Lap or seat for 18mo old?

[Princess Disney Mom]

Please buy the seat. I recall an article in Parents magazine some 10 years a go where a flight had a lot of turbulance and all lived but the baby. The poor baby went flying through the aircraft.

Please please buy the seat.

 

[linzbear]

We bought a seat for our 7mo for our trip in October. In severe turbulence lap babies become projectile weapons. Not worth the risk in my book.

 

[clanmcculloch]

My 18mo old will be flying for the first time. Would you save the money and keep her on your lap, or buy a seat for her? I tend to want to spend the money for the convenience of having the room for her. Has anyone else had any experience with this?

If I do buy a seat for her, do I have to bring a car seat?

I flew several times with my kids before they turned 2. I always bought the seats. Check with the airline because at least a few years ago many only charged half price for children under 2. I'm not sure if this was to encourage parents to actually book the seat, which is far safer for the child and everybody around them (in case of emergency, an unsecured child is a projectile) or if there was some other reason, but I certainly appreciated the savings.

Here was my thinking on the seats, even if I had have been required to pay full price (since the airline is still being required to give up an entire seat).

1. It's much safer for the child to be restrained rather than sitting on a parent's lap.
2. It's much more comfortable for both the adult and child to have our own seats. You can raise the arm between the two of you and even with seat belts done up, your child can lay his head down on your lap. You each get your own tray table so he can colour or eat while you do a crossword puzzle (assuming he's not asking you a million questions a minute in his own version of 18 month language). If nothing else, you have a place to put down your own drink where he can't reach it. If you have a DVD player then you can have him sit in his own seat while you try get a bit of rest (you won't sleep, but it's still somewhat quiet time) since you'll need it before you get to WDW which is as exhausting as it is fun.
3. The kids are used to sitting in their own car seats. They can fall asleep in their own car seats. Flights can be scary (fun, but scary), especially with the changes in air pressure. The more things that are familiar, the better. I got lucky that they always fell asleep before take-off and before landing.
4. You get the extra storage space and luggage allowance with the purchase of the extra seat.

Note: If you do bring your car seat, make sure it is acceptable for air travel. If you're taking DME then it'll have to go under the bus as he can't use it in his seat on the bus. At 18 months, I'm not even sure I'd bring the car seat since it's just something else to haul, assuming that you're using DME. If you're renting a car then bring it.

 

[KiminChicago]

Are you also planning on bringing a stroller? The reason why I asked is when we flew down to WDW with DS who was then 5 and DD who was 2, we used her car seat as a temporary stroller. We found a heavier duty luggage cart and used bugee cords to attach the car seat to it. We rolled her through the airport to our gate, unstrapped the car seat, folded up the luggage cart and stored it in one of our carry-ons. Since we were planning on renting Disney strollers on that trip, it was so nice to be able to travel through the airports with DD on wheels without having a separate stroller.

 

[Brian Noble]

Get the seat.

Not so much because of any real danger. The AAP recommends they be used (http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/5/1218) but the number of serious injuries that happen to unrestrained kids is just phenomenally low. You've got a better chance of being hit by lighting (1 in 280,000).

But, the extra space is a godsend, on most airlines you're only paying 1/2 price for it, and you'll never regret missing the $200 or so, while you might really regret that less-likely-than-a-lightning-strike event.

Finally: if the extra cost makes the difference between flying and driving, fly with your kid on your lap. The numbers suggest that flying unrestrained is still safer than driving properly restrained, with a careful driver, etc. etc. etc.

That said, your best option is to pay the money and enjoy the space and peace of mind.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Is your baby's safety worth less then $300?

Ditto -

I have never understood why parents keep their children on their laps. If anythying happens in that cabin, that child will be a projectile. Ok, I know it's more likely to NOT happen - but if it were my child....I would never consider taking the chance. Of course, that's just my own personal opinion.

I guess the flaming can begin now....I'm brave.

 

[dismom73]

I've been a flight attendant for 14 years and I will tell anyone who asks---buy a seat for your child! You cant put a dollar amount on your childs safety. And yes, while the risk of injury is low, there still is that risk. The odds of our children getting measles is very low, but we still vaccinate them...Just an FYI for anyone that cares, the procedure for an emergency landing preperation for a lap child is to be placed on the floor! That is the safest place for your child if you don't buy them a seat, the floor!

 

[raidermatt]

Thanks for the great response. No, driving is not an option for us; being in a incar for 18 hrs with my 18mos old is too horrifying to think about! I would much rather just be there in @2hrs.

I think we will buy the seat for her; if she winds up being difficult and wants to sit with mommy, then at least we have the extra room. Chances are she will more than likely want to run around, not be sitting on mommy's lap!

I think that's the best choice. Safer, and the extra room is nice. We always bought seats for our kids (now 4 and 10).

Also, since baby has a ticket, you get an additional carry-on and checked bag(s). Not sure if this will matter on your trip, but it does help in some cases. Especially since airlines have cheaper (or even free) rates for the 1st checked bag for each passenger.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think we will buy the seat for her; if she winds up being difficult and wants to sit with mommy, then at least we have the extra room. Chances are she will more than likely want to run around, not be sitting on mommy's lap!

Glad you're buying the seat.

Now bring her carseat (FAA approved). And put her in it.

I have a rambunctious child that I would never set on my fellow passengers by letting him walk around...carseat means buckled in and that is IT. He was AMAZED that we could get him out of it to get to the bathrooms, but there was no extra walking around the cabin. Moving through the air at osmething like 500 mph...carseat, buckled in.



I am glad you're getting the seat, though! DS was 17 months old when we went Seattle to San Diego, I held him the whole time, it was very very difficult and I was sore for days. We did have to deal with it on the way up (no extra budgetary room at that point), and he'd aged out of lap sitting by our next flight, but I'd never try it again!

I was going to suggest getting into a small space, sit down, and hold her in that seat for the length that the flight will be. If it's a calm, enjoyable experience, then think about lap sitting, LOL.

...of course you have to include all the people and noise and things going on, the sounds, the flight attendants, the announcements...impossible to know if a calm time at home = a calm time in the air...

 

[goofy4tink]

I think we can all agree that your child is really safer in her own seat, belted into a car seat. Not to mention...do you really want a squirming, wiggling child on your lap for 2 hrs??? To me, that would be truly horrifying.
I know that my kids always knew that in order for the car to move, all seat belts had to be buckled...that meant when they were in car seats as well. And that would be my rule on the plane. Granted, by the time my dd, now 15, started flying, she was a very tall 4 y/o, so wasn't in a car seat any longer. But to this day, that seat belt gets buckled and stays buckled until we get to the gate. This should be the rule when flying...'Honey, the plane can't go until you are in your seat. That is the rule when flying.'
Then, maybe one time, since it's only 2 1/2 hrs., you could unbuckle her and take her to the bathroom, just to stretch her legs...even if she isn't potty trained yet. But, right back into the seat and buckled in.