Has anyone carried a baby on a plane in a sling instead of in a car seat?

[psych]

We will need to take 2 plane trips with our (yet unborn) baby, at roughly 2.5 and 3.5 months. My husband says it will be easy and safe for him to sit in the plane with the baby in the Baby Bjorn.

Has anyone done this?

[tarahsolazy]

It will definately be easy, if baby likes the Bjorn, which not all do! However, the safety issue is another thing. It depends on your comfort level. The safest place for a baby to be in a plane is strapped into a car seat, just like we should wear our seatbelts on planes. If there was severe turbulence and your DH had the baby in the Bjorn, he might get thrown forward, and your baby would be his airbag, KWIM? If there is a big crash, probably you are all dead, but... We flew with DS at 8 weeks, and 12 weeks, and did not buy him a seat. But we brought his carseat (Graco Snugride) to the gate, On a total of 6 flights, there was only one where there was not an extra seat for him. Since then, we have flown twice more, and I have bought him a seat both times (its half price). He is big and wiggly, and I've decided that, personally, I don't feel safe without the carseat, esp for takeoff and landing. That said, we do occasionally get him out of the seat to nurse or bounce around, or dipe changes, just like adults get up to go to the bathroom, etc. Its really a matter of personal preference. Oh, and I always use a sling in airports. I can fly with 23lb DS, and his Britax Roundabout carseat by myself this way. It wouldn't be possible without the sling.

[Momof3Labs]

Some other things to think about:

You may have to remove him from the Bjorn for take-off and landing, if the flight attendants instruct you to (which they are supposed to).

In an emergency landing type situation, you will have to remove him from the Bjorn and place him on the floor between your feet (whereas if he has his own car seat, he'll be strapped into the seat).

He is far, far safer in his car seat than in a Bjorn. Plus, many babies do not like the upright position of the Bjorn, particularly when you are sitting down.

[KellyandKatie]

Hi! I have flown several times with my DD, some of the flights were military space A flights, so we were in jump seats and I used a carrier and that worked very well, she wanted to be held to nurse during take off and landing anyway. Some of the other flights required that she be in her seat during take off and landing. And finally some of the flights I asked ahead of time if the flight was full and if it was not if I coudl get an extra seat near by. We have not paid for her seat unless it was required on the space A flights. SO! All in all, my two cents is this- getting around the airport is much nicer- and safer (from stanger's touches and germs etc etc) and secure(new everything- and all moving so fast-it is nice to have moms or dads face close by) for my DD to be strapped to me in a sling. The times I had to use a car seat it was a pain, she did not like being in it during take off as her ears were bothering her, and she wanted to be held and nursed. The commercial flights will let you know if they require baby seats. There is a product that is like a seatbelt for on your lap while on the plane- I have not used it but it is out there.
If I have my choice- and depending on the airline- you may not have a choice- I opt to check my carseat and carry DD.
Have a safe trip!

[R2sweetboys]

Last week on 20/20(or one of those news shows), they did a report on children's safetly while flying. In two studies of plane crashes where there were some survivors(runway accidents), infants that were not strapped into a safety seat were ejected from their parents arms and either killed or seriously injured. Although you "think" that you can hold onto your child "for dear life", you really can't due to the extreme forces created during such an accident. I can't imagine the snaps, etc on a Baby Bjorn are meant to withstand such forces either.
The recommendation was that infants be strapped into airlne approved safety seats for the best protection. I personally have always bought tickets for my kids to ensure that they have their own seat. Neither of them loves being restrained in their seat either, but it was safety over happiness(being able to roam) in my opinion.
Hope this helps!

~Leslie

SAHM to...
Ryan 8/14/00
Matthew 2/14/03

[kaylinsmommy2]

When DD was 3 months old, we took her on a plane ride without a carseat. She spent somet ime in the sling, but mostly either just sat or laid on my lap or nursed while on the plane, and was in a sling through the airports. I also saw the news report about how much safer a carseat is (I saw it on the Today show)... but... I don't know. Next time we fly, I will probably also just have her on my lap - plane crashes in which there are any survivors are very very rare. Severe turbulance is also very rare. Plus, it is nice to be ablet o nurse during take off and landing to help her with her ears (so she didn't cry as much on the plane). I also normally fly alone with the baby, so it is extremely difficult to carry a carseat and carry a baby. All the other babies I saw on the planes also sat on their parents' laps. (I feel like I'm making excuses so that I don't sound liek a bad mommy, but I guess I really do think it's okay to not use a carseat on a plane). Specifically about the Baby Bjorn, you should try sitting over dinner with the baby or something to see if your baby will like sitting in the Bjorn - not all babies will.
Good luck!
Caroline

[alkagift]

I carried my 8 month old on a short hop flight in a sling, a KKCP. It was quite tight and he could not move much. It worked out great because he was not particularly a wiggler at that stage. I probably would have done the same for him at a younger age--slung tightly in. However, once they get wiggly (and it doesn't take much) slinging just doesn't work--they want OUT. I have since flown and the baby was in our Roundabout which is much nicer.

I've never had a flight attendant tell me to put my baby on the floor! Lori, do they really tell you that? That is very surprising to me and I probably would refuse and get ejected from the flight!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/03

[Momof3Labs]

>I've never had a flight attendant tell me to put my baby on
>the floor! Lori, do they really tell you that? That is very
>surprising to me and I probably would refuse and get ejected
>from the flight!

Probably because, as I noted, that is in an emergency landing situation. I have not experienced it myself, but a friend did, and was absolutely terrified that her baby had to be on the floor in such a scary situation. If you refused, you wouldn't get ejected (since this is normally after the flight is in process) - you'd risk being arrested when it was all over (since refusal to follow flight attendant directions can lead to arrest).

[Rikkele]

I actually just returned home today from a trip in which I used my sling to carry DD. It is great for getting through the airport as it keeps baby close to you, safe and frees up your hands. It was really helpful today when we stood in the line to get through security for an hour! However you will have to remove baby to go through security and put your carrier/sling through the scanner. This is quite a pain since you practically have to strip to get through security anyway these days. Also, as I think Lori said, you will have to remove baby from carrier/sling during take off and landing. You can't have them attached to you during these times. For me, DD does not like to be confined in the sling sitting down. So it was not really helpful on the plane but quite useful for getting around the airport.

[supercalifragilous]

DD was 7 months the first time we flew with her so we used our Sutemi to get us through the airport. We actually got lucky and landed an empty seat for her on the plane so we were able to install her Marathon. But just in case I had purchased a Baby B'Air off eBay in case I had to lap-hold her.

Here's what it says on the Baby B'Air website about FAA regs: http://www.babybair.com/baby-safety-new/faq.html

A word of warning, it really sounds like a commercial pushing the Baby B'Air (of course, I got it from their website), but they can't just completely fabricate FAA regulations, either, so there must be some grain of truth to it... HTH!

Why doesn’t the FAA allow Baby B’Air to be used at takeoff or landing?
FAA regulations from 1996 banned devices other than approved car seats or holding baby unrestrained on the parent’s lap during takeoff, taxi and landing. The FAA DOES NOT PROHIBIT THE USE OF A BABY B’AIR DURING CRUISE PORTIONS OF FLIGHT AND HAS STATED THAT A VEST OR HARNESS CAN PREVENT INJURIES TO BABIES DUE TO TURBULENCE. Before Baby B’Air was invented, the FAA banned certain restraints at takeoff and landing because they could cause more harm than good.

The Baby B’Air Flight Vest has been designed to address the specific safety concerns on aircraft. Baby B’Air is working to win an exemption for our product so it may be used during the entire flight. Until then, you may only use the Baby B’Air during cruise portions of flight, when there is the greatest chance for injury.

Isn’t takeoff and landing the most dangerous portion of the flight?
No – Surprisingly, over 90%of injuries occur during flight, mainly due to turbulence. Children are often left unprotected during this time. Parents are encouraged to keep children in car seats or secured with a Baby B’Air during flight.

Why is the Baby B’Air the only safety solution for lap children? Can’t I use my baby carrier to secure my child safely?
Shoulder or harness carriers could place your baby in the parent’s crush zone, injure the parent or cause injury to the child. The FAA does not allow any harness to attach directly to the parent. Baby B’Air is designed to attach to the parent’s seat belt and allow the child to travel out of the parent’s crush zone while attached to the parent’s lap belt, not the parent’s body. The Baby B’Air is the ONLY device designed for lap children and tested for use on aircraft.




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