If the idea of trekking through the airport with your baby, the
Go ahead and book the extra seat
While children under two can fly free, it may be well worth your money to book your child his/her own seat. First, experts recommend that babies and toddlers are secured in a car seat while flying. Even if it's cheaper to fly with them in your laps, it is not as safe in the case of turbulence. Plus, depending on the length of your flight, this may be challenging. Next, as your baby becomes mobile, a
Book your own seats in the right location
When booking your flight, use the seat map to choose your seats. Frequent family travelers recommend booking seats near the bathroom, though that can be a matter of personal preference. We also recommend booking seats closest to the front so that you get off the plane faster. When booking your seats, call the airline directly to check on a bassinet for your infant, if you need one. Bassinet seats are in the front of each section and also usually near a bathroom.
Make sure your car seat is FAA approved
If you plan to place your child in a
If you still plan to hold your baby, use the gate check option
If you are taking a short flight and still plan to hold your baby during the duration of the flight, you should plan to use the gate check option for your
Buy what you need to get from point A to point B
The idea of carrying the
Be patient while installing your car seat
It is easy to get antsy when you are trying to install a
Still stressed about flying with baby gear? Here are some final options
If the
Finally…
Most people are understanding of parents traveling with little ones – they know it is challenging. And, airports do too. That’s why airlines do not charge you for checking car seats and strollers. Breathe easy and have a great flight!
Great tips! How do you suggest to handle angry and annoyed children? My children hate the car seat and it is a nightmare.
Great million dollar question! I’ve found that sometimes when there’s an angry and annoyed child, there’s also another issue going on aside from what they’re protesting against- perhaps the baby is hungry or excessively tired.
But sometimes that problem can’t be solved immediately, and you have to buckle the child in. So the short term solution would be (and this may change depending upon the child’s age):
1)Distraction distraction distraction – infants find white noise calming, and sometimes I’ve turned on a white noise app or a crackling AM station in the car. Older kids you might be able to occupy with some music or interactive quiet book, toy
2)Offer 2 choices – Would you like to sit in the carseat with elmo, or with big bird? (or whatever toy they like) This gives them a little “control” in the situation and sometimes calms them
3)Show your own enthusiasm about being buckled in – “look mommy/daddy wear seat belts”, yay! “let’s see who can stay buckled in the longest!” If they’re a bit older you might be creative enough to make a game out of it.
4)”Peer modeling” -Find a video of your kid’s favorite character wearing a seatbelt or in a car seat, or show them another calmer kid (maybe someone they look up to)
For the longer term, I would start by: 1)Acknowledging their pain – you can actually start this when the baby is an infant, but look them in the eye and label their frustration for them. “I understand you’re feeling frustrated about staying in a car seat, but it’s so that you don’t fly out of the car! If you fly out of the car you could get hurt, owie ! “ It won’t work the first time or maybe even the first 100x, but slowly they’ll get it and you can explain to them when they’re calm also. Even little people like to feel heard!