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

[Frannyhy]

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.

The other issue with car seats on planes is, I often travel on my own with DS and pushing a pram with one hand, having a backbag with travel essentials plus a suitcase in the other hand is just about what I can manage. I don’t think there’s a way to bring a car seat as well if you need to travel on your own. Not that I think that this would be safer than the belt, as I said already.

Well you sound lovely 🙄

Some countries require seatbelts whilst others including the US and India don’t allow it.

Another reason to bring your car seat on the plane is that you have it at your destination. You should never check the seat because they get thrown around and the impact can be equivalent to an accident. You should never rent a seat because you should never use a seat you don’t know it’s full history.

this thread is an interesting cultural divide. In the U.S. where babies are put in car seats on planes during takeoff and landing if parents have purchased a seat, it is well acknowledged that this is the safest place to be.

I have to say that toddlers on laps are not much fun for neighbouring seats. I once was on a 14 hour flight where a mother sat next to me in the middle seat with a 23 month old child. (I know because she had a conversation with another family about taking advantage of not needing a seat for as long as possible). The child was so large that their feet were kicking in my lap, they knocked my glasses off and touched my screen repeatedly. It was a very long take off but thankfully a steward found them another seat afterwards. It’s good to be understanding to families but being set up for a long haul like that is not really on.

Agree with this as someone who flies with a toddler. It’s the reason why I book business class when I fly solo with DS because I don’t feel a toddler is fair to the person next to me. (Of course some people complain about a baby in business class but overall it still feels fairer to me because at least no one has to sit right next to us).

Op booked and paid for HER seat, was expected to move out of it, yet shes the entitled one??
make it make sense….

Babies and young children are safest in their own seat in a flight approved car seat. Many EU infant car seats are flight approved but unfortunately not the next stage seats.

EU airlines seem to make it difficult to travel with children in car seats for some reason (at least ime). Even more so for toddlers who still aren't particularly safe in their own seat as they don't fit the seat or seatbelt properly, but currently there is very little alternative. I believe US airlines are better but no experience personally, although I know that there are lots more options for flight approved car seats (both baby and toddler) in the US.

The little lap belt thing they give you for a lap infant is realistically only to stop the baby from becoming a projectile. It won't stop them from being injured hitting the arm rest or the seat in front or whatever, and could very well cause internal injuries in a serious accident given that it's on their soft abdomen. Obviously there are plane crashes where no amount of protection (car seat or otherwise) would keep the baby safe, but in less severe accidents the car seat could well be the difference between severe injury/death or walking away unharmed.

So ideally yes, I'd agree that lap infants should be banned in favour of babies properly secured in appropriate seats, but realistically that's not going to happen.

Surely a baby would fit in the overhead locker????😉

In the USA it was normal to use a car seat from 1, under that on laps, can’t remember if you got extension belts for domestic flights but you definitely did for intercontinental flights. Within Europe and on European airlines they were really funny about car seats on planes and I actually ended up having to negotiate with the first officer who didn’t want me using mine (that had flown thousands of miles on us carriers) on a Virgin Atlantic flight, I got them on but had to play the disability card which thankfully I’d logged at the booking stage to get extra luggage for dd.

I think that if “anything had happened “ the seatbelt would’ve been the least of your worries.

No one would be getting me out of a booked aisle seat! No way.

I haven’t got strong views about what is safest for babies on flights - lap, seat belt or not, or car seat. Car seat sounds the most comfortable all round but I don’t really know.In the end, if the plane crashes you’re usually all dead.

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.

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.

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.

Or put them in the hold?

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

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…?

Maybe they should be stored in crates in the hold.

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.

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

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

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

Or check them into the cargo hold !!!

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.