Vacation Safety: Traveling with baby
Posted by
Megan RothApril 01, 2009 9:01 AM
Six – the number of flights I’ve taken in the last month. Four – the number that have been equipped with screaming children (three times I sat directly next to the parent holding the highly-disruptive child).
Now, I’m generally not a kids person and ordinarily I’d silently curse a screaming child, calling them spoiled, pampered, etc. However, in the case where a parent takes their infant on an airplane, I point the finger at the parent for simply putting a small child in such an uncomfortable position.
In this situation, I’m also going to comment on the fact that taking an infant as your flight ‘carry-on’ isn’t only uncomfortable but also unsafe. Think about it here: federal laws are in place requiring that adults wear seatbelts, similar to the way we’re required to wear seatbelts in cars. Why, then, are infants not required to be strapped in (similar to the way they’re required to be properly fastened in a child safety seat)?
Airline deregulation has saved billions of consumer dollars since 1978; however, its focus continues to be on convenience and it has yet to sweep infant & toddler travel under its wing (yes – pun intended).
There have been numerous proposals suggesting that parents should be required to fly infants and toddlers in paid seats with child restraint systems…and I agree.
Evidently Representative Jim Lightfoot (R – IA) and Senator Kit Bond do as well (in 1991 they proposed legislation mandating the use of safety seats by the 5,000-10,000 infants who fly daily on the nation’s 16,000 flights).
In their proposal, they stated: “To support a safety decision with general statistics in comparison to the competition and the claim of a consumer that can’t think for itself is irresponsible.” Again – agreed.
Yet, the legislation (which was proposed nearly 20 years ago) has yet to take effect. Granted, airplane crashes aren’t as common as automobile accidents; however, the fact several infant lives have been lost should be enough to convince someone that the free flight isn’t worth the risk.
Just a couple of months ago I watched out my office windows as a plane crashed into the Hudson
rather than “plummeted,” which could have had tragically different results.
In my most humble opinion, a small child should not even be given the opportunity to crawl around an airplane (they’re not allowed to crawl over seats in a mini-van, are they?!).
Any parent should recognize that proper use of a child restraint device enhances child safety – heck, many airlines even recognize this and recommend that children under 40 pounds be adequately secured during flights.
Similarly the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children be placed in rear-facing child safety seats (the vast majority of which are certified for air travel).
Note that this is a recommendation, not a regulation. Also note this will be more costly than traveling with an infant on one’s lap; however, when it comes to traveling with a child, safety should come first.