Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 22:07     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
Anonymous wrote:I agree with you OP

However, I DON"T "understand that buying another ticket is economically out of reach for some families."

If it is out of reach, than their trip is out of reach. They shouldn't go. The end.

But they are selfish and they WANT to go on vacation, baby's safety be damned.


So ridiculous. Are you even more judgmental of families who have the nerve to drive to their vacation, with their child in a carseat, given that is considerably more dangerous than flying with a lap child? I assume they too shouldn't go, the end?
Cloud
Post 07/18/2012 22:07     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
Anonymous wrote: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.


Thank you for making a good decision. Esp. in good flying conditions without turbulence. And at least you had the seat so you could restrain your child if things got rough... but you didn't force the plane to endure your crying child. That is balanced decision making.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 21:47     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
Anonymous wrote:So for those of you who fly long flights..what if your child needs to use the bathroom or have a diaper change?

Sitting in one position without moving barely at all for 10+ hours sounds pretty awful. I wouldn't expect that of myself. I need to shift around, to get up and move. I would never put my child in the car and not give them a break from the chair in 10+ hours so why would I do it to them on the plane?


I don't understand. If my child needs the bathroom, I wait until the seatbelt sign is off, get up, take them to the bathroom, then go back to our seats and buckle in. Most bumps are foreseen, but if the captain puts on the seatbelt sign (when even coffee pots have to be restrained) I prefer my kid be buckled in, too.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 21:23     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
So for those of you who fly long flights..what if your child needs to use the bathroom or have a diaper change?

Sitting in one position without moving barely at all for 10+ hours sounds pretty awful. I wouldn't expect that of myself. I need to shift around, to get up and move. I would never put my child in the car and not give them a break from the chair in 10+ hours so why would I do it to them on the plane?
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 21:18     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
I agree with you. I was on a flight once in which the plane hit an air ppocket and dropped. I banged my head pretty hard on the wall.
I will never fly with an unrestrained child. It's not worth it.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 20:49     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
I've always bought my daughter her own seat, but we switched from the car seat to the CARES harness as soon as we could, because we don't need a car seat at the other end (generally my folks' place, who have a car seat) and a car seat was too much to carry for one person, in addition to my child, the purse, the carryon(s) and the giant suitcase.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 20:27     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
After a cursory google search...I have found two lap children total injured in turbulence and one incidence where a lap child 'might' have survived a crash landing.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 20:27     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
OP - I think it's overly simplistic to claim that lobbying led to the FAA rules regarding lap children. I agree with you that children should be in car seats. That being said, I understand that the FAA allows lap children to keep people off the roads. For a kid under 2, flying (even on the lap of a parent) is safer than being a passenger in the car for the same distance.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/mcgee/2008-07-29-lap-children_N.htm

You're correct, but not for the right reasons.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 20:23     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
It really isn't that I don't care about the safety of my child. It is that I have looked at the risks and determined that it is safe for my child. I also take her out in a stroller without a helmet despite the fact that if we were hit while walking across an intersection it would be much safer if she was wearing a helmet. I do all kinds of things with my child that involve a small element of risk and so do you OP. If carseats on planes is your hill to die on, that is your choice. There are likely other things you do that involve risk that another parent wouldn't.

I too have flown extensively for over 20 years and have never hit turbulence so strong that I wouldn't be able to hold onto my child.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 20:00     Subject: Re:car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
Anonymous wrote:OP thanks for the thoughtful, well-considered, and completely civil post. Unfortunately the responses are quite the opposite. But that's to be expected I suppose.


OP here. I certainly don't expect civil responses here, but maybe one person will understand the risks more clearly. Probably not though, DCUM moms never let facts interfere with their realities.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 19:58     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
I agree with you OP

However, I DON"T "understand that buying another ticket is economically out of reach for some families."

If it is out of reach, than their trip is out of reach. They shouldn't go. The end.

But they are selfish and they WANT to go on vacation, baby's safety be damned.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 19:56     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
I fly with a lap child because it's safer and easier than driving. I've considered the risks, and I don't consider this risky enough to warrant the expense of paying for a seat.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 19:56     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
I love being a hysteric! One of my favorite things to be. Did you not read the FAA's position on child safety in the link provided? Did you Google the number of people unrestrained people who were injured during turbulence? I'm sorry if it doesn't break out the figures like you'd like it to.

Remember that coffee pots must be restrained during take off and landing and passengers must be restrained during take off, landing and turbulence. Children under 2? No need to restrain them. No need at all.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 19:52     Subject: Re:car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
OP thanks for the thoughtful, well-considered, and completely civil post. Unfortunately the responses are quite the opposite. But that's to be expected I suppose.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2012 19:50     Subject: car seats on airplanes -- why I think it is a big deal
Anonymous wrote:Yeah I have flown hundreds of times and string turbulence really hasn't been a big issue.


If you're comfortable flying with a lap child that's your choice but it's just asinine to pretend that airplanes never hit turbulence. It makes your whole argument way less credible.