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Original poster

To thnk that airlines should not allow lap babies on flights?

262 replies

Frannyhy · 29/01/2026 12:19

I’ve not flown for a few years, so I don’t know if lap kids are allowed by all airlines. I’m in South America at the moment, on a big trip.

My flight between cities was delayed yesterday due to bad weather. There were a lot of hot, tired people by the time we got on.

I was in the aisle seat and a woman with a baby arrived and indicated she was in the same row. I got up for her and she said something I didn’t understand and waited. Finally, she reluctantly sat in the middle seat with the baby on her lap. Her partner appeared from the other end of the plane and gave her some baby stuff.

She started complaining to the cabin crew, pointing at my seat. By now I understood she wanted to be in the aisle. I said no, and one of the cabin crew said to me in English, “Don’t worry we haven’t got time for this, we’re already an hour late. It’s only a 90 minutes flight so she can manage.”

I’m left wondering why lap babies are allowed on flights. He wasn’t restrained so if anything had happened, it would have meant he probably would have been seriously injured or worse.

I was on a cheap flight so I don’t care that I had to sit next to a wriggling baby. I just ignored him and read my book.

But I do think allowing babies on laps should be stopped. It’s fucking dangerous.

OP posts:
titchy · 29/01/2026 12:35

That’s standard for babies in all airlines. How else do you think they travel? Sat on their own seat wobbling around.

FMLGFastMovingLuxuryGoods · 29/01/2026 12:34

God people who have babies and need to travel are sooooooo gross. Imagine the nerve of bringing your baby on a flight and putting the baby where the airline has told you to. Such entitlement.
<sarcasm>

MissPeaches · 29/01/2026 12:34

SummerInSun · 29/01/2026 12:30

How do you expect people to travel if they have babies?!? To visit family for example? As PP said, all European airlines provide a special seat belt loop to keep the baby safe on take off and landing. On long haul flights bulkhead seats have baby bassinets that can be used until about 8 or 9 months, but you are required to have the baby on your lap for take off and landing and if there is any turbulence anyway.

Airlines don’t require you to buy a seat for a child until age 2, but after age 1 we always bought a seat anyway so that our child had space to sit, but that’s only viable once the baby can comfortably sit alone unaided for a full flight.

The nice thing to do in your situation would have been to offer to swap seats with the dad. Then the parents would have been together, with an aisle seat, and you would have been sat far away from the baby. Of course you’d don’t have to do that - “why should I give up the seat I want that I paid for etc?” To which my answer would be you don’t have to, but sometimes it’s nice to just do a nice thing for other people, and generally cosmic karma rewards you.

The safest option is to use a car seat.

parthyphibday · 29/01/2026 12:32

Lap babies?
Do you get them from the same shop as laptops and lapdogs?

SummerInSun · 29/01/2026 12:30

How do you expect people to travel if they have babies?!? To visit family for example? As PP said, all European airlines provide a special seat belt loop to keep the baby safe on take off and landing. On long haul flights bulkhead seats have baby bassinets that can be used until about 8 or 9 months, but you are required to have the baby on your lap for take off and landing and if there is any turbulence anyway.

Airlines don’t require you to buy a seat for a child until age 2, but after age 1 we always bought a seat anyway so that our child had space to sit, but that’s only viable once the baby can comfortably sit alone unaided for a full flight.

The nice thing to do in your situation would have been to offer to swap seats with the dad. Then the parents would have been together, with an aisle seat, and you would have been sat far away from the baby. Of course you’d don’t have to do that - “why should I give up the seat I want that I paid for etc?” To which my answer would be you don’t have to, but sometimes it’s nice to just do a nice thing for other people, and generally cosmic karma rewards you.

InMyOpenOnion · 29/01/2026 12:27

It sounds more like the problem was she wanted your seat, rather than the presence of the baby. I think babes on laps is better than them being in a too-big seat, especially if they can't sit up. People should pay beforehand for whatever seat they want though, and not expect you to move because they didn't bother to do that.

Slightyamusedandsilly · 29/01/2026 12:26

Car seat and a booked seat for the baby. At a reduced cost ideally.

ProfessorRedshoeblueshoe · 29/01/2026 12:25

Toastythesnowman · 29/01/2026 12:22

You're right. People should leave their babies at home when they go on holiday.

Where's the laugh emoji when you need it ?

MadameSzyszkoBohusz · 29/01/2026 12:24

You are normally given an additional restraint for the baby which attaches to your seatbelt. So in this instance, YANBU if this wasn’t used; but in general YABU. Parents of young babies sometimes have to travel - or just want to, whilst the baby is still at a relatively portable stage! I flew on holiday several times when my babies were tiny.

rubyslippers · 29/01/2026 12:23

Well I would imagine it’s been massively risk assessed or it wouldn’t be allowed to happen

Toastythesnowman · 29/01/2026 12:22

You're right. People should leave their babies at home when they go on holiday.

Idontspeakgermansorry · 29/01/2026 12:22

They usually give you a belt that attaches to your own seatbelt to 'restrain' the baby. Maybe not a thing with South American airlines? Definitely with European ones though.

I've travelled multiple times with a lap baby. All was fine and not dangerous.

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