Flying with baby on your lap

[MyKidsThrowFood]

Anyone had any experience of longhaul flight with baby on their lap? Feeling nervous about the idea... the baby will be 10 months at the time. What happened if you experienced turbulence?

Can you not book a bassinet ?

It’s fine but I wouldn’t do it longhair. Book a seat for baby or book bassinet seat.

Do you mean you’re worried you’ll drop the baby if it gets bumpy?

you could wear a baby carrier?
they make you put a seatbelt on for landing and other turbulence but it’s to save other people’s from being hit by your child I think

Watching with interest as we are doing the same.

Note that even with the bassinet you still have to put them on your lap buckled in if there is turbulence and the seatbelt sign is on. Also a 10 month old baby is likely to be too big to sleep comfortably in one and our airline didn’t want to give it to us if baby can sit up. We have booked a bassinet seat but the maximum size is 70 cm and our 7 month old baby is already at least 68 cm a few weeks ago so unlikely to fit. Hoping she might sleep in there frog leg style.

Also to those who suggest booking a seat for the baby - nice if you can afford it but we can barely afford our tickets and haven’t seen close family since pre-Covid.

You wouldn’t want a bassinet for a 10 month old would you? Other than for sleep. My 10 month old won’t happily lie on a bassinet awake for hours so would be on a lap.

When DS2 was 11 months we went to Florida - bought him a seat as that long on a lap would be hell. Lap for takeoff and landing and probably technically turbulence, but he slept on the seat for most of the flight back and I just strapped him in there.

Similarly, Bit older but when DS1 was 16 months we went to Dominican Republic. We just bought him a seat as again, that long on a lap sounds like hell.

Shorter flights ie within Europe we do lap and it’s not great in economy. 9 mo DD on 1.5 hour flight to Copenhagen was not fun honestly.

Shes 10 months old now and walking around the living room so really don’t recommend a bassinet for a 10 month old 😄

Did 4 long haul flights with 11 month and 3 yo in a space of 3 weeks. We tired them out at the airport, put fresh nappies on just before boarding and gave them fresh bottles on take of, they slept for most of the flights. DH held the baby, from memory they clipped baby to him, the 2 of them snored away the whole time.

I found it better to deal with any crankiness at the airport so they would sleep on the flight.

take lots of snacks and use different containers so if one drops you haven’t lost all your snacks and your not hunting around for the containers on the ground. If you use dummies, do the same have several back ups so if you drop them it’s not a big deal. Also the same with any small toys to distract them, have back ups. You don’t have to take a massive bag in just something easy to grab to comfort or distract them.

Might not be a popular opinion but if babies teething, preempt and pain with calpol before take off or teetha crystals. Will also help with their ears.

We are flying BA and they have a seat attachment for the bassinet which they recommend for over 6 months.

But I'm more worried about the safety aspect. As others have said, the only 'safety' equipment you will have to secure them for turbulence or takeoff/landing is a lap belt. Have used one short haul before and it seemed useless but there was no turbulence. Longhaul over Atlantic seems like more of a risk. So wondering if anyone has encountered turbulence with a baby using a lap belt... surely if babies were getting injured on the regular we'd hear about it? But, as other posters mentioned, I don't see how the lap belt does much other than protect other passengers from a baby flying through the cabin

The bassinet seats do have extra leg room and might be a good place to store baby crap and sit the baby in while you sort out stuff so might still be worth it even if the bassinet is not used for sleeping?

How long are you flying for? Will you be alone?

I've travelled with all of mine when they were babies, solo and with my husband. Anywhere from 7 hours to 3 hours.

Was always easier together as we passed the baby between us, but doable on my own. The hardest time was sorting out meals (baby wasn't eligible, didn't always eat mine, the space etc) but I used to find the white noise of the plane, the dimmed lights meant they'd sleep for some of it!

Turbulence - the baby has a seatbelt that attaches to your seatbelt round their waist.

Although there's a lap belt on them, I tended to find during turbulence I was "holding" onto them.

The turbulence I've experienced (over Asia) while unpleasant hasn't had anything flying round the cabin. Just food and drink services stopped and cabin crew seated for the worst of it. Definitely no flying babies.

I took DD long haul at 18 months ish. Overnight flight. She was on my lap. Have to admit the risk of severe turbulence (severe enough to be thrown out of my arms) or crashing didn’t really occur to me, statistically it is pretty rare no? I have been on a lot of flights, including many long haul and never encountered severe turbulence, touch wood.

Best advice is, if you can book an overnight flight. Let baby sleep on your lap, with both of your seat belts on. I only went on an eight hour flight. We let ds2 sleep across me and dh, with the hand rest down.

We flew overnight and made him very tried at the airport. It helped that was still breastfeeding and it put him to sleep very fast.