Buy <2 year-old a plane ticket?

[SweetTooth]

We are trying to decide whether or not to buy DS (16 mos) a ticket. I've read previous posts that indicate it's usually a good idea (safer, more room, etc). We need to bring a carseat anyway, but we're using air miles to get our tickets, so there's no reduced rate for DS. His seat will "cost" the full air mile price.

As I understand it, we can bring the carseat with us & they'll tell us if there is an extra seat we can use when we check in. If there aren't, we gate-check the carseat & hold DS on our lap. The flight is only 2 1/2 hours long, but DS is in a real "active" phase right now & likes to always be on the move. He likes his carseat, so we're guessing he'll likely sit more patiently there than on our laps. But he might also be freaked out & we may end up holding him anyway.

We're also trying to decide what time to fly. We initially thought during his pre-nap awake time, as we don't want to have a tired but too excited to sleep toddler. But on the way there, our only choice is nap time or 7am (which means leaving for the airport around 4:30am!). Do your toddlers usually fall asleep on the plane?
TIA for any advice.

[jayali]

We flew for the first time with DS when he was just a little over 17 months. I too used this board for advice and I am glad I did. This is what we did.

We bought him a seat. Brought the stroller and wheeled our carseat through the airport. We flew at nap time also because of scheduling and DS never closed his eyes! Our flight was about the same duration as yours and we even got to the airport really early so he could run around before we boarded, but still no nap. He was great on the plane. He sat at the window and really enjoyed looking out. He read books, we colored, and he played peek-a-boo with the kids sitting in front of him. On the way home he fell asleep before we even left the gate and slept the whole way. I guess what I am trying to say is I don't think that you can plan for what will happen, soooo I strongly suggest you get him his own seat. It is definitely worth it.

Good luck!

[JBaxter]

Have you checked what a paid fare would be? One flight we used our milage points but bought Nathan's ticket because it was only 175 and DH said that wasnt worth using the milage points. I recommend getting him a seat. Nathan has about 7 flights under his little belt and after about 12 months it was not worth it for me to try to hold him for ANY flight. I just strap Nathan in and he thinks its like a car ride really no fuss. We now have a great portable DVD player that is WONDERFUL for planes. Elmo saves our trips LOL

[mudder17]

Hmm...I think it's really a personal decision. Yes, it's safer and yes you have more room, so if that's enough for you, then buy the ticket. However, in Kaya's case, once she got into that super active phase, it turned out she would sit in her car seat for about 2 hours and that was it. Then she NEEDED to get out. We have only bought a seat for her once, and that was for a trip across the country (we were in the plane for 8 hours) and that was actually the toughest trip ever, although it would have been that way whether or not we had bought the seat because we weren't allowed to stretch during the 8 hours due to turbulence). For the trip after that, it was only about 2 hours and that was really easy. We did get a free seat anyway, and in fact, on Southwest, I think there's only been one leg where we didn't get a free seat.

Kaya does not usually fall asleep on the plane or anywhere that is not her crib (that 8 hours was really tough for partly that reason), so we choose to fly during the day or when she's most awake.


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[wolverine2]

I agree that it's best to have a seat, but I must admit that I've never bought one and have had an empty one next to me every time. I check the seat map before I buy to make sure it's not a busy flight, and my husband and I (if we're travelling together) reserve an aisle and a window in hopes no one will want the middle.

DS has stayed in his carseat and has fallen asleep on just about every trip we've had... he's just now 15 mos so we'll see how he does next time.
Good luck.
Carrie

[Momof3Labs]

I always do - DS travels so much better strapped in his car seat than crammed into a space with me that's too tiny for one person, let alone two. Plus, he understands about having to sit still in a car seat but does NOT understand that about our laps. He rarely sleeps on the plane (except occasionally falls asleep a few minutes before landing), even if we travel during naptime. So we go when it is convenient for all of us, and waking up too early isn't convenient for any of us - then we all end up exhausted at the end of the day since we don't often get DS to nap right after arriving at a new place, anyways. DS has traveled at many different ages/stages and has never freaked out on a plane.

So, I vote for calling the airline and buying a half price infant fare, and if possible, flying during nap time (but not expecting a nap).

[missliss55]

We always have bought seats. We went to Hawaii when DD#1 was 15 mo. and I am SO glad we bought a seat. She sat wonderfully in her carseat.

[spunkybaby]

We flew cross-country when DD was about 20 months old. The flights were packed because it was Christmas time, so we were glad that we bought a seat. We flew during her naptime, and she didn't sleep at all, but was okay for the most part. The flight home was a different story. She was so exhausted from the time changes and not sleeping well during the trip that she melted down completely and wanted out of her carseat. She usually sits very well (and often dozes) in the car, but the plane was a different story.

I would vote for flying during naptime and not expecting a nap. If your DS doesn't sleep on the plane, he may fall asleep in the car once you arrive at your destination. For my family, it'd be too hard to start the day so early, but if your family is made up of early birds, it might not be as bad for you.

Not-so-new mom to a spunky baby
March 2004

[drsweetie]

Add me to the list of people who'll encourage you to buy a seat. We've flown twice with DD -- once when she was 13 months old and again when she was 23 months old -- and boy are we glad we bought a seat both times. On both flights, it was full enough that we wouldn't have been able to snag an extra seat, and there's no way we would have been able to hold squirmy and inquisitive DD on our laps for the whole trip. If your DS is pretty accustomed to the idea that the car seat is for sitting in, like our DD was, it shouldn't be too hard to keep him in it. The best advice I got was to bring snacks -- we kept DD quiet by stuffing her with goldfish crackers, and since just about anything can be used as a toy for this age, you're better off packing things (like food) that aren't as easily improvised.

DD napped briefly during the flights but not as long as usual, and yes both of our trips were during her naptime. It's hard to predict, regardless of when the flight time is, whether your DS will be too excited to nap or will be lulled to sleep, so I wouldn't use that as your primary factor in determining the flight time.

Good luck in your planning!

Ellen

[holliam]

I just sucked it up and bought my 17-month old a ticket to fly cross country with us next month!

Holli

[dr mom]

We always buy a seat for DS, for safety reasons and convenience.

Consider how long your 16-month-old, mobile DS would be willing to sit still on your lap without wiggling, squirming, kicking and eventually throwing a tantrum. Could you sit on your sofa and keep him entertained and quiet on your lap for 10 minutes? 20 minutes? More than two hours??? Without wanting to throw a tantrum of your own right there in the aisle?

[cmdunn1972]

We're planning a vacation to Germany this summer, and DS will be about 14 months at that time. We'll be using frequent flyer miles as well.

We flew DS home when he was 1 month old when we adopted him. (He was born overseas.) At that time, flying with him as a lap child was no problem, and the flight took 14 hours! Of course, a 1 month old baby enjoys being held. Obviously, flying with a child who is and/or wants to be mobile is a very different story.

For our upcoming trip, we will be buying DS a seat. There is no way that I want to deal with having a squirmy, active toddler as a lap child. (DS is walking already.) Even if DS spends some of the time playing on the floor or stretching his legs, I still want the option of strapping him in his carseat.

[pittsburghgirl]

We did lap seating on one short (1 hour) flight and vowed never again, and both of us were with him. Most of the time I travel with DS by myself so I have to have him in the car seat or I would exhaust myself trying to deal with him. I wouldn't take a chance on not having an extra seat available. We flew yesterday and it was the first time in many, many trips when I was on a flight that wasn't full.

I often travel with DS during naptime (we have to change planes to go visit my parents) and he usually falls asleep on one or the other leg. But not always. I don't think we could manage to leave the house at 4:30!

Marilee
mommy to James
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[kozachka]

We've bought a seat for DS every time we flew with him after he turned one but half the time we could have done without it but there is no way to tell beforehand. E.g. on a flight from Amsterdam to Washington, DC, on Christmas day DS was running up and down the isles almost non-stop for 8 hours. He was having too much fun interacting with other kids and people in general. I was so exhausted (travelling without DH) that I strapped him in for the last 1-1.5 and let him cry. In hindsight, that seat was not particularly useful but since DS was over two at the time we did not have a choice. We took another 4-hour flight when DS was around 15 months that he never even sat down so, if money is tight and you are not flying during a busy time, I won't buy a seat for such a short flight unless you expect your DS to nap. I know my DS would not be sitting in my lap, he'd be running up and down the airplane. My DS does sleep on the plane although not every time. He is more likely to skip his nap than to not sleep in the evening although he is very likely to get asleep later than normal. HTH!

ETA: Checkout http://www.itasoftware.com for the best fares. As pp said a lot of the times it makes sense to buy a child's ticket than to use full-fare miles.

[dr mom]

I would be worried about the safety of a child who was running up and down the aisles. The cabin attendants are pushing heavy carts (which may be carrying scalding-hot coffee) and might not see a small child. Also turbulence can occur unexpectedly at any time, causing the child to fall and be injured, or the overhead bins to open up and send heavy baggage flying throughout the cabin.

Please don't construe this as a criticism, I don't intend it to be taken that way. Believe me, I know that parenting sometimes necessitates compromises, especially on a nonstop eight hour flight (yikes!) but the safety issues involved would stress me out more than a crying child safely restrained in his carseat.

[Momof3Labs]

The other thing is, you can't count on being able to let your child do that. You may be traveling on the plane with people (or flight attendants) who are annoyed by it. Or you may get caught in a lot of turbulence, meaning that the seat belt light spends a lot of time on.

[lmwbasye]

DS is 15 months and has flown about 5 times (round trip). We always buy a seat for him. Not only is it safer, but DS seems to settle more the less we bother him. He gets tired of being held all the time and wants to wiggle around. If he's in his seat, he just thinks it's like any other car ride and there are no troubles.

Plus, his fare was about half of ours due to his age, so I would totally make sure you get the right fare.

Good luck!

Laura :)

Liam (10/21)

[SweetTooth]

Thank you for each of your responses. Since it's our first time flying with DS & we cannot imagine holding him in our laps for that long, we will be getting him a ticket. Like PPs mentioned, we are going to look into buying him the 1/2 price ticket rather than use full air miles. However, apparently you need to purchase an adult fare to get the 1/2 price fare but we were going to use miles. All these rules....

[muskiesusan]

hmmm, we have flown several airlines with our frequent flier miles and have been able to purchase a child's ticket at 1/2 the going adult fare. Of course, it usually doesn't save us that much since it is half off the airline fare (meaning not the cheap prices found on expedia, etc), but usually saves us some.

I would call again, often depending on who answers the phone you will get different answers!


Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[kristine_elen]

I've always found flights easier when Jack was in his own seat in a car seat. They are just more used to sitting still in those seats. We're going to fly soon with both kids and at first I didn't buy Sasha a seat and had planned to use a Baby B'Air, but after reading past posts on them, I went back and bought her a ticket, too, for safety reasons. (We did fly with Jack on our laps, no ticket, several times when he was an infant.)

[kozachka]

AMS-IAD is actually an almost 9 hour flight so DS did spend some time strapped in, mostly during the food service and take of and landing. Unfortunately, he could not eat in his carseat, the table won't stay level, so he ended up sitting in my seat while I was feeding him sitting/kneeling on the floor. Luckily, there were couple more toddlers who were hanging out (together with a parent) at the back of the plane, behind the WCs, so they did not annoy passengers as much. And fortunately, we did not have any turbulence that I can remember.

Honestly, I can't imagine what it would have been like if we had turbulence and DS would have had to be strapped in for a good chunk of that flight. I was pretty tired and stressed as it was. After checking the flight duration it was probably more like 7-7.5 hrs that DS was running up and down the plane, still a long time that his seat was not occupied.

Please don't take my post to mean that OP should not buy a seat for her child, we did it all the times we flew except for the first flight when he was a newborn. Just in our case, in hindsight, we did not get much use out of DS' seat and to me personally, 2.5 hrs is a short flight that I'd consider not buying DS a seat if the money were tight.

[MommyAllison]

We are planning on doing the same thing (frequent flier miles for DH & I, half-price seat for DD) - have you done this on Northwest? Do you usually call and do all of the tickets at the same time so you're all together? I'm glad to hear it's worked for you!

Allison
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