To book a seat for my baby on flight ?

[Newmumin23]

Looking to see if anyone has booked their baby a seat on a plane with car seat before?
We’re travelling to Ibiza next week and a friend told me it’s possible to book an extra seat (at a cost) and you can put the car seat in the seat of the plane?
Has anyone done this before and is it worth it? I’m thinking extra space and not holding baby the entire flight. Or am I being stupid and will holding baby between me and DH be fine?

This has some useful info! Incl specific airline rules…

https://www.madeformums.com/reviews/the-best-child-car-seats-to-use-on-airplanes/

I wouldn’t book a seat for a baby that small for such a short flight. We did when DC was 18 months but he was a handful by then and heavy (98% percentile) and the flight was 4 hours+.

It’s two hours, you take off and before you know it you are landing. I fly back and forth to Ibiza a couple of times a year and have never seen any kids that have been disruptive or upset. Save the money

If baby hates sling bring a firmish pillow and sit it on your knee so baby can stretch out/ sleep on it…?

Tbh, I've never bothered with an extra seat. Holding onto the cheapest way of flying... we've done flights upto 9.5 hours with DS being held by each of us, but it depends on your baby really.

Is your baby better being held by you or in their car seat? The minute my eldest was in a car seat she would sleep.

The minute DS goes in a car seat he kicks off so that's also part of what makes our minds up...

Your reply makes no sense.

@DragonFly98 It makes perfect sense to me? A car seat can't just be placed on an airline seat, it needs to be secured to it. If the plane drops 150 feet in turbulence an unsecured car seat will first hit the ceiling, and then possibly another passenger as it falls back.

It's entirely up to you but personally I wouldn't bother as it's a short flight so seems like an unnecessary expense as well as having to take the car seat.

Your reply makes no sense.

It makes complete sense.

I was under the impression if the car seat wasn’t compatible they could still sit in it for the flight, but had to be on knee for take off and landing, is that not the case?

No, even if it’s empty it has to be secured in the seat so if there’s turbulence it doesn’t fly off the seat and injure someone

Makes sense to me. The car seat can't just sit on the seat without something fixing it to the seat or it becomes a missile in the event of a crash/turbulence, etc

We have always booked a seat for our now toddler, not only is the additional room nice, as you’re a family of three it means you don’t need to worry about the baby getting in the space of the person next to you, vomiting on them etc. We don’t take a car seat, only because we don’t need to use one on holiday or we’re being picked up by someone who has one.

In which way does it make no sense?

@DragonFly98 I'm sorry you can’t understand it. It’s written in plain English and everyone else understands it. As it’s advice to OP I won’t bother to rephrase it as it doesn’t affect you.

I did this 20 years ago on Ryan Air and they refused to let me use the seat that I had paid for, confiscated my car seat and gave the seat (that I had paid for) to another passenger and made me put my baby on my lap. And then the flight attendant made rude comments about my breast feeding on the flight. I complained afterwards in writing (before the days of email) and they sent me the most illiterate response letter ever denying everything. I will never fly that airline again.

If possible, you want to feed them during the ascent/descent - sucking helps with the ear-popping.

We booked seats for our baby from around 12 months, basically once she could sit up and play a bit so could make use of the space. I wouldn’t bother at 4 months - time it right and if you’re lucky she’ll sleep all the way, both of mine sleep better on a plane than pretty much anywhere else.

That’s awful! They’ve been on my boycott list for years because I’ve never had a flight with them leave on time but never heard of them being that bad.

How long can they be in their car seat at that age without needing to be taken out ans held? Add in a feed.... is it worth the cost?

@CeeceeBloomingdale are you able to explain why I had to remove MHG baby from the carrier for take off/landing, even though I had an infant seatbelt on them (threaded between them and the carrier, not around the carrier). I was told it was so there was nothing around my neck for my own safety, but the straps of my carrier were on my shoulders and not my neck?

OP, you really will be fine just taking the baby without the car seat. Baby change toilets are generally at the back of the plane, so you might want to do seat selection with that in mind.

Isn't anyone worried if there is a lot of turbulence and the baby flying through the air?

Why would the baby be flying through the air?

Depends on cost. There's a fee for having a lap infant (not obvious til you're far along the booking process) on Ryanair that means it sometimes doesn't cost much more to buy them seat. I think the main benefit at 4 months would be to have a row to yourselves/more elbow room.

Do you have the original box for the car seat? They tend to be very strong and a good fit for the seat. You can just travel with a roll of packing tape to wrap up post-transfer.

Why would the baby be flying through the air?

Everything that isn't secured flies through the air when there is turbulence. That's why there are seatbelts.

I wouldn't bother for a short haul flight with a baby that young. Save it for when they're a wriggly toddler!

I’d be a bit annoyed if we were on an plane and my baby wasn’t flying through the air, to be honest 😉.