No matter how experienced of an air traveler you are, becoming a parent will quickly make you feel like a newb on the travel front, as you’re thrust into a completely new world. We’ve now gone through this twice in the past several years (we have a one year old and four year old), and it sure has taught us a lot.
If you’re traveling with a baby under two years old (meaning up until the day prior to their second birthday), you have the option of either traveling with them as a lap infant (meaning they don’t need a seat), or you can buy a seat for them.
Now, when our older son was born, I thought to myself “yay, he has the world’s ultimate airline companion pass, and can fly with us for free, or at least for very little.” However, we quickly realized that it’s not necessarily as great as it sounds, and there are absolutely reasons you may still want to buy a seat for an infant, if you can (both from a safety and comfort perspective).
In this post I’d like to discuss some of those considerations, and also hear what other parents think. Let’s discuss cost, safety, and comfort, which I view as the three biggest considerations.
The cost of a lap infant vs. buying a seat
The single biggest benefit of traveling with a lap infant rather than buying them a separate seat is the cost savings. What’s the cost of traveling with a lap infant (meaning they don’t get their own seat)?
- On domestic flights, you can have them fly with you at no cost; you can either add them at the time of ticketing, or all the way up to check-in, even at the airport
- On international flights, you can expect to pay up to 10% of the adult fare; however, since airline pricing is dynamic, it’s not always going to be the same amount, and sometimes it might be a bit more than you expect, and other times it might be a bit less than you expect
- I’ve written about infant award travel, as different frequent flyer programs have different policies in this regard, and some programs are particularly awesome, and are worth seeking out for infant travel
If you choose to buy a seat for your infant, you can expect that you’ll typically have to pay the same price that adults have to pay. Some airlines will offer a small discount, but I find that to be the exception rather than the norm. Now, to be fair, there are some additional benefits to buying a ticket for your infant (beyond the added comfort, which I’ll address later):
- If the infant has their own seat, they get an additional baggage allowance
- Your infant can start racking up miles if you booked a ticket for them, as lap infants don’t earn miles
One other consideration is that if you’re on a flight that isn’t very full and you are traveling with a lap infant, you can always use the empty seat next to you, should there be one. Some gate agents might even be helpful and offer to try to keep an empty seat next to you. However, with flights as full as they are nowadays, that’s definitely not something I’d count on.
While niche, I should also mention that intra-Europe business class typically offers a blocked middle seat, so if you’re two parents traveling with a little one, you can always seat your infant there. It’s basically the same as buying a seat for them, so it’s worth factoring into the math when deciding on business class vs. economy.
In terms of cost, I think we can all agree that there’s a huge advantage to traveling with a lap infant.
The safety of a lap infant vs. buying a seat
The next major consideration when it comes to traveling with an infant is safety.
If you’re traveling with a lap infant, you basically just hold your baby the whole flight. At least in the United States, unless you bring a device of your own, they’re in no way strapped in, and in the case of severe turbulence, there could be some danger. Understandably, many people have safety concerns about traveling with a lap infant.
It’s fascinating to contrast that to the rest of the world, because in many other countries, infants need their own lap belt that’s attached to the main seatbelt. That seems like a logical policy, and I find it odd how the US doesn’t adapt this, as it seems like a best practice.
Meanwhile if you buy your infant their own seat, you can always bring a car seat to place on the seat (assuming it’s compliant with airline regulations), and then seat them in that the entire flight, and strap them in.
There’s simply no denying that it’s safer to have your baby strapped into a car seat rather than just holding them for the entire flight. However, people have very different opinions about how much of a risk people are taking. Some think safety concerns over traveling with a lap infant are unfounded, while others think it’s irresponsible to travel with a lap infant.
I’m somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, in the case of severe turbulence (which can happen), I wouldn’t want to just be holding a baby in my arms. On the other hand, how many billions of flights do people take per year, and how many babies are seriously injured when traveling as lap infants?
Based on what I’ve seen, the risk is infinitesimally small. I think most of us take bigger risks with our babies on a daily basis (like getting in any car, even if they’re properly strapped in).
The comfort of a lap infant vs. buying a seat
Perhaps the biggest consideration in deciding whether to travel with a lap infant or buy a seat for your baby is comfort. This is so personal, because everyone’s baby is different — how much do they weigh, how easily do they sleep in a car seat, how restless are they otherwise, etc.?
Both of our sons have very similar sleeping patterns. They’re both amazing sleepers at home, as they sleep through the night every night. However, actually getting them to fall asleep when traveling is much more challenging. While they’ll fall asleep in their car seats when driving, it’s a totally different story when flying, since it’s a new environment, they’re stimulated, etc.
Traveling with young ones as lap infants isn’t necessarily easy. For one, our younger son is really heavy (around 25 pounds), so holding him for hours on end isn’t easy (though it’s a great replacement for going to the gym!). And it’s not just that you’re holding him, but he’s squirming the whole time, wants to explore everything, etc.
While he probably wouldn’t sleep in a car seat (maybe he would eventually, if he were tired enough), he’s usually pretty good about staying calm and just accepting that he can’t move when he’s in a car seat. So we’ve realized that buying him his own seat definitely makes for a much easier journey.
Like I said, everyone’s baby is different. If you have a 10 pound baby that just loves sleeping in your arms and you’re comfortable with that, then you’ll probably have no issues traveling with a lap infant.
For what it’s worth, some airlines and airplanes do have bassinets for babies. However, these are only available on select aircraft, and there are a limited number of them, so you need to be able to assign a seat by them. Furthermore, they come with their own safety issues, and really only work for very small babies that can’t sit up on their own (since otherwise it becomes very unsafe).
So in terms of comfort, I think there’s a huge advantage to buying a seat for your baby. You can have them sit in their car seat when it’s safe and they want to rest, and can then always lift them up if they’re getting antsy.
Bottom line
Before I became a dad, I figured having a lap infant was basically the coolest travel deal in the world, as you can have a whole additional person travel with you for nothing (or at least for very little). However, I’ve found that it’s not quite all that it’s cracked up to be, especially if your baby is no longer a newborn.
It’s so much more comfortable to have the space of an extra seat, and then to be able to place a car seat on it so that they’re safe and comfortable.
Admittedly having a baby is expensive, and I understand for a lot of people, buying an additional seat might break the bank. If that’s the case, you’ll probably be okay with a lap infant as well. Just make sure you pack a lot of things to entertain your baby, because they may very well be overstimulated by all that’s going on.
Furthermore, you can always try to book a flight that’s less likely to be full, and then if you luck out with an empty seat next to you, you might get the best of both worlds.
To fellow parents, how do you feel about traveling with a lap infant vs. buying a seat for your little one?
I don’t have much experience flying with my son when he was an infant due to Covid. But, we did do one lap infant trip that was a red eye flight from HNL to California. The guy slept like a champ. We were in an extra legroom seat, which helped a bit. But I think the redeye made it a lot easier for him to sleep through the night.
As a toddler, it was...
I don’t have much experience flying with my son when he was an infant due to Covid. But, we did do one lap infant trip that was a red eye flight from HNL to California. The guy slept like a champ. We were in an extra legroom seat, which helped a bit. But I think the redeye made it a lot easier for him to sleep through the night.
As a toddler, it was infinitely easier to fly with him in a car seat. He loved sitting higher up, allowing him to see out the window more easily, and he was also used to being strapped in a car seat. I would 100% recommend it. But, I only have one child. Carrying two car seats (as light as the one I have was) could be pretty cumbersome.
@Ben, I would be curious for your take on traveling with a toddler in domestic FC. We have done a lot of flights and occasionally will end up in FC. I find it almost worse at this age as they just don't fit in the seat and then can't cuddle up. Wonder what age you have found it finally clicks.
I find it a bit cruel to strap in a baby for hours one end with no break, so in the end, the baby sits in the lap anyway. A baby would always choose to be a lap infant.
Put the kids in economy with nanny, and fly first. Problem solved.
I'm a pediatric anesthesiologist and almost anything bad that can happen to a kid, I see it. The lap infant pearl clutching is unmerited.
First ... essentially zero passengers have been killed in a US airline in decades. Second ... when people do die, it's generally everyone. Third ... crashes with survivors have included surviving lap children (see Sioux City)
Finally ... forcing people to buy an infant ticket makes more people drive. And...
I'm a pediatric anesthesiologist and almost anything bad that can happen to a kid, I see it. The lap infant pearl clutching is unmerited.
First ... essentially zero passengers have been killed in a US airline in decades. Second ... when people do die, it's generally everyone. Third ... crashes with survivors have included surviving lap children (see Sioux City)
Finally ... forcing people to buy an infant ticket makes more people drive. And children (and their parents and siblings) are infinitely safer on an airliner than in a car. There's a clear net safety BENEFIT to allowing unbelted lap infants.
So, here's the big question. Would you put your infant in a separate car seat? You can, presumably, afford the extra cost. Or, do you save money, knowingly putting your infant at (a maybe small, but clearly) additional risk.
Always took our infant daughters as baby-in-arms using a sling. As you say, that may not be a reasonable solution for all infants.
@Lucky, doesn't the FAA actually ban lap infant seatbelt attachments? It's wild that they think an adult's arms are enough to prevent babies from turning into lethal projectiles...
AFAIK, there's an FAA-approved harness, but I think it's only for kids who have their own seat.
Would you consider writing a follow-up post on best car seats specifically for airplane travel?
I used the Cosco branded ones. The one for younger toddlers and the larger one. Both are fairly light weight. I used both until my son was about 40 lbs. At that point, he wanted to be seated like a big kid, which we didn’t mind. But definitely from page 2-4, we used the car seat.
I have no children (you're welcome). I would never fly except with an infant in a proper car seat buckled in. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn’t fly. (And, I'd avoid flying with an infant in general because I respect the quiet others want.)
Or leave them at home and spare us all
For flights 2 hours or less, lap infants are fine. For longer flights, hard not to buy the seat.
Congrats on Diamond, sir! Now, work towards invitation-only OMAAT 360!
I'm mostly working towards getting my bag back from BA after LHR's latest meltdown a few days ago, but I hear OMAAT Obsidian comes with great IRROPS support.
Best is a baby bassinet.
Having done several economy flights with our daughter aged between about 6 months and just under 2, always as a lap infant, I'd advise caution on such a blanket statement.
As Ben said, the bassinet only really works when the baby is just a few months old. As soon as they can sit up, it's a non-starter. Also bear in mind that the bassinet is up pretty high in full flow of any air...
Having done several economy flights with our daughter aged between about 6 months and just under 2, always as a lap infant, I'd advise caution on such a blanket statement.
As Ben said, the bassinet only really works when the baby is just a few months old. As soon as they can sit up, it's a non-starter. Also bear in mind that the bassinet is up pretty high in full flow of any air con and can get pretty cold (we experienced this on a BA 787 to the point that we couldn't leave our daughter there even under a blanket).
Add to that the fact that the seats you sit in by the bassinet are always the ones with the fixed armrests and the IFE in the armrest, as soon as you have baby in arms, it actually turns out to be one of the least comfortable places to be as either baby is or you are wedged up against a solid armrest and there's no way for them to sprawl out. Longest 10 hours of my life were sitting with daughter, almost 2 years old, in one of these seats from India to UK. Boy was my bum numb by the end of that!
We found it much better to just have seats together on another flight and lucked out with an empty seat next to us where she could lie down, strapped in across the seats. Of course, that was wildly fortunate, having mot paid for the extra seat, but even without that, lying across 2 parents' laps on standard economy seats is better than the fixed armrest seats.
We have always been offered a seat belt extension though and I was very surprised to hear that these don't exist in the US.
Although not directly the point of this post, after she turned 2 and we had to pay for a seat, we found a big blow up cube thing, which goes in front of a window seat, which effectively extends the seat into a much bigger surface very helpful for her to lie out on while still strapped in.
Christmas trip UK - New Zealand with a 6 month old lap infant also booked... I'll try to report back on bum numbness ;)