Flying with baby

[SpringCrane]

I'm booking tickets for two trips, and I'm really stuck on whether to purchase a seat for my infant or keep him on my lap. He'll be 5 and 7 months. One flight is to PA and one to Hawaii (both from CA -- ie, 7+ hours of flying). We've flown quite a bit with my first son, and we never paid for his own seat when he was under 2. We usually got to take advantage of an empty seat on the plane and bring his car seat on board any way. International flights all seem to have infant seat belt attachments that go around their waist and connect to the adult's belt, but this is not offered or allowed on US domestic flights.

Each trip would cost us about another extra $500 to purchase a ticket for our baby. And it seems ludicrous to think, "My baby's safety isn't worth $500" but at the same time... flight incidents are very rare, and many aren't survivable regardless of restraint...

My husband is against purchasing a seat for our infant. I'm a worry-wort and pregnancy and postpartum hormones make my anxiety worse, so I'm not sure who is being sane--me or him?

Any thoughts? Please no judging one way or the other. Just looking for some feedback.

 

[mara16jade]

Since he'll be so young, you can get a bassinet seat. Of course that's not a safety option, but it helps get baby off your lap for such a long flight.

We flew to China when ds was 12 months and got him a seat. It was really nice to have him in his carseat on his own seat. Safe and he slept pretty much the whole way there and back.

 

[Teri7489]

I've never flown with my kids but made many long 9 hours +) train journeys. I've never paid for their own seats and most of the time haven't been able to have the pram up so kind of similar. Me and hubby take turns of holding baby who is 7 months now. He sleeps fine in our lap, I'm still bf so that's easy and just take snack packs. I wouldn't pay the extra for his own seat personally. Xx

 

[Lief]

I went to visit family in South Africa when DS was 3 months old. We went through Dubai so the flights were something like 8 hours then a couple of hours in the airport until we caught our connecting flight which was about 9 hours. I was alone with DS as DH was already in SA at the time. I had my wrap with me but when I got on the flight they offered me a bassinet for DS. When he wasn't sleeping in the bassinet he was in the wrap and he pretty much slept the entire time for the two flights, only waking for feeds.

 

[lau86]

We're doing a 3 hour flight in May so LO will be around 5 months. We haven't bought a seat for her, we'll just hold her. She will have an extended belt thing on but I just see that as being annoying! My view (rightly or wrongly) is that in an emergency either you're going to die or a car seat wouldn't protect them anyway. We took ds1 in a car seat when he was a baby and it was a nightmare! (Lugging it round the airport, the cabin crew had never experienced fitting it (!!!) etc )

 

[jessmke]

We flew when DD was 10 weeks and are flying again this weekend, we didn't purchase a seat for her on either flight, I wear her in the ergo on my front.

 

[MindUtopia]

I wouldn't bother with buying an extra seat. I personally see the seat as a convenience thing rather than a safety thing. I would get a wrap and wear him in a wrap if you feel nervous with turbulence or if you just need your hands free. Unless there is a way to safely secure a car seat with an airplane seat beat, which I can't imagine there would be as they're just lap belts, then I wouldn't see the safety advantage to having an extra seat and it's a lot of money. But I would make sure you get the bulkhead with access to the bassinet if you want to use it. Get a wrap though. It will be a sanity saver.