Infant carrier on the airplane???

[gkrnjlr]

My husband is telling me that it is his understanding that you cannot use the infant carrier on the airplane. We did not pay for a seat for her, therefore she'll be sitting on our laps. BUT if we get lucky and there's an empty seat.....they won't let her sit in her carrier in the seat?

 

Anyone been through this?

 

Thanks!

[boa0007]

They will probably only allow a baby carseat. In order for the baby to sit in a seat you would have to bring the carseat with you. Otherwise the baby would have to sit on your lap. Airline regulations only allow them to sit either with you or in an empty seat in a carseat.

 

If there is an empty seat you could lay the baby down on the seat for a nap or a break. I have done this before without them saying anything.

 

It all depends on the airline though. I have mostly flown Air Canada, Westjet and one US airline.

 

By infant carrier do you mean a snuggly type baby carrier or a baby car seat? Baby car seats are ok on planes. Some people have those back carriers, they would not be ok.

[jkrislc]

If there is an empty seat, it is likely that they may let you use your car seat as this has happened to us a couple of times. However, it is very unlikely that a plane these days flies empty.

 

My advice to you is to ask at the gate desk, not at check in. Also, make sure that you gate check the seat so that you have it with you just in case there's availability. We always gate check to ensure that it makes it to our destination. On our return, we usually check it as luggage as we already have a seat installed in our car when we get home and don't have to worry if it gets lost or delayed.

[gkrnjlr]

Okay, our original plan was to take the "big stroller" (rather than the umbrella stroller) and have the lock in carseat/carrier since she still fits into it with her size and weight. Is that what you mean by gate check? We'd wheel all the way up to the door of the airplane and then they could put the stroller below?

 

I agree....I doubt that the plane would be flying empty or with any/many empty seats!

 

Thanks for your help.

[Kerry's Girls]

I've done this many times. Wheel the stroller and car seat/infant carrier to the gate. If there is an empty seat, you can use the car seat. If there isn't, it gets gate checked. You might want to bring a car seat bag to store it in.

 

Best,

Mia

[pms4104]

Some interesting related reading: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/why-you-should-never-fly-with-a-child-in/n20080730071709990108

[gkrnjlr]

Thanks for everyone's input and help!

[All4fun1]

We always bought a seat for ds however I do know that many airlines will allow you to bring a car seat on board and use it, if the flight isn't full. I would recommend getting to the gate as early as possible and ask the gate agent if it's a possibility. You might even check online on your travel day to see if your flight is full or not so you know ahead of time whether to even bother asking. If there are empty seats, you can ask that they put an "infant block" on a seat next to you so that you can use the car seat on board. Regardless of whether or not you can use the car seat, I would bring it to the gate so you can check it in there if needed. I would also get a bag to put it in (I've seen on at Target in the baby gear section for $20, eddie bauer brand IIRC). This way, it is much less likely to get misrouted in transit, and probably less likely to be damaged as well.

 

edit to add, also, wanted to add that the FAA doesn't allow the use of front carriers, slings, or "belly belts" during the taxi, take off, or landing, portions of the flight. I didn't think that was what you were talking about, but just in case...

 

hth and happy travels. :)

[jkrislc]

Okay, our original plan was to take the "big stroller" (rather than the umbrella stroller) and have the lock in carseat/carrier since she still fits into it with her size and weight. Is that what you mean by gate check? We'd wheel all the way up to the door of the airplane and then they could put the stroller below?

Thanks for your help.

 

Exactly!

 

To expedite things, I always go to the gate counter early when there's no line and simply inform them that I'm gate checking the car seat and stroller. That way it's tagged long before boarding begins. Then, for most airlines, you simply take it down the ramp to the plane, collapse it just before entering the plane, and they take it down below. Just don't forget to wait in the jetway when you land for them to bring it up.

[Eclipsepearl]

I assume you will be flying on a U.S. company. Just as a note, foreign air rules can be very different. The British CAA, for some illogical reason, bans rear-facing car seats. I see no safety-logic in this rule. Since most infant bucket-style seats can only be installed rear-facing, you can't use them period. Canadian air rules are similar but if it's another country's airline, check their site or contact them for more information.

 

That's a great article, even citing my old union. Lap babies are safe because air travel itself is so safe, there's very little chance of anything going wrong. In an emergency, our lap babies were to be placed on the floor. They have survived crashes this way so don't knock it! But like I said, I was a Flight Attendant for 13 years and have been flying as a passenger myself since I was 8 weeks old and I have no interesting tales to tell...

 

Do bring the car seat to the gate so you can either stow it on board or gate-check it. Infant bucket seats can often be stowed. Bring an extra bungee cord (this is Cheryl's great tip) and double secure your stroller before leaving it on the jetway. Make sure the gate-check tags (which they will give you at check-in) can be seen. Never bring a stroller on an aircraft.

 

If you can use your car seat on board, it's also much more comfortable. Make sure too, that you have a good baby carrier. Avoid those dire front packs like the Bjorn and Snugli and get something useful and comfortable, if you don't already have a carrier like a sling, pouch, wrap or front/back pack like a Becco or Ergo. A good carrier should go at least to age 2. They're so useful for the flight, the ship and the excursions when a stroller just doesn't cut it.

 

You may find my article at the bottom helpful.

 

Have a great cruise!

[isk8]

Hi, just one more piece of info...we took our son on a plane when he was 4 months old and still in the infant car seat. You can't use the base in the airplane seat due to the fact that the seat belt buckle winds up right in the middle of the base where the bucket (the actual car seat) locks into the base. So, we put the base into the overhead compartment and strapped the bucket into the seat. The directions for the car seat will show you how to use the bucket without the base.

[gkrnjlr]

IF IF IF (I really don't want to) we take a taxi in Cozumel.....can we use the infant carrier/car seat without the base as long as it's strapped in there the same as the airplane?

 

Thanks for the info!

[Kerry's Girls]

The base to an infant car seat is purely an extra piece of equipment for convenience in a vehicle you use a lot. The base is NOT at all necessary. There are slats on top of the carrier where the seat belt goes over the top and hooks on. This was a secret to me until I forgot the base on a trip and thought I'd be stranded until I could find one - a flight attendant showed me how to use the carrier without the base.

 

Leave the base at home when you travel - it's just an extra item to lug around and the car seat works perfectly without it.

 

Best,

Mia

[gkrnjlr]

Excellent news to hear. Thanks!

I've been so wishy washy about which stroller to take but I'm almost totally sold on the one that the seat snaps into now, even moreso with hearing this.....

 

Thanks!

[jkrislc]

The base to an infant car seat is purely an extra piece of equipment for convenience in a vehicle you use a lot. The base is NOT at all necessary.

 

This really depends on your car seat. We actually have one that can only be used with the base as it is not designed to be belted in any other way.

[nothriver]

Interesting discussion. I have always purchased a seat for my infant/toddler children and used a carseat in flight, since my oldest was born in '93. In the mid '90 the first study came out on safety of children in flight and it scared me badly. Even if eclipsepearl has had good experiences, that is not always the case. Many children are injured inflight from turbulance, often kids hit their head on the bulkhead and suffer head injuries. You can get proper medical care on a plane, it takes awile to get to the nearest airport, right? This depends on where you live, some places like Pheonix are well know for turbulance when coming back into the city.

 

Here is a utube video about the Sioux City crash, if anyone is interested.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=rC4Q3ofz7SI

 

Anyway, sorry to digress op! You can just wheel your stroller and carseat up to the gate. Occasionally, they may be able to find an extra seat for you. If not, you can check the stroller and the carseat at the end of the walkway as you enter the plane. Make sure to get a claim ticket deal, it it is a little numbered hang tag for your stroller. Also, make sure to fold up your stroller as the attendents don't always know how to do this.

 

One of the reasons I fly with my carseat is that sometimes strollers and carseats are damaged in the cargo hold, I want to keep both my child safe and also my carseat safe!

 

Finally, make sure your carseat is FAA approved, it should have a sticker ON the seat that you often are asked to show the flight attendents, so make sure it is approved and that you know where to locate the information on the seat before you board.

[gkrnjlr]

I'm a worrier, so I can't watch the video on youtube!

 

I do hope and literally pray that nothing happens. We didn't purchase a seat for her but she'll sit snugly in our lap unless there's a seat available for her.