Should I book a seat for my 9 month old or have her as a 'lap child'??

[CurleyShirley]

Hi All
My DH and I are flying to the US with American Airlines next spring when my dd will be 9 months (we dont have a choice on carrier, they are the only ones who fly direct). Is it worth me booking my dd a seat (costs £250) or will we be OK having her on our laps? I asked about booking a bassinet, and was told it was first come first served at check-in.
Any experience or advice??
Thanks!

You may find you need the seat by then - especially if its a while away. Imagine if you had 2 seats and the most enormously fat man sitting with you in the 3rd - it would make life quite uncomfortable for you two and the bubba.

not sure, I booked seat for ds2 (had to) he was nearly 2 on the way from NZ to UK and 2 on the way back - he wouldnt sit in the darned thing. It sat empty even on take off and landing as he was so psycho they had to give me a belt extension - you know your child.

how woudl you eat with her on her lap?

dd was 23m when we flew to Canada. She didn't have a seat. We managed with a bassinette and 3 laps! (me, dh and mil). It was fine.

Lap.

You eat by swapping with DH - the cabin crew will keep your meal back until you're ready.

I have gone on my own (with American!) when DS was about 11 months old. I took him on my lap and it was fine. There was always someone willing to help by holding him while I was having my dinner, etc. But that in itself is not such a problem as your DH will be with you and you can take turns.

If 250 is not really much in your budget, get it, if you think you can do more interesting things with that money... don't. To be honest, having DS on my lap for a few hours was not worth the expense. Besides, he spent most of the time walking around the aisles, sleeping or playing peek a boo with the passenger at the back!

BTW If I am correct you won't get a bassinet with American if your child is older than 6m. However, if you arrive early enough and there is no other family with more children you can get the bulkhead (first row of seats in front of a wall) that has more floor space for him to play.

If the flight is not full they will block a seat for your child to use.

We travelled to new york when ds was 10 months, we didnt book a seat for him and we got a bassinet for him. He went in there for naps etc but was fine on our laps.
As long as you check in really early you should get a bassinet no problem.

We travelled to and from NY when ds was 12 and 15 months. Didn't get a seat for him, and as others have said if we had I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have sat in it. On the overnight flight ds slept beautifully on a blanket on the floor and I would suggest that if you are travelling overnight the bulkhead floor space will serve you better than the extra seat. You should be able to request these seats when you book.

I would not book a seat for now. It's very hard to predict now what she will be like at 9 months and if nearer the time you think she will be better off with a seat you can probably buy one then.

We flew to Singapore when ds little (I can't remember exactly how old) which is a 12 hr flight. We booked a seat for him and brought his carseat on-board and put him in that in his seat. It was great as it was a night flight so he slept undisturbed for most of the flight.