Flying with a "Lap" Baby

Here are a few sites with the infant seat belt/harness on it...

http://www.inventiveparent.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd...

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cares+harne...

I flew alone with my daughter a few years ago (she was 4.5 months) and she was on my lap but I did not use/know about the flight harness so I do not have any experience with them.

I will be flying again by myself middle of April, my daughter is now 2.5 years old, and we got her own seat. I will be bring the carseat along, there are a few products out there to make it easier to lug it through the airport...

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=tote+a+tot&...

http://shop.happymothers.com/Tote%20A%20Tot%20Kids/Car%20...

I am looking at tote a tot that cost $25 since it has extra pockets.

When you are landing and taking off have your child drinking or eating/chewing something, that helps relieve the ear pressure so hopefully not upset about the "painful" change in air pressure.

my son is 12 months old we just flew with him. I used a moby wrap to carry him around the airport and he simply relaxed on my lap while we flew, he actually slept a lot of the flight. the thing that entertained him the most was a plastic cup that they pour the drinks into, it kept him busy for a full hour. good luck flying. a lot of people are parents so they understand and can be helpful on a crowded flight.

Hi K.,

I'm not sure about the strap thing, but we just flew with our 16 month old two weeks ago. I did have my husband's help, but I felt confident that I could do by myself in the future if I had to.

We took an umbrella stroller that we checked at the gate and our reversable car seat that we also checked at the gate. We found a carry bag for the car seat at Babies R Us for about $30. The nice part about it is that it has backpack straps to carry on your back and wheels to pull it behind. If you purchase a seat for your son, then you can install the car seat.

We kept our daughter in my lap and besides take off and landing, she stood on my legs and socialized with everyone around her and "read" books. Our flight was only about an hour and a half so it was very manageable. If your flight is longer or if it near his nap time, I highly suggest getting a seat for him and take the car seat (most airlines sell reduced infant seats).

Another option (although expensive) is a new rolling "stroller" aparatus that you install onto your car seat so that it becomes the stroller. Around $80 at Babies.

Good luck!

I just flew with my 14 month old by myself and it went great. I bought a little backpack with a leash on it to walk through teh airport which worked great! he was able to get energy out and I didn't have to carry him the whole time. As for the flight, he just sat in my lap and fell asleep both flights as we were taxiing to take off. He woke up about 1/2hour to 45 min before we landed and looked at some books and people around us. The timing of both flights was perfect. To be honest, the toughest part of the whole trip was security because you have to take off both coats and shoes and take out a DVD player if you bring one. I felt a little rushed so I would plan on trying to travel lightly if possible. Another note, make sure when you check in that you let them know he is in your lap. You have to sit on a certain side of the airplane because of oxygen masks so they have to make sure you are set up properly.