Have you ever experienced severe turbulence during a flight? I’m talking way past little bumps and jolts? If you have, chances are you’ll never forget it. I can think of one particular flight out of JFK on a crazy windy Spring morning. My stomach does flips just thinking about it.
Now think about this – the plane can’t take off if my purse is on my lap, right? And there’s like 3 pages of regulations on how the coffee pot needs to be properly secured. But babies? Sure, they can ride totally unsecured because apparently babies are able to defy the laws of physics on an airplane!
Okay, so we know that’s not true. But have you considered what happens to lap babies when the plane suddenly, and without warning, drops several hundred feet in an instant? This video from NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) really spells it out. Please take a few minutes to check it out and pass on the information to other parents.
The FAA’s continued allowance of lap babies is shameful and ludicrous. Unfortunately, many parents will continue to take advantage of this “freebie” because it saves them money. Of course, they’ll have to cough up the dough for the Little Prince/Princess to have his or her own seat on the plane once they pass their second birthday. So what’s the big deal with requiring it for all children regardless of age? Traveling is expensive. Heck, kids are expensive! But please don’t be penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to your most precious cargo. Buy a ticket for your child regardless of their age, bring a 5-pt harness carseat on board and buckle your child in it just as you would in the car. Your children will not only be safe in case of turbulence or (Heaven forbid) in case you have to make a rough emergency landing but they’ll be happily contained in familiar surroundings. And if you’re really lucky they’ll just fall asleep so you can have a relaxing and, hopefully, uneventful flight.
Looking for more helpful information on flying the friendly skies with kids? Check out our related blogs on the subject:
Recommended Carseats for Airplane Travel
Flying with a Car Seat? Know Your Rights!
Airplanes, Carseats, and Kids—What You Need to Know Pt. 1
Airplanes, Carseats, and Kids—What You Need to Know Pt. 2
When I traveled with my 3 year old and 3 month old, we opted for a lap-seat. Why?
-My 3 month old hated his car seat. We would have literally had a wailing baby from the moment he was in the seat before taxiing out. And don’t think I’m exagerating. He screamed the hour to the airport, and the 3 days driving home. While I was willing to subject my family to that (with my daughter wearing sound-blocking headphones) I was not willing to try that on an airplane where they could ask us to leave. And recent news has PROVEN that they COULD. If you can guarantee that an airline would not kick parents off if the child is screaming bloody murder…
-We had been told on every flight that we could not face the car seat rear and our car seat did not have a forward facing restraint system. I didn’t know how that would work. I understand now that there are recommendations put out there about this, but I’ll tell you this. Our airline had no seat that our car seat would rear-face in without having to be wedged between the seats. It had nothing to do with the person in front not being able to recline… it simply would not fit in the budget airline we used.
-I pre-booked MONTHS ahead to try and make sure I had seats that were not as nice for us, but would hopefully make my kids less of a problem for other passengers. Had there been ‘car-seat priority’ seats where the rear-facing seat would have fit marked I would easily have been able to get them. Let’s face it. Airlines are NOT car seat friendly.
Case in point of not car seat friendly. Every time we’ve flown we have bought a seat for my daughter and brought her seat with us. Every time I got arguments from the flight attendants, check in desk, even the security people. I had to PROVE I had bought an extra ticket for her and her seat, and still argue that I had a right to that seat in their overbooked flights.
Want more parents to use car seats? Have seats available at the check-in area, have the flight attendants versed in how to put those seats in, restrict seat use to certain rows so that they will rear-face when applicable, and make it illegal to throw people off the plane if a baby is screaming while restrained because of the restraint.
For the record, we had a terrible amount of turbulence on the way down. It scared me half to death, and my son as well. I would have welcomed a car seat, but again the flight had made it clear they didn’t want it there. For my point of view, we chose not to have the seat there not because of the money issue (again, we had always bought the extra seat for my daughter, and we would have for my son) but because of the fighting with the airline.
Thanks! It was the strangest thing when we flew from Munich to Manchester, UK–we actually did buy a seat for our daughter with her CARES and the flight attendant tried to make us take her out and put her on our laps (Lufthansa flight). A lot of the places we go have subway stops or trains directly from the airport, so no cabs or shuttles are usually necessary. I’m thinking either left luggage or sucking it up and hauling that heavy sucker around are our only options. I *did* convince the husband that if it was just a matter of money, we should invest in safety rather than savings, so good enough.
On the cross-Pacific international flights I’ve taken, babies can be stuck in hanging bassinets in the bulkhead seats. They can’t be used during takeoff and landing, but are used for the rest of the flight. I don’t think seats were required for our Euro trip either, but it was an American airline.
Maybe they don’t, which is good. They said they didn’t see any.
I thought they didn’t allow lap kids/babies on international flights?
@D – No good alternatives exist that I’m aware of. But in my experience you usually take a taxi or shuttle to your destination once you land which means you need carseats for your kids anyway. We just left the seat(s) in the room if we didn’t need them to get around once we reached our destination.
Our friends were just talking about their recent flight home from France and how there was such bad turbulence and drops of thousands of feet that he couldn’t hold onto his laptop and it went flying towards the ceiling. His seatbelt was a bit loose and he was hovering a foot over the seat. The pilot was yelling in French and the stewards were holding hands and screaming. I shocked everyone in the room by asking if they saw any lap babies fly by. That made them all think and I don’t think any of their kids will ever be without a seat on a flight again.
Does anyone know if there are options for parents who won’t need a seat at their destination? We travel to a lot of European cities that are quite walkable or that have good subway systems so we won’t have to rent cars and use a Beco carrier or wrap. Our older daughter has a CARES but the little one isn’t old enough yet. Is there a left luggage system at the airport? Rent-a-seat from the airline for the duration of a flight, maybe? I used to lap-baby my oldest; I see now how bad an idea it is but I’m not sure what to do for minimal backpacker-style travel.
Katie, if you’ll have a rolling carryon, look into the Travelling Toddler strap. I love that thing! I’ve even strapped the kid into the seat and pulled it when necessary. 🙂
We’re planning to take a ~3 hour flight with an almost 2 year old/2 year old this summer (her exact age will depend on when we go). There’s absolutely no question that we’ll be getting our daughter her own seat on the plane and we’ll bring her car seat along. Really, all safety concerns aside – the thought of holding a squirming toddler on my lap in a cramped coach seat for 3 hours? No thanks! The extra seat will be worth the money.
My only concern is lugging a Boulevard 70 through an airport along with all of our other gear and an active toddler. That’s going to be something of a logistical nightmare…
And yet somehow I get serious grief when I have my kids in the beco carrier on a flight. What’s with that?? You’d think it would be safer than just holding them in my arms. Why??
@Meggin D – do they give you grief during the flight or just during take-off and landing? While I agree that having a lap baby in a sling/carrier may be a safer during unexpected turbulence, I think the concern during take-off and landing may be that the baby will essentially become your airbag (as pictured in the video) if you have to assume the crash position with little or no time to get baby out of the sling/carrier. In some cases of crash landing preparations, parents have been instructed to place baby at their feet and try to pin them to the floor of the aircraft with their hands while they assume the crash position. It’s not a pleasant thought but neither is crushing them with your upper body. Really it all goes back to the fact that babies and toddlers should have their own space and an appropriate, FAA-approved child restraint.
This video convinced a friend that it was worth it to lug her 2 year old’s seat on the plane 🙂 I’m glad, because this video explained it much better than I possibly could have!
@Megan – thank you for pointing out that the CARES Harness can be a great option for kids over 2 on the plane *if you know you have an appropriate carseat waiting for your child on the other end*. However, the vast majority of traveling parents don’t (and I would never recommend renting one from a car rental agency – too many horror stories). I actually recommend the CARES Harness for the plane but also a Safety 1st Hybrid Go to use in the vehicle when you arrive at your destination. You can’t use the “Go” on the plane because it requires attachment to a top tether anchor (which aircraft seats don’t have) but it fits easily in the overhead bin so you never have to check it and risk loss or damage. It’s a forward-facing only seat which means it isn’t an ideal option for kids under age 2 who should still be rear-facing in the vehicle but it’s a great travel carseat option for the average 2-6 year old as long as the vehicle has LATCH. All rental cars in the US have LATCH anchors so that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re renting. I wouldn’t recommend the “Go” for international travel since it requires a tether anchor in the vehicle. Outside of the US there are no guarantees that your vehicle will have LATCH/ISOFIX anchors.
An alternative to hauling a carseat through the airport for kids over 2 (because they really should be in a 5 point harness versus a lap belt!) is the CARES harness. It runs around $85 but if you do a lot of flying (and I do) and don’t need a carseat on the other end or would rather pay to rent one from a car company it’s worth it. Super small and light = no hassle! We bought one when our daughter was 2 and we love it.
Thank you Wendy! That is exactly how I feel. We fly a lot. My DH is a GA pilot, so we fly for fun, but he also travels very often, and we tag along when we can. Our youngest is 6 mo and has been on 3 separate multi flight trips, and in a carseat every time ( and yes, buying a seat for a fetus was a PIA – not knowing the name or DOB really throws them off). One of those we had 2 lap children behind us, and them as projectiles was constantly in my mind. And just for those that might say one car seat is only doable with 2 parents – over Christmas we flew with 5 kids, including 2 harnessed seats and 2 hhb 😉
I have a continuing disagreement about flying with our kids and buying seats for them. Our toddler is not yet 2 and he wanted to travel now while we still wouldn’t have to pay for her seat. I flatly refused to go. Not just the safety issue, but holding a toddler on your lap for 5 hours without somewhere to actually strap them in securely? That is ludicrous. All children should have their own seats and safety restraint. Though of course I REALLY wish it didn’t cost so much!!
Let’s not forget the injuries to the OTHER passengers. In your car if you choose not to use a seatbelt or carseat it’s your life and the life of your child. When I get on board with my carseat for my two year old and my nine year old with me, and I buckle in my two year old rear facing by the window, and her sister and myself next to her, I would rather she not be killed (or myself, or my older daughter) because someone decided to save some money. Save a life instead. Mine. Or my kids. They’re worth the price of a ticket, whatever the cost may be.
And if you can’t afford another ticket, then don’t fly! Do what everyone else does and find some other way, or don’t go on vacation, or take the red eye, or something. In my household there are four of us. As soon as my younger daughter was born there were four. The week after she was born she had her first plane ticket (it’s hard work to buy a ticket for a fetus, but apparently doable somehow). I would not want her to be hurt or killed, or be responsible for the death of another passenger because I launched my lap cannon at them.
I’m very happy to see this (though I’m having network problems and haven’t yet seen the video). This is one subject where it really annoys me. Because unlike the anonymous people who I talk to every day about carseats, this could be MY life and the lives of MY kids at risk of these people are on the same flight as me.
I just flew with my daughter strapped into her Snugride 35. Without warning, right after take off we hit about 20 seconds of turbulence. If she had been on my lap and heaven forbid I had been just resting my hands around her waist instead of clutching her, there’s no way I would have been able to hold onto her. Picture being on a roller coaster and not having your child strapped in and that could have been us. Luckily, since I purchased her a seat and didn’t have any trouble installing her rear facing, the worst thing was a little motion sickness on the part of the mom. Baby was just fine.
Wow, that was extremely bold of NTSB! I can’t say any of it is untrue, though… hope it gets some parents (and most importantly, the FAA) to take note.
@Kim – Yes, we totally agree that some flight attendants are really clueless and need additional training. However my personal experiences have always been positive. I think the majority of flight attendants do understand the importance and really appreciate it when the parents make the extra effort to properly restrain their children. But it’s important to be prepared (see link in blog for “Know your Rights”) in case you wind up on board with someone clueless. Good for you for bringing your carseat on board in the first place and then for insisting on its usage even though the attendant was giving you a hard time. You ROCK!!! 🙂
Another issue to be addressed should be the flight stewards who discourage you from using the careats. I was on a flight with my 12 month old and had purchased him his own seat. The flight attendant gave me a hard time about using the seat..questioning if it was FAA approved even though it had the sticker right on it. This attendant suggested that I just buckle my baby into the seatbelt instead of the carseat. I refused. I lugged the seat through the airport I was determined to use it on the plane.
I’ve had this problem, too. FA’s love to hassle me about the car seat and CARES harness. NO IDEA what their problem is.
@Angela – that’s an extremely frightening experience. So glad to hear they were properly restrained and therefore uninjured. KUDOS to all the parents out there who are doing the right thing and dragging carseats through the airport and onto the plane for one or more kids even though it’s not the easiest of tasks sometimes. I’ve BTDT with both of my boys so I totally understand!
Jennie, thanks for posting that link! I had forgotten about that particular blog post.
Wow! Great video, and quite ballsy on behalf of the NTSB. Hopefully this will cause pressure on the FAA. I wrote an open letter to the FAA here (https://carseatblog.com/8584/guest-blog-an-open-letter-to-the-faa/) but the NTSB probably carries a bit more weight. It is absolutely ludicrous that I can’t hold my purse on my lap because it might be a hazard, but my toddler is just fine.
My cousins were moving back to Canada from South Africa, then they hit major air pocket coming across Canada. They dropped thousands of feet very quickly. My little cousins were strapped into their car seats, and were safe.