Do babies have to face forward on planes?

[Geneve]

I flew home for Christmas today with my 14-month-old. I was in the middle seat of three with her on my lap. I've always breastfed her on take-off and landing to help with the popping ears and also it keeps her quiet for a bit

Today she was also due a nap when we got on the plane so I got her feeding, sitting on my lap facing me with her head in the crook of my arm. I've done this before on flights and had no issues. Today, however, the air stewardess told me she had to be facing forward. As DD was half-asleep by this point she was not very impressed. I had no idea this was a rule. Like I said, I've never heard it before, and I'm assuming it doesn't apply to all babies as it would be quite hard to hold a tiny wee one with no neck control facing forward.

Has anyone else been told this?

Absolutely ridiculous OP. If anything were to happen in a plane, the direction you're facing is unlikely to save you!

I've never heard of it and have flown regularly with two DC in last 5 years while feeding one or other of them. Usually as long as the lap belt is on, they haven't cared about anything else.

We need a stewardess to come on here to confirm, but it does sound daft.

I've been told at least once baby must face forwards on take off and landing. Rather frustrating considering the kid in question would have slept through the entire flight if she had been cradled or fed through take off but instead screamed for most of it....

I used to travel a few times a yearvwhrn my kids were of infant age. On budget airlines I've always been asked to have the infant face forward. On non budget airlines I found they don't ask.

I found out recently that the brace position, which I always thought was to help save you, is actually there to preserve your head so that they can identify your corpse. that is complete and utter bullshit.

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/Does-the-brace-position-save-lives/

Cabin crew (long haul) for over 20 years here..I’ve never asked and never been trained to do this, and it’s also bullshit about brace position preserving the corpse.

I doubt it's relevant but it wasn't a budget airline. Free sandwich and everything

I’ve been asked on several airways to face the child forwards. I’ve never asked why.🤷‍♀️

1 - I've breastfed multiple times in flight and it's kinda hard to do that while they face forwards
2 - in the event of a brace, you're supposed to hold them across your lap while you bend forwards, it's the most secure way of holding them to prevent them being injured

So their claim is a) bollocks and b) bollocks

What --stupid— airline was it?

Xmas, I think it's like the "oxygen makes you high" claim, gets passed around as fact years after it was corrected

I’ve breastfed on a flight, but I *think^ they had to be forward facing, with the little seatbelt thing on, for take off and landing. If 2+ they had to be in there own seat, with the seatbelt on, whenever the seatbelt sign was on.

Their* (face palm)

I would not regard the telegraph as a good & reliable source of [anything] information - there is plenty of responsible accurate information which shows the brace position saves lives

@DrinkFeckArseGirls it was KLM

People always recommend breastfeeding for the ear-popping on take-off and landing, and like a pp said it's quite hard to do that with them facing forward! Maybe you can get away with it with a smaller baby in cradle hold, but I had to have her sitting facing me or my poor neighbour would have been used as a footrest!

I'v never heard of this. As you said, I and lots of others I know feed on take off/landing to help with the ears.

I found out recently that the brace position, which I always thought was to help save you, is actually there to preserve your head so that they can identify your corpse. It makes FA difference which way you sit if the planes crashes. I guess it might make a difference in case of turbulence? Can't really see how though.

Your brace theory is a myth

Yes, I’ve had the same thing. Baby was breastfeeding and I was told she had to face forwards for landing. I can’t see any rational reason for this.

Never heard of this and I’ve flown a lot with a lap infant although never with KLM. Some passenger seats on long haul aircrafts are even rear facing, usually in business class, so I don’t understand how this is a thing. The American carriers we fly with most often don’t even tend to have infant seatbelts and I once had to sit DD on top of an airbag that was part of my 3 point seatbelt for take off and landing which was definitely not safe...

years ago (I flew on RAF plane & was told this) - I assume this is still the case - the seats faced backwards for passengers in air force planes -it was considered safer, I think.

Realistically ff/rf seats don't make a huge amount of difference. RF would be better - as in a car - for relatively low-speed collisions to prevent whiplash. But mid-air or high-speed crashes...? Not so much