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What Experts Say:

Flying With a Baby

We are all accustomed to hearing the captain in the airplane cockpit announce the basic instructions for safe flying to those of us in the cabin. Before departing, but after we are in our seat, the captain tells us to buckle our seat belts, close our tray table, and place our laptops and other carry-on items in the overhead bin or beneath the seat in front of us.

During takeoff, landing, and anticipated turbulence, the flight crew announces again that seat belts must be fastened, trays must be closed, and all small luggage such as laptop computers must be stowed under the seat in front of us. We’re reminded that our seatbelts should remain buckled throughout the trip because “turbulence can happen any time”. We all know this is true because we’ve all experienced unanticipated turbulence on flights, sometimes sudden enough and sharp enough to make our stomachs flip. When the captain has finally brought the plane to a standstill at your destination, passengers are notified that they can unbuckle their seatbelts.

But what about carry-ons that can’t be stowed under the seat ahead of you or in the overhead bin? Parents flying with a baby or small child under 2 years old aren’t required to purchase an additional ticket if the child remains on the parent’s lap. “Lap babies” become the only piece of unstowed luggage in the plane and the least safe passengers.. In the event of severe turbulence, rough landing or a “survivable incident”, those parent’s arms may not be able to hang onto the child. Fright, injuries and even deaths of children have been documented in these types of incidents. Yet far too many parents deny their children the safety they require and have come to expect for themselves when they fly.

An FAA Certified Child Restraint is a Must When Flying With a Baby or Young Child.

Here are the safe seating options for air travel with babies: For the youngest babies - up to 12 months, parents must carry a back facing car seat - awkward and heavy though they are – and secure it to a neighboring seat according to the instructions. When the child reaches the age of about 1 year, weighs 22 lbs, and is able to sit up comfortably and independently, parents have 2 choices; a 15-20 lb car seat that has a red dot on it which affirms that it is approved for airplane use, and must be used in the window seat of the seating row; or an FAA certified CARES child aviation restraint.

The CARES Child Aviation Restraint System is the only FAA approved non-car seat device specifically designed for flying with a baby or young child. CARES is a harness-type restraint that weighs only 1 pound and can be used in any seat in the airplane row. Made of belting and buckles that attach to the regular airplane lap belt, CARES is manufactured by the company that makes most of the aviation seatbelts in the world – AmSafe Aviation. CARES takes just one minute to install, is adjustable to virtually any size airplane seat, and keeps your flying baby as safe as any car seat would. Your child sits in the airplane seat while you install the CARES around her.

You are right to ask why the airlines don’t just hand out a CARES to the littlest flyers just like they hand out a seat belt extender to the biggest ones; and you might also wonder why the airlines don’t have a children’s ticket rate to encourage parents to purchase a seat for their littlest kids rather than dangerously hold them on their laps. We don’t have good answers to those questions – but we can tell you that the safe way to fly with your baby or small child is to purchase a seat for her – and the easiest way to make that airplane seat a safe seat, is to use a CARES.