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

Why is it fucking dangerous? I hate to break it to you, but if the plane crashes being brained by a flying baby is the least of your worries. Apart from that, no more danger to anyone than a baby perched on its mother’s knee at home.

@JLou08

I'd guess it's not like a car where a collision is the highest risk, I'd think evacuation was more likely,

You've got to come through the events that lead up to the evac in good shape before thinking of evacuating, and the dynamics of many survivable aircraft incidents/accidents that lead to an evacuation can be very similar to a high speed car accident.

which would be more efficient with baby on lap rather than faffing about undoing a car seat

It's just a case of undoing your belt and the latch on the infant's harness...which is the same as as you'd have to do if you needed to get yourself and your infant out of a car in a hurry...

I mean, a seat belt isn't doing much to save you when the plane goes down anyway..... but also- what alternative do you propose? A 3 month old lolling about in its own seat? For an hour and a half flight, you should've done the decent thing and swapped with her

Parents lap is probably the safest place is anything bad happens. I'd guess it's not like a car where a collision is the highest risk, I'd think evacuation was more likely, which would be more efficient with baby on lap rather than faffing about undoing a car seat. A baby on a normal seat alone would be stupid, they'd just be falling off it.

Surely they should be safely stored in overhead lockers, out of the way of everyone?

..of course I’m jesting. A tiny baby in
arms can’t be flopping about in its own seat, with limited head control.

I'm guessing the mother next to you did have one of the harnesses on that attached her belt to the baby, perhaps you didn’t notice it x

If olive oil is made from olives and nut oil is made from nuts what do they make baby oil with?

The highest risk stages of flight are take-off and initial climb, followed by descent > landing..

That's about 30-40 min total, regardless of whether it's a shorthaul or long haul flight.

I don't think anyone is suggesting keeping an infant imprisoned in a car seat for multiple hours on a Longhaul flight but the data gathered over the years consitently points to the car seat option being the safest one for infants.

Young babies have restricted time in a car seat so no use unless for a short flight

What an odd post on mumsnet. Not the asking abut the safety of a baby on a flight but your overall tone.

Not sure if this has been said because I haven’t read all comments but two years ago we flew transatlantic with a 21 month old on lap and belts to attach to your own belt were not offered/supplied. First time I’ve ever know this.

I had 20m ds on my knee for a 3 hour flight to & from Spain, was fine going but on the return flight exh & half the plane had food poisoning with only 1 toilet working, it was a night flight & exh had an unfortunate accident due to the queue for the toilet. Half the plane felt sorry for me & took turns cuddling & playing with him, the cabin crew must have made a fortune in commission because everyone was buying perfume & aftershave to block out the awful stink. The minute we landed & got our bags I sent exh to change his clothes& bin what he had flown in. I would never fly with Ryan Air again after the state of the plane.

But isn't that what the ovehead locker is for?

It’s not the safest option (DH is a commercial pilot and ours always fly in a carseat) but it is the most economical so I see why people do it. “Not allowed” is a bit extreme, ideally you’d be able to book them their own seat for a reduced rate I guess.

Or check them into the cargo hold !!!

Agreed - you chose the aisle seat fof a reason and probably paid to choose. The mum may have been tired and stressed, or just entitled

You do realise this is mumsnet? Clue is in the name

Also @Frannyhy if you haven’t flown in years how did you get to south America on your big trip?…

Maybe if that women wanted an aisle seat for her and her child she should have booked and paid extra in advance.

You know like other people have to.

Maybe they should be stored in crates in the hold.

I’m assuming you don’t have children, @Frannyhy because if you’d ever looked after a baby you’d realise that on an adults lap us the safest place for a baby on a plane, and also most babies are happier on an adults lap than in a seat, even a car seat. Add to this that babies under 2 don’t need a ticket, so won’t have an allocated seat, an adults lap is the only option, unless we can put them in the overhead storage…?

I wouldn't allow them either.....or reclining seats.

Or put them in the hold?

I travelled a lot on South America with my under 1. They should have separate lap belts but it's also very common to offer to move or the air hostesses move pregnant women, those with poor mobility and those with children to aisle seats. Before I had my baby, my husband and I often moved in South America short flights for these, and now people do for us.

it depends of the age of the baby , a 3 month old baby does not have control on their neck and they can be suffocated in case the parent sleep with the baby in their hand. It happens a lot that is why of you are tired and sleepy you should not hold the baby in your hands and risk to fall asleep. So a parent with too young baby should not sleep while holding them but for this age there is a basinet they can use if available. In any case my point was that the seat belt for the baby in parents lap is safe enough if parents follow the guidelines of safe practices.

But the poster seemed to be suggesting that parents shouldn’t be allowed to sleep on a flight with a baby on their lap. Parents need to be given a break! I’d never look at a mother on a plane with a sleeping baby lying on her, who was also sleeping herself, and think oh she’s a bad mother or she’s being irresponsible.