Comments on: Lessons from US Air Flight 1549 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939 The Official Car-Seat.Org Blog about Kids, Safety and Parenting - Car Seat Reviews, Tips, Advice and More! Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:26:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: ketchupqueen http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1971 ketchupqueen Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:39:47 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1971 Adventuredad: Yes, plane travel is safe for the most part. And once a kid can sit well in the plane there's no reason not to let them sit in the lap belt on the plane, other than it's a convenient way to avoid checking your car seat (which some companies now CHARGE for even) and some kids are more comfortable that way. But children under 2 should have their own seats anyway. We're not talking about the 4 year old, although the father had to help brace her, as much as about the 9 month old. If he had been in a purchased seat, in a properly-installed car seat, no one would have had to brace him. Adventuredad: Yes, plane travel is safe for the most part. And once a kid can sit well in the plane there’s no reason not to let them sit in the lap belt on the plane, other than it’s a convenient way to avoid checking your car seat (which some companies now CHARGE for even) and some kids are more comfortable that way. But children under 2 should have their own seats anyway. We’re not talking about the 4 year old, although the father had to help brace her, as much as about the 9 month old. If he had been in a purchased seat, in a properly-installed car seat, no one would have had to brace him.

]]> By: Kat http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1969 Kat Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:16:48 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1969 I watched that... and really I had to keep watching once they said the baby's name (Damian... my son's name). I think she actually made the right decision handing her baby over... she seemed petite and she said the man next to her was a more frequent traveler and father of five.... and he'd been through difficult flights before.... so it sounds like (horror) this poor man had been in a similar (yet less severe) situation before and knew what to do to ensure the baby wouldn't fly down the aisle. Still, what bothered me as much (if not more) than the fact the baby was a lapbaby, was that her husband had to brace their daughter. During turbulance or a situation like this, he wouldn't have had to brace her, even if they didn't bring her carseat, if the seatbelt fit her, or if they had a cares harness. It is why I hate how expensive they are and that the airline can't just keep some and rent them. Not only that, but the fact that the baby was just that... a lap baby, not in a carseat, says to me that some of the fault of that situation, which many very GOOD parents wind up in, is due to the airlines. Would they sell the seats for young children (under 40lbs) a more discounted price. there has to be something that will prevent the occasional tragedy of a baby losing his life that doesn't cost so much!! I watched that… and really I had to keep watching once they said the baby’s name (Damian… my son’s name).

I think she actually made the right decision handing her baby over… she seemed petite and she said the man next to her was a more frequent traveler and father of five…. and he’d been through difficult flights before…. so it sounds like (horror) this poor man had been in a similar (yet less severe) situation before and knew what to do to ensure the baby wouldn’t fly down the aisle.

Still, what bothered me as much (if not more) than the fact the baby was a lapbaby, was that her husband had to brace their daughter. During turbulance or a situation like this, he wouldn’t have had to brace her, even if they didn’t bring her carseat, if the seatbelt fit her, or if they had a cares harness. It is why I hate how expensive they are and that the airline can’t just keep some and rent them.

Not only that, but the fact that the baby was just that… a lap baby, not in a carseat, says to me that some of the fault of that situation, which many very GOOD parents wind up in, is due to the airlines. Would they sell the seats for young children (under 40lbs) a more discounted price.

there has to be something that will prevent the occasional tragedy of a baby losing his life that doesn’t cost so much!!

]]> By: Snowbird http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1968 Snowbird Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:23:14 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1968 This child is indeed very lucky and I'm guessing the parents will never fly with a lap baby again. Operating under the assumption that air is safer than land and it's a rarity to be injured in the air due to non-restraint use wouldn't be much comfort to a grieving parent. Personally I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for re-assuring a parent not to worry about a lap baby and just ditch the car seat at home. What I always wonder is how the same people who have a million reasons to not buy a ticket for an infant suddenly have the money to start buying tickets when the baby turns two. Priorities I guess. It's what it always comes down to. This child is indeed very lucky and I’m guessing the parents will never fly with a lap baby again. Operating under the assumption that air is safer than land and it’s a rarity to be injured in the air due to non-restraint use wouldn’t be much comfort to a grieving parent. Personally I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for re-assuring a parent not to worry about a lap baby and just ditch the car seat at home.

What I always wonder is how the same people who have a million reasons to not buy a ticket for an infant suddenly have the money to start buying tickets when the baby turns two.

Priorities I guess. It’s what it always comes down to.

]]> By: Adventuredad http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1967 Adventuredad Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:54:09 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1967 While being in a car sat on planes probably is slightly safer the safety benefits are so incredibly small its difficult to even measure. Dying or injured lap babies are virtually unheard of and so are kids saved by car seats in accidents. Looking at the big picture, with 25 000+flights in US alone each day and virtually zero injuries/deaths, anything we do with our kids is more dangerous than flying. While being in a car sat on planes probably is slightly safer the safety benefits are so incredibly small its difficult to even measure. Dying or injured lap babies are virtually unheard of and so are kids saved by car seats in accidents. Looking at the big picture, with 25 000+flights in US alone each day and virtually zero injuries/deaths, anything we do with our kids is more dangerous than flying.

]]> By: murphydog77 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1966 murphydog77 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:47:02 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1966 You beat me to this, Kecia :). I don't know why car seats in airplanes tends to be one of my trigger points since I don't fly that much, but it is. Where else would you willing allow an unbelted child? It's appalling. A former flight attendant has an excellent blog. She's in the process of updating it with pictures and actually making a proper web site for it, so I'll just link to her published article since it's split up by sections and is much easier to read that way. Relevant to this discussion: http://www.expatwomen.com/mothers/flying_with_children/car_seats.php Sharon's full blog: http://www.expatwomen.com/mothers/flying_with_children.php You beat me to this, Kecia :) . I don’t know why car seats in airplanes tends to be one of my trigger points since I don’t fly that much, but it is. Where else would you willing allow an unbelted child? It’s appalling.

A former flight attendant has an excellent blog. She’s in the process of updating it with pictures and actually making a proper web site for it, so I’ll just link to her published article since it’s split up by sections and is much easier to read that way.

Relevant to this discussion: http://www.expatwomen.com/mothers/flying_with_children/car_seats.php

Sharon’s full blog: http://www.expatwomen.com/mothers/flying_with_children.php

]]> By: crunchy http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1965 crunchy Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:19:50 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1965 what gets me is that the FAA acknowledges that using a child restraint is safest (as noted in your last link) and even has a campaign against lap children, and yet continues to allow them. http://www.faa.gov/passengers/media/SLICK_ArmsPSA.pdf what gets me is that the FAA acknowledges that using a child restraint is safest (as noted in your last link) and even has a campaign against lap children, and yet continues to allow them.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/media/SLICK_ArmsPSA.pdf

]]> By: ketchupqueen http://carseatblog.com/?p=939&cpage=1#comment-1964 ketchupqueen Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:11:16 +0000 http://carseatblog.com/?p=939#comment-1964 From what I have read the usual way to brace an infant is to place him between your feet, on the floor, and push the head down. Not something I want to try in a crash. It has a pretty high survival rate from what I hear-- but "pretty high" does not equal "100%." I'm never flying again without buying a seat for any under-2 kids I have with me. Too many birds in the air! From what I have read the usual way to brace an infant is to place him between your feet, on the floor, and push the head down.

Not something I want to try in a crash. It has a pretty high survival rate from what I hear– but “pretty high” does not equal “100%.”

I’m never flying again without buying a seat for any under-2 kids I have with me. Too many birds in the air!

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