Judge me!

[Gracie09]

The fact is that the ntsb, FAA, American association of pediatricians all recommend an infant under two have their own seat with an approved child seat. Look at the ntsb for video of testing done to show what would happen to children who are not in seats if there was turbulence or a runway crash or even hard braking. The fact is everything on a plane has to be strapped down, including the coffee pots and luggage in the cabin for take off, landing and turbulence, everything except lap babies. The fact is physics is physics and your arms cannot hold on to your child in te event of turbulence.
My opinion is if you can't afford a seat for everyone you can't afford the trip.

 

[JKSWonder]

Along with lots of activities, make sure you have something to help her with ear pressure for take off and landing. That's usually the time you hear most babies screaming their heads off. When DS was an infant, I would have a bottle of water or juice to give him during take off and landing. Not sure if your one year old is still a bottle baby...if not, a sippy cup would probably work too. Anything to get them to swallow a few times to relieve ear pressure.

Too bad you are not traveling with another adult. DH and I used to buy four seats, two in back of two, so that if our youngest kicked, he was kicking us or his sister and not a stranger!

 

[3princes+1princess]

I am open to judgement people, good or bad. My dd1 is horrible sitting still and we have a seven hour flight with her on my lap in two weeks. I can't afford a seat for her and I'll also be with a well behaved but needing lots of attention 4 year old. Oh, and alone with no other adult. Is giving benedryl to make the baby sleep absolutely horrible of me? She's had it before (she went 23 hours without sleeping and approaching hysteria) so I know she doesn't have any allergies to this. Be honest, but be NICE.

If you decide to do this, please give your one year old the benadryl sometime BEFORE the flight to see how she reacts. My third child gets hyper on it....that would not be good to learn during the flight. It makes every child react differently, it may not even make her sleepy....just check before.

I would recommend bringing a front pack/baby bjorn type thing on the plane. Loosen the straps enough so it is not pulling on your back when she is sitting on your lap. This is great to keep her held in hands free.

However, I highly think you should get a seat for her. Over 1 is absolutely the worst age for a child not to be in a seat. They are mobile then and want NOTHING to do with sitting in a lap when there is a plane to explore. And I know, I have traveled many times without my husband over the years and a few times alone with my 4 kids.

If nothing else, call the airline to see if there are any extra seats on that flight and you may be able to bring the car seat on and use an empty seat. That being said...there are rarely empty seats anymore as airlines overbook flights all the time. Do not depend on this....my husband is a pilot and has to commute to his domicile and had not made many flights because they are all oversold.

 

[MSSANDRA]

There is most likely no parent that the idea has not crossed their mind. Would I do it? Nope, but it has crossed my mind at least. I would take your baby's car seat and pray for an open seat. If not, you can gate check it. So as it sounds, you are going, no medication, and no assured seat for the baby. So lets get you as many ideas to make this flight as easy as possible.

-If your child is still on the bottle or passie, don't take him off before the trip. Both can be invaluable. Don't stop nursing either if you do that.

-Take tons of snacks. Lots of fun, snacks that take a long time to eat and have some play value too, think teddy grahams, gold fish etc. You can purchase drinks after security and you can take formula on the plane with you.( a bonus for keeping little one on it).

-If you have a choice, time the flight for when you think you have the best shot of getting them to sleep.

-Enlist the help of your 4 year old. Play up her as your helper. Be sure she can pull her own luggage.Wear your baby. Maybe the promise of a big sister reward at the end of the trip. She can be a lot of help handing you things out of the bag etc.

-Pack well but not over pack. Take all of the diapers, food, ect you could need and then double it. You never know what delays will happen.
Pack less but well thought out toys.

-ipad or iphone downloaded with tons of stuff for your 4 year old. Be sure he understands the no electronics on take off /decent, and that he must wear ear phones or use no volume. Books are good, magazines are good (and can be tossed), stickers and paper, color wonder books etc.

-
dress them in as easy to handle clothes as possible. Think through changing a diaper while supervising your 4 year old, and taking your 4 year to the bathroom as well.

-Take a small blanket for each....it can be cool.

-Be well rested yourself and just accept the fact you will spend every second trying to keep them happy and quite.

GOOD LUCK

 

[ddwwelsh]

If you haven't already done so, try to book the latest flight possible. If you can tolerate it, wake them earlier and keep them on the go without naps earlier in the day.

Before boarding, go through their normal bedtime routine as closely as possible-pajamas, blankets, snacks, stories and all. The lights will eventually be turned down. Close the shades until it's dark so they can see that it's "nighttime."

If you remain calm and laid-back (I know, easy for me to say...) they will hopefully do the same. However, the more frantic and frazzled you seem, they will feed on that, as well.

If you can't book a later flight, try to stick with the normal napping routine, etc.

Good luck.

 

[scrapquitler]

I am open to judgement people, good or bad. My dd1 is horrible sitting still and we have a seven hour flight with her on my lap in two weeks. I can't afford a seat for her and I'll also be with a well behaved but needing lots of attention 4 year old. Oh, and alone with no other adult. Is giving benedryl to make the baby sleep absolutely horrible of me? She's had it before (she went 23 hours without sleeping and approaching hysteria) so I know she doesn't have any allergies to this. Be honest, but be NICE.

Honestly? I would cancel the trip, because *I* would be miserable traveling that far holding a 1 year old and trying to keep a needy 4 year old occupied for 7 hours on the plane (not to mention waiting to board, going around the airport, etc). Years ago I might have suggested giving the baby bendadryl. I talked to my doctor about doing it once, and he told me to go ahead and do it (not while we were traveling, but once when we were home and we were having sleep issues with her). Well thank goodness I didn't do it while we were travelling, because we found out that she has the oppposite reaction to Benadryl that most people have: it makes her incredibly hyperactive.

I would either find a way to afford a seat for the child, recruit another adult to go with me or cancel the trip.

 

[DSNY4ever]

My honest opinion... I would never even consider giving a child benadryl when they did not need it. I also agree with some of the previous posts that I think you might have bitten off more than you can chew. We did a flight to Disneyland with our one year old (2 adults and only 1 hour and 15 minutes) and it was really hard. We got him a seat for our upcoming trip to WDW. 7 hours in a lap at that age is REALLY hard (which it sounds like you know).

I don't have any advice, because this sounds really hard. I wish you the best of luck and I am sorry that you do not have the money for a seat. To be honest since most rows are three across if there are any extra seats I bet you will get the open one because no one will want to sit next to you And I mean this in the nicest way as another mom who has had "that" kid on the airplane.

 

[Aliceacc]

You have 2 small kids who will be thrilled to see their grandparents. At their ages, they don't know enough about geography to have any idea of how close they are to Disneyland.

Skip Disney and spend the money on another seat.

Not only is 7 hours a long time to be holding an unhappy baby, it's also a long time to BE an unhappy baby. And a long time to be sitting anywhere near an unhappy baby.

 

[luvmy3]

The fact is that the ntsb, FAA, American association of pediatricians all recommend an infant under two have their own seat with an approved child seat. Look at the ntsb for video of testing done to show what would happen to children who are not in seats if there was turbulence or a runway crash or even hard braking. The fact is everything on a plane has to be strapped down, including the coffee pots and luggage in the cabin for take off, landing and turbulence, everything except lap babies. The fact is physics is physics and your arms cannot hold on to your child in te event of turbulence.
My opinion is if you can't afford a seat for everyone you can't afford the trip.

They recommend, they don't require them. While it may be your opinion that she should use a seat, the fact is the OP can afford the trip as the airline does not require her to purchase a seat for her infant.

Having said that OP, if you know your baby is not going to do well sitting on your lap for the duration of the flight, I would definitely try to purchase her her own seat. Although, they may be just as miserable.
I wouldn't give my baby medicine for a non medical reason, but if you are thinking of it you should speak to your pediatrician, not people on a message board.

 

[Julie711]

They recommend, they don't require them. While it may be your opinion that she should use a seat, the fact is the OP can afford the trip as the airline does not require her to purchase a seat for her infant.

Having said that OP, if you know your baby is not going to do well sitting on your lap for the duration of the flight, I would definitely try to purchase her her own seat. Although, they may be just as miserable.
I wouldn't give my baby medicine for a non medical reason, but if you are thinking of it you should speak to your pediatrician, not people on a message board.

Agree!! Its not required, my DS was a lap baby at 12 months & plan on having him a lap baby in September. I would never post that if I can't afford a seat I can't afford the trip, I've seen this posted more then once and think it's a really opinionated response. I myself can afford a seat but don't think a child under the age 2 needs a seat, in my experiences traveling with DD also as a lap baby under age 2 she & DS mostly slept the flight, played with toys & had some snacks. We never had any issues, but we also never had a 7 hour flight.

 

[Kemorr]

OP, I think you'll be fine. I don't think you've "bitten off more than you can chew". It won't be fun and it will be hard work, but isn't a LOT of parenting hard work? Just take all your baby's lovey/comfort tools, lots of cool snacks and some interesting toys and you'll survive the experience.

 

[Gracie09]

They recommend, they don't require them. While it may be your opinion that she should use a seat, the fact is the OP can afford the trip as the airline does not require her to purchase a seat for her infant.

Having said that OP, if you know your baby is not going to do well sitting on your lap for the duration of the flight, I would definitely try to purchase her her own seat. Although, they may be just as miserable.
I wouldn't give my baby medicine for a non medical reason, but if you are thinking of it you should speak to your pediatrician, not people on a message board.

The op aske for opinions and my opinion is if you cannot afford the money to but a seat for your child you cannot afford the trip. Yes the FAA does not require seats for infants but the airlines have some pretty powerful lobbies. The ntsb and aap can't require seats but as I said the physics stay the same in the air as on the ground. Logically it also doesn't make sense that and infant is the only thing not strapped down during a flight. If it wasn't a child but a twenty pound bag o shoes one your lap the fa would require you stow it safely before take off and landing and during turbulence. My hold deserves as much protection as a bag of shoes.

 

[letsgoreds]

The fact is that the ntsb, FAA, American association of pediatricians all recommend an infant under two have their own seat with an approved child seat. Look at the ntsb for video of testing done to show what would happen to children who are not in seats if there was turbulence or a runway crash or even hard braking. The fact is everything on a plane has to be strapped down, including the coffee pots and luggage in the cabin for take off, landing and turbulence, everything except lap babies. The fact is physics is physics and your arms cannot hold on to your child in te event of turbulence.
My opinion is if you can't afford a seat for everyone you can't afford the trip.

My opinion as well.

 

[frisbeego]

I wish I had popcorn to eat while reading this thread.

Pediatricians recommend that you not give benadryl to a child who doesn't need it medically because there is a risk that the child will be harmed. The majority of opinions expressed here appears to agree that one should follow the pediatricians' recommendation.

Pediatricians recommend that each child should have his/her own seat on a plane because there is a risk that the child will be harmed. The majority of opinions expressed here appears to agree that one need not follow the pediatricians' recommendation.

 

[luvmy3]

The op aske for opinions and my opinion is if you cannot afford the money to but a seat for your child you cannot afford the trip. Yes the FAA does not require seats for infants but the airlines have some pretty powerful lobbies. The ntsb and aap can't require seats but as I said the physics stay the same in the air as on the ground. Logically it also doesn't make sense that and infant is the only thing not strapped down during a flight. If it wasn't a child but a twenty pound bag o shoes one your lap the fa would require you stow it safely before take off and landing and during turbulence. My hold deserves as much protection as a bag of shoes.

Your opinion that she should purchase a seat because of what can happen to an unrestrained object is valid.
However your comment about her not being able to afford a trip is not. The fact is the airline does not require a person to purchase a ticket for a child under 2. They allow a child under 2 to sit on their parent's lap, so the OP only has to pay for her ticket in order to fly with herself and her infant, which obviously she can afford. Besides, she can purchase a harness for her baby that keeps her strapped to the OP. I used one when I flew with my infant, my physicist dh even approved it

 

[rebekah8284]

I flew with my son on 7 or 8 hour flights depending which direction we were going, 8 times with him on my lap. I don't understand why people are saying lap babies aren't strapped in as my son had a seat belt around him that was attached to my seat belt on the plane. Its the same one they use for people who are too big to fit into the normal seat belt.

I never had problems flying with him I always found things to entertain him. I would never have considered paying for a seat for him as what would be the point. He wouldn't have wanted to sit on his own he wanted to sit with me or play on the floor. Just because they are a lap baby doesn't mean they have to stay in your lap. Ask for the first row so you can let them play at your feet with more room. You can take her for walks around the plane while staying close enough that you can see that your other child is okay. Don't let people bully you into not flying. It wasn't an option for me as the only way to see my family was to fly across the Atlantic no possible layover.

Just make sure you have lots of her favourite snacks and new toys to play with. And I would go to your doctor and see if they will prescribe a sedative rather then giving benadryl would be safer.

 

[mikehn]

So long as we're not on the same flight, do whatever you'd like.

 

[robinb]

Besides, she can purchase a harness for her baby that keeps her strapped to the OP. I used one when I flew with my infant, my physicist dh even approved it

I believe those harnesses can no longer be used. I used a Baby B'Air when my DD was an infant but I have read that they are now banned. I think she can probably still use a sling or a slugli but I know that I wouldn't want a hot sleeping 19-month old plastered next to me for hours on end either.

 

[luvmy3]

I believe those harnesses can no longer be used. I used a Baby B'Air when my DD was an infant but I have read that they are now banned. I think she can probably still use a sling or a slugli but I know that I wouldn't want a hot sleeping 19-month old plastered next to me for hours on end either.

Shows you how long its been since I've had an infant

 

[robinb]

I flew with my son on 7 or 8 hour flights depending which direction we were going, 8 times with him on my lap. I don't understand why people are saying lap babies aren't strapped in as my son had a seat belt around him that was attached to my seat belt on the plane. Its the same one they use for people who are too big to fit into the normal seat belt.

Found it! I first ran into "Belly Belts" when I flew to London with my 4-month old DD. I paid extra for a Skycot for her for the 8 hour flights. Those "Belly Belts" are required for lap babies in the EU, but banned in the US:

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

While booster seats and harness vests enhance safety in vehicles, FAA prohibits passengers from bringing these types of restraints on airplanes for use during taxi, take-off and landing. These restraints should be checked as baggage. Also, supplemental lap restraints or "belly belts" are not approved for use in both airplanes and vehicles in the United States.