Traveling with lap child while pregnant?

[Anonymous]

I've been holding off making flight arrangements for the December holidays because I'll be 4 months pregnant - DH can't take too much time of work, so I'll probably be flying out solo with our then 18 month old -- does any one know if it's safe to travel with a lap child when pregnant? (about a 4 hour flight)

[Anonymous]

Yes it is. But people here will flame you for not buying your child his own seat and restrain him. Be prepared

[Anonymous]

If I were pregnant, I would probably opt for an extra seat. Trying to hang onto an 18 month old while 4 months pregnant for 4 hours doesn't sound like a good idea. I'm thinking more about your own personal comfort here, not necessarily safety.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford it, I would REALLY recommend getting the extra set. I've traveled a lot with our almost-2 year old, and it's SOO much easier when she has her own seat. Add being 4 months pregnant (with less lap room) on top of the general squirms, and that just sounds like one horrible trip.

[Anonymous]

OP Here - forgot to mention - I have traveled alot with DS, always as a lap child (except the one time we lucked out with an empty seat next to us). He tends to be REALLY good on planes -- in fact, restraining him in the car seat for 4 hours is more likely to induce a screaming fit than having him on my lap. I'm going to speak to my OB when I see her later this week, but just wanted some input from other moms.

[Anonymous]

My son is also an excellent traveler but the only reason I still have him as a lap infant (he's 18 mos and I'm 5 mos pregnant) is that my husband travels with us. It would be extremely difficult for me to maneuver around him and my belly to grab our bag on the floor, take out treats, etc. without the extra seat. So my husband provides that extra seat (and hands, and is just generally very helpful . But if I were traveling alone I would purchase a seat for my son just to get that extra room to spread out. He would likely spend all of him time on my lap but at least I could have him sit by himself for a few minutes while I get everything organized.

When i do travel by myself and my son has the extra seat I don't take the car seat, but I use the flight harness (forget what it's called right now). He's still a bit small to really enjoy the freedom of the harness, but there is not a chance that I would haul a carseat and a toddler around the airport only to have to install the seat and keep watch of my little guy while people are trying to board the plane. Just thinking about it gives me heart palpitations. So, the harness is my lifesaver if only because it keeps him still for a few minutes until I get settled and then he can climb back on my lap and sleep for the rest of the flight.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I won't bother to restate here but take a few minutes and look up the safety of traveling with lap children, of any age. I guarantee you won't do it again.

[Anonymous]

As for the safety, I think it would be just as safe as if you weren't pregnant. Which, to me, seems a lot safer than the risk of a car accident on the commute to child care or work every day. Anyway, as other posters have mentioned, I would buy the seat for your own comfort. I traveled a lot during my pregnancy (currently 37 weeks and had my last flight last weekend) and even on a trip to San Francisco when I was about 4 months was difficult - I was surprised at how uncomfortable it was even at that stage.

[Anonymous]

Don't do it. I have a good friend who did this and developed a blood clot in her pelvis. She ended up having to go on bed rest in her destination city for 3 months before they could break up the clot to make it safe for her to travel back. It was a huge disaster.

[Anonymous]

OK, at the risk of sounding reasonable...if your child isn't too squirmy I think you'll be fine. I took my 19 month old on a flight while I was 5 months pregnant and she did great. I brought lots of snacks and bought special books and toys that were new so she'd be excited by them. Might also recommend a DVD player if she'll watch it.

[Anonymous]

It takes only one turbulent cloud to send your baby's head to the roof of the plane.
I would never do it. Being preggo or not.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about your body type or your frame, but I wasn't showing at 4 mo.

I had no problems traveling with my 19 mo. old to Chicago during Christmas last year - like you, OP, and at the time I was almost 5 mo. preggers.

So, yes, I had plenty of room on my lap.

Comfort level: medium. I felt really bloated, but physically I had enough room for my 19 mo. old (and my tote bag with toys/snacks).

Safety level: nobody batted an eye so I assumed it was ok. And since nobody suspected I was pregnant then it really was a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

I took the advice of a previous poster and googled lap infant safety (and related searches) and honestly couldn't come up with any significant evidence demonstrating the horrors of occassionally flying with a lap infant. I have done both and intuitively the safety arguments make sense. But I'd like to see the proof. Air travel - statistically speaking - is far safer than car travel.

So for those arguing safety, could you please post some stats, links, etc. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It takes only one turbulent cloud to send your baby's head to the roof of the plane.
I would never do it. Being preggo or not.

It only takes one wayward car to veer off the road and drive through your living room wall. Do you ever sit in your living room with the baby? Danger!

[Anonymous]

Yes, car accidents are more common. And guess what? We use carseats to protect our kids. There's no reason that precaution should be ignored on a plane just because it's expensive. If I can't afford to buy a second seat for my baby, I can't afford to take that trip.