A friend of mine bought this device, a harness-type thing, that held a lap baby securely. She bought it at Toys R Us or someplace, and it was FAA approved. Sort of like a Baby Bjorn but designed for air travel. You might check this out.

It seems that a couple of these problems have esy solutions:

If the parking lot is too far from the terminal - don;t drive - take a cab insterad and save the hassles.

If you truly have so much stuff that you can;t manage it from the check-in to the gate have get or hire someone to help you - most airlines willoffer this.

As for the set/noseat thing - I can;timagine anyone who wil lrisk their child's life by not paying for a seat with approved type of car seat. (Would you go for a 5-hour drive with your child just lying on the back seat? Well, this is the equivalent.)

And the assumptions about turbulence are incorrect. There are many flights that experience significant turbulence without any major ill effect to the plane. (By the way - the Pittsburgh airport area is well known to have more than its fair share of such turbulence.) I have been on several flights that were so turbulent that adults too stupid or stubborn to fasten their seat belts received minor injuries. Think about how your child would fare under such circumstances - will you keep him in a death grip for the entire trip?

Please reconsider this very carefully before putting your child at unnecessary risk.

I don't mean to sound nasty, but have you considered that you will not be sitting next to your husband, but next to a stranger? If you end up next to a large person AND you have a child on your lap, you are going to be miserable. And, on the flipside, how is your 13 month old going to react to the stranger? Just bringing this up because I had the misfortune of sitting next to a lap baby. He constantly reached over and grabbed my hair, kicked a foot into my food, dropped assorted items (books, juice boxes, and toys) into my lap. When he got tired of sitting he did this stretch/stiffening out thing which slammed his feet into the chair in front of him & socked me in the face with his fist. There is so little personal space to begin with, why make a bad situation worse? Again, I am not trying to be nasty, I just always address the worst case scenario.

Baby Bjorns, slings, and things like that are prohibited by the FAA for use during takeoff and landing.

Something tells me Bugswife never had kids.

"He did the strech/stiffening thing".

But I'm not trying to be nasty, I(you) just are.

sfamylou mentioned a Baby Bjorn type of thing for flying. I'm pretty sure this is the Baby B'air. www.babybair.com. As GoTravel said, this type of thing isn't approved for takeoff & landings. It is supposed to be for during flight. I've never used one, so can't comment on it. Perhaps someone else has?

I was just reading an article about the number of deaths of babies on planes simply due to turbulence or a rough landing--they fly out of their parent's arms. It was very disturbing (and now I wish I could remember where in the world I read it. I read too many things) and has more than convinced me to always buy a seat for my soon-to-be-born baby.

When you gate check the stroller, does that count against your total number of checked items? And do you leave the base on the car seat?

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx

Why should I buy a separate seat for my child when he can fly on my lap for free?:

- Safety:
Turbulence, sudden stops and emergency landings present a huge risk to the lap child. First, in severe turbulence, it is unlikely that the parent would be able to hold on to their child. It is very likely that the child would be tossed around the passenger cabin and sustain serious injuries or even be killed. Second, in emergency landings, parents of lap children are instructed to wrap their child in blankets and place the child at their feet. Children have died in survivable landings when they were thrown through the cabin. Unrestrained children also pose a hazard to other passengers - when a 20 lb child is thrown through the cabin in an accident, he would have a force of 1000 lbs (at only 50 mph, much more at higher speeds) when striking another person or object. Third, parents who are able to hold on to their children in a sudden stop or collision will very likely end up using that child as a "human air bag". Children have actually been "crushed to death" by the parent on whose lap they were sitting.

From the American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Restraint Use on Aircraft:

"Occupant protection policies for children younger than 2 years on aircraft are inconsistent with all other national policies on safe transportation. Children younger than 2 years are not required to be restrained or secured on aircraft during takeoff, landing, and conditions of turbulence. They are permitted to be held on the lap of an adult. Preventable injuries and deaths have occurred in children younger than 2 years who were unrestrained in
aircraft during survivable crashes and conditions of turbulence. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a mandatory federal requirement for restraint use for children on aircraft. The Academy further recommends that parents ensure that a seat is available for all children during aircraft transport and follow current recommendations for restraint use for all children. Physicians play a significant role in counseling families, advocating for public policy mandates, and encouraging technologic research that will improve protection of children in aircraft."

- Convenience:
Your child should be used to sitting in their car seat every time they are in the car. An airplane ride should be no different. It may even be easier. A lap child will not understand the need to stay in your lap and may want to get down and run around the passenger cabin. Not only does this pose a risk to your child, but it can be a hazard to other passengers and flight attendants who need to go down the narrow aisle. While it will be difficult to hang on to a child who is squirmy and cranky in your lap, it may be very easy to entertain a child in their comfortable, familiar car seat. Many children also fall asleep in their car seat, making the trip more pleasant for parents and passengers alike.

- Child Safety Seat Issues:
The best way to get a child to happily use a car seat is to use it all the time, every time. Make no exceptions. If the child isn't buckled in, the car doesn't go. Using a car seat on an airplane only serves to reinforce the "no exceptions" policy. And since a child who has used a car seat all the time, every time, since day one is used to being in it, they won't notice any difference on an airplane (and may travel better than a baby who's suddenly forced to stay on your lap)

TravelingMom: How big is your 13-month-old son? I'm asking because my son was 14 months old the first time we flew with him. My son has always been off the charts when it comes to his size. We chose not to do the car seat. He sat and slept on me the entire flight. He was fine and slept for most of the flight but my neck and back were killing me at the end of the flight! We never did that again and took his car seat from then on. What a difference! He did great in his car seat and we were all more comfortable during those flight hours.
Now, I have never flown by myself with him for exactly your dilemna. I cannot imagine carrying all that stuff and dealing with him all by myself.
Can you see if there's anyway you can strap the car seat on top of your suitcase with wheels? My husband figured out a way to do that with ours. There are some car seats that are lighter than others, although it would kinda silly to buy one just for the flight.
I agree with others who say DON'T CHECK your stroller, but GATECHECK it.
The backpack is a great idea. I wouldn't do a small one though, but rather a bigger one so you could put his stuff like diapers, change of clothers, toys and your valuables (wallet, tickets, etc...) in it. You could then nix the purse. If you need to bring a purse, pack it (without your valuables of course). One less item for you to carry around.
Good luck.

Please buy a seat for your baby. I cannot count how many times we have flown with our children, and we started when they were 3 weeks old. We did one flight without buying a seat, out of pure ignorance. To this day I cannot believe I did that, but I did not realize the dangers at the time.

You will be able to manage all the items. Yes, it can be cumbersome, but it is doable. I have flown with a toddler and newborn without my dh, and somehow I managed. I know there are others out there that have managed more than that too.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer (after buying a separate seat) is to just go with the flow and stay relaxed. The more relaxed you are the easier the trip will be.

For some parents (not saying that TravelingMom is one of them), it is a cost issue as to whether to buy a separate seat. I realize that this is not the ideal basis on which a parent should make the decision to have a separate seat but it is a reality. It is very discouraging to purchase a separate seat for your child (as I have done several times in the past) only to discover that other parents on the plane who have not purchased a seat simply take up three seats when they only purchased two.

Bring a carseat and gate check your stroller. Find a sky cap to help.

Also, bring yourself a change of clothes, in addition to the baby's.

A deck of cards is great fun--my 14 mo old killed an hour passing them back and forth to me.

Most of all, remember: YOU WILL NEVER SEE THESE PEOPLE AGAIN. DON'T SWEAT IT.

themanfromnantucket-whether or not i have children is irrelevent. just as it is of no importance to me whether or not you have kids. children are great BUT can you not be honest and admit that sometimes they try your patience just a bit? have you ever spent 3 hours next to a toddler who squirmed in his mom's lap the entire time because he wanted to get up and walk around? I am not being nasty, I am just asking that people who bring small children on to planes think about the person sitting next to them. you have no idea why i am flying--maybe to a funeral, or for a business meeting & no idea how the disruption of having juice thrown all over my presentation documents affects my time. but of course, let's just all tiptoe around the whole issue by saying 'kids will be kids'. that may be true, but there needs to be some responsibility on the part of the parent. So, call me nasty if it makes you feel better.

Oh, and by the way nantucket, that attitude of yours is one of the reasons why people without kids roll their eyes at people like you when you board the plane with your family.

Really, I had no clue people "rolled" their eyes when passengers board a plane with kids. An example of how selfish you are. Maybe those people boarding planes with kids are also going to a funeral, or wedding, or a family trip.

Maybe that "large" person you refer to is YOU, and , people may always roll their eyes when the likes of you board the plane.

Children don't try your patience a bit, they try it alot, more than anyone can imagine before having kids.

You have set the tone by basically insulting all people here who travel with kids, by "rolling" you eyes.

Next time a parent is having a tough time with a kid on a plane, be civil and offer some help. That is what people like me do.

I have flown by myself with a 4 year old and an infant. I had the infant in an umbrella stoller and held onto the car seat. I checked the stroller at the cabin door and strapped the baby into the car seat. I had seats purchased for all three of us. When we landed the captain was standing there with my stroller and asked how the flight was. It was so nice. From there I gathered the luggage and made my way down to the car rental counter. I had luggage with wheels but you can ship your stuff ahead of your flight. Is there no one who can drop you at the airport and pick you up? That's probably the part you could use some help.

manfromnantucket, why would you say bugswife is selfish?

All I can add to this is that traveling for leisure and traveling for business are night and day.

When you are flying for business, any and every little thing makes you crazy. All leisure travelers are a pain in the ass and you hate them. Business travelers can spot each other and have a secret in-the-know understanding.

Love,
GoTravel:::::::::100,000+ Frequent Flyer Miles in 2003::::::::All for work!

Pertaining to the post at 4:09pm. Nobody knows why other people travel. To assume that one persons trip is more important than anothers is imbecilic and selfish.

manfromnantucket-i am not about to get into a debate with you about children and etiquette, nor about whether or not I should offer assistance to parents and their kids. that is just too ridiculous for words. if you can't handle your kids (and from your posts, I gather that you can't), then stop breeding. i am EXTREMELY tolerant of other peoples children & have offered assistance in many circumstances. It would be really nice if those parents thought as much about people that don't want to be bothered with their kids. the bottom line is, children are unpredictable and can be disruptive. if you buy the child a seat, you minimize trauma to others AND keep your child safe. why on earth do you have a problem with that? And, by large person I meant TALL too. You know, the poor guy who has his knees up to his chin and doesn't have an inch in his lap to spare for Barney or a juice box. So quit trying to make it look like I am offending the world. You are just looking to cause trouble.

You won't enter a debate about that because you can't. And I question your comprehension, where did I write I can't handle my kids?

It is always my opinion that the parents with NO children are the ones giving out advice. Bugswife is the perfect example. Dogmatic at the least.