I just totally remember the first flight we took with our baby who was about 3 months at the time. We were going to CA to visit Grandma. We brought on our carseat and installed it in the plane, then placed dd in there to be safe. Then dd started to cry and cry and cry. The attendant came up to me and said she felt so bad my baby was crying, and that I should hold her and comfort her. I was like well Hell yeah, I want to comfort her, but isn't it safer for her to be in the carseat. And the attendant just repeated how bad she felt listening to my baby cry. So I took my baby out of the carseat, and ever after had her as a lap child. In the car seat, she cries. In my lap, she is happy. So I agree with you on the carseat issue, but my baby didn't.

I agree with the OP.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I have flown hundreds of times and string turbulence really hasn't been a big issue.

Lucky. I hate to fly and avoid it at all costs because it seems the rare times I do fly the flights are so turbulent I'm debating picking up the air sick bag. For my friend's last flight into Atlanta she said the captain came on the loudspeaker suddenly, ordered passengers and few back to their seats. Not her favorite landing.

I'd rather buy a seat for my kid; turbulence isn't a problem until it is. Didn't somebody famous die as a result of hitting their head on the plane's ceiling during turbulence?

wow. so many ppl here ready to shoot OP down. so it seems that a great number of ppl in DC could care less about their childs safety (b/c this issue will go over to carseats in general as it always does).

I also would love to know how many of the hundreds of lap babies that fly every year are hurt by the absence of a car seat?

Because without any facts to underlie your assertions, you just come across as a hysteric.

Anonymous wrote:The number of I's and me's in your post is telling OP.

Yep, lots of I's and me's. So sorry that distracts you from facts.

Anonymous wrote:The number of I's and me's in your post is telling OP.

not to mention the inappropriate use of the second person instead of the third person.

The number of I's and me's in your post is telling OP.

You don't think I think driving with kids in the car is much more dangerous? Of course I do. But the lap child issue is not understood by many people. That's why it concerns me. This is your CHILD we're talking about. If you're not concerned about safety in flying with children, I probably will not convince you differently although I wish your child was restrained so as not to be a projectile and hit me. Google "number of people injured by turbulence." See what you find -- many of the people injured by turbulence are not wearing their seat belts (not restrained). And for all of you who haven't been on turbulent flights, good for you. However, they exist.

Children's safety in traveling(in many modes) is my issue. If your child's safety isn't a concern for you, move on to another thread.

Driving even with kids in car seat is MUCH more dangerous. Get a new issue.

*strong*

Yeah I have flown hundreds of times and string turbulence really hasn't been a big issue.

I prefer the CARES harness.

I think it's great that you strongly believe in this. I'm sure that being strapped in a carseat is safer for a child in the event of strong turbulence. I'm curious though, how many children are hurt on planes due to strong turbulence. Do you have that fact somewhere?

You've all heard me rant and rave about the importance of using a carseat on airplanes. I wanted to give you some background information that makes the idea of why a lap child sounds like a good idea, but it isn't really safe.

The FAA believes that the safest place for a child to sit on an airplane is in the child's car seat (or using the Cares harness for a child between 22 and 40 pounds).

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/

Why then does the FAA allow lap children under the age of 2 if the FAA believes the child should be in a car seat? Well, here's a Washington answer for you -- lobbying. Airlines have lobbied the FAA to allow children under the age of two to ride as lap children. Why would they do this? The answer is money. When a family adds a child to it, flying becomes more expensive when another seat is needed. So airlines "allow" you to have your child as a lap child for the first two years of the child's life so that you get used to flying with your child rather using another mode of transportation (driving). Their thinking is if you get to do it free for two years, you won't mind the expense when your child is older than two. The airlines know it isn't safe, but they want to keep you as customers. They want you to experience the ease of flying (although flying with a lap child isn't really easy) so that you'll want to continue to do it. In the past few years, airlines have reduced the number of flights and nearly every flight is full. Parents used to be able to get an unoccupied seat for the carseat fairly easily. These days, planes are packed. I fly all the time and I can only recall one flight in the last two months that wasn't completely full.

In severe turbulence, you cannot hold on to your child. The force is just too great. You can't hold your child in a car crash either which is why people use carseats instead of holding the baby on your lap (although you might be surprised by the number of people who come into car seat checks exactly that way). Flying is safer than driving in that you are less likely to be in a crash on a plane than a crash in the car. But turbulence still plays a big role in why you should restrain your child every time you fly. Just as you wouldn't buckle your child in the car seat in a car only sometimes, you should buckle your child in the car seat on a plane.

I really do understand that buying another ticket can be economically out of reach for some families. I will always encourage you to buy a seat and I understand why some people can't. But I will always give you the facts on why it isn't safe and why it is allowed.

I hope some of this information is useful. I want you to have all the facts.

<end of ranting and raving>