Airline Travel with an Infant

[lj11]

I'll be traveling with my 3 month old DD soon and can't quite decide if I should purchase an extra seat for her. From what I've read there are some VERY strong opinions for both buying a seat and for holding in my lap. I realize the main concern is turbulence not crashing. My question is this - would a Baby Bjorn type carrier be a viable option? It won't be a terribly long flight, but I know my DD would be much happier being held. Has anyone tried this? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Cooper's mom

[Shirale]

Hi! My husband and I took 2 different trips (one from NYC to Cleveland, and one to LA) when our DD was 3 and 3 and a 1/2 months. In both cases we held her, didn't use our Baby Bjorn, and that worked out best. First trip we got a seat for her, and it ended up pretty useless as we just held her anyway. We split the holding and she stayed calm the whole trip (in all 4 cases!)I love my Baby Bjorn, but I didn't find it worked for planes, and I think some airlines don't let you use it during takeoff...good luck!

[newbelly2002]

Would the same advice hold true for traveling with a 4-6 WEEK old infant? My husband and I are moving to Germany for 2 years (academic, not government, related)very shortly after the baby is born.

I have heard that some airlines have bassinets available by request. Does anyone have any experience with that?

Thanks! Paula

[egoldber]

Hi! We just returned from a trip to France with our baby. She is 9 months, but we have flown MANY times with her since she was 6 weeks. Flying international is a bit different from flying domestically. First, all passengers MUST have tickets EVEN lap infants. We flew United, and their policy was to charge 10% of the lowest fare in your cabin (economy, business or first). Also, all passengers must have passports INCLUDING infants of any age. So run to the passport office nearest you to get a passport when your baby is born, since processing can take up to 6 weeks! (Yes, you need passport photos of your infant as well.) You can request expedited passport handling, but (I think) only if your travel date is within 3 weeks. Check out the state department website http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html
There are special requirements for getting a passport for a minor, so review the site carefully. Also, post 9/11, the locations and times for many passport services have changed, so make sure to check this all out before you go.

You can request a bassinet, BUT you get these only if you are in a bulkhead seat and these seats are very limited, go quickly and must be requested. I would request one as soon as you know your travel arrangements. FYI, airlines also serve "infant meals" that vary depending on the age of your infant. For a 6 week old, I would imagine that would be formula. If you are breastfeeding, it doesn't necessarily matter, but if not, then it is nice to have available if you need it. For my 9 month old, for an "infant meal" she got 2 jars of baby food and a can of ready to feed Similac. I was pretty happy about that. She got 2 meals, one each time the rest of the cabin was served a meal. Note, even if you are breastfeeding, I know folks who have had supply issues when flying (stress, inconvenient feeding times, etc), so I would be prepared with a bottle just in case.

We had a seat for our baby and I wouldn't even consider flying internationally without a seat for the baby. (For short domestic flights, I often don't bother with getting her a seat.) They are long flights (Washington DC to Paris was 7 hours) and that is a LONG time to hold your baby. It gives you more flexibility in terms of seating (not getting a bulkhead is not the end of the world) and you will just have a happier flight. Also, you ensure that you will have YOUR carseat when you arrive. I assume you will have a car in Germany and you will want the carseat when you arrive anyway, since an infant seat may not be available. I don't know what Germany is like in terms of child restraint laws, but I was shocked at how lax the rules are in France. It was the exception to observe a child restrained in a car rather than the rule. You are also assured of the infant carseat of your choice and I was surpised at 1) how expensive baby gear was in France and 2) how little choice there seemed to be. At least in France, the market for strollers, carseats, carriers, etc. was dominated by French brands with few products available other than their 2 major brands.

If you have any other questions, please let me know if I can help.

HTH,

[newbelly2002]

Your advice is helpful--seems we're coming from the same place (I live down in the C'VIlle area so our flight to Berlin will be about the same amount of time). The passport info is new to me--Just one more thing to look into. Thanks again!

[jenneric_2000]

I have also heard that some airlines will not approve the use of Baby Bjorns for take off and landing and well, the risk of turbulance is a really concern. I purchased a seat for our DD for our summer trip (she'll be 6mos) partly because of the turbulance issue and partly b/c I knew she'd have to have a car seat when we arrived and I have heard that even gate checking can damage your car seat. Her seat was 1/2 our ticket price.

You may want to check out onestepahead.com--I think that is where I saw a harness you wear that supposedly *is* approved by the airlines. Had I seen this I may have considered this instead --but then we are back to the car seat issue anyway!

Good luck!

[sntm]

Charlottesville, Virginia? if so, me too!

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever

[egoldber]

The only infant restraint systems "approved" by the FAA for take-off and landing are a carseat and your arms. Bizarre, but true. Neither the Baby B'Air (sold by One Step Ahead and other places) nor an infant carrier like the Bjorn is approved for that use. It says so right on the package. They CAN be used in flight, but not for take-off and landing. Now, whether or not you can get away with using one on YOUR flight depends on your particular flight attendants and how ornery they feel. Many don't care what you use. Some will make you take baby out of Bjorn and hold them or place in carseat. A friend of mine was once told she couldn't HOLD her baby if she had a car seat, not even to breastfeed. She ended up not being able to bf her baby that flight. Fortunately it was a short flight and she had a back-up bottle.

The key to flying with an infant is be prepared and go with the flow. Your flight crew may interpret rules strangely and you MUST respect their interpretation or potentially face some stiff fines.
We fly A LOT and have flown with our baby NUMEROUS times. Every flight crew has told us slightly different things.

FYI, turbulence is a real issue. On our return flight from Paris, out of the blue we hit a turbulence pocket strong enough to jar me to a sitting position (I was standing up) and to send the flight attendants running for their seats. No big deal, but scary. Sarah slept through it, undisturbed, safely buckled into her carseat. My DH (the REAL frequent flyer, he flies > 100,000 air miles a year for work) was once told by a pilot that it isn't "real" turbulence until you have bruises from your seatbelt...

HTH,

[Cara]

Fares: my understanding was that if you pay 10% on international flights, you DO NOT get a seat for your infant. 10%+tax is the price for what the airlines call a "lap baby". If you want a confirmed seat, you have to pay the child fare, which is around 50% or more of the adult fare. Am I wrong?

Bassinet vs. Car seat: Regarding the bassinet, I would be extra careful: sometimes the plane is not equipped with the attachement needed for bassinets. On a Boeing 777, from Wash to Paris (and return) the airline (United) gave us what they called a bassinet. It looked like a sports bag to put down on the floor by our feet. This is terrible: the baby rolls everywhere and is not protected from turbulences. The real bassinet presents another problem: it hangs over in front of 2 seats, which is fine if 2 are traveling, but if you are alone, the bassinet takes the space in front of your neighbouring passenger: not many travelers enjoy that! These bassinets are also small and not all babies like them: my baby enjoys looking around and she wanted to sit in the bassinet, which is not what they are meant for. The Baby Bjorn is fine when the baby is sleeping, but you couldn't keep a baby in there for a long transatlantic flight.

On my transatlantic flights, I got the lap fare (10%), which means that theoretically I was not entitled to a seat for the baby. However, even on packed flights, the flight attendants always found a second seat for her infant car seat, and that was by far the best solution for us.

I would recommend making a reservation for a bassinet and taking the car seat along, in case there are free seats available.

[egoldber]

Fares for children under 2 vary by airline, but generally for international travel the fare for a lap child is 10% and the fare for a seat for a child is 50%.

I have not actually seen one of the bassinets. I have only heard about them. But it would not surprise me if some planes are not configured for their use. In many cases, an empty seat may be available for your use with a carseat. But I have been on many international flights that were booked solid. I have noticed that international flights have been a little less full since 9/11. But I would hate to count on it.

Another downside to the bassinet use is that you have to be in a bulkhead seat. In these seats all carry on bags MUST be stored in the overhead bin during taxi take-off and landing (no seat in front of you to put bags under). I don't like this, because I like to have my diaper bag handy.

The following info is from the United website:

Infant fares
One child less than 24 months of age may travel free between U.S. points as well as between the U.S. and Canada when accompanied by an adult. When travel is international, you must buy a ticket, which is usually subject to a discounted fare depending on the international point. One adult customer traveling with more than one infant must purchase an adjacent seat for each additional child, at the applicable fare. These children must be properly secured in their seats. You must be at least 15 years old to hold an infant as a lap child.

Car seats
You may use approved infant car seats on board the aircraft when you have confirmed a cabin seat for your child. The seat must conform to all applicable U.S. motor vehicle safety standards. If manufactured after February 1985, the car seat should also be certified for use in aircraft. You should seat your child in these for takeoff, landing, and during turbulence. The following child restraint devices may not be used on board the aircraft: booster seats, belly belts which attach to adult seat belts only, and vests or harnesses which hold the infant to the chest of the adult.

Bassinets
Bassinets are provided, free of charge, on all international aircraft (747, 767, DC10, and 777). When confirming your reservations, you may request a seat in an appropriate location for bassinet usage. These bassinets are large enough to hold a child up to approximately six months old. They may not be used for takeoff, landing, or any time the fasten seat belt sign is illuminated.


HTH,