Flying with an infant ??

[Ashland]

How does one manage to fly with an inlap infant ?..Out of all the flights we've taken this is one thing we have never paid much attention to...Now our family will be flying from Bur-YVR with a connection in SEA for the first time with a 17 month old...We've decided to not purchase a seat for him on the outbound (booking the window & aisle hoping that middle seat stays empty and the carrier Alaska has noted on the recond that an inlap infant is traveling...we know this is a chance) but will on the longer return flight home from ANC-BUR again a connection in SEA. We have purchased a "CARES Harness" for him to use on the return flight.

 

We have asked this question on the family board but not much response, so hoping to get more on this board of expert flyers...Thanks so much for your time.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Ashland

[6rugrats]

I am not sure what your specific question is. If you want to know what your outbound flight will be like with a 17 month old in your lap, get a narrow chair and put it facing the wall, so you have a few inches of legroom (about what you'll have on your flight) between your knees and the wall.

 

Then, get your child and sit in the chair, holding him in your lap and facing the wall, for four hours and 40 minutes. That will give you a sense of what it's like.

Edited January 26, 2014 by 6rugrats

[waterbug123]

How does one manage to fly with an inlap infant ?..We've decided to not purchase a seat for him on the outbound (booking the window & aisle hoping that middle seat stays empty

 

Fine to hope that, but in reality it will more than likely be filled, and I assume you will offer that person the window or aisle so that they are not in between 2 people passing a toddler back and forth.

 

I flew by myself with my middle son when he was 17 months old. It was only about an hour and 15 minute flight but it was torture. He was an active child and did not take well to being confined on my lap. And of course, at 17 months he was not able to comprehend things like, "You can't walk around the plane; the seat belt sign is on and it isn't safe." He was unhappy and made sure everybody knew it. Thank God for the many patient people on that flight who saw me doing everything I could to keep him entertained and quiet and let me know they had been there, done that and they understood.

 

Keep in mind this was about 14 years ago, before we all had tablets and smart phones. I'd be willing to bet the average toddler these days can keep himself quite entertained with cartoons or other toddler entertainment on an ipad, so if you have one of those and he is familiar with it, I'd make sure it's fully charged! :D

[slidergirl]

When that middle seat is sold, be prepared to offer that person the aisle seat as compensation for having to sit with an active child in the row…

Be prepared with EVERYTHING the child could want/need and put that stuff under the seat in front of you - you don't want to have to be diving out the row and trying to retrieve things out of the overhead!!! For your connections, see if the terminal you are in has a child's area - if yes, get there and let the kid "blow off some steam" for as long as you can!

 

More and more flights are going out full nowadays. Was the decision to have the child sit unprotected in a lap on the outbound vs having a seat and belted in on the return a monetary one? I'm a firm believer in having that seat for every child and using either an approved child seat or CARES harness. A child's life is too precious...

Edited January 26, 2014 by slidergirl

[grandma*knows*best]

I am not sure what your specific question is. If you want to know what your outbound flight will be like with a 17 month old in your lap, get a narrow chair and put it facing the wall, so you have a few inches of legroom (about what you'll have on your flight) between your knees and the wall.

 

Then, get your child and sit in the chair, holding him in your lap and facing the wall, for four hours and 40 minutes. That will give you a sense of what it's like.

 

:D

 

I feel really, really sorry for the person who will almost surely be seated in that currently empty seat in your row.

 

A Cares harness may not work well with a 17 month old. You should seriously consider buying a seat for your child for the first part of your trip as well.

Edited January 26, 2014 by grandma*knows*best

[kenish]

I fly from the LA area to SEA (but not out of BUR) fairly often. Alaska, like other airlines, flies very full nowadays.

 

I'd recommend the opposite of others...take aisle/middle. Fold up the armrest between you (as long as your row isn't bulkhead where the armrests don't move). You cannot sit in an exit row with an infant. If you need to get up and out of your seat, the aisle will help do this quickly.

 

Flights between SEA and YVR are in Q400 turboprops and there isn't a middle seat. Also be aware that the way oxygen masks are configured sometimes prohibits lap infants on one side of the aisle or the other, and/or in certain rows. Be sure AS is aware you have a lap infant.

 

Bring plenty of cheerios, snacks, and toys that will occupy the infant. Also, climb and descent can be painful as the pressure changes...use a pacifier from taxi to the seat belt sign going out (at 10000 feet) and same for descent.

 

Benadryl is another tool...of course check with the pediatrician first.

 

Be aware that lap infants are not as safe as those in car seats should something go wrong. It's still far safer than the highways, which is why NTSB and FAA continue to allow lap infants. I used to work with aircraft seats...lap infants need to be held in your arms/lap *after* you're belted in and never between you and any seat belt or other restraint.

 

Hope this helps

Edited January 26, 2014 by kenish

[em-sk]

The flight from Vancouver to Seattle will likely be on a Dash-8 with two seats on each side. There is no middle seat.

 

Will that flight be full? It is hard to say, but I think you have a better chance of a seat being free than on the domestic flight you are on.

[Ashland]

:D

 

I feel really, really sorry for the person who will almost surely be seated in that currently empty seat in your row.

 

A Cares harness may not work well with a 17 month old. You should seriously consider buying a seat for your child for the first part of your trip as well.

If we opt to purchase a seat for him on the outbound..why are you saying a CARES Harness won't work ??...We don't want to have to take a carseat with us...as we'll be using a large transfer bus roundtrip from airport-cruise ship..and won't be needing anything other than a stroller when in our Alaska ports.

[Ashland]

Any idea how I would go about adding our inlap booked infant into our reservation with Alaska Air if deciding to purchase a seat for him..or do I just make a new reservation for our infant and link them...there are seats available at this point in time. :confused:

[Philob]

If we opt to purchase a seat for him on the outbound..why are you saying a CARES Harness won't work ??...We don't want to have to take a carseat with us...as we'll be using a large transfer bus roundtrip from airport-cruise ship..and won't be needing anything other than a stroller when in our Alaska ports.

 

We used CARES for Kid when he was about 24+ months and it was a bit big for him. He's regular size based on that gov't "percentile chart." One of the biggest complaint was its not a 5-point harness and kids tend to slip down below the seat belt.

 

Another thing is you'll have to be the first and last off the plane to install and remove it. To install/remove you have to lower the seat tray in back of the chair to remove the upper strap. If the seat tray cannot be returned to its take-off position you can't use the CARES. PITA removing because its like salmon swimming upstream to get to the strap and stressful if your child "wants off...NOW". We found its best to have one parent disembark the plane ASAP while the other deal with the CARES and other stuff.

[Ashland]

We used CARES for Kid when he was about 24+ months and it was a bit big for him. He's regular size based on that gov't "percentile chart." One of the biggest complaint was its not a 5-point harness and kids tend to slip down below the seat belt.

 

Another thing is you'll have to be the first and last off the plane to install and remove it. To install/remove you have to lower the seat tray in back of the chair to remove the upper strap. If the seat tray cannot be returned to its take-off position you can't use the CARES. PITA removing because its like salmon swimming upstream to get to the strap and stressful if your child "wants off...NOW". We found its best to have one parent disembark the plane ASAP while the other deal with the CARES and other stuff.

Thanks so much for your info...luckily we have family that will be seated behind the child too....so plenty of help & reinforcements...It's truely going to take our "Village" to travel on his first flight/cruise with him :)

[Brighton Line]

Flights between SEA and YVR are in Q400 turboprops and there isn't a middle seat. Also be aware that the way oxygen masks are configured sometimes prohibits lap infants on one side of the aisle or the other, and/or in certain rows.

 

Q400's have self deploy oxygen masks? Didn't think so, thought they have portable O2 cylinders only.

[Ms Understood]

I am not sure what your specific question is. If you want to know what your outbound flight will be like with a 17 month old in your lap, get a narrow chair and put it facing the wall, so you have a few inches of legroom (about what you'll have on your flight) between your knees and the wall.

 

Then, get your child and sit in the chair, holding him in your lap and facing the wall, for four hours and 40 minutes. That will give you a sense of what it's like.

 

 

LOL!!!!!

----------------

Helen

[varoo]

I am not sure what your specific question is. If you want to know what your outbound flight will be like with a 17 month old in your lap, get a narrow chair and put it facing the wall, so you have a few inches of legroom (about what you'll have on your flight) between your knees and the wall.

 

Then, get your child and sit in the chair, holding him in your lap and facing the wall, for four hours and 40 minutes. That will give you a sense of what it's like.

Years ago I learned of an adoption agency that flew Korean orphans to their new homes by getting volunteer passengers to agree to hold the babies on their laps so they would not need to buy seats for them.

 

I first encountered them in a departure lounge on a trip through Chicago O'Hare and got into a long conversation with one of the women from the agency there.

They would buy tickets only for one or two women from the agency who would fly with half a dozen babies or more.

 

The way they did it was to bring the babies out to the departure gate, knowing that babies are magnets for attracting people's attention, much like puppies. Then when passengers would come over to admire the babies and say how cute they were, they would ask if you would be willing to hold one for the flight.

 

She told me that they flew the babies from Korea to the USA by getting good-natured young, naive American servicemen who were flying home to agree to hold them on the trans-Pacific flights.

 

Those youngsters of 18 or 19 didn't realize what they were getting themselves into until the plane was out across the Pacific, and they were stuck in a crowded coach seat holding a baby for hour after hour. But by then it was too late to change their minds and back out.

 

Sometimes the flight attendants would give them some temporary relief by picking up a baby and walking up and down the aisle with it.

 

For most of us, just getting stuck in a coach seat on a full plane for a trans-Pacific flight would be bad enough without holding a baby. :eek:

 

The woman from the agency who accompanied the babies would do the diaper changing and would prepare bottles for the servicemen to feed them.

 

 

It was a heartwarming scene upon landing to see the adopting families with their relatives and friends all waiting at the arrival gate with balloons and banners to receive their new family members.

 

That was back in the days before 9/11 when people were still allowed to go out to the gate to greet arriving passengers.

 

 

At least the OP here will be able to pass the baby around among the other family members, and thankfully will have a much shorter flight than those poor young servicemen. :D

 

[Ashland]

Years ago I learned of an adoption agency that flew Korean orphans to their new homes by getting volunteer passengers to agree to hold the babies on their laps so they would not need to buy seats for them.

 

I first encountered them in a departure lounge on a trip through Chicago O'Hare and got into a long conversation with one of the women from the agency there.

They would buy tickets only for one or two women from the agency who would fly with half a dozen babies or more.

 

The way they did it was to bring the babies out to the departure gate, knowing that babies are magnets for attracting people's attention, much like puppies. Then when passengers would come over to admire the babies and say how cute they were, they would ask if you would be willing to hold one for the flight.

 

She told me that they flew the babies from Korea to the USA by getting good-natured young, naive American servicemen who were flying home to agree to hold them on the trans-Pacific flights.

 

Those youngsters of 18 or 19 didn't realize what they were getting themselves into until the plane was out across the Pacific, and they were stuck in a crowded coach seat holding a baby for hour after hour. But by then it was too late to change their minds and back out.

 

Sometimes the flight attendants would give them some temporary relief by picking up a baby and walking up and down the aisle with it.

 

For most of us, just getting stuck in a coach seat on a full plane for a trans-Pacific flight would be bad enough without holding a baby. :eek:

 

The woman from the agency who accompanied the babies would do the diaper changing and would prepare bottles for the servicemen to feed them.

 

 

It was a heartwarming scene upon landing to see the adopting families with their relatives and friends all waiting at the arrival gate with balloons and banners to receive their new family members.

 

That was back in the days before 9/11 when people were still allowed to go out to the gate to greet arriving passengers.

 

 

At least the OP here will be able to pass the baby around among the other family members, and thankfully will have a much shorter flight than those poor young servicemen. :D

 

Very interesting story...thanks so much for taking the time to post it :)

[kenish]

Q400's have self deploy oxygen masks? Didn't think so, thought they have portable O2 cylinders only.

 

Not sure... the main issue is how many masks are available in each row, not where or how the masks are deployed. Regs require a spare mask for each row. So airlines often put extra masks in specific rows for lap infants. More commonly, two lap infants can't be in the same row across the width of the cabin. So it's important the airline is aware of the lap infant or there's a higher chance of needing to be re-seated during boarding.

[marco]

Don't they usually not pre-book the bulkhead seats and give them to folks traveling with infants when they check-in? I know when we've flown in the past and selected seat assignments on line, those bulkhead seats were not "reserveable". Maybe it depends on the specific flight or the airline?

Edited January 30, 2014 by marco

[waterbug123]

Don't they usually not pre-book the bulkhead seats and give them to folks traveling with infants when they check-in? I know when we've flown in the past and selected seat assignments on line, those bulkhead seats were not "reserveable". Maybe it depends on the specific flight or the airline?

 

Sometimes they are available for pre-booking but ONLY if you are an elite level customer of the airline.

[Ashland]

Sometimes they are available for pre-booking but ONLY if you are an elite level customer of the airline.

That is exactly the case on our Alaska flights..in addition to being designated "H".....not sure if they will/would be open to changing at the gate..but I would assume their for their elite status flyer's to move up to ..not sure how this works when those seats aren't pre- booked :confused: We're flying out of Burbank a small airport and at this point our May 30th flight appears pretty empty. However our connection to YVR in SEA...only 3 seats left.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Ashland

[kenish]

We're flying out of Burbank a small airport and at this point our May 30th flight appears pretty empty. However our connection to YVR in SEA...only 3 seats left.

 

Are you looking on the AS website or a tool such as KVS for seat availability? Airline websites are a very poor indicator of how full a flight is. It only shows which seats are available for you to choose.

 

I wouldn't worry about the YVR flights...it's only about an hour gate-gate and 35 minutes in the air.

[notentirelynormal]

Sometimes they are available for pre-booking but ONLY if you are an elite level customer of the airline.

 

This isn't entirely true (although I'm sure for the most part it is). My mother is handicapped. She broke her neck so she can't turn it. To look at the person next to her she must turn her entire body. Therefore, when someone in front of her puts their seat back she can't move and is a very captive person, making for a long uncomfortable trip. It would also be extremely difficult for her to even get out of her seat. I've got her booked into those seats in advance after explaining the situation.

[notentirelynormal]

I am not sure what your specific question is. If you want to know what your outbound flight will be like with a 17 month old in your lap, get a narrow chair and put it facing the wall, so you have a few inches of legroom (about what you'll have on your flight) between your knees and the wall.

 

Then, get your child and sit in the chair, holding him in your lap and facing the wall, for four hours and 40 minutes. That will give you a sense of what it's like.

 

Hysterical but true. I flew my DS, DIL and grand daughter from Spokane to LA. I was so pissed after I paid for 3 seats and they assigned them singly. One here, one there. Are you friggin kidding me. You want the 1 YO to sit by themselves and the parents each on different rows. I guess since he wasn't paying for it he didn't put up a big fuss - he gave up the baby seat and held her so they could sit together and switch off holding the baby. So they re-sold the seat even though I had paid for it. I was ticked. But as we all know.... karma always gets you. We then flew from LA to Miami. She was fine and in her own seat BUT as we landed she puked all over mom. Yup, everywhere. Mom didn't have a change of clothes so for the next 2 hours of getting off the plane, getting the luggage and getting the rental car then driving to Ft Lauderdale mom pretty much ... well stunk and was wet.

Edited January 31, 2014 by notentirelynormal

[waterbug123]

This isn't entirely true (although I'm sure for the most part it is). My mother is handicapped...... I've got her booked into those seats in advance after explaining the situation.

 

That would be why I started my post by saying "SOMETIMES." ;)

[notentirelynormal]

Yes, but your reply suggests that the "sometimes" is only for Elite status and I was pointing out that "sometimes" it is for other reasons and they can be reserved months in advance.

 

Sometimes they are available for pre-booking but ONLY if you are an elite level customer of the airline.