jetcareers - View Single Post - How bout flying commercial with an infant?

TheWife · August 3rd, 2005, 20:23

[ QUOTE ]
rear-facing? i've never seen any rear-facing seats when i've sat in a plane before! they've all sat forward facing! can you even buckle in a rear-facing seat??

she says Julia is getting too big for her infant seat (she's over 100% on length already) which fits into the stroller or as you call it - travel system - she has another car seat that is forward facing now that she thinks she should take but won't fit in the stroller.

[/ QUOTE ] The reason babies are supposed to be rear facing in a car is because of risk of injury on impact. The chance of impact on an airplane is so minimal that they don't require a seat. I'd bring one for the convenience anyway, but, I disagree that it needs to be rear facing. If there was turbulence, a baby would certainly be safer in a buckled seat than in your arms, but that would be the same whether the seat was rear or forward. The chance of a frontal crash is pretty small.

However, as far as her being in forward facing at 9 months in a car, that's a big bad idea. The law in almost every state that I know of requires rear facing until one year AND at least 20 pounds. Kyla is too big for her infant carrier as well, they only go to 26 inches and aren't great when infants are trying their hardest to be sitting up cause the carrier is so reclined. So at that point they go in a rear facing convertible seat. These seats are made to be rear facing up to 30-40 pounds usually, then once they are 1 AND 20 pounds you turn them around to be forward facing up to 65 pounds or you can keep them rear for longer. Then you can put them in a booster.

However, I will be keeping Kyla rear facing for longer than age 1. One is the min. age. If you read statists on deaths to minors, car accidents is the highest cause of death in children and infants. In Sweden and other countires they are required to keep them rear until 2, and most choose to until 3 or more. And their rate of death to infants in car accidents is virtually zero. We have Kyla in the Britax Boulevard. Britax is a European company so they have to conform to even higher standards then the US seat makers.

August 3rd, 2005, 20:23	#9
TheWife Old Skool Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Utah Posts: 4,161	Re: How bout flying commercial with an infant? [ QUOTE ] rear-facing? i've never seen any rear-facing seats when i've sat in a plane before! they've all sat forward facing! can you even buckle in a rear-facing seat?? she says Julia is getting too big for her infant seat (she's over 100% on length already) which fits into the stroller or as you call it - travel system - she has another car seat that is forward facing now that she thinks she should take but won't fit in the stroller. [/ QUOTE ] The reason babies are supposed to be rear facing in a car is because of risk of injury on impact. The chance of impact on an airplane is so minimal that they don't require a seat. I'd bring one for the convenience anyway, but, I disagree that it needs to be rear facing. If there was turbulence, a baby would certainly be safer in a buckled seat than in your arms, but that would be the same whether the seat was rear or forward. The chance of a frontal crash is pretty small. However, as far as her being in forward facing at 9 months in a car, that's a big bad idea. The law in almost every state that I know of requires rear facing until one year AND at least 20 pounds. Kyla is too big for her infant carrier as well, they only go to 26 inches and aren't great when infants are trying their hardest to be sitting up cause the carrier is so reclined. So at that point they go in a rear facing convertible seat. These seats are made to be rear facing up to 30-40 pounds usually, then once they are 1 AND 20 pounds you turn them around to be forward facing up to 65 pounds or you can keep them rear for longer. Then you can put them in a booster. However, I will be keeping Kyla rear facing for longer than age 1. One is the min. age. If you read statists on deaths to minors, car accidents is the highest cause of death in children and infants. In Sweden and other countires they are required to keep them rear until 2, and most choose to until 3 or more. And their rate of death to infants in car accidents is virtually zero. We have Kyla in the Britax Boulevard. Britax is a European company so they have to conform to even higher standards then the US seat makers.