Baby on lap

[krislati]

Would you buy your 1 yr old a seat or fly with him on your lap?

 

[hannahdrewmom]

How far are you flying?

 

[erin327]

Buy the seat. Baby is safer in case of turbulence or runway issue. Baby is also probably used to sitting in their car seat. Most 1 year old would be very wiggly on a lap.

 

[deegack]

There was no question when we traveled with DD (who was 15 months at the time), she got her own seat and we used her car seat. It is the safest, most comfortable way for them to travel.

 

[scrapquitler]

Personally, I would buy the seat. In case of turbulence, baby will be safer in the car seat. I would be more comfortable on the ride without baby in my lap (there isn't very much extra leg room or personal space on airplanes these days) and you just can't count on the 'if there is an empty seat you can use it for the baby' anymore - the flights are all almost full these days because the airlines run less flights at higher capacities than they used to.

 

[Hannathy]

Nope I wouldn't buy it. Both my kids flew as lap babies and never had any problems. And they flew tens of thousands of miles as such. My DD flew so much as a lap baby we were elite fliers or whatever United called their frequent fliers then.

so no I wouldn't spend the money to buy a seat and I wouldn't drag the car seat around the airport if I didn't need it at Disney especially if I was flying alone with the baby.

 

[daisyduck123]

and strapped them into their carseats as well.

 

[figment3258]

We never bought a seat when they were under two. And we never brought their car seats. They sat fine and it was great.

 

[jodifla]

Never bought a seat until my son was over 2. Saved tons of money that way. We flew at a lot of "off" times when there were extra seats, and they ended up letting us take a seat and using his car seat about 50 percent of the time as well.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

We flew transatlantic and so it saved alot having ds4 (then 19months) as a lap child- as we flew with three of our other kids too (#5 hadn't arrived then!) it wasn't such a problem as he was able to share with a sibling to watch the movies and so on, he slept alot of the flight on me though. I was expecting it to be a nightmare but it really wasn't that bad. I just made sure we packed plenty of snacks for him as on our flight no seat meant no bookable meals.

 

[Nanu57v]

We've always bought for our babies. I've always thought "what if" and would rather be safe with the baby strapped in her carseat for extreme turbulence or hard landing then loose on my lap.

 

[Miss Mo]

We flew from the UK to Orlando with 15 month old as a lap baby, was absolutely fine. We flew to Seattle a few months later and got him a seat (because we were staying with friends so the money we saved there we paid for a flight). It was good having the extra space but we weren't allowed to take our car seat on board (I think domestic rules are different) so he had to be on my lap for take off and landing anyway.

mo x

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'd never fly with a lap baby. All my kids always had their own seat. If I couldn't afford a safe seat for everyone, then I couldn't afford to go.

 

[locolala]

I would buy the seat and strap the baby into a car seat. Safer and more comfortable for all involved.

 

[bjakmom]

I flew with my first 2 as lap babies many many times. Then when 3rd was 5 mos old we lapped with him to Calif. On our return flight we faced an emergency landing situation at O'Hare (with ambulances and fire engines waiting for us on the runway). It was terrifying - there is NOWHERE safe for the baby to go. Back then they made you put the baby on the floor between your feet I understand they will now let you hold the baby - but if we had hit any harder than we did, I could have crushed him - or lost hold on impact. Stewardess said as we all (fortunately with no one seriously hurt) deplaned "that's why lap babies have been found in the overhead luggage compartments in crashes". Only happened to me once in 40 years of flying - many hundreds of flights have been uneventful (I still love to fly) - but once was enough for me!! I never fly without a seat (and carseat for infants) for everyone in my family - not worth the risk. So to me the final decision is a risk assessment and what you feel comfortable with/ can live with if you're unlucky. The $ saved would never compensate for an injured child for me.

 

[Minniemouse07]

When the kids were younger we always flew w/ their own seats and in car seats (until 4yo).

If it came down to a $$ issue that we wouldn't be able to afford the trip unless they flew on a lap...we stayed home!

 

[CTmommyx3]

I have never flown with an infant. But i have to say yes absolutely I would have the seat for them with their car seat strapped in.
Too many rough flights, or landings and all you hear every day about things happening. Not worth the risk for the baby to be hurt only because they could not be secured like anyone else would be.

 

[xXMyTwoPrincessesXx]

I flew with my first 2 as lap babies many many times. Then when 3rd was 5 mos old we lapped with him to Calif. On our return flight we faced an emergency landing situation at O'Hare (with ambulances and fire engines waiting for us on the runway). It was terrifying - there is NOWHERE safe for the baby to go. Back then they made you put the baby on the floor between your feet I understand they will now let you hold the baby - but if we had hit any harder than we did, I could have crushed him - or lost hold on impact. Stewardess said as we all (fortunately with no one seriously hurt) deplaned "that's why lap babies have been found in the overhead luggage compartments in crashes". Only happened to me once in 40 years of flying - many hundreds of flights have been uneventful (I still love to fly) - but once was enough for me!! I never fly without a seat (and carseat for infants) for everyone in my family - not worth the risk. So to me the final decision is a risk assessment and what you feel comfortable with/ can live with if you're unlucky. The $ saved would never compensate for an injured child for me.

That's horrifying!! Why put the baby on the floor? You said back then.. so they no longer do that??

We are flying with baby (7 mo) on lap.. it's not that we can't afford it (the trip is costing over $3500, an extra $200 for the ticket isn't a big deal).. but it's really because I know that DD would want to be on my lap anyway.. our flight is 2.5 hours.. Now I wonder if I should buy her a seat.. our flight is in 2.5 weeks.. not sure if I will even find a seat!

(and to be fair, I doubt ANY parent would chose something they didn't think was safe for their kids to safe a few hundreds, or to afford the trip)

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

Bjakmom that is horrifying!

Can I ask does anyone have any experience of flying from the UK with a carseat? When we flew in 2008 we were told it had to be wrapped and put through as checked luggage and that it wouldn't be allowed on board.

Does anyone have any experience of flying UK to USA and being allowed to use a carseat on board?

 

[Hannathy]

That's horrifying!! Why put the baby on the floor? You said back then.. so they no longer do that??

They haven't done that for over 20 years. I don't know why someone always brings that up


I have flown with a lap baby in very rough turbulence, rough take offs and rough landings, including one we had to brace ourselves in the emergency landing position and never felt my child was in danger.