# Another Carseat + Flying with Babe Question



## Ianthe (Dec 19, 2006)

DS, DH, and I are heading to TX for my Gmother's funeral this weekend. Ds is 2 months old now, and is still in the graco snugride infant seat in our car, however we have a roundabout that we are waiting to use until he is a bit older. What would you do? Should I take the infant seat (minus the base) or the giant roundabout with us? Has anyone ever used the roundabout with a 2 m/o?

TIA!


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Spare yourself a lot of grief and use the infant carrier


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## Ianthe (Dec 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Spare yourself a lot of grief and use the infant carrier









Why would the roundabout be a lot of grief?


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## can't wait (Aug 6, 2006)

I am thinking of flying with my baby who will be 9 months old when we travel. Does anyone know if he still fits in the snugride, if we can use that as an airplane seat? It is a short trip, so I guess if I had to, I could carry him in my lap. But that may be hard as he fets older and bigger and nosier. LOL. He wants to know what everybody else is doing, more and more as he gets older.


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## Decca (Mar 14, 2006)

Quote:

Why would the roundabout be a lot of grief?
Seriously? I'd take the bucket with a nice nifty handle over the roundabout any day. Think about the logistics of trying to hoist a heavy roundabout above the seats so you could get it down the aisle plus managing the baby, your bags, the diaper bag, etc. Then compare it to the much lighter bucket with a handle. It's a no brainer.

The bucket will be fine installed without a base. Look in your manual to see how to do it, both on the plane and in the car when you get there.


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## Mrs-Mama (Jul 2, 2007)

I also recommend using the snugride. We did this when we traveled with my then 10 mo. We checked the carseat and held him in our laps (he slept the whole time!). The snugride works fine w/o a base; it just was a little less room for his legs to stretch out, but I can't imagine that being an issue at all with a 2 mo. The added bonus is that when you get back, you don't have a carseat to install...just pop it in the base and go home!

To PP with the 9mo: there is a section on airplane use in the snugride manual.


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## amyleigh33 (Nov 2, 2006)

sorry about your grandmother, lizzy







...is your ds having his own seat? i just flew with dd, but she sat on my lap and it went really well, she didn't even make a peep (as she usually doesn't so long as I am holding her). it would have been a nightmare if i tried to have her in her car seat the whole time, she HATES it. does your ds tolerate the car seat? either way, i would 100% take the bucket seat, you'll have enough to worry about without lugging arouund the convertible one.


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## Mel L (Sep 9, 2006)

As someone who has flown with a roundabout, diaper bag, baby (even worn), and the likes with the help of only one person, it is a pain!!! We ended up taking the stroller just to help us "carry" the carseat and everything else. The roundabout is super bulky compared to the small snugride, and it is harder to deal with that and everything else. Plus, my son didn't _really_ fit his roundabout until a good 4 months. It is so much easier to just figure out how to go baseless with the graco...as long as that is FAA approved. I can't remember if it is, but I would think that it would be. Wait! That won't matter if the baby doesn't have a seat, but I would still go with the graco. If it will be checked, you could fit the base and seat in an infant seat carrier bag.

Sorry about your grandmother!


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## Ianthe (Dec 19, 2006)

Thanks..

I could pack the base in a checked suitcase maybe. He will be a lap baby on the plane. And we are flying standby







:


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Please don't take him as a lapbaby. You are risking his life in case of turbulence. Babies have been seriously injured and even killed. You CANNOT hang on to him in real turbulence.

You don't need the base. You can install the Snugride without a base. It is simply easier to haul a light infant seat with a carrying handle over a bulky heavy convertible.

Yes, infant carriers are easy to install in airplane seats.


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## Ianthe (Dec 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Please don't take him as a lapbaby. You are risking his life in case of turbulence. Babies have been seriously injured and even killed. You CANNOT hang on to him in real turbulence.

You don't need the base. You can install the Snugride without a base. It is simply easier to haul a light infant seat with a carrying handle over a bulky heavy convertible.

Yes, infant carriers are easy to install in airplane seats.

I don't have a choice if he is a lap baby or not. It really depends on how full the flight is, since we are flying stand-by and my parents are paying for our tickets (since I don't have the money to myself). He will be in a carrier, either the sling or the baby bjorn- so I will have him secured on me in case of turbulence.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

If you have your child 'tied' to you in turbulence, all that will happen is that his body will become your airbag. So take your body weight and multiply it by the speed of the turbulence and you'll have the force with which you'll crush the life out of your baby.

The laws of physics, interestingly enough are no different in the air than they are in an automobile.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Also be aware that he can not be in a sling or carrier for takeoff or landing.








Good luck with your trip!

I can't imagine flying standby with a babe.

-Angela


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## Decca (Mar 14, 2006)

Look, flying stand-by does sound like a huge pain, and of course it would be better if she could take a carseat on the plane, but remember, the OP is going to a funeral and probably doesn't have a whole lot of options. She's doing the best she can!


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## crysmomofthree (Mar 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LizzyQ* 
Thanks..

I could pack the base in a checked suitcase maybe. He will be a lap baby on the plane. And we are flying standby







:

When I flew with Callum I checked his carseat I had an infant one, and I just clicked the base onto the bottom and checked it like that. Can you do that with the graco?

while you are visiting you might like the extra flexibility an infant seat has (a place for your lo to sit if you aren't holding him)


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## crysmomofthree (Mar 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
If you have your child 'tied' to you in turbulence, all that will happen is that his body will become your airbag. So take your body weight and multiply it by the speed of the turbulence and you'll have the force with which you'll crush the life out of your baby.

The laws of physics, interestingly enough are no different in the air than they are in an automobile.

well I would agree with you, it is safer for a child to ride in a carseat in a plane than in arms.

But I have to say that while it could happen (crushing a baby with your body) not all turbulence throws your body over top of your lap. often its the plane dropping unexpectedly due to weather issues which throws unrestrained things up in the air. In this situation your baby is much safer strapped in a carrier than in arms (well and safest in a carseat but that's not required) In order for your body to fly over your baby the plane would need to suddenly decrease speed or stop which would throw your body forward. umm if this is happening there is a lot more to worry about like the plane crashing.


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## acp (Apr 15, 2007)

This probably won't help this poster that much, but when I just traveled with my 4-week-old by myself last week, a friend gave me the great suggestion to get my tickets on Southwest - which happened to fly to the city I was going to, and had the added bonus of being quite cheap. I only bought a ticket for myself and took dd as a lap baby, but since Southwest doesn't assign seats and neither flight was full, they let me take my snugride on with me and use it on both trips. Basically, it was like getting an extra seat for her without paying for it. My friend said she flew southwest with her baby as often as she could and almost always ended up getting to use her car seat.
I used the snugride without a base, and it worked very well.

I'm soon going to be flying on United alone with her, though (i.e. definitely not able to take on the carseat). I figured I'd use a wrap or the bjorn - certainly I'll use that for getting on the flight so I can also carry whatever bags I have. But I didn't know about not allowing them to be in a carrier during takeoff or landing. Is that pretty standard regulation? Not a huge deal, since i'll probably nurse her both times to calm her down in any case - I was just interested, since this whole flying with a babe thing is new to me.


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## goodygumdrops (Jan 25, 2007)

Ok....I just got home from a 11 hour flight last night with my five month old. ouch.
I highly recommend bringing the car seat, snugride, on the plane if you can....find out if they will do a discounted seat. I know that Southwest does this.
I vowed to myself that I would never fly with my son again without his own seat for several reasons....
one...You will really appreciate having somewhere to sit your babe, even just for a second
two...safety. I couldn't help but think if there was an emergency...god forbide, I would be at a serious disadvantage to help myself and my precious boy. With a squirmy baby in your lap in those narrow seats it's really tricky to manouver...I can't imagine being in some sort of emergency...like maybe a change in pressure and needing to do oxygen masks.
three....it's nice to have the extra space to yourself with a squirmy baby









That said, I can't imagine that airlines would be so flexible to let parents fly with lap childs if the risk of injury by turbulance was that high. I have never seen anything about this in the news so if anyone can post articles about this I would appreciate it.
Have a nice flight.....


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## crysmomofthree (Mar 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Gavin'smom* 

That said, I can't imagine that airlines would be so flexible to let parents fly with lap childs if the risk of injury by turbulance was that high. I have never seen anything about this in the news so if anyone can post articles about this I would appreciate it.
Have a nice flight.....


Statisticly it is much safer to ride in a plane than in a car. I don't have links to studies or online information, but my husband works in the industry and I"ve talked to many flight attendents and the kind of turbulence that can injure people is extremely rare, but does happen and in those instances it is often the unrestrained passengers (ie lap babies) that are injured


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *acp* 
Is that pretty standard regulation?

It's an FAA regulation, so yes. Any domestic flight in the US has those rules.

-Angela


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## OllieMama (Jun 5, 2007)

Can someone with some experience talk about the infant straps they have that you're supposed to use to attach a lap baby to you/your seatbelt? I thought I'd read something about that in a different thread. maybe I imagined it though? Thanks


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## midwestmeg (Jul 10, 2005)

Here's my suggestion...

Take the Snugride w/out the base (check that in a bag; or use the carseat without the base for the time you are away, it sounds like it won't be a long trip) and see if there is room for your carseat as you are boarding. Usually, they will try to accomodate you. If they don't have room for her carseat, you can simply gate check it. If there is room, perfect.









I am sorry for your loss....









And OT; Southwest sounds like such a great airline for traveling with kids!









Also, when you read the CPS training stuff or online info, you can learn more about the possible dangers of flying with a babe in arms. There are real risks, but nothing better or worse than the rest of life's risks...









I do agree with a PP, that putting a 2 mo old in a seat would depend on the kid. My dd loved her seat; my ds never did like being in the bucket and would have made a whole plane full of people very, very uncomfortable. But no doubt about it, if you put absolute safety very first, children are safer fastened in.

HTH! Meg


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OllieMama* 
Can someone with some experience talk about the infant straps they have that you're supposed to use to attach a lap baby to you/your seatbelt? I thought I'd read something about that in a different thread. maybe I imagined it though? Thanks

There is no such device for domestic flights in the US. Some international carriers have them.

-Angela


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## Synchro246 (Aug 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Gavin'smom* 

That said, I can't imagine that airlines would be so flexible to let parents fly with lap childs if the risk of injury by turbulance was that high. I have never seen anything about this in the news so if anyone can post articles about this I would appreciate it.
Have a nice flight.....


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## vbactivist (Oct 4, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
If you have your child 'tied' to you in turbulence, all that will happen is that his body will become your airbag. So take your body weight and multiply it by the speed of the turbulence and you'll have the force with which you'll crush the life out of your baby.

The laws of physics, interestingly enough are no different in the air than they are in an automobile.

except air travel is statistically safer than automobile travel.


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## poetesss (Mar 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vbactivist* 
except air travel is statistically safer than automobile travel.

Exactly...the statistical probability that my lap child will be injured on a plane is likely much less than if I were to cross a busy intersection. I've flown over 10 times with my son since he was born and I personally feel safe flying with him as a lap child (or a crawl/play on the floor child as he was in the last flight). However I do put him in the sling for takeoff/landing sometimes if the flight attendant doesn't notice or care.







I feel that he's safer that way.

And realistically few of us can actually afford to book an extra ticket for baby when flying domestic; international would be out of the question.


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## Bimmergal2005 (Nov 16, 2005)

Are you sure you even need to take the base at all? When we took our son on a trip with us when he was 8 months and still in his snugride, we left the base at home and the seat stayed secured in the car we were using the whole time. Unless you see yourself needing to transport him in his seat but outside of car use, I wouldn't bother. It's one more thing to check as baggage and worry about.

As for the original question, I'd definitely take the snugride, for sure. Much much easier for transporting around in airports and in the plane, assuming you can get him a seat. Plus, he's going to fit better in it than the Britax and will therefore, be much safer in any situation.


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## 1babysmom (May 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Decca* 
Look, flying stand-by does sound like a huge pain, and of course it would be better if she could take a carseat on the plane, but remember, the OP is going to a funeral and probably doesn't have a whole lot of options. She's doing the best she can!

That's what I was thinking...some people may not like it, but the OP wasn't asking whether she should fly standby or not anyway.


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## Ianthe (Dec 19, 2006)

Hey everyone.. we made it to TX, and we took the snugride. It has been super easy so far, and we haven't needed the base. We'll be trying to get back tomorrow, but it's been fine so far.. so much easier than I thought it would be, and he got lots of complements from the other passegers how well behaved (like he can help it) on the plane.


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## midwestmeg (Jul 10, 2005)

Good for you!!


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