Lap baby or buy a seat?

[sweetypie925]

Hi, I will be traveling to WDW in December and will be flying with Delta's Song. I have already purchased the plane tickets for me, my dh, my MIl and my neice who is 9y/o. My DD will be just over a year old when we go. So far I have planned on having her as a lap baby rather than purchase a seat because I guess I don't want all the trouble of putting in the seat or paying for one if I don't have to until she is 2 years old. So what should i do? i would love to hear from those who have done either way. Thx!!

Teresa

 

[mobetsy]

I've done both. However, the last time was when my 2nd son was less than a month old and we hit turbulence; as I held on to him as tightly as I dared, I prayed over and over that my reluctance to spend the money wouldn't end up hurting him (and it would've been a lot of money, because it was a short-notice flight to a funeral). It can be costly, no doubt, but I never again hesitated to purchase a seat for my kids so I could have them safely buckled into a car seat. BTW, installing the seat is a nuisance, but easier than in a car--if need be, you can ask for a belt extension to make fastening easier--and you may be needing the car seat in FL anyway.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Most airlines will offer a substantial discount for purchasing an actual seat for an infant. Buying the seat doesn't mean you're not allowed to hold your baby, it just gives you an option. If nothing else, it'll be nice to have the seat, so you can put the baby in the car seat and give your arms a rest.

 

[ducklite]

Reasons to buy a ticket:

1. Children almost always fly better when strapped into their familiar car seat. They often doze off just like they would in the car.

2. In the case of turbulence, you might not be able to hold on to your child. Flying children become projectiles which could injusre not only them, but other passengers--the G-Forces created would equal over 500 pounds!

3. Do a search for "United Airlines flight 232 in Sioux City". One lap baby died and another was severely injured in what would almost definitely had been a survivable crash. (Those seated around the dead lap baby, including it's mother, all walked away.)

4. How comfortable are you going to be holding a squirmy baby on your lap for the entire flight? What if there are significant delays and you sit on the tarmac for an extra hour or two? I'd suggest trying to hold your child for the amount of time of your flight, and add two hours, at home... That would be enough to have you buy a seat.

5. Tickets for children under two are usually only half price.

Reasons to not buy a seat for your child:







Anne

 

[Lewisc]

When you call the airline you want the price for an infant fare NOT a child or youth fare. You might need to prove age, bring a copy of your birth certificate.

 

[Chicago526]

Originally posted by ducklite
Reasons to buy a ticket:

1. Children almost always fly better when strapped into their familiar car seat. They often doze off just like they would in the car.

2. In the case of turbulence, you might not be able to hold on to your child. Flying children become projectiles which could injusre not only them, but other passengers--the G-Forces created would equal over 500 pounds!

3. Do a search for "United Airlines flight 232 in Sioux City". One lap baby died and another was severely injured in what would almost definitely had been a survivable crash. (Those seated around the dead lap baby, including it's mother, all walked away.)

4. How comfortable are you going to be holding a squirmy baby on your lap for the entire flight? What if there are significant delays and you sit on the tarmac for an extra hour or two? I'd suggest trying to hold your child for the amount of time of your flight, and add two hours, at home... That would be enough to have you buy a seat.

5. Tickets for children under two are usually only half price.

Reasons to not buy a seat for your child:







Anne

I agree 100% with the above! You'd never travel in a car without them straped in, why is an airplane differant? Flight attendants have gotten their necks broken and other serious injuries from unexpected turbulance that was so severe that they were tossed around the aircraft like rag dolls. You'd never be able to hold on to your child under those conditions (just like you'd never be able to hang on in a car accident). The odds of bad turbulance happening is very low, of course, but why take the risk?

Most airlines offer 50% off the adult fare for a child under 2 that travels in a car seat. Tell the airline that you are traveling with an infant and you want to puchase a seat. They should offer the lower fare without you even asking! Bring a copy of the birth certificate, especially if your child is nearing 2 years old or is big for their age. It's hard for the gate agents to determine age just by looks sometimes, and may not give you the benifit of the doubt.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We purchased a seat for our trip for our child who will be 15-mth when we fly, and Delta charged us half price. It's definitely worth it.

 

[beattyfamily]

I'd buy a seat too for all reasons mentioned above.

I've bought the 50% off ticket through Expedia (so I didn't have to call) for both Delta and American. Well worth it.

The one time we went to Paris and I did not bring the car seat was a nightmare!!

 

[zippehsmom]

Northwest does not offer 50% off infant fares at times. When I called to purchase a ticket for my daughter, the rep indicated that the fare was already a discounted fare. I even called back a couple of times just in case the rep i got was uninformed.

Just FYI so you should be prepared to pay full fare.

zippehsmom

 

[DisOrBust]

It was the best 150$ I spent after I watched one lap baby climbing all over the family trying to get comfortable.

 

[maryisme]

Our DD will be 11 months old when we fly Jetblue out of JFK to MCO. We purchased a seat for her. I would never put her in the car without being strapped down and to me this is no different.

Good luck with your decision.

Mary

 

[Doesney]

Please, for the safety and comfort of not only your child, but the other passengers BUY a seat. If it means saving a bit longer, than by all means do it. Safety does not have a price tag.

 

[momsully]

Buy a seat for your child. I was on a flight from Denver to Boston with my oldest son while pregnant with my second. The plane was struck by lightning and dropped significantly. If he had not been in a car seat he would have been seriously injured.

It is also much more comfortable for you and the child if the child has there own seat.

 

[bjakmom]

I'll post my answer to an earlier thread again because I always wished I had known before I "lapped" my DS what the procedure was in an emergency !!!

Quote:

Adding my 2 cents here - since I have been in the 'rare' emergency situation with a lap child and lived to tell about it - I sure wished at the time that I had known what would/could happen to my child in case of severe turbulence or the emergency landing situation we faced.

From an earlier post where we were discussing buying seats for infants and using/not using car seats on the plane:

"Over here on the 'family' site looking for pointers now that I'm travelling with a 5 mo GrDD and have to comment on this one:

When DS was 5 mo we were travelling from Calif to Chicago - I had travelled many times with my older children on my lap - was doing the same with him. The landing gear developed a problem and we were all told to assume crash position !

Guess where your infant goes in this scenario?! Would you believe that you must place them on the floor between your feet!? You are not permitted to hold them because you could crush them on impact. When you place a squirming infant on the floor between your feet and you can barely reach them with your hands (try leaning forward far enough in those tight spaces and touching the floor!) you can understand why infants/toddlers in plane accidents end up where they do - there is no way to hold on to them!! Never mind the fact that you are being yelled at by the Stewardess to put your arms under your own head - they become a bit frantic and emphatic in an emergency!

I am not an alarmist and I travel several times a year with my children - this is the one and only time that I have ever been in this situation - but once was more than enough! - We made a safe though very rough and bumpy landing - I have never again traveled on a plane with a baby or toddler without a car seat - not worth the risk!"

 

[scanne]

Thank you for this post. I was considering not getting a seat for my infant in October but now I am DEFINITELY getting one!

 

[Poly Pal]

Please buy the baby a seat! All the good reasons have been posted, but here's another one!

I flew Song two weeks ago from TPA to BDL on a full flight. Seating on Song is 3 and 3 and I was on the aisle. I sat next to a couple who had not purchased a seat for their daughter. I say she was about 14 - 18 months old. That child squirmed on her parents' laps for the first hour and kept touching me (I like kids well enough, but don't like to be touched by strangers!) She also wanted whatever was on my tray table. It made for a more uncomfortable flight.

Do your fellow pax a favor and buy the seat. (but really, the baby's safety should be your first concern.) Have a great trip!

 

[classicpooh]

I could not agree more. I wish that the airlines would make this mandatory at least for the saftey of children.

 

[renniks]

We bought a seat for our dd. She will be 22 months old when we go in Oct. I just feel safer having her in her own seat.

 

[bubbasmom99]

My son is a great traveller in his carseat and it was always nice to fly and have him doze off soon after takeoff... my daughter is another story. She hates being in her carseat so the last time we flew to Florida, I spent most of the flight holding her and trying to keep her happy... and this was on a redeye! So even though the kids are safer in their carseats, I don't know if all the people around us at 1 am would have preferred that I strap her back into her carseat, screaming. Still, I'd buy the seat because of all the other safety/turbulence/crash position reasons that have been given.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

The only time I have never purchased a seat for my infant daughter was when I knew the flight would be empty.

Almost all of my flights with the exception of Thanksgiving week, from Atlanta to Scranton PA were only about 1/3 full. USAir always let me bring the car seat on the plane and use a seat so there was no need to purchase one.

That said, I would absolutely purchase one flying down to MCO because every plane I've been on has been almost to capacity. I've had enough trips to turbulance to know I would have lost my lap baby.