Flying alone, 1st time, w/7 mo old - help!

[firsttimemama]

I didn't buy him a seat - I was going to hold him. Does no one do this anymore for safety reasons?
I need to buy him a 2nd/travel carseat (we have boulevard) - should I go w/Scenera? Uptown? Are these both very hard to install because I'll have to do it. Is checking carseats a no-no (I wonder about it getting banged around?) Would you use a rented carseat?
I babywear (mostly ergo) & will be there only 2 days.. I think I can skip the stroller..?
Does anyone know Southwest's nursing on the plane policy?
Does anyone have a rec for an easy to travel with packnplay or are they all basically the same? did you check pnp in its bag or cram it in a suitcase or??
obviously i am a novice.. help!!!

[hillview]

At 7 months I got seats. (have to admit I had a lap baby when they were 6 weeks etc). I get seats for 2 reasons, safety and a place for the baby to rest that isn't on me at that age. Seems like you could take a infant carrier for the short trip -- does a friend have a SnugRide or SafeSeat you could borrow? You can check a car seat -- not sure what your other option is (you can gate check or luggage check -- possible gate check is easier on the seat but harder on you as something else to lug. I've luggage checked seats int'l when seats are not allowed on a flight and had no issues). I would NEVER rent a car seat. Too risky and unknown. I'd take a stroller to get through the airport etc but that is me. My DSs weighed well over 20 lbs by 7 months so that was a factor. Don't know SW policy but have nursed several times on different carriers and as long as I was descrete no one even looked. Have to say that all but once DH was with me and sitting on the aisle so not a lot to see. Might bring a hooter hider sort of thing if you are worried or a pashmina works well too. Not sure about easier to take PNPs. I know there are some smaller ones but really if you are checking I'd take what you have. That said there are some SMALL kids beds around -- my kids would have outgrown them by a year but Phil and Teds has a nice one if you plan to travel a lot and/or have more kids etc. I have checked my PNP in its bag maybe 10 times with no issue. It is beat up but works fine. I always pack the sheet in my luggage.

Good luck!!
/hillary

[firsttimemama]

DS outgrew snugride... .. What do i do??
I don't know anyone with safeseat - should i buy one??
do i really need to buy him a seat? 2 hr flight
he is held a lot .. i just figured it wouldnt be an issue
what is the safety risk exactly?

[bubbaray]

The safety risks are two-fold, coming from our good friend who is a commercial pilot

In a crash, you will be told to put your lap baby on the floor at your feet and hold him/her with 1 hand while assuming the "brace" position with the other hand (normally, you put both hands on the seat in front of you, while bent at the waist, looking down at the floor). Yes, airplanes are statistically safer than cars, but do you really want to think about what happens in a crash scenario?

Secondly, and more commonly, are the risks associated with turbulence. Ever had the airline drop a few thousand feet in an instant? I've BTDT and I can tell you, I'm sure glad I had my seatbelt on. The physics of turbulence make it virtually impossible for a parent to prevent a lap baby from striking the ceiling.

I know some others here don't agree with me, but really, get your child a seat on the flight. Much safer.

[mom2binsd]

I totally agree with Melissa...I read an article recently about a mom on a flight about a month ago...mild turbulence sent her infant into the cabin wall...baby ended up with a very big goose egg and I'm sure a very bad headache...mother is so angry with herself for not getting baby a seat...not just for safety but for comfort...with a seat you will be able to put him down, he might sleep, you can feed him easily as he'll be facing you (yes you install the carseat rearfacing as that is the way he rides in the car), you can go to the bathroom without having to ask a stranger to hold him...so many reasons to call the airline and get him a seat...other than the money saved there are no reasons not to bring his carseat. I have never picked up the Uptown so I don't know how light it is..the Scenera is very light...it will fit easily on top of most strollers so you could wear baby and push stroller/carseat right up to the gate of the plane (you get a tag from the gate agent and they will take it down right from the airplane door and have it back to you at the door upon landing....I never go anywhere without a stroller when traveling its just way to convenient to be able to stow things, use the basket, hang stuff etc...oh and to put child in as well. I would also never ever ever rent a carseat...they can be unsafe, filthy and unfamiliar so difficult for you to install.

[firsttimemama]

If I get him a seat I can take him out /hold him whenever I want right? I couldn't feed him while in the seat, as I'm still breastfeeding... and he's not too crazy about solids yet...
If he cries/wants to be held I wouldn't want the flight attendants telling me to put him back in his seat, etc... but I guess I would if there were turbulence :(
gosh there are such unhappy scenarios to think about in this thread.. but thanks for being honest..
I bought a fully refundable infant fare on southwest... so I can hold the seat until I make up my mind...

[firsttimemama]

a friend just gave me this link: (warning, if you fly with lap children & don't wanna change, don't read it, it's scary)
http://www.jetwithkids.com/book_freeChapter.html

guess I'll get him a seat

[bubbaray]

If I get him a seat I can take him out /hold him whenever I want right? I couldn't feed him while in the seat, as I'm still breastfeeding... and he's not too crazy about solids yet...
If he cries/wants to be held I wouldn't want the flight attendants telling me to put him back in his seat, etc... but I guess I would if there were turbulence :(
gosh there are such unhappy scenarios to think about in this thread.. but thanks for being honest..
I bought a fully refundable infant fare on southwest... so I can hold the seat until I make up my mind...


Yes, you can take him out to BF him, but you might want to comfort him while in the seat. You just never know when your plane might hit a pocket and suddenly drop, without warning, KWIM?

Take lots of toys, preferably small ones he's not seen before. Sticky notes are a big hit (who knew?). Try to find some solids that he likes that are "snackable" (cheerios, goldfish that sort of thing). Will he take a sippy cup (or bottle)? Take it empty through security and get bottled water after security. Have water for him for takeoff and especially landing -- landing is harder on their ears than takeoff. If you can get him drinking from a sippy during those times, you're golden.

Have a great trip! :)

[kbud]

The safety risks are two-fold, coming from our good friend who is a commercial pilot

In a crash, you will be told to put your lap baby on the floor at your feet and hold him/her with 1 hand while assuming the "brace" position with the other hand (normally, you put both hands on the seat in front of you, while bent at the waist, looking down at the floor). Yes, airplanes are statistically safer than cars, but do you really want to think about what happens in a crash scenario?

Secondly, and more commonly, are the risks associated with turbulence. Ever had the airline drop a few thousand feet in an instant? I've BTDT and I can tell you, I'm sure glad I had my seatbelt on. The physics of turbulence make it virtually impossible for a parent to prevent a lap baby from striking the ceiling.

I know some others here don't agree with me, but really, get your child a seat on the flight. Much safer.

That brace position is really out dated. No airline has it anymore. The current recommendation for a lap child is hold facing adult and adult place one hand behind baby's head and one hand arm on seatback in front of them.

Turbulance is the biggest danger. I was a flight attendant for 9 years and my dh currently trains pilots for an airline . We've never bought our kids a seat under 2 years (when we do buy tickets, that is since we are stand by most of the time). We are both comfortable w/them on the plane w/out a seat. Statistically anyone is safer on a plane strapped in or not than in a car in a carseat. Having said that though yes, the absolute safest place is in a carseat on the plane.

Even though we never buy a seat I've always been able to use my carseat in an extra seat. There is no way to be sure they'll be an extra seat but I'm pretty good at working the system. I reserve the last row. It's always one of the last places someone will sit. Now that my eldest is 4, I reserve the window and aisle seat of the last row. Rarely does anyone select that middle seat. If they do I've always had luck asking them to relocate to another seat. I let the agent know when I check in and they put a note in my reservation. We flew last week and the agent on our connecting flight had already blocked the extra seat in our row before I even asked. I always board w/the carseat and let the agents/flight attendants know that I will gate check it if need be but I'd like to use it if possible.

So that's how I do it. For me the real benefit is how difficult it is to hold my now very active 9 month old. We are flying again tomorrow so I hope I continue to have luck using the seat w/out purchasing it.

Kim

[jjordan]

Aside from the carseat thing... here's some advice on another of your questions.

I would DEFINITELY bring a stroller. What has worked well for me is having the baby in a sling and using the stroller in the airport to lug my other stuff around (carry-on, diaper bag, carseat, whatever). Use it to haul everything to the plane and then gate-check the stroller. When you get off the plane, it should be right there at the door waiting for you (or you might have to wait a few minutes for them to unload it).

Also regarding the pack n play - where are you going? If you are visiting family and you'll be back, they might be willing to buy a pnp to keep at their house for you to use during visits. You can get really cheap ones at Walmart or wherever that will do the trick. If you are staying in a hotel they probably have a crib you can use. Regardless, it might be worth it to check into other options since you'll have your hands full without bringing a pnp along.

Jill

[WatchingThemGrow]

We can't afford to buy seats for our DC until they have to have them, which comes soon enough. We've flown a few times with a lap baby for each of us. I second the Bjorn/sling/Ergo idea. I would feel comfortable flying with my 7 mo old in a carrier and a backpack as my diaper bag. The stroller would be nice, but we've made it for a 3 day trip w/2 kids w/o taking one. It was fine.

As for the PnP, we used the original box it came in and taped little name/address/phone number cards all over it. It would have been nice to NOT have to use up one of our "luggage" spots for it so many times, esp with the extra fees they just started charging. When we needed 2 of them, my mom finally asked one of her other "grandma" friends if we could borrow one. She'll have to do it 3-4 more times, so it would have been WAY less hassle for her to order this one from Walmart.com and be done with it.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5459239

We check our carseats as luggage for ease/laziness. The Wheelie bags we used from Walmart.com didn't hold up really well for that, so the company is sending us the Ultimate backpack bag which will work for checking them better. The Scenera comes with its own bag, and it costs just a few dollars more than the bags we use. It's probably a good idea to get one of those.