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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Or OTT about my children's safety

49 replies

ooooooeak · 17/10/2010 20:53

DH thinks I'm being totally OTT and BU.

Off on hols this Christmas to Barbados.

We will have a 3 year old and 10 month old. I just can't get my head around not having them in safety seats on board teh flight. I know our youngest will get an infant car chair possibily but it still feels odd.

Even worse is the transfer on a mini bus. No car seats???!! :0 This is a country where drink driving is legal!!

DH thinks families every day go on hols and just put their babies on their laps......I don't think so!
AIBU?

OP posts:

CleanHankie · 17/10/2010 22:23

I've been to Barbados with Virgin, and the transfer is via their own coaches (pretty new too). Taxi's on the island are minibus style and older than the coaches - stick with the normal Virgin transfer.

And if you are worrying about this, don't go out of the hotel and travel by bus, yellow or blue

follyfoot · 17/10/2010 22:24

Lets be a bit realistic here. You're worrying about safety seats for the plane?

Why?

If the plane crashes - stunningly unlikely - a safety seat wouldnt make a blind bit of difference would it. I mean its not as if some boy racer in a Saxo is going to give your plane a bit of a nudge in the back, pushing you into the jumbo in front.

A lap belt or a safety seat? If a plane fell 38,000 ft, I dont think either would make the remotest difference.

Just look forward to the holiday.

GoreRenewed · 17/10/2010 22:25

What exactly is a child's seat supposed to help with in a plane? Collision? If you have a mid-air collision I don't think it will matter much.

cece · 17/10/2010 22:29

When we went to Spain I had a mini bus transfer booked for us. I just requested the car seats we needed. They were in the mini bus waiting for us on arrival.

MumBarTheDoorZombiesAreComing · 17/10/2010 22:30

Pane no probs and car seat ditto afaik. Child under 2 sits on adult lap and over 2 a normal seat. As theres only lap belts on a plane a seat in unsuitable. My DS and I lived abroa dwhen he was born we travelled when he was 6 weeks, 6months, 18 months, 22 months and 2 1/2. When he was 6 weeks I took him in the car seat attached to the travel system as needed the car seat in the UK I checked in the pushchair. At 6 months took the pushchair and kept it until the plane but 'borrowed' a car seat when in the UK - which would equate to hiring one?? I would take a boaster for the 3 yo as it is useful with a lap belt.

Most importantly relax and enjoy your holiday

Madinitials · 17/10/2010 22:36

I go to Bsrbados annually and fly with Virgin, who do allow you to check in child seats (baby and older child seats) FOC. We rent a car but the taxis do have rear seat belts and as someone else has stated, Virgin coaches are new. The island is tiny (14 x 21 miles) so whether you are transferring to the south or west coast, the journey will be short.

If you travel on a bus with a baby, you are more likely to pass said child to someone else who is seated to hold rather than be offered a seat yourself!! That's just how they do it.

Enjoy!! It's a fab island.

PS Nowt wrong with their water either.

hester · 17/10/2010 22:41

Drink driving is legal in Barbados? Really? That surprises me; it's a very law-abiding, very safe island. The water's fine, the crime rate is low, it's very child-friendly. Go and have a wonderful time!

NonnoMum · 17/10/2010 22:42

From what I remember, on plane travel with an infant (i.e under 2s) you get a kind of double seat belt, so that you strap the baby to you on take off and landing etc...

seeker · 17/10/2010 22:44

How exactly is a car seat going to help in a plane crash?????

hatwoman · 17/10/2010 22:48

haven't read whole thread but am reasonably sure that putting the seat belt round both of you in the minibus (as someone suggested) is extremely dangerous. I can't be sure but do check. dh (very laid back about safety but also an engineer and very good on dynamnics and that sort of stuff) did once tell me that doing that could easily kill a baby in an accident that would otherwise see them "only" injured. they would get the full force of you iyswim. on the plane you get an extra seatbelt - so there are two loops effectively - and this is very different from putting one seat belt round both of you. It's a shame you can't, ahem, "borrow" the aeroplane one.

smellmycheese · 17/10/2010 22:48

Completely agree with readywithwellies. People travel on buses all the time in this country without carseats. The fact that drink driving is legal really doesn't make that much difference. IMO drink driving is a moral issue, not a legal one. I've been to Barbados and they're perfectly rational people who didn't drive around pissed.
I would be happier in a bus with no car seat and a proffesional driver who knows the rds tbh.

And regarding the plane, babies and toddlers are just as safe/unsafe as any adult. There is just no need for a carseat as they'd be useless in a crash.

domeafavour · 17/10/2010 22:49

for the flight,3year old will be strapped in as good as you, and 10month old will be strapped to you. And as someone said before if the plane crashes all you need is to be strapped into your seat, it's not really like another car is going to hit you

Also, when we went to Barbados, they were so helpful in the airport. I had ordered a carseat for the transfer in a minibus, (don't know why yours have said no), and it was the wrong size, straps wouldn't even go over DS's head, and they went to other carhire places to borrow one for me.
They can find one for you if you insist.

coaches will have 3 point seat belts if you want to take your own

hatwoman · 17/10/2010 22:54

toddlers on buses I can see is the same - babies on buses though are often strapped into a buggy - which would offer some level of protection - rather than completely "loose" on their parent's lap. iyswim. also buses go very slowly. on a coach that went on a dual carriageway or motorway I'm fairly sure you;d need a child-seat.

readywithwellies · 17/10/2010 23:02

Just because drink driving is legal does not automatically make it more 'dangerous' nor does it mean it happens more often. Maybe Barbados does not need to legislate for irresponsible numpties who drive after a few.
Anyway, just because something is illegal does not mean it doesn't happen. Not even Princess Diana was safe from drink drivers.

desertgirl · 17/10/2010 23:23

the problem on planes isn't mid air collisions (v. rare), otherwise they wouldn't bother having seatbelts. The issue is with severe turbulence, or even having to come to a sudden stop while still on the ground.

Lap belts aren't ideal for anyone but particularly not for small children. I have flown with a (FAA certified) car seat for one of mine (not sure I could have managed two at once, as I don't have another adult with me when I'm travelling) and more recently discovered the CARES harness (which has the additional advantage of actually keeping 2 year old DD in her seat when the seatbelt signs are on!) I think there is a minimum weight for them though? and your under-2 isn't guaranteed a seat anyway. NB, bassinets are for comfort not safety, you have to take them out of the bassinet when the seatbelt signs are on.

There are things equivalent to the CARES harness that you can get for cars; can't remember their name - looked into it when we were going to India for a wedding; car seats seem to be pretty unheard of there. Couldn't get them here (even from the internet, not everything will deliver abroad/accept foreign credit cards) but did get some cheap things from Mothercare which fit round the two straps of a three point belt and keep them in the right place on a child's body. They have since then been quite useful at other times (taxis etc); they fit easily in a handbag, unlike your average car seat.

bedubabe · 18/10/2010 02:08

Desertgirl - that's what Aramex is for!

Just to clarify an above post. The airline will have an infant seatbelt - it's the law! No need to check. Going to check issue of babies not counting in figures (can't believe that, they're still on the manifest) with dh when he's not snoring.

Unless the plane is pretty empty you won't get a seat for baby. Baby car seat thing on plane is similar to bassinet. - you have to take baby out during take off, landing and turbulence. It's for comfort rather than safety.

desertgirl · 18/10/2010 04:25

shop and ship doesn't help with the credit card thing though, bb :(

the airline will have an infant seatbelt but it will be one of those extra lap belts that strap to yours, nothing fancy.

like you I am pretty sure that infants do count in figures, but don't have a source.

have had a seat for an infant when there was one empty seat on the flight; thanks to some very nice check in people, but you can't rely on it.

You can't use a normal baby car seat on the plane (other than for comfort) but if you have an FAA certified one that fits your baby (weight limits etc) you can still put your baby in it for take off and landing etc.

domeafavour · 18/10/2010 08:07

just to clarify a point
Baby lap belts are not the law everywhere.
If you are flying from the UK you will get one.
Internally in the US they are not the law.

theressomethingaboutmarie · 18/10/2010 08:16

Take a car seat with you. We did when we travelled to California with BA - no issue at all.

domeafavour · 18/10/2010 08:24

yeah, but then you have to buy another seat!

Fuzzywood · 18/10/2010 09:25

We went to Barbados last December with DD then 14 months and had the most wonderful holiday. Without a doubt the most child friendly, welcoming place we've visited. As others have said don't worry about seats for the plane just use the belts they give you. The Virgin buses all looked pretty new and well maintained to me so I'd be tempted to use them if that's what's on offer for your transfer, no different to a bus here. If I remember rightly the Virgin flights arrive mid afternoon so the roads were pretty quiet and the transfer won't take that long. We hired a car for a few days when we were there and had no problems on the road, car seat we got was a good one and I didn't feel unsafe at anytime. You'll have a wonderful time so try not to worry.

TruthSweet · 18/10/2010 11:34

ooooooeak - It is fairly standard practise for Americans to use car seats on board planes. One little girl's life was saved by one read her story her. Quite a lot of US car seats are FAA approved and in fact car seats are considered an essential item when travelling by plane. There is a very good article on this here. I believe the only UK FAA approved car seat is the Britax First Class but you could check with the airline as to what seats to use for both your children. Apparently it is preferable and safer for your 3 y/o to rear face on the plane when taking off and landing.

This memo is from the FAA and states that no airline may prohibit a child from using their car seat in an aeroplane. Also see this thread from a US car seat safety board. Post no. 4 makes for fairly chilling reading.

Original poster

ooooooeak · 18/10/2010 20:30

Thanks all so much some great advice.
TruthSweet an education reading your links, thank-you. Lots to think about!

OP posts:

lisaroth · 19/05/2011 14:15

Does anyone know of a carseat that is less than 16 inches in width. Flying tues and would like my 2 year old to sit in a car seat on n the plane as I think he will sit still for longer. Airline says car seat must be less than 16 inches in width but does not tell me who makes them this. Narrow. A brief search on mother care and halfords does not show any that narrow. Thanks for your advice.

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