Flying with toddler: seatbelt?

When my son was smaller we used the Baby B'air flight vest, but now he's bigger I'm not sure. Has anyone used the Joey Safe (taxi/car harness) on a flight? Would that work? It's only a short flight.

waffle hk, not according to their website (final question under FAQs).


geiboyi, I cannot see why the Joeysafe would not work as well as the Baby B'air. I used it on my son while taking my daughter to the bathroom (was a lot of hassle for 2 minutes, I admit), but at least he was secured and could not escape.

I bought an extra seat for my 11 months old son and took the carseat along. Safest way to travel. Most airlines allow FAA approved carseats on their planes.

I was not allowed to use my carseat (on BA). Involved a long row, but they said that the seatbelt did not secure it properly.

How do I know if my carseat is approved for flights? I have a Mothercare carseat and planning to fly via BA for the summer.

In my experience it is pretty random. When my daughter was small, we managed to get it on and off flights in Europe (short-haul) without any problem. For some reason, they have decided that it is unsafe when I try the exact same model with my son. I may have been unlucky, but it has been the source of lots of grief. I get pretty stressed about it when I am travelling on my own with the 2 of them, having dragged the seat through the airport and bought an extra seat for my infant. The really iritating thing is that they do not seem to have agreed a policy. They let me keep it at check-in and not on the plane, which is what really winds me up. Mine is a Britax Isofix, so quite heavy (metal frame for fixing to car), not sure if that is part of the problem. Anyway, rant over!!

Approved carseats have a FAA approval sticker on them. Check the seat manufacturer's website for details. It should mention the approval in the product description. Also see http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babytravel/1348015.html for further information.

Hmmm...I'd better check it out then. Hubby is already not a BA fan but it's the cheapest direct so no choice!

And in my opinion, it's not just carseats that airlines need a policy on.


One time when I checked in for a long haul flight to the UK I was promised the baby bassinet for my then 11 month old son but when I boarded the plane was told there was no bassinet available for me. When I tried to argue with the staff they threatened to physically restrain me!! (BTW - no I didn't use violence / foul language, definitely not, my baby was watching.) All in all a very scary experience. I had never been threatened like that before. And they promised me so faithfully that there was a bassinet for me, checked the computer and everything when I was checking in.


Actually, I've since looked into this a little bit and it seems the passengers really have no rights in such a situation. The infant ticket does not include a bassinet for sure, and any promise made at check-in is of course only verbal, not written. Even if you can remember the staff member's name (which I could) it doesn't make a blind bit of difference.


Actually I think it's all pot luck on flights. All the airlines are as bad as each other. A bit negative but true I think. I've had a great experience with BA and with Cathay and with Virgin and I've had a really bad experience with Cathay and with Virgin, too. I think it's all about the crew you get on the day, and there's no way of predicting that.


I read in SCMP that they have passed / want to pass some new laws / regulations further curbing passengers' rights to argue back at the airport and on the plane. I really hope this doesn't happen - otherwise passengers will be left completely unable to protect themselves against tricky cabin crew and check-in staff. After all, I'm just a mother trying to protect her baby's interests.


Okay rant over. Actually what I've written is not related to this thread hardly at all. Sorry! I wonder what other people's experiences have been?

I'm really clueless here so what happens when you don't have an approved carseat and the bassinet fell through?? How is it possible to belt a 5 month old safely in a normal seat?

wheelymate -


are you buying a seat for your child? If you're not (not required under age 2) then you'll be holding him or her in your lap and they'll give you this totally LAME belt to hold him to you on your lap...(it's so not at all safety approved or anything.)


I'm not going to go off on a rant - Snow Rose brought up all the issues already...


if you have one of the infant carrier type seats - and you buy a seat for your child, that is an easy way for you to secure your child on your plane. (I've brought that one with no problem...it's small and basically compact - your 5 month old will be okay in it.) There was a thread though about how the maximum amount of time that a baby should be in it is 2.5 hours - I've never heard of that before but it must be a valid concern.