Lap babies on planes

[swbrigadoon]

Yay or nay? Hold your baby in your lap, or buy them their own seat and use the car seat?

[swbrigadoon]

With DS1 we always kept him on our lap. I just bought our tickets to CA, and now am having anxiety about not buying R his own seat. I accidentally went down a rabbit hole regarding safety of lap babies on planes and now I'm trying to decide if I should call the airline and book another seat.

Just curious to see what you ladies have to say about it.

[charliefox]

When I took C to San Diego I was really glad the plane was empty. We had our own row each time so I was able to bring his car seat. During take off and landing I was thinking how glad I was that he was strapped in and started worrying about our France flight.

On our flight here takeoff and landing made me super nervous. They were also both very bumpy. H had a death grip around C the whole time, not that that would have saved him.

For convenience sake it I ever fly with C alone again I'd probably buy him a seat. Trying to contain him to just my seat would have been awful. As far as safety goes, I totally get why they should have their own seat but we (obviously) just couldn't seem to justify paying 1700 more.

tl;dr I'm also torn.

I think it's Fearsy who had a lot of info about this?

[MrsEmuTavi]

After reading this article I am 100% against lap babies csftl.org/leaving-on-a-jet-plane-the-csftl-guide-to-safe-air-travel-with-children/
We were the 1/1000000 once, doing our best not to be again.

[txshep]

On our flights to/from Cleveland Dani was a lap baby. The flight home took extra time due to a storm system, and it took over 3 hours... I was dying to put her down. Next time we'll get a seat for her just so I don't have to hold her the whole time. It was hot/exhausting.

[London]

It is undeniably safer to get them their own seat, but not always done.

When this came up before, healz413 made the comparison to public transit (buses, subways) where kids are not in a car seat. Is your child absolutely as secure as possible in the event of an accident? No. Is it a risk that parents have to weigh on their own terms? Yes.

Edit to say if you can afford it, I would most certainly book a seat for him. We will be getting A her own seat at Christmas.

[swbrigadoon]

May 22, 2016 18:04:57 GMT -5 Fearsy said:

One  more thing and then I'll leave it alone. Everything on an airplane is strapped down - luggage, peanuts, YOU...why shouldn't your child be?

Thanks. It's a long flight (6.5 hours) and there is not a single aisle seat available on the whole plane, so I thought lap would be easier since there are only two seats next to each other available (window and middle) but I'm going to call the airline and see what they can do. My mom is also coming to help me but I don't want her to be stranded with one kid super far away. My gut is telling me to buy a seat and reading all this stuff just reaffirms that.

[London]

May 22, 2016 18:31:09 GMT -5 swbrigadoon said:

May 22, 2016 18:04:57 GMT -5 Fearsy said:

One  more thing and then I'll leave it alone. Everything on an airplane is strapped down - luggage, peanuts, YOU...why shouldn't your child be?

Thanks. It's a long flight (6.5 hours) and there is not a single aisle seat available on the whole plane, so I thought lap would be easier since there are only two seats next to each other available (window and middle) but I'm going to call the airline and see what they can do. My mom is also coming to help me but I don't want her to be stranded with one kid super far away. My gut is telling me to buy a seat and reading all this stuff just reaffirms that.

I know with both domestic airlines here, a lot of seat shifting happens. Seats appear unavailable online when they have been randomly assigned to a passenger, but if they haven't checked in to confirm it they can be moved. Worth a call for sure!!

Also if it is an international flight you may be able to get a discount. I know they do that here (but not on domestic which is annoying, they should be encouraging seats for babies and financial reasons are 100% the main reason people don't buy them).

[hovenb]

May 22, 2016 18:31:09 GMT -5 swbrigadoon said:

May 22, 2016 18:04:57 GMT -5 Fearsy said:

One  more thing and then I'll leave it alone. Everything on an airplane is strapped down - luggage, peanuts, YOU...why shouldn't your child be?

Thanks. It's a long flight (6.5 hours) and there is not a single aisle seat available on the whole plane, so I thought lap would be easier since there are only two seats next to each other available (window and middle) but I'm going to call the airline and see what they can do. My mom is also coming to help me but I don't want her to be stranded with one kid super far away. My gut is telling me to buy a seat and reading all this stuff just reaffirms that.

Who are you flying with? I mentioned it in a randoms, but Alaska will refund you your ticket if there ends up being one extra seat on the flight. They said some other airlines do it too, I just don't know which ones.

[jessiespano]

Safety aside (and of course it's important) there would have been no way I could have handled both kids alone without having a seat for H. It was great to have somewhere to put him while handling Js needs.

[swbrigadoon]

May 22, 2016 20:43:37 GMT -5 hovenb said:

May 22, 2016 18:31:09 GMT -5 swbrigadoon said:

Thanks. It's a long flight (6.5 hours) and there is not a single aisle seat available on the whole plane, so I thought lap would be easier since there are only two seats next to each other available (window and middle) but I'm going to call the airline and see what they can do. My mom is also coming to help me but I don't want her to be stranded with one kid super far away. My gut is telling me to buy a seat and reading all this stuff just reaffirms that.

Who are you flying with? I mentioned it in a randoms, but Alaska will refund you your ticket if there ends up being one extra seat on the flight. They said some other airlines do it too, I just don't know which ones.

JetBlue. That's interesting, I'll have to look into that.

[canadiansciencegeek]

I am taking Z on a 9 hour flight next week as a lap baby. I know there are risks. I've never heard the public transit analogy, but it encompasses my feelings on the subject quite well.

From a comfort standpoint, I agree that if I were flying alone with my baby, I'd want her to have her own seat. This time, I will be flying with DD1 and my mom, so we'll have 3 seats for 2 adults, a 4 year old and a baby. It won't be awesome, but it won't be as bad as trying to keep a baby within the confines of a single seat for 9 hours. Also, I wish they made the cutoff for lap babies 12 months instead of 24. Attempting to fly with a one year old on your lap is a special kind of torture.

[emejay]

I didn't even think about all this when we planned our Vancouver trip next year. In my head, less than 2 years = lap baby.

Now, I'm realising that we'll need a third ticket and won't probably be able to afford it

[London]

May 23, 2016 7:21:02 GMT -5 emejay said:

I didn't even think about all this when we planned our Vancouver trip next year. In my head, less than 2 years = lap baby.

Now, I'm realising that we'll need a third ticket and won't probably be able to afford it

Domestic flights are such bullshit. I'm already gritting my teeth for Christmas.

[emejay]

May 23, 2016 11:25:46 GMT -5 London said:

May 23, 2016 7:21:02 GMT -5 emejay said:

I didn't even think about all this when we planned our Vancouver trip next year. In my head, less than 2 years = lap baby.

Now, I'm realising that we'll need a third ticket and won't probably be able to afford it

Domestic flights are such bullshit. I'm already gritting my teeth for Christmas.

2400$ for plane tickets is ridiculous.

[charliefox]

May 23, 2016 10:52:08 GMT -5 @sterling said:

I've traveled with and without my child having his own seat, and him having a seat is so much better for many reasons. Obviously safety, but it's nice to just have a safe spot to put him down for my own sanity too.

Just because I'm curious, for those that travel with baby in a car seat, do you take the child in and out? I often do whether it's for feeding, stretch their legs/change scenery, diaper change, etc. I only do so when it's not turbulent, obviously, but I don't strap them in their seat for 5 hours with no break and feed them reclined either. Thoughts?

This is one of those things where I feel like they are obviously safer in their seat but no way could we survive with a baby strapped in for hours. I think the likelihood of random serious turbulence is probably very low and I would take C out to let him stretch, play etc as long as it was smooth. On our short flight last month he fell asleep during takeoff and only got out once right before our descent. Had he been awake the whole time he would have lost it in his carseat. 

[charliefox]

May 23, 2016 12:13:55 GMT -5 emejay said:

May 23, 2016 11:25:46 GMT -5 London said:

Domestic flights are such bullshit. I'm already gritting my teeth for Christmas.

2400$ for plane tickets is ridiculous.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?

-1 for Canada.

[emejay]

May 23, 2016 12:51:18 GMT -5 charliefox said:

May 23, 2016 12:13:55 GMT -5 emejay said:

2400$ for plane tickets is ridiculous.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?

-1 for Canada.

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

[eliza040502]

Has anyone flown with a convertible car seat? Any recommendations?

[britbratjf]

May 23, 2016 12:52:27 GMT -5 emejay said:

May 23, 2016 12:51:18 GMT -5 charliefox said:

WHAAAAAAAAAT?

-1 for Canada.

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

Uh we are buying 3 tickets to FL over 4th of July weekend (DD2 will be a lap baby) and its $970 total.....

[emejay]

May 23, 2016 13:24:40 GMT -5 britbratjf said:

May 23, 2016 12:52:27 GMT -5 emejay said:

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

Uh we are buying 3 tickets to FL over 4th of July weekend (DD2 will be a lap baby) and its $970 total.....

I know it's crazy!! As much as flying overseas

[soyloca]

2 hours is my max with a lap baby for comfort reasons. When we flew with Air New Zealand we were given a lap belt to strap Rafa in to our belt. No american airline has ever offered us that. I don't know how safe those actually are, but at least they are somewhat strapped in.

And no international flight has given a discounted child seat. It's full price.

[ComeMai]

We are flying to Europe next month to visit grandparents. Delta doesn't give child discounts for our flights & charges 10% of the adult fare for a lap baby. That's 4 international tickets. We just couldn't afford a 5th. I asked the reservationist to make our seat assignments with an extra random seat available. FX that it will be an empty seat & we can use it for DS's carseat. We'll have the girls in car seats, too, so maybe we can put him in a seat when they get out to use the restroom, etc. When we flew in 2011-2012, the children's tickets were only 30% of an adult fare. I was not expecting no discount.

[charliefox]

May 23, 2016 23:38:09 GMT -5 ComeMai said:

We are flying to Europe next month to visit grandparents. Delta doesn't give child discounts for our flights & charges 10% of the adult fare for a lap baby. That's 4 international tickets. We just couldn't afford a 5th. I asked the reservationist to make our seat assignments with an extra random seat available. FX that it will be an empty seat & we can use it for DS's carseat. We'll have the girls in car seats, too, so maybe we can put him in a seat when they get out to use the restroom, etc. When we flew in 2011-2012, the children's tickets were only 30% of an adult fare. I was not expecting no discount.

It is ridiculous. I get it, it's not like Delta is getting anything out of it for offering a discounted seat (other than the baby most likely won't be eating airplane food, snacking on peanuts, and getting drunk on free booze). What's annoying is that they do advertise a discount for child tickets that is 10-50%. Yeah right, Delta. We had to pay $200 just for C to be a lap child. 

[charliefox]

May 23, 2016 12:52:27 GMT -5 emejay said:

May 23, 2016 12:51:18 GMT -5 charliefox said:

WHAAAAAAAAAT?

-1 for Canada.

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

Could you fly from like Vermont/New York to Seattle for a lot cheaper or is that just too much of a PITA?

[emejay]

May 24, 2016 3:29:12 GMT -5 charliefox said:

May 23, 2016 12:52:27 GMT -5 emejay said:

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

Could you fly from like Vermont/New York to Seattle for a lot cheaper or is that just too much of a PITA?

I'll definitely look into it

[Knitter]

May 24, 2016 3:29:12 GMT -5 charliefox said:

May 23, 2016 12:52:27 GMT -5 emejay said:

Coast to coast - Montréal to Vancouver - 800$ per ticket X 3

Yup.

Could you fly from like Vermont/New York to Seattle for a lot cheaper or is that just too much of a PITA?

Don't forget that $2400cad is like $1000usd!!

(okay, not quite that bad but still our dollar sucks right now)

[canadiansciencegeek]

May 24, 2016 6:08:54 GMT -5 emejay said:

May 24, 2016 3:29:12 GMT -5 charliefox said:

Could you fly from like Vermont/New York to Seattle for a lot cheaper or is that just too much of a PITA?

I'll definitely look into it

We used to fly in to Seattle all the time to save on $$.  It's about a 3 hour drive as long as you don't hit rush hour in Seattle, which is brutal!

[London]

May 24, 2016 13:59:03 GMT -5 canadiansciencegeek said:

May 24, 2016 6:08:54 GMT -5 emejay said:

I'll definitely look into it

We used to fly in to Seattle all the time to save on $$.  It's about a 3 hour drive as long as you don't hit rush hour in Seattle, which is brutal!

Plus double the time at customs which can be a massive pain in the ass.