Traveling with a Marathon

bellaK

New member
This summer we are flying WestJet from NT to BC. We have a 40 minute stop over in Edmonton. ( I don't think we even have to get off the plane)

My question is Going through the air ports We have a Joovy Kooper stroller, and a Tote a Tot for the car seat. Should be use the Tote a Tot and gate check the seat? (With WestJet, if there is an empty seat they will let you bring the car seat free of charge.) If there isn't an extra seat, we could put our MA one of the large plastic bags that they provide. I'm just worried about the seat getting damaged and the cover getting ripped/stained.

Anyone have any advice?
 
ADS

Maedze

New member
Well, you're not going to find anyone here who will recommend checking the seat OR having a lap baby (I'm assuming your signature is a titch out of date ;) )

Is it possible to buy a seat for your child? That would be the safest thing to do.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I have something similar to the Tote A Tot. I like it a lot.

I agree with Maedze. Buy a seat for your baby and for the seat. Otherwise, gate check it and hope for the best. And next time buy a seat.

1) Safer for baby. Dropping out of the sky it likely won't make a difference, but with a runway emergency like the gear failing or colliding with another plane, or a sharp aborted takeoff, the crash forces are very similar to a car crash, except at 150 mph. You wouldn't hold your baby on your lap going to the store at 30 mph...

2) Safer for the seat. It's with you at all times.

3) Let's say there's a crash, minor or major, and there's smoke in the cabin. A baby in their seat will be in their seat when you get up to go. You don't have to worry about baby being in front or behind you, when you have 10 seconds to get off the plane before it blows up. This is what the survivors of the Air India flight said a couple of months ago. They survived because they got out fast.

4) Comfort. You have three cubic inches in which to sit. You've got a 14 month old. You won't be able to eat, drink, read a book, or do anything with her on your lap for the entire trip. Asleep or awake.

5) Sanity. My baby is nine months old tomorrow. I call her rotisserie baby. She spins and spins in my arms or on my bed. And she's too young to understand that she can't get down, she can't move around. She knows her seat means sit there, though, and she's contained.

6) Baggage allowance. As a ticketed passenger they get their own bags to check and carry on.

We're flying from Seattle, WA to NYC next month, and she has a seat on the plane. It'd have been several hundreds of dollars cheaper not to, but I knew babies were expensive before I got pregnant, so it was just one of those things I shrugged my shoulders and we're dealing with. I'd rather not pay. I wish everyone's ticket was cheaper. But for all the reasons above, it's worth every dime.

Wendy
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
bellaK - Use the Tote-a-Tot and gate check the seat. You can typically either gate check the seat or the stroller.

wendytthomas - Good for you, I'm glad you figured out kids were expensive before you got pregnant. Way to take a low cut on bellaK and those of us who can't afford to buy seats for our babies. Don't be so ignorant, sometimes situations arise where you have to take a last minute emergency trip and you can't leave a nursing baby at home.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I never recommend gate-checking or checking a seat without adequate protection. It's extremely likely to be damaged, and if the damage is not visible to the naked eye, as it often isn't, you have no way of knowing whether you're risking your child's life every time you use the seat after that.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
bellaK - Use the Tote-a-Tot and gate check the seat. You can typically either gate check the seat or the stroller.

As stated above, this is not safe for the carseat. Do at your own risk. The seat can end up damaged or lost. Have a back up plan in place.

wendytthomas - Good for you, I'm glad you figured out kids were expensive before you got pregnant. Way to take a low cut on bellaK and those of us who can't afford to buy seats for our babies. Don't be so ignorant, sometimes situations arise where you have to take a last minute emergency trip and you can't leave a nursing baby at home.

Well, as with anything, you do what you can. When those emergency trips have come up for my family we send those we can afford to send, ask for help or accept help if offered, or don't go. Simple as that. Our family has not been without last minute emergency travel. What do you do when your child is older than two and still nursing? Or older than two and you can't get childcare in place because all of the people you trust would be at the other end? You do the best you can. I have missed out on family emergencies because three tickets was cost prohibitive. My husband went instead. Am I sorry? I wish I could have gone.

However, whatever your opinion or mine on it, most parents do not buy a ticket because they don't think it'll matter. If they drop out of the sky they're all dead, right? That's unlikely to happen, thank goodness, and most parents don't realize the other risks with lap babies. So now this parent, and any others reading this thread, has all of the information with which to make a decision next time. Either know the risks and chose not to buy a ticket, know the risks in an emergency and chose to go or not go, or know the risks and buy a ticket. Education is important. Unregistered rude remarks are unnecessary.

Wendy
 

Eclipsepearl

New member
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I'll confirm that the only way to fly safely with a baby. Children under 2 are allowed on laps because air travel itself is so safe that there is little chance of anything going wrong. That's where you're placing your bets. Some parents are okay with this, especially if they save money. Other parents like Wendy and myself are not and it's our right to feel this way about our children's safety.

I actually have flown with a lap babies a few times. All were because I was flying foreign companies who either didn't allow my car seat or, with one airline, car seats of all kinds are banned. I do make an effort to book on U.S. companies specifically for the reason but going between France and Israel, Morocco or between Germany and the U.K. it wasn't possible.

I do have to say that it wasn't comfortable. My children were also more likely to disturb others.

The U.S. and Canada are way in front on this issue. The FAA says that if you purchase a seat and you have a FAA approved car seat (most sold in the U.S. are) than it's your right to use it. There is no age limit except for the limits of the seat itself and you can rf it (not allowed on U.K. and some other companies). If there is a seat available, you are allowed, by the FAA, to bring your car seat on board to use it. The airlines will remind you that they will not rebook or change the seats of other passengers to accommodate your car seat. It's not a requirement that they have to accept your seat if the flight is not full.

Hope that was clear. I'll recap;
Purchase a seat and it's your right to use it on board. By FAA rules, it can't be refused.
If there is an empty seat on board next to you, you are allowed to bring your car seat on board. Not required and the airlines are not obligated to give you any unsold seat...

I have FAA sources in the link in my siggy.
 

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