Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
SavedByLove
member
Flying - Give kid own seat or sit on my lap?
SavedByLove
member
Has anyone flown with an almost 2 year old on your lap? We flew last year but had "big seats" on Spirit (so he could really sit beside me in the seat). The two flights we took last year went really well but for some reason I just feel really uneasy this year.
On top of my already present apprehension, this year, Spirit is not allowing us to buy the big seats with an infant on the lap. As such we are forced to sit in the three person rows (ugh). So we are debating between: (a) getting him his own seat and (b) trying to hold him on our laps in the crowded 3 person seats, with an inevitable stranger right beside us.
Any thoughts/experiences?
Also, as an aside, (dumb question) if he has his own seat is the "rule" to bring a car seat?
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Re: Flying - Give kid own seat or sit on my lap?
Sorry I'm not of much help... only thing I can say is I can't imagine my LO (granted, he's much younger than yours) sitting on my lap for more than 5 mins (if that). If you have an active LO, I would go with the alternate seat.
BTW- Your siggy pic is cute!
Thanks! And yeah, it's challenging, haha, last year the secret was food.... Nonstop food, haha.
Thanks! And yeah, it's challenging, haha, last year the secret was food.... Nonstop food, haha.
I fly with him on my lap. I'm not paying that extra money until I have to. He's just going to deal with the crowded flight. Between snacks, books, and iPad, though, he seems to do fine.
He's 20 months now, btw.
ETA: I will add that our normal flightis very short. Like 2 hours.
We've flown at least a dozen times with DD from age 5 weeks to 20 months. I would highly recommend getting a seat for a toddler.
A carseat is not required at age 2 on a plane. If you could bring a booster seat it makes things easier.
Good luck!
For these reasons, plus mine would never sit in my lap for very long, we buy him his own seat. We've flown with him at 3 months and 11 months and in both instances bought him his own seat and put him in his carseat. On 3/4 of the flights, he slept for a good portion.
We have flown several times, and here is my rule of thumb. If the flight is less than 3 hours, I can manage to fly with my LO on my lap; however, anything longer and he is getting his own seat. Granted, he does much better flying on his own, but to save a bit of money, I just suck it up and let him sit on my lap.
The best advice that I received was to go to the dollar store and buy about $10 worth of random new toys. It honestly was the best $10 that I ever spent. My son was particularly fond of a mini slinky -- that seemed to occupy him for about 45 minutes. When ever the flight attendant came around, we also asked for a plastic cup -- he played with that for about 20 more minutes. Another hit was painter's tape and stickers. He could stick the tape/stickers almost anywhere and it was very easy to remove. He also enjoyed ripping paper from the sky miles magazine. Snacks (gold fish, cheerios, mum-mums, etc.) are also a big hit. Whenever he started getting a bit antsy, we simply presented him with a new toy (i.e., distraction) which seemed to hold his attention for a bit of time. It took a lot of work on our part but everyone was so impressed by how well he flew.
ETA: oh and there is no way I am hauling a car seat on the plane and I have actually never seen a kid sitting in one expect for international trips. They take up way too much space. My fear is you bring the seat on the plane and then the child decides not to sit for half the trip, then what do you do? If you are concerned about safety, you can rent the CARES harness from a lady on ebay, or if you fly frequently you can just buy one.
If you are taking a carseat with you, why not take it on the plane? If you check it, you have NO idea how it is treated or what damage may have been done that you might not be able to see until something goes wrong. Airlines will replace damaged luggage, but carseats are NOT included in this. Most CPSTs seem to advise that if you have checked a carseat it is essentially crashed and you should replace it. The CARES harness is great, but not appropriate for a child under 2.
This! I still can't believe they allow lap babies. It is proven that during turbulence, you would not be able to hold on to the baby. If you really care about the welfare of your child, you should buy a seat.
The convertible carseat is extremely heavy, I'm not referring to the infant one, so that is reason #1 we don't lug it on the plane. Reason #2 is because there is a very high chance that my LO will not want to sit for the duration of the flight which limits the amount of room to work with because of the bulky car seat.
Again, I have flown at least 10 times with my LO and have yet to see a convertible carseat on the plane, so from what I can tell, most people fly without them. The only exceptions have been international trips. Also, by installing some car seats, you may restrict if the person in the row in front of the car seat is able to lean back or not. Unless you are buying that seat as well, that is pretty inconsiderate.
It is your choice, I am just saying what is recomended for safe travel. A $30 cosco scenera passes all of the same testing as other seats, it very light weight and installs easily on the plane. As for reclining, there are some rows on the plane that do not recline at all, it is a bonus not a right. If you are concerned about bothering someone, offer to buy them a drink. I perfer to make sure that my carseats and children remain safe, someone's ability to recline does not trump their safety.
And this is something that we both agree with.
You do what you need to do for your comfort level, and I will do what I need to do for mine. No judging on this side. Ultimately, the original poster will have to go with what she feels is best for her child.
And for the record, I don't know what car seat cost $30 (and would probably side eye it if I saw it)...the Radian Dino one we have is closer to $300. Lots of cars pass safety inspections, but that doesn't mean that they all have the same effectiveness during an accident (e.g.., mini cooper vs. a CRV, which one would your rather be in an accident with given the other car was an escalade?).
Married October 16th, 2010
TTC #1 since October 2010
1st BFP 1-12-11
MC'd 1-22-11
2nd BFP 2-15-11
Our Wee One....**KENNEDY JO** born 10/3/11@ 36weeks via Csection
My BFP Chart
Labor Buddy to **MRS.ATCH** Welcome Quinn 11-5-11**
Married October 16th, 2010
TTC #1 since October 2010
1st BFP 1-12-11
MC'd 1-22-11
2nd BFP 2-15-11
Our Wee One....**KENNEDY JO** born 10/3/11@ 36weeks via Csection
My BFP Chart
Labor Buddy to **MRS.ATCH** Welcome Quinn 11-5-11**
We've taken the convertible car seat on the plane with us for four round trips now.
The biggest downside is when we're on United, which no longer allows families to do early boarding. That inconveniences all the other passengers rather than inconveniencing us (both lugging it down the aisle and nearly hitting everyone seated in the head and also clogging up the aisle while installing it), but we do feel bad.
In terms of being inconsiderate by not allowing the person in front of us to lean back, I think they'd be even more upset to listen to our son fuss the whole flight. He knows that the car seat means he's staying put.
It is not from Costco, the brand is Cosco. Yes it is 30 dollars, and every cpst that I have talked to has recommended it is a great travel/back up/budget seat. A carseat's effectiveness is NOT based on price, it is based on regulated safety standards, there are no standards for any additional testing and the companies do not release any of their extra testing data.
Did you know that some parent companies like Dorel (cosco, safety first, Eddie baur, maxi cosi) use the same seat, change the brand name, and up the price. The 30 seat is the same seat as safety first one that costs 80, yes the more expensive one has some extra padding, but it is the same shell.
It your radian a great seat? Yes, it is excellent for extended rear facing and doesn't take up a ton of room. It can also be a pain to install and doesn't make a good booster.
If a carseat is installed properly, fits my kid, and it does not have after market accessories added, then I trust it to protect my child regardless of price. Do I like some expensive seats? Yes, I love some of the extras that you can get, do I HAVE to have it to keep my kids safe? No.
Married October 16th, 2010
TTC #1 since October 2010
1st BFP 1-12-11
MC'd 1-22-11
2nd BFP 2-15-11
Our Wee One....**KENNEDY JO** born 10/3/11@ 36weeks via Csection
My BFP Chart
Labor Buddy to **MRS.ATCH** Welcome Quinn 11-5-11**
Regarding the reclining issue- if you forward face an almost-two year old, the person in front can recline a bit. And it's easier to install the carseat.
I'm glad you posted this. Our DS will be 23 months when we fly later this month and I went back and forth. Sadly an extra seat (roundtrip) was an extra $400 dollars and not something we do. I think if money was no problem I would do the extra seat.
I am glad to hear some good responses about people having their child in their lap. My biggest concern is the amount of room so hopefully it will work out.
Car seats are federally regulated they can't sell a product that isn't safe. A $300 is NOT safer you are paying for brand name, convenience, and comfort NOT safety.
OP: We recently flew from CA to ME (6 hours one way, 8 hours the other) with DD (at almost 14m) we didn't purchase a seat but were able to use the car seat for most of the trip anyway since the plane was not full except for on the last length (about an hour) of the flight home. If we were to take another flight before she is 2 (which I doubt) I wouldn't pay for a seat or bring the car seat since it would be a complete waste of money since getting her to sit in it for even the short amount of time while we were taking off/landing was a total PITA (she does great in the car but apparently the airplane was NOT enough like a car for her and she screamed the ENTIRE time.)
Ok, this thread is just full of misinformation.
1. Car seats ALL pass the same tests. It's a pass/fail system, so therefore no seat is "safer". A cosco scenera that costs $39 is absolutely just as safe as a $500 foonf. There is no argument to this, it is pure fact. Any markup you pay is due to luxuries, not safety.
2. Boosters are not allowed on planes.
3.
- https://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/" target="_blank" title="https://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/">https://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/4. This blog article has a very informative video from the National Transportation Safety Board: https://carseatblog.com/16971/lap-babies-on-airplane-a-warning-all-parents-must-see/
Bottom line, it's permitted but it is absolutely not recommended.
Thank you
Just a warning that this doesn't work on very small planes. We also took our seats on our trip and while I'm glad we did for all the reasons mentioned (not checking them, safety on the plane, even some napping on the flight), it was a cluster getting two seats down the aisle of the plane along with two little kids, getting them installed, etc. I was literally sweating buckets by the end of it. So if you are flying a small commuter jet, prepare for possibly having to make other arrangements to get on the plane (and we have diono seats, so they are quite slim).
Do the mommy wars ever end?
We traveled with our 13 month old in December (2 1/2 hour flight). We opted not to buy him a seat. I called the airline a few days before the flight and asked them about seat availability. She said the flight wasn't full, so we brought our carseat to the gate and LO was able to use it for both flights. If you travel at off peak times, it's worth a shot to bring it with you.
And can you believe our carseat cost $80 and still is safe? Crazy!
GL.
With my 22 month old I would have to buy her her own seat at this point and would need to bring her carseat. There is no way in heck I could keep her entertained on my lap for that long and she is generally pretty easy going. Plus the stress of having a stranger there watching my chaos would be enough motivation to just pay for all three seats.
Ooof, traveling with two is a whole 'nuther bucket of pain. I have a Diono too and fly AirTran, so their planes tend to be pretty small. I am not above asking a flight attendent for help, they're usually really willing to, especially if you look frazzled and your kids are cute :P
The child isn't a projectile if he is in a carrier, right? I put my active 10 mo in the ergo for a 2 hr flight and she slept a lot of the way. I don't want to spend the money on a separate seat even though my DD is very active I will deal with it until she is 2!
Watch the video on this link and it will show you what happens to a lap child in the event of a sudden stop, even if you're wearing them (which is not supposed to be allowed during takeoff/landing): https://carseatblog.com/16971/lap-babies-on-airplane-a-warning-all-parents-must-see/