9 People injured in Air Canada turbulance

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_re_ca/canada_plane

Definately proof why you should NOT have lap babies!

I'm going to bookmark this to send to some of the people I know who try to take as many trips as they can before their kids are two because they are "free" lap babies.

I have asked about this in the past, but need more help. I travel very often with my 19mo daughter and have always taken her seat on the plane with us. I put her in the seat for most of the flight, but usually end up taking her out half way through because she screams for so long to get out (and I mean SCREAMING!). In a car, I would let her scream and never take her out. But in a plane I have to worry about other people as well. I am traveling again this weekend and need advice on how to keep her in the seat throughout the duration of the flight. It's so hard when she sees other people walking around the plane. She wants to get up too and socialize. She is at the age that I need to lay down the law and not let her out of the seat at all. When she was younger I would take her out to nurse, and I think that's what taught her that she can get out. Any tips for her age would be great.

jessclear said:

I have asked about this in the past, but need more help. I travel very often with my 19mo daughter and have always taken her seat on the plane with us. I put her in the seat for most of the flight, but usually end up taking her out half way through because she screams for so long to get out (and I mean SCREAMING!). In a car, I would let her scream and never take her out. But in a plane I have to worry about other people as well. I am traveling again this weekend and need advice on how to keep her in the seat throughout the duration of the flight. It's so hard when she sees other people walking around the plane. She wants to get up too and socialize. She is at the age that I need to lay down the law and not let her out of the seat at all. When she was younger I would take her out to nurse, and I think that's what taught her that she can get out. Any tips for her age would be great.

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I have taken dd out of the seat for a while (and put her right back as soon as the seat belt sign came on) but now I'm reconsidering it. My best suggestion is to travel at night, I'll put a blanket hanging from the back of the plane seat to the back of the car seat to make it dark and she'll sleep most of the flight. If it's during the day, then bring a few new small toys and give one at a time. Also snacks. Whenever I need dd to stay sit still I hand her a whole apple and let her munch on it. She only has one tooth so I know she won't rip a chocking part out of it, but I guess I'll need to stop doing that soon...

I really wish there was an under two baby in a seat and that got mentioned in the news about how baby was not harmed cause parents got a seat...

My kids were "still" nursing at that age, so I would take them out and nurse them as soon as we were in the air to clear their ears. We'd also make trips to the bathroom.

Other than that, keep special treats and toys on hand. Read books aloud. Show her how the head phones work.

For snacks, I like gummy snacks, fruit leathers, and suckers to help with the ear pressure thing, and I always bring juice boxes.

For toys, Crayola makes markers that will only work on special paper (no worries about staining clothing or the plane). My kids like stickers and sticker books for traveling. If you have an MP3 player, you can put kids' books on that. Just make sure you have headphones that will work for a little one. Oriental Trading company has lots of cheap do-dads like finger puppets and mini bubbles. They're all made in China, but they work great for plane trips and restaurants.

Also, get to the airport early enough that your little one will have plenty of time to run around in the waiting area before you board the plane. We brought a foam ball and found a safe corner to play fetch, I mean catch, in. Mini bubbles are also fun in the waiting area. (I loved mini-bubbles for the long lines at Ikea when we were living in Germany!!!)

I heard this story on the radio and my first thought was "I hope these passengers are not lap babies!".

I second the stickers! I always bring lots when flying with toddlers. I let my kids put them on everything, including my hair, and then peel them off at the end. Magnadoodles are also great. She can draw, or she can tell you to draw something, which usually entertains toddlers.

One time use cameras are great we now have the Fisher Price ones. Non messy snacks and water to tide them over until the food cart comes. Portable DVD player.

Honestly I hate flying with my two young children. I fly solo but I think having an extra helping hand would make a great deal of difference and the older the child is the better it is...at least I hope
I get super jealous when I see two parents and one easy going child strolling on board while I am sweating/swearing and falling under the weight of bags and seats and my kids are creating havoc.

My oldest has a strong personality and by the end of the flight everyone on board knows his likes and dislikes.

By the time we are picking up our bags I am in tears and my children are screaming their heads off. And I am swearing to never do this again...then a month later I do it again.

I find early morning flights best...if I can snag a 8am flight out its the best even if it means staying overnight near the airport.

Any thing later then 11am and my children are a mess. Both still nap and have early bedtimes but have never slept on the plane after the newborn/under a year stage.

minismom said:

I really wish there was an under two baby in a seat and that got mentioned in the news about how baby was not harmed cause parents got a seat...

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I did read about a two year old who was in her own seat (over two, so no choice) and buckled in at the time of incident so she ended up not being injured. It doesn't sound like she was in a car seat, but thank goodness she was buckled.

From The Calgary Herald

Nisha Gill, 30, hugged her two-year-old daughter Riya Kang closely, tears streaming down her face, moments after the plane lurched wildly to the side.

She'd decided last minute to bring her daughter with her on the week-long trip to visit her sister in Toronto, and booked the youngster's flight at 10:30 p.m. the night before. Her husband dropped the pair off at 6 a.m., kissing them goodbye at the airport.

Though they were safely buckled in when the disturbance hit, Gill was terrified as she watched passengers fly out of their seats

"That's the only thing I was thinking -- why would I do that, why would I bring her with me," said Gill, who was seated 12 rows back in the aircraft.

"I was thinking, this is the last time I'm with my daughter," said Gill.

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