How bad is it to travel with a kid in your lap?

[Anonymous]

Obviously, the ideal situation would be to have the baby have it's own seat, but that gets expensive. For a 9hr+ flight, how awful is it to have the kid in your lap (when traveling with spouse)?

[Anonymous]

With spouse it's not going to be too bad cause you can have shifts carrying the baby. If on your own, don't do it, get baby separate seat.

[Anonymous]

How old is the kid? I did it both with spouse and alone with my 16 month old. I had bulkhead seats, so DC could sleep a little in the bassinet they provide on international flights. With spouse it's very doable. Alone it's a little rough.

[Anonymous]

It's do-able if you're traveling with a spouse. And depending on how old your baby is, s/he will want to be held a lot anyway. 9+ hour is a long flight. But, if your flight isn't crowded, maybe you'll have an empty seat near you - to spread out for a little bit, when needed.

[Anonymous]

I travel with my 8month old on my lap from DC to San diego very often and I'm always alone. It can be very stressful depending on the child, but walking up and down the isles can help a lot! It's doable, I just always dread it especially because I breastfeed, and it is always awkward and cramped for space.