Some parents assume that if the airline allows lap children, it must be okay. After all, the airlin

As parents, our number one concern is child safety . And so I ask, have you ever taken advantage of an airline s lap child policy? My next questions: Would you ever sit your child on your lap riding on a roller coaster? How about cruising at 75 mph down the highway?
A lap child is where children under age two are allowed to fly for free (here in the United States) if they sit on an adult s lap the entire flight. Parents sometimes book a lap child hoping that the plane isn t sold out so they can use an empty seat in their row.
Some parents assume that if the airline allows lap children, it must be okay.  After all, the airlines are the experts, why would they put any of their passengers in danger? These parents probably don t realize something that I learned in my first flight attendant training class (I ve worked for several airlines). If a baby is being held on the parent s lap and an airplane crashes, the force of impact can be so strong that a parent s arms will be comparable to spaghetti while the child s weight, as it is propelled through the air, will multiply several times. In other words, your little 20 pound baby can turn into an 80-100 pound flying object that can not only get killed but also kill another passenger upon impact. In fact, I ve seen children fall out of their parents arms during abrupt landings and those were during a typical flight sequence.
This next topic isn t discussed often, because it should be a non-issue. Never fasten your lap child into your seat belt. If the plane comes to a sudden halt or crash, your body will automatically be thrown forward and forced down, on top of your baby, possibly crushing him. I ve witnessed several moms try to sneak this tactic even after I told them it was not allowed and extremely unsafe. Each mother asked something along the lines of, But what s going to keep my baby safe if something bad happens?
Crashes aside, what is even more common is something air carriers endure daily turbulence.  Numerous times I, an adult, had to be held down by passengers in the middle of the plane s aisle upon hitting a bout of clear air turbulence. I witnessed a man, not wearing his seat belt, who hit his head on the overhead bin when the plane hit a patch of unexpected bumps. The turbulence french quarter hotels with indoor pools from that  storm was so bad on that flight, I had bruises on my shoulders from my jump-seat harness. Thankfully, there were not any lap children on board that evening.
I find it disgusting that the airlines and FAA allow children french quarter hotels with indoor pools to sit on their parents instead of being secured in their own seat . Forget the statistics that say flying is safer than traveling by car we re talking aviation safety not automobile safety. The point is, turbulence happens french quarter hotels with indoor pools every day around the world, airplane crashes do occur and lap children have died in survivable airplane crashes french quarter hotels with indoor pools due to the reasons I mentioned above.  The only way to guarantee your baby is as safe as they can be, especially during take-off, landing, and turbulence, is for the child to be fastened into their own child restraint system.
In the meantime, I beg parents to purchase a seat for their child for safety sake. And I plead with the airlines and FAA to withdraw their policies of allowing lap children. Not all parents may understand the dangers of a lap child but you do.
Your point about turbulence is excellent. When we discussed it in class, our instructor said that a carseat may or may not help a child in the event of a crash, but that it will be essential in keeping children safe during turbulence.
Until airlines bring the prices down for their seats or discount a seat for child it is very expensive for a family of four (myself with twins) to travel anywhere on a plane thus why many parents choose the lap or we stay home. I d be interested in the percentage of children that have been injured because of turbulence. Do you know that? I d guess my children are more likely to get hurt falling french quarter hotels with indoor pools at home than on my lap on a plane as often as we can afford to fly.
Hear, hear. I have a friend who s a pilot, and he pores over accident reports like other people read the back of cereal boxes. Lap babies french quarter hotels with indoor pools are hurt and killed french quarter hotels with indoor pools at a much, MUCH higher rate than anyone else in bad situations.
Wanderer, I completely understand your concern about cost. Flying can be very expensive and with a family of six (four kids) we have to be particularly budget french quarter hotels with indoor pools conscience french quarter hotels with indoor pools when traveling, too. That s why when we fly we purchase our plane tickets months in advance.
Toddlers are naturally french quarter hotels with indoor pools accident prone, the difference is that your living room isn t flying 500 miles per hour with the possibility of hitting deep pot holes (that s what turbulence is comparable to).
If luggage, coffee pots and tissues boxes are required to be secured, I think children should french quarter hotels with indoor pools be, too. Besides, after age two children are required to have a paid ticket. Families french quarter hotels with indoor pools will have to either plan better or cut costs elsewhere, like fly the no-frills airlines, shorten the length of their vacation or stay in less expensive hotels.
this is a great piece and in general, I agree with all your points. Definitely there s a risk/reward calculation going on and all parents should acknowledge that and at least accept french quarter hotels with indoor pools the risk they re taking.
But, as someone who moved to the US with nothing but my backpack (seriously) and had a baby 18 months later, I can say from my heart that there s no way I would have been able to travel to visit family in those first years if there wasn t such as thing as a lap child option. In researching for the Traveling With Kids books, I heard this again and again from moms in similar personal situations.
I m guilty of squeezing in a trip before my daughter turned 2 to take advantage of this. It was a full flight and let me tell you I would have paid any amount of money to get her off my lap mid-flight!
First of all, when you bring a baby on a flight, you usually DO get an empty seat in your row, cause everyone is looking to get as far away from you as possible. I flew twice with my son as a lap child and honestly didn t think much of it. I see all the points you make, though. Ultimately I think you d end up paying for that ticket as a kind of insurance instead of for actual use, because at least in my experience, my son would have never sat in his infant seat. Both times (at 5 weeks and again at 5 months) he nursed on and off for the entire 5hr flight. It was the only thing that seemed to help with the air pressure and to relax him.
Yes! Yes! Yes! One of the most popular, and most controversial, articles I have posted french quarter hotels with indoor pools on Travel Mamas is an article titled, Why You Should Never Fly with a Child on Your Lap by Bill McGee for USA Today. I have received a lot of praise for posting french quarter hotels with indoor pools and promoting this article and I have received a lot of negative french quarter hotels with indoor pools feedback from parents who are angry to hear the truth about the dangers of flying with a child on your lap. Thank you for providing a flight attendant s perspective on this dangerous situation. You just may save some lives with this post.
Love your new site and great post. I would imagine many make this decision for economical reasons. Not that it makes it okay. I flew this week, and interestingly enough, had similar thoughts french quarter hotels with indoor pools when seeing the image on the safety card of the mother covering the baby with her body. I wondered how many would feel compelled to strap them in with them or tie them down, which you also mentioned in this article. When I thought about it I realized (as you indicated) it could cause all sorts of physical traumas.
and besides french quarter hotels with indoor pools the safety issue how about the concerns and compassion of the fellow passengers? Back in the early 70s before deregulation you would see so few children on any flights. Why? It cost so much more then to fly in relative french quarter hotels with indoor pools to the economy and average income of the population. Nowadays, french quarter hotels with indoor pools flights are so cheap, and everyone wants to take along the entire family.
I once had a very comfortable seat on an Ozark flight (extinct). The plane was about to take off when a last minute boarding placed a woman with a toddler (lap child) right next to me. Not only did I have to put up with the kid kicking me for almost two hours, french quarter hotels with indoor pools but the sleeve of my suit was sticky from the kid s fingers constantly grabbing me. When I confronted the stewdardess she treated me like I was the nasty one. I learned my lesson there. I would no longer french quarter hotels with indoor pools fly that airline (goes to prove that bad bussiness will shut down your bussiness), and I will pay more to avoid that kid-next-to-me scenario. I always book well in advance, and choose a seat with no neighbors. I also will never fly the discount carriers. I would rather shell out a $100 dollars more for a comfortable seat on a respectable carrier french quarter hotels with indoor pools than pinch and save to fly on some discount airline which caters to families.
As for anyone who would rather lap a child rather than paying for another seat, SHAME ON YOU! No risk is worth taking when you put your childs life on the line. I understand there are times when you have to take a child on a trip, but frankly, if you can t afford the airfare .TAKE A BUS!
I know that no matter how cheap travel is these days, when you re flying with a family those cheap costs still add up. But just as you budget for food and lodging, you need to budget for a seat for every child even the baby.
I can t tell you how many times I ve seen some really large 2 year olds I m sure of parents who are just trying to squeak french quarter hotels with indoor pools in one more flight before french quarter hotels with indoor pools acknowledging french quarter hotels with indoor pools that junior is too large to pass off as a 2 yr old for one more year.
In my opinion, this is strictly an economics issue for the airlines, and they have successfully lobbied the FAA to keep the rule in place hoping french quarter hotels with indoor pools that parents will continue to fly. But at least they should be honest about it we ll compromise the safety of your child to make a buck!
[...] The Vacation Gals entreat the airlines and the FAA not to allow lap children.  The fares are cheap these days, but the costs add up.  Still, think about these is