What age for buying them their own seat?

[Dallas_Lady]

DD will be a year old when we go in September. I really want to go ahead and purchase a seat for her. I know at that age I don't have to, but planes are so cramped as it is, I don't want to be stuck with a squirming baby in my lap while I'm squished in the tiny seat.

At what age did you start buying plane tickets for your little ones?

 

[betsywdw]

We took DD in Feb and purchased a seat for her (she was around 11 months). We were so glad we did b/c she was a squirmer and I could not imagine having a stranger in the row with us and trying to deal with her. We decided we will always purchase a seat now.

 

[katerkat]

I started buying him a seat after he started walking, because at that point he was just too hard for me to contain. He was about 14 months at that point. Of course, not that he's a toddler, he's impossible to contain with or without his own seat. *sigh* I see far less flights in his future.

 

[robinb]

I started at two-years old. We travelled quite a bit when my DD was a baby.

 

[deedeetoo]

We always purchased seats even when they were very young. We brought their car seats and buckled them in. Its more money but they are safer and everyone is more comfortable.

 

[Hannathy]

I didn't start until they were 2. Never had a problem and flew enough with my DD as a baby to earn elite status.

 

[dougsmom98]

We didn't buy a seat for my DD when she was 8 months old, but we did on this past trip when she was 20 months. She was walking at 8 months but not a ton. She was easy to hold the entire time, after take off I was able to use the Baby B'Jorn to help hold her. There was no question when she was 20 months that I would get a seat for her. She is so active. If you can swing the cost, you won't regret getting the seat. It will be less stressful to buy it than to wonder from now until then if you made the right decision.

 

[UConnJack]

Not until we had to at 2 yrs old. DD was relatively small and not too squirmy so wasn't a problem. We also made sure to be in a 2-seater row so there was nobody to bother.

Now our DS (9 mths) is a bruiser, 99% for height and 95% for weight, and very nosey. Not sure if we are going to make it to 2-yrs with him, but are going to try.

If you don't buy a seat, just check in at the gate and see if they can slip you into a row with an extra seat if the flight isn't full (assuming it's not SW)

 

[DaisyD]

We started buying seats for our kids the first time they flew. Kids are safer in seats so we always went that route.

 

[ParrotBill]

We always bought a seat even at 2 months old. Reasons: Safety, more likely to sleep (she did) and ale to get hands free to care of other things like getting out food, drink and toys to keep her busy and happy.

We bought a clever car seat that was attached to a luggage frame with handle and wheels, and still FAA approved. Just wheeled her down the aisles behind us and through the airports. Easy as can be and she was happy as a clam.

 

[zaza]

We've bought a plane seat for our granddaughter, AKA the Princess, who'll be 18 months when we introduce her to the Mouse next month. We're having trouble finding a car seat that has the "FAA Approved" sticker on it. We got one at Babies R Us that the employee said worked, but it has a sticker that specifically says we CAN'T use it on a plane so it's being returned. Her current car seat has the same unacceptable sticker (we have the same car seat her parents do so that's not an option). Any suggestions for approved seats would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Lilysmom]

We got seats for our girls when they became mobile. Both took their first trip to WDW around 6 months. The first time I purchased a seat for my DD and she ended up in my lap anyway. With my second DD, I skipped purchasing the seat because she was a more "needy" baby to begin with so I knew I'd be holding her.

We are going in July and our newest addition with be ablout 8 weeks. I'll be flying with her as a lap child.

 

[Boston5602]

We always purchased seats even when they were very young. We brought their car seats and buckled them in. Its more money but they are safer and everyone is more comfortable.

US too , we always bought a seat for safety reasons. I was flying home from mco to Boston and we hit an air pocket and everyone not buckled in hit the ceiling . We landed and had ambulances waiting for our arrival. One woman broke her arm and someone else sprained their ankle. Imagine if someone was holding a baby , could have been seriously hurt.

 

[*Wish*Upon*A*Star*]

We've bought a plane seat for our granddaughter, AKA the Princess, who'll be 18 months when we introduce her to the Mouse next month. We're having trouble finding a car seat that has the "FAA Approved" sticker on it. We got one at Babies R Us that the employee said worked, but it has a sticker that specifically says we CAN'T use it on a plane so it's being returned. Her current car seat has the same unacceptable sticker (we have the same car seat her parents do so that's not an option). Any suggestions for approved seats would be greatly appreciated!

We're bringing our 17-Month old Prince to WDW next month, too!

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure the sticker doesn't say "Cannot be used as a booster in a plane..." or something to that effect. DS has two different car seats (a Britax Decathlon and an Alpha Omega Elite) and they both say they are FAA approved, just not as a booster. Just make sure to double check the sticker before going out and buying another carseat. Good Luck!

 

[buzz5985]

If I remember correctly I had a Century booster seat that was FAA approved if used with the 5 point harness, and not approved by just using the seat belt.

 

[dreamcometrue]

we have purchased a seat for our kids from the very beginning. You will really appreciate having the extra room! It's no fun keeping a squirmy baby/toddler on your lap, even for a short flight! Of course, if the flight is not full, they will make every effort to seat you with an available seat next to you, but I wouldn't count on it!

 

[Lewisc]

Sometimes SW won't allow parents to grab a free seat for a lap baby unless there are more then enough empty seats to accomodate all the lap babies and enough to handle any last minute walk ups. Combine that with high load factors and parents should assume a lap baby will be on their lap.

Of course, if the flight is not full, they will make every effort to seat you with an available seat next to you, but I wouldn't count on it!

 

[liznboys]

We also purchased seats for our babies from the first time they flew. They were safely buckled into their carseat.

On our most recent flight last month returning from WDW, we experienced some fairly rough turbulence. I was so glad my youngest (11 months at the time) was safely strapped into his 5 pt. harness carseat, instead of sitting on my lap where if enough of a bump happened he could have easily slipped up and out of my arms and hit the ceiling.

Every penny spent on his ticket and every hassle of toting his carseat along was well worth the peace of mind that he was safer!

Oh, and the extra room is nice too.

 

[NotUrsula]

We're having trouble finding a car seat that has the "FAA Approved" sticker on it.

Note that the sticker does NOT mention the FAA by name. The wording of the sticker is ‘‘THIS RESTRAINT IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT’’ in red lettering.

 

[jodifla]

We didn't start until DS was 2. Saved much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that way!

We gate checked his car seat, and the flight attendants gave us a seat to use the car seat in whenever the flight wasn't full.