Flying With Children

I was quite the sight to be seen in the airport just a few years ago.  Picture this - 1 mommy, a 13 month old boy on my back in our Becco Butterfly II,  a 3 year old boy in the front of our Phil & Ted's stroller, 1 convertible car seat in the "jump seat" of said stroller, 1 infant car seat hooked over the handle of the stroller, a schtuff bag... and oh yeah,  my sanity!!  Yep, my husband was away on business and we were flying to meet him to continue on with a family vacation from there. Well, I had to get there with the  boys and yep I successfully navigated our way through the airport with 2 kids in tow AND BOTH car seats, I made it through security and onto the plane STILL WITH BOTH CHILDREN AND BOTH CAR SEATS and kept my sanity on a 3 hour flight - ALONE!   How'd I do it?? With a lot of planning, strategy and snacks!  Why'd I do it??? Because I knew they would be safer!!

I was originally going to blog about this topic later in the "Preparing for Baby" series, however, Discover Channel aired a special this past Sunday night (Oct 7^th) called Curiosity: PLANE CRASH and since it was fresh in my mind, I decided to bump the topic up to this week! Did anyone else happen to catch this special?  If you didn't, check it out online, there are loads of clips of the show. Ultimately an airplane crash was purposefully created to get data about crash forces and effects on passengers and the plane structure.  It was very interesting and hopefully, just like crash test dummies in motor vehicle test crashes, this event will give the airline industries the advantage of making planes even safer.  

Back to flying with baby...

Flying with a child seems to be one of those hush, hush topics not a lot of parents want to talk about.  Why? Because they often don't want to hear the reality or harsh criticism others might have about how they opt to do it - lap child or car seat?  Did you know that the FAA recommends you fly with EVERY child in a child restraint, yet they don't require it?  Regardless of the decision or the "why" in which parents make that choice, the fact remains that car seats that are checked as baggage are treated as such.   Ever watched out the window as you wait for your plane to see how hard and fast those suitcases and bags are tossed onto the belt or the luggage cart?  One person did and recorded it for everyone to see. Your car seat that would be checked as luggage is just another something that needs to get into the cargo hold.   There are some child passenger safety advocates that even consider damage to car seats checked as luggage similar to that of a crash and thus advise a checked seat should now be replaced.   So regardless of whether you have opted to fly with car seat in tow or with your baby as a lap child - ALWAYS at minimum bring their car seat and gate check it. 

 I have and will always advocate that parents purchase their child a ticket, bring their car seat on board and use it on the airplane - REGARDLESS OF THEIR AGE.  Both my children have flown since they were about 9 weeks old and ALWAYS in their own car seat as a ticketed passenger.  While some might think that's too early to fly with an infant, if we had to fly, they were going to be buckled up and safe.

There are so many more reasons than just a plane crash to keep your child buckled into a child restraint on a plane - turbulence or aborted take-off or landing are just a start.  Unknown as to when they will happen, even just a shutter or small change in altitude will make it very difficult for you to hold that baby safely in your arms.  Another reason is comfort. Airplanes aren't exactly the most spacious places to hang out, add another wiggly body to the row of squished passengers and the space invasion is even worse.  Ever try lowering down your tray table with a lap child?? Diet Coke mess all over!  I've found that children are typically less fussy on an airplane if they are contained in a familiar car seat.  They know when they are in the car we strap in and go... same applies for the airplane.  Ever looked around on a flight with a screaming baby??? In my experience, it's always a lap child.  They aren't comfortable and neither are you.  And last but certainly not least, you are more than likely to need that car seat when you get to your destination anyways (NEVER rely on car seats from rental car companies), so make sure you have it in your possession the entire trip!

Watch the linked video for a message direct from the NTSB.  Protect you child in your vehicle AND on a plane!!

So I guess the best question is.. there are rules and regulations on how the coffee pot is stowed, all electronics need to be powered down and you can't even hold a purse or coat on your lap during take off and landing, why then should parents be able to hold their most precious cargo in their laps? Have you flown with your baby?  What did you do to make hauling that car seat through the airport easier?