airplane question / with baby

[markm0926]

Flying with a 16 month old. Is it okay that he will be sitting on our laps during the flight? I hear all this talk of brining car seats, but the airline we are flying said it was okay for him to just be on our laps.

 

[josierac]

It is ok to have him on your lap but if you do want a seat for him most airlines only charge 50% of an adult seat for a child under 2. I think that you will all be more comfortable that way and safer.

 

[Jenn]

It is really up to you. You can have a child under 2 ride on your lap for free OR you can purchase a seat for them and have them sit in their car seat.

If you opt for the lap, remember you may need your car seat depending on what type of transportation you will be using so you may need to bring it and check it as luggage.

Personally, from a safety standpoint I have always brought the car seat. In the event of major turbulance, there is no way you could hold onto a child. My daughter is 4 and has flown 7 times always in her car seat. The most I have ever paid for her ticket was $200 and it gave me 1) peace of mind and 2) a break from having her climb all over me during the flight.

 

[jel0511]

EVen though airlines will let you fly with holding someone under 2 I have ALWAYS bought my children a seat. They only charge you 50% for the infant seat and it's the best thing!! It gives everyone some personal space and if you hit turbulance it's a must!! When we flew doen to Orlanco in Dec, we hit some MAJOR turbulance and if I had been holding my son he probably would have went flying, it was that bad. Of course he was safely buckled into his car seat and slept through it. It is definately safer to get your child a seat and just remember the next time you fly your child probably will be over 2, so you'll have to buy a seat then, so why not now.

 

[MaggieMouse]

I flew to AZ from NJ with my DD the first time when she was 8 months old. I didn't have a seat for her and we hit some MAJOR turbulence. I held on to her fine. She slept most of the time so I just kept her wrapped in my arms.

She'll be 21 months when we go to FL. in June. I do not plan on buying her a seat or taking my car seat with me. Honestly, I would probably be holding her anyway. You do what you think is best.

 

[whirlsy]

i flew in dec. with a rather large 20 month old (he wears a size 3t) and it was hard even though we had three seats for him to climb all over us, he did fall asleep , with a little help from his cold medicine and he just slept in my arms but it was difficult for me to eat drink read a magazine, so unless your willing to sleep with them also be prepared its a long trip, besides they are so use to there car seats they fall asleep faster in them then having you hang onto them and add your body heat, and you all know those planes its a hit and miss with the temperature. our airline didnt offer the 50% off price for the infant.

 

[docswkids]

We have always paid for a ticket for our children when they were under two to fly in their own carseat. We have never been lucky enough to get a seat for 50% off. In fact, when my older son was under two, airlines werent offering this discount. The airline employees always assumed that we hadnt paid for his seat and would give us a hard time about needing to obtain a gait check for the car seat just in case there wasnt room on the plane for it. We often wouldnt be offered a tray for our child by the flight attendant when the meal was served.
It has been expensive for us and I think it is a personal decision. I think it is much more comfortable to have my kids in their own seat, particularly given how small the seats and space around them are in coach. My kids have always been very active and they had a tendency to do things like pull my hair or pull on my clothes, and climb all over me. I remember the bruises well. I liked that I could strap them into their seats and they couldnt undo the belts and try to run around the cabin or crawl on the floor. It definately is safer for the children in situations such as turbulance or worse.

 

[docswkids]

Just bumping my reply, because it didnt happen when I posted.

 

[ahutton]

If you don't or didn't buy a seat for your child you should still bring a car seat with you, if there is an empty seat on the plane they will often offer to let you use your seat. Plus then you have it in Florida in case you rent a car or use a service like Tiffany to get you from the airport to the park. I have not always heard good experiences from people who relied on the rental car company seats.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We to our then 8 1/2 month old to FLA in December 2001 and did not buy her a seat. It was with Sprit and the plane was only half full, each time they gave her a seat between the two of us. We took our small infant car seat with us and checked it. Next time I plan not to bring the car seat and do Tiffany car service where they can get a car seat if requested. The car seat for a 16 month old is not very portable and very combersome. Our baby napped for around an hour each trip laying down on the seat between us. I nursed her going up and now. Getting the kid in and out of the seat could be a hassle and it is not easy to nap in a seat for a 16 month old.

What I am wondering is if your 16 month old is going to cooperate with a car seat on the plane anyway. You may be more cofortable holding him / her. It really depends on your kid, can you trust the child not to want to run all over the plane if not straped into a car seat? We did fine without one for the plane and it would be really nice not to lug it around. Keep in mind if you do buy a seat for the baby you get another carry on and cheacked lugage. That could be helpful. Depends on what you are comfortable with. In the unlikely event of any real trouble on a plane, a car seat may not make much of a difference.