Airplane - Own Seat or Lap for 15 Month Old?

I have always traveled with my child on my lap. Cost is the main issue as we flew from NY to Australia - around 20hrs travel time! I have friends who bought extra seats for their children and then the children wanted to be held anyway. Good luck and enjoy the time away.

Get him his own seat! You'll be more comfortable in the long run. Yes you can check the car seat at the gate. The CARES sounds like a good idea in theory, but it seems like an unnecessary added expense, especially since you'll have to pay for his seat. My girls have traveled in their own seats since they were young & we just used the airplane belt & never had a problem. When they were tired, we lifted the armrest & they laid their head on my lap - we were still "cuddling", but I had my hands free to read.

Hi, R.,
15 months may be a little too young for the CARES. We just used it on our 27-month-old twins, and they worked OK, but I think if our kids had been smaller I wouldn't have been as happy with them. Still, if you decide to go that route, I'd recommend renting them from eBay instead of buying.

If you decide to keep your son on your lap (which is what we did with our kids until they turned 2), I really recommend that you get one of the Baby B'Air harnesses that some others here have mentioned. You think you'll be able to hold onto your child and keep him safe, but a sudden, severe drop due to turbulence could be very dangerous.

Have a great trip,
A.

At that age, riding on your lap would be better and cheaper. The CARES is expensive and it you are not a frequent flyer, it seems like a waste.

I took my 2 year old to Texas last month. We purchased her a seat and brought her car seat with us. We did not have to check it. There were four of us, so we had our alloted amount of carry-on...car seat, stroller, and diaper bag.

Nanc

I traveled several times with my daughter prior to her 2nd birthday. Two trips to Florida, two to Texas and one to California. Some with hubby and some alone. We never bought her a seat. We never saw a need to waste the money. Some flights were great. I was even able to switch with people to get seats for her on flights when they weren't full. And others were tough. But it's just a few hours of your life and I just couldn't justify the cost. As people mentioned, it all comes down to your child's temperment. If you expect it to be a challenge it may be best to get the seat if you can afford it.

Enjoy your trip!

Well, I don't know if money is an issue, but save yourself the ticket! You only have the option to seat him on your lap until he is two, so take advantage! You can check in a car seat no problem, just check with the airlines policies on how many items you can check. Whether he is on your lap or in a seat, he still counts as a passenger and can have "X" amount of items for carry-on as well as checked in, so don't let anyone tell you different! If it is a long flight, you may want the extra room to move around, have somewhere to change him, etc. But, I flew with my son at 22 months to California with my neice and between the two of us, he had plenty of fun going back and forth without his own seat.

We traveled with our daughter when she was 13 months old and bought a seat for her. I rented a CARES from Ebay to test it out before I made the purchase. My daughter was still nursing at the time so I ended up nursing her for take off and landing (since she was under two that was allowed). I have to say I couldn't imagine not having that seat to put her down in! My husband and I were so much more comfortable with the extra room in between us. My daughter was thrilled with her big girl seat and could stretch out with her head on our laps. It was a great flight! We never ended up using the CARES because she was just a little small for it at the time. I may give it another try when we fly this September and she's nearly 3 years old. I don't think the lap belt is going to do it this time. I highly recommend getting kids their own seats. We checked our car seat in a travel bag with wheels and gate checked our stroller also in a travel bag. Both bags were purchased at One Step Ahead. As an aside, I was so happy we had our stroller in a bag -- a container of pickles broke in the cargo area during our flight home and saturated everything, the stroller bag was wet and smelly but the stroller itself was fine.

The other two responses addressed the comfort of your baby, which is very good advice. I'm not sure what CARES is, but I do suggest you do NOT keep your baby on your lap on the plane. I work in the aviation field and I can tell you it's the safest way to travel with your baby. If something happens to the plane and your baby is on your lap, there will be no way that you can hold on to your son and he may become a projectile. I hate to put it that way, but I want you to know the safety aspect. More than likely nothing will happen to the airplane, so it's up to you if you want to take the chance are not - but at least you know the risk.

We went on our first trip with our son at about the same age. We bought him his own seat and brought his Britax carseat with us. It was the best thing we did. As soon as we took off and the excitment was over he passed out for most of the flight to california. It was easier to keep him in his carseat because he knows that he is not allowed to get out of it in the car so the same rules applied in the airplane. We brougth plenty of snacks, toys and a DVD player and he was content. Hope this helps.

I just got back from a flight with my ten month old son and will be getting him his own seat when we fly again in July. He slept most of the way, so neither of us were comfortable (and I couldn't use the three hours to read or catch-up on work!). I checked his carseat at the gate this time b/c I didn't want it tossed around with the luggage and it worked out well. I carried the baby and my husband carried the "gear".

We flew to Switzerland in January wih our then 10 month old daughter. We bought the CARES and I love it! We will be moving to Switzerland at the end of the month and our daughter was so happy to be in her own seat. The long flight would have been miserable if she had to ride in our laps! I think the car seat can be checked at the gate but I would call the airline just to make sure. Good luck!

An airline ticket will cost as much as yours. I wouldn't buy it if you don't have to. There are harnesses you can buy. Its almost like a snuggly but its a seatbelt that goes on the child and attaches to you. I would look into to something like this for take off and landing but hold him the rest of the time.

I highly recommend getting your son his own seat and using the CARES system. We recently traveled with my 22 month old daughter and used her carseat. Even though she is perfectly comfortable in her carseat in the car, she was very uncomfortable in it on the plane because her feet hit the seat in front of her. She cried until I took her out and held her on my lap. On our next trip, we used the CARES system and it was fabulous! It was such a relief not to have to lug the carseat through the airport. My daughter loved having her own roomy seat and I felt confident that she was safe. I had heard that others had some concerns about the strap going under the baby's neck, as expressed by a response below, but realized that could be fixed by making sure that the band that goes around the airplane seat is pushed down low enough. Anyway, I highly recommend it!

I held both of mine on the plane when we went to Disney. www.onestepahead.com sells Baby B'Air for $29.95 and it attaches to your seatbelt so the baby won't be thrown off of your lap in the event of turbulence or anything else. That is my suggestion even if you bring a car seat. I don't think it's comfortable for a baby to be in a car seat and if your son does get uncomfortable - you would need the vest anyway - so save your money - don't buy a seat - spend the $29.95 and get the vest. You can hold your son or anyone who is with you can hold jim. You can feed him - put him on your shoulder or however else you want to hold him. It worked great for me and I loved it! I don't know what CARES is - never heard of it

Save the money and go lap. Child won't even sit in her own seat anyways.

Hi R.,

I am traveling in about 2 weeks by plane, and it will be the first time for my 9.5 month old daughter. I got her a seat using my airmiles (look into this if expense is a factor) and I plan to borrow a baby b'air from a friend for when she needs to be on my lap.

She is at that stage where she wants to move around a lot, and turbulence can be unpredictable. I don't want her to become a projectile object, as another responder mentioned. So I feel much more safe with her in a seat, but I also thought that with the baby b'air harness, I can feed her and play with her safely. She also does not like to sleep in my arms, but is comfortable in her own seat.

Also, I am not sure about your son, but my daughter is a creature of habit, so I made our reservations with her feeding and naptime in mind. Of course, her schedule may change a bit, (though it hasn't so far!!) and the flight could be delayed, but I booked a time where I could feed her and then she would be ready for a nap once we take off.

Other than that, with him in a seat, you can have both hands free to entertain him, and if there is turbulence, he can be extremely safe from the uncomfortable motion.

One last point: I usually use a snap and go, but instead I am going to bring her regular stroller - I can put the carseat in it as we walk through the airport, with the carseat base in the bottom basket. I will gatecheck the stroller so it is available to me as soon as we deplane, and then I have her stroller where she can sit up to see or be fed, if need be, and I can also recline it for her to sleep if we are out and about. We still have not decided whether or not we are renting a car, but if we do, or even if we take a taxi or shuttle, I don't have to worry about her being unsafe in a vehicle.

I hope this helps. Whatever you choose, have a great time!

Good luck!!

i totally agree with sandra. i did it without, and would never again, what a pain in the neck. and my son is good! i did it with the carseat next time and would never do it any other way. you should call ahead to make sure of all the arrangements. when i flew jetblue, we got there a little early and they let us board first, the attendants installed the carseat for us, super quick, they are good at it. made it a real pleasure. bring stuff for him to do/eat, but try not to bring things that he is gonna keep dropping. its a real pain having to constantly squeeze down there to pick everything up. use something to attach the toys to his straps, those rings or something. you will probably be more comfortable if you can get a bulkhead seat. dont forget an extra extra change for him, something easy on and off, changing in the restroom is really tight. as well as a spare shirt for yourself. something to suck on during takeoff/landing for his ears. they will check the stroller right at the gate, dont forget a big bright luggage tag on it, we had somebody accidentally (?) take ours instead of theirs. just get there early and be super organized, and do what you need to do to make the whole clearing security thing as smooth as possible, i found that to be the hardest part, you can quickly get a bit separated from your stuff/your shoes/your son/the stroller... kind of a threatening situation. again, call ahead to be sure of all regulations. fyi, my underwire bra set off the thing! be early and calm, and your son will too. stress out and he will pick up on it. and have a good trip.

Hi R., well I used to work for american airlines, and now I have a 3 yr old who has traveld with us since she was 10 months old. so my advice is not to purchase the baby's seat cause he might want to be held since they are so little its kinda of scary to be seated in there car seat in the airplane, also just a hint if you book on a empty flight usally early morning or late night flights, the agents might even seat you on a row with a empty seat so even if the baby falls asleep you can lay him down, also try to have a bottle for him for departure and arrival so he can suck while departing so his ears wont hurt as much, at that age my daughter only had her milk but to avoid her having ear pain form the pressure i gave her some juice and it was wonderfull. both me and my husband held her for a little while my the time we noticed she was a sleep and went right on her car seat. I DIDNT PAY FOR HER SEAT BUT THE NICE STAFF GAVE US SEATS ON A ROW WITH A EMPTY SEAT. you can request that and if there is availability they will do it. good luck and enjoy your flight/

We've traveled across country with my son since he was 3 mos. old. After our trip with him at 8 mos. in my lap, which was torture, we decided to always get him a seat after that. At 15 mos. we bought a CARES. We tried using that but found that my son would slip down in the seat, causing the CARES to push into his neck, and I spent the whole flight readjusting him, and he was really uncomfortable in the harness. (My son is really tall for his age, so being too small for the CARES wasn't the issue) The next time we flew with him at 19 mos., we took his carseat & he was way more comfortable. As he gets bigger, we'll probably try the CARES again. I highly recommend the carseat for now & save the CARES for when your son is older. The other nice thing about babies having their own seat is that you have more space to spread out. It's really hard to get in your carry-on baggage if you and the baby are in the same seat and someone is seated next to you.

I just flew with my daughter last week who is 15 months. The group that we were with paid for her seat. Actually all but one time we have flown with her she has had her own seat. Every time we have used our car seat in the plane. Luckily she is a pretty good traveler and usually ends up falling asleep for at least part of the time. I think the vibration helps. It was nice also to have a break for myself. When she was awake I usually try to keep her as busy as I can. She is a very active child who usually wants to run around but we have never had a really bad experience yet. If you decide not to use the car seat you can always check it at the gate. Good luck.

I've always taken both my kids as lap children before the age of 2. There is really no need to get an entire seat for such a small child. And it's nice on your wallet too. Chances are, your little one will end up in one of your laps anyways because of the environment (loud noise from the engine, plety of new faces, cramped space). Save the cash and put it toward souvenirs!

HI

Take the car seat and use it for the baby in the plane. Trust me it will be a long fligt and he needs to be as comfortable as posible. The fist time I traveled with my son without it, it was a nightmare experience for everyone specially for my son. Since then, I took it with me for the last 5 trips and he was very happy baby. He is almost 3,he sits well, and I do not need the car seat in the plane anymore. I just check it with all the luggage. If you change your mind and you do not want the baby to use it in the plane and you already past the gate with it, do not worry, the crew members in the plane will check it for you. Just the way they do it with the strollers. GOOD LUCK!!!

If you can afford it, I would DEFINITELY get my own seat. I only once flew with a child on my lap (my daughter was 8 months old at the time) and it was horrible. She was fidgety, wouldn't sit still, wouldn't sleep. With an older child, like yours, he'll probably be moving all over the place. I DID bring a car seat on the plane when my kids were that age. It was great to be able to have them restrained and also, it was easy for them to fall asleep in the car seat b/c they were used to sleeping in it from sleeping in the car.

If you choose not to bring your car seat on the plane, I wouldn't even bother gate checking it. Why schlep it through the airport. Now that my kids are older (3, 3 and 5), I put the car seats in a car seat bag and I check them. They don't charge you to check them.
Not sure what a CARES is... but make sure it's FAA approved or they won't let you use it on the plane...

Hi R.,

The last time I flew with my son on my lap he was about 15 months old and I vowed I would never do it again. It was a horrible two hour flight. I was basically his jungle gym - he was up, down, climbing on my head, climbing under the seat, turning on and off the lights (not just mine, but the people sharing our seats, too), reaching in front of the seats, reaching behind the seats, desperate to walk down the aisle, and I tried stopping him to no avail. He cried, screamed, and wanted to do his own thing. By the time we landed, I handed him to my husband and said I would never fly with him on my lap again. And we haven't. Having him in his own seat is worth every penny.

Just because the airlines allow you to take a child on your lap until the age of two doesn't mean you should. It's much more comfortable for everyone if your son has his own space. My son does wonderfully sitting in his car seat on the plane. It's almost as if he knows he is traveling and has to behave. He's happy, content, and has flown across the country without a complaint.

If you decide to not bring your car seat on the plane, I would just check it rather than gate check it. Then you don't have to schlep it through the airport during your layover. You can check car seats, strollers and other baby related items (Pack'n'Plays, etc.) for free.

And the one time I've flown with my son on U.S. Air, the flight attendants were extremely friendly and helpful. The pilot even gave my son a high-five and a set of wings as we were getting off the airplane.

Good luck and have fun on your trip!

DEFINITELY get him his own seat if it is affordable. It is difficult to fly with children and even if he sits on your lap, you will need the extra room for all of the toys and things you will need to entertain him on such a long trip. Good luck!

check out this blog. http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com/

i know it is incredibly long but she offers some great advice.

4 out of 5 times i flew they had a free seat for my lap child (as long as you have your car seat at the gate) but that 1 time boy was a rough wrestling match for 4 hours. there is a car seat carrier http://www.gogobabyz.com/products-c26-gogo_Kidz_Travelmat... that makes wheeling the car seat a breeze.

I think it depends on your child's temperment. My son would always go ballistic when he wasn't on my lap, especially with the noise and motion of take-off and landing. In fact, once we had to start buying him his own seat, it was really rough trying to get him to stay in it for those two parts of the flight especially. Try to think of how he'll handle take=off and landing. Does he breastfeed? If so, you may want to definitely keep him in your lap--you can nurse during take-off and landing, and any other time. This keeps them calm, they feel safe, and it helps with the air pressure changes. Good luck.