Tips on traveling with babies

[NJAowner]

Some company makes a combination FAA approved "car" seat which converts into a stroller. The legs drop out of the bottom and the handles come out from the top of the back. One item then does the job of the plane set, car seat, and stroller. Less to lug around.

I will echo the others' posts. Buy a seat. Not only is it safer, but you have a place to put the little one when he/she falls asleep.

 

[MissKittyKat]

This really bugged me. Recently I was on a Northwest flight to Billings Montana. I sat in the last row window seat. ( my favorite place to sit, really).

The row ahead of me had 5 people in the row, 3 adults and 2 lap children. In realilty, the F/a's never reseated the people or said a word, if we ever lost oxygen, there where not even enough masks to ecomodate that row!

I know in my heart it was an unlikely situation, but I would have changed seats or helped out, but this is one thing I'm savvy too when flying. And this just happened on Air Wisconsin, it was a Canandair, flight and the F/a knew to change seats with the mother and lap child, and surely explained, there was not and extra mask in that seat but on the other side of the airplane!

Kudos, to the F/a looking out for that baby!

 

[skygod75]

It's Billings, MT. No one cares about what happens to us out here in the frontier country

 

[Hung Start]

Hey, I'm old school. But if you don't buy a seat for your child, and put them in a kiddy seat, you are a neglectful parent.

Hung

 

[Markm1811]

The airline also makes a difference

At a risk of upsetting anyone here. I also find the airline makes a difference in flying with infants. We fly UA to europe and the FA's on board do so much to help with our little one whereas when I fly my own carrier ( albeit Non Rev) the FAs have little or no empathy at all. In fact on a recent flight I watched a FA berate a mother who could not control her screaming less then one year old during the briefing and threatened to have her removed from the plane.Hardly the best way to start a longhaul flight.

I will however say that a seat is the best way to go but beware. I was on a KLM flight recently and they would not allow someones car seat on board as it was not rated for aviation use. ( I have never heard of that before) and I looked at ours which does say DOT/FAA rated for use in aviation.

Regards,
Midnight Brit.

 

[MQAAord]

I was on a KLM flight recently and they would not allow someones car seat on board as it was not rated for aviation use.

Some carseats are not approved for use on aircraft. Some of the larger Britax models, for example, are too wide at the base to fit on an aircraft seat and are not approved for aircraft. Generally speaking, most car seats manufactured after 1983 are approved. However, as you witnessed, and with the Britax example, not ALL seats are! So if anyone is going to use a carseat, take a quick minute to inspect all the labels attached to the seat. On one of the sticker labels on the seat, probably on the bottom or side of the seat, it should read "approved for use in motor vehicles and aircraft". If you do not see the words "approved....[and] aircraft", it can not be used on an airplane.

 

[Lead Sled]

Oops...

 

[Lead Sled]

Check these out...

http://www.amsafeaviation.com/cares/index.htm

I just bought 3 of these for our Falcon. From what I've heard they're much better than hauling around car seats.

LS

 

[EMB170Pilot]

Just leave a dirty diaper for the FA who was rude to you in your seatback pocket

they love that