# FAA Regulation on babywearing



## atrain (May 17, 2006)

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and if there is validity in what I was told.

DH and I were returning home on a flight yesterday and I was told that I needed to remove dd from my mei tai. I asked why and was told that it is an FAA regulation. I was really curious as to why this would be especially since this is not the first time I have flown with dd in a wrap or mei tai. He told me that it is because dc may go "flying into things", "like you are not supposed to hold your purse in your lap".







: I would think she is less likely to go "flying" when tied to me? I told him fine and just held her in my lap (did not want to make a fuss for fear of being told to leave the plane)

So has anyone else ever been told to remove their child from a baby carrier while on plane? I just want to understand the logic.


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## pageta (Nov 17, 2003)

I had the same experience with the same confusion as you. I think you can attribute the rule to misconception about carriers and how they work. I definitely think using a carrier is safer than just holding the child. My advice? Don't put the child in it until the attendants have sat down themselves and sit where they can't see you (as in, not the in the front row).


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## Isaacs_mom (Jul 19, 2006)

I have not but my sister did ...not sure why I too think it would be safer than just holding them


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

There was a thread about this recently, maybe over in Life with a Babe or Toddlers? People's experiences were all over the place. My DD has been on 12 flights, we use the carriers all the time, and we've never been asked to remove her. I have been yelled at a few times to sit down though when wearing her.


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## wonderwahine (Apr 21, 2006)

it was in the lactivisim forum........its stupid really.......they dont want them in a sling, but its fine if they are on your lap with a lap belt.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

FAA regulation is that they can't be in anything other than your arms or an approved carseat for takeoff and landing.

-Angela


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## Aeress (Jan 25, 2005)

i think some people/carriers enforce it and others do not. personally I would rather have my children in a car seat or in a sling not just in my lap. i was never asked to move my dd when we flew last time


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## JunipersMom (May 25, 2006)

I've had both - I've been asked to un-sling my sling during take off and landing - and I've been left alone. By the same airline, on the same trip (different planes of course)
They told me it was because, and I quote, "slings and carriers are not approved safety devices by the FAA"


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I was asked on several different airlines to remove dd from her sling. One was really pushy, dd was asleep in it so I had just loosened it and slid it down from around dd but didn't remove the sling, the attendent stood there and waited until I physicially removed it and stowed it under my seat. She was rewarded with a tired baby who woke up and cried for a good portion of the flight.


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

Yep. Carseat or nothing. I've always been forced to remove them too.







: Totally illogical.


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## skybluepink02 (Nov 9, 2005)

Unfortunately, you can almost guarentee that it's because someone tried to sue them, or for fear of someone trying to sue them becuase "the flight attendant didn't tell me it isn't as safe as a carseat" . Welcome to a litigious society


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## cancat (Jun 15, 2004)

There was a car safety tech here on MDC who, I think, posted the actually reasonable reason why this is so, but I will rephrase as I can't find the link:

If there is a crash or something that pushes you into the seat in front of you, the baby would take the full force of your weight if it were secured to the front of you in the sling, whereas if you are holding your baby freehand, your impulse would be to bring your baby down into your lap (or even drop the baby) where they would actually be safer from the force of the impact. They actually have tested this with crash dummies!

I think the TSA rules are sometimes completely arbitrary, but the FAA actually spends a gajillion dollars on testing stuff like this, so some of it has a basis in reality.


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