a terrible time w/ear pain no matter what we try.)

 

[safetymom]

Every flight I have been on for the last 6 months or so hardly has any open seats. I wouldn't count on an extra seat beside you. Usually airlines try to block an empty seat next to a preferred member of their frequent flyer club.

Just plan on buying your child a seat.

 

[Geoff_M]

You may also not be allowed to bring the car seat on-board unless you've purchased a seat. We've flown with car seats twice before (with a purchased ticket) and were asked to produce a ticket before we were allowed to bring it on the plane... even though the plane wasn't at 100% capacity.