best infant backpack carriers image
lachburke
I am booked on a flight on Alaska Airlines next year with my 1.5 year old. He is flying on a full fare adult ticket not a discounted infant fare (usually 1/2 price). Both our tickets are points tickets (Perth through to Vancouver on Qantas then Alaska AL). Qantas does not require a booster seat for children in their own seat, even if they are under 2 (ie. infants) so I was not planning on bringing a car seat as I am travelling alone and will have enough to carry as it is. I read on the Alaska AL website that "children travelling on 50% infant ticket seats must use a booster/car seat approved for car and air travel". I'm wondering, given that my son will be travelling on a full fare adult ticket whether he needs the booster seat? What will they do if I don't have one, not let us on the flight? Or, shall I just lie and say he's 2 - or just board the flight with him in his own seat w/out booster and they will assume is is two and not longer an infant and therefore no booster required.
Answer
My 6-year-old has now flown on 242 flights and my 2-year-old on 40 flights. Mostly on Alaska Airlines so I have a bit of experience with this.
As a lap baby (unpaid), you definitely don't need a car seat. Some airlines like Northwest are real pricks about not allowing you to use one even on a flight with lots of empty seats. Whereas Alaska is one of the most baby-friendly airlines we've used and will let you use an empty seat for a car seat even though you paid nothing. I'll reserve a window-aisle combo (leaving an empty middle seat) towards the back of the plane to increase the chance of getting a free empty seat. IF someone does buy the seat between, they ALWAYS want to get out from between mother-child or mother-father passing a baby back and forth.
Without a carseat, you will need to have them in your lap for take-off and landing. They might want you to pick them up during possible turbulance as well. What you propose is no different than the unpaid lap baby who has an empty seat next to them. I can't imagine the flight attendents caring except during take-off and landing and then, (despite the physics involved), Mom's arms suffice. (or a car seat)
But I would reconsider your plan. Again, I've done this A LOT, and we try hard to BRING the car seat, not leave it or check it. Of course the car seat is safest in a crash, but Quantas has never had a crash and Alaska only loses planes about once every 20 years. More importantly, a child can sleep in a car seat much easier because it is sloped and their head is suported on both sides. And your arms will get TIRED of holding him for 18 hours of flight time. And if he gets into a total screaming, kicking fit about being overtired, jet-lagged, etc, you can strap him and pop in a pacificer. For some kids, being secured down helps at times. Sure, it is one more thing to schlepp through the airport, but you could always use a rental cart for $3 or call for one of those electric carts the old folks use. At 1.5 years old, I'd bring a Baby Bjorn front carrier so you can have him on your chest and leave your two hands free. One for the car seat and one to present tickets, passports, etc.
For your carry-on, use a backpack/rucksack. Baby in front, backpack behind, car seat on one arm, one hand free. I've gone through many airports and countries that way. So has my wife. Yeah, it is easier with two adults, but doable as one.
Try hard to save nursing or a bottle for climb-out and, less so, descent. The swallowing helps clear his ear pressure.
Theoretically, they can ask to see a US FAA approval sticker for airplane use on the carseat (they all have it), but any nation's approval ought to fly. And Alaska doesn't check all that often.
You'll need a car seat to drive with him in Alaska until he is 4 years or 40 pounds. And while airplanes rarely hit moose, cars and taxis do.
My 6-year-old has now flown on 242 flights and my 2-year-old on 40 flights. Mostly on Alaska Airlines so I have a bit of experience with this.
As a lap baby (unpaid), you definitely don't need a car seat. Some airlines like Northwest are real pricks about not allowing you to use one even on a flight with lots of empty seats. Whereas Alaska is one of the most baby-friendly airlines we've used and will let you use an empty seat for a car seat even though you paid nothing. I'll reserve a window-aisle combo (leaving an empty middle seat) towards the back of the plane to increase the chance of getting a free empty seat. IF someone does buy the seat between, they ALWAYS want to get out from between mother-child or mother-father passing a baby back and forth.
Without a carseat, you will need to have them in your lap for take-off and landing. They might want you to pick them up during possible turbulance as well. What you propose is no different than the unpaid lap baby who has an empty seat next to them. I can't imagine the flight attendents caring except during take-off and landing and then, (despite the physics involved), Mom's arms suffice. (or a car seat)
But I would reconsider your plan. Again, I've done this A LOT, and we try hard to BRING the car seat, not leave it or check it. Of course the car seat is safest in a crash, but Quantas has never had a crash and Alaska only loses planes about once every 20 years. More importantly, a child can sleep in a car seat much easier because it is sloped and their head is suported on both sides. And your arms will get TIRED of holding him for 18 hours of flight time. And if he gets into a total screaming, kicking fit about being overtired, jet-lagged, etc, you can strap him and pop in a pacificer. For some kids, being secured down helps at times. Sure, it is one more thing to schlepp through the airport, but you could always use a rental cart for $3 or call for one of those electric carts the old folks use. At 1.5 years old, I'd bring a Baby Bjorn front carrier so you can have him on your chest and leave your two hands free. One for the car seat and one to present tickets, passports, etc.
For your carry-on, use a backpack/rucksack. Baby in front, backpack behind, car seat on one arm, one hand free. I've gone through many airports and countries that way. So has my wife. Yeah, it is easier with two adults, but doable as one.
Try hard to save nursing or a bottle for climb-out and, less so, descent. The swallowing helps clear his ear pressure.
Theoretically, they can ask to see a US FAA approval sticker for airplane use on the carseat (they all have it), but any nation's approval ought to fly. And Alaska doesn't check all that often.
You'll need a car seat to drive with him in Alaska until he is 4 years or 40 pounds. And while airplanes rarely hit moose, cars and taxis do.
My 11 week old is eating less but more frequently what can I do?
Leah
He is getting breastmilk, he doesn't get sleepy he just doesn't want anymore or he gets fussy. And he has been waking up at night more often too. What can I do so he eats less frequent? It just seems all I do is feed him. He use to eat 5 ozs every 4 hours and now he eats 2-3 ozs every 1-2 hours.
Answer
As a parent, I do understand how difficult it is to get up every several hours to feed a hungry infant. I remember praying for the time my son would sleep through the night. In my son's case, he didn't sleep all through the night until about 2 yrs. old.
It's normal that infants start becoming more alert, stay awake, instead of going back to sleep after feeding, at your son's age. Every month during the first year of life there are many changes and you have to change gears, according to their needs. If he stays awake, he will want stimulation. He will be looking around at his environment for interesting things he can learn about. Sit him up in an infant seat, with seat belt on. Infant's can see more of their environment while sitting up or when being carried and that's why they get fussy laying flat and being bored. They want to be right there with you. Electronic swings are a god send for parents. They love to swing and it calms them and some have music. Some babies are more in need of attention than others. I also used a backpack carrier when my son was a little older and I did my housework with him drooling down my neck. My husband took a really neat crocheted ball of all colors, and hung it from the ceiling. While he was cooking, he would start the ball swinging, and my son loved that. He eventually started hitting the ball with his hands and feet and that was really fun for him.
It sounds like you are pumping breast milk and then feeding him with a bottle. That would explain how you know how many ounces you are feeding him. When my baby was this age, I had to go back to full time working. What I found out, was that even though I was pumping breast milk and storing it properly, the milk had a sour taste. I found out that stress (I'm a nurse) was making the milk sour. Also, in my own experience, pumping was not stimulating my breasts to make milk. In fact, I was making less and less. We used formula after this experience and I just breast fed when he woke up a night.
I had a lot of guilt at first, about using formula. But my son was happy, growing and I could see nothing adverse from using formula. I realized that millions of infants are fed formula and were healthy and happy and normal. I found out that even 1 ounce of breast milk could help provide some immunity, so I continued to breast feed up to 6 mo. of age, at night.
So, take a little taste of your breast milk, if you have pumped it, and see how it tastes. Burp your baby really well. If fussy, check out all the things that make a baby fuss: wet diaper, not comfortable in current position, diaper rash, needs some cuddling, etc. When babies are fussy, they are telling you that they need something or aren't feeling well.
Find ways to stimulate your baby, play with him, and carry him. If real fussy, take you and your baby out for a drive. Make sure you have age appropriate toys for him. Purchase a book about growth and development. This is a fun way of noticing all the subtle skills your infant will be experiencing during this first year of life. When he awakens at night, don't act like it's time to play. Keep your voice in a gentle whisper, use a night light. Don't let him wait to eat. The second he starts to cry, feed him. When you are half through with the feeding, quickly change his diaper and resume the rest of his feeding. Make sure he knows that darkness means quiet by using some of the ideas I did.
Ask your friends and family for feedback. Then you filter through all the feedback and choose the ideas that will work for you and your family.
As a parent, I do understand how difficult it is to get up every several hours to feed a hungry infant. I remember praying for the time my son would sleep through the night. In my son's case, he didn't sleep all through the night until about 2 yrs. old.
It's normal that infants start becoming more alert, stay awake, instead of going back to sleep after feeding, at your son's age. Every month during the first year of life there are many changes and you have to change gears, according to their needs. If he stays awake, he will want stimulation. He will be looking around at his environment for interesting things he can learn about. Sit him up in an infant seat, with seat belt on. Infant's can see more of their environment while sitting up or when being carried and that's why they get fussy laying flat and being bored. They want to be right there with you. Electronic swings are a god send for parents. They love to swing and it calms them and some have music. Some babies are more in need of attention than others. I also used a backpack carrier when my son was a little older and I did my housework with him drooling down my neck. My husband took a really neat crocheted ball of all colors, and hung it from the ceiling. While he was cooking, he would start the ball swinging, and my son loved that. He eventually started hitting the ball with his hands and feet and that was really fun for him.
It sounds like you are pumping breast milk and then feeding him with a bottle. That would explain how you know how many ounces you are feeding him. When my baby was this age, I had to go back to full time working. What I found out, was that even though I was pumping breast milk and storing it properly, the milk had a sour taste. I found out that stress (I'm a nurse) was making the milk sour. Also, in my own experience, pumping was not stimulating my breasts to make milk. In fact, I was making less and less. We used formula after this experience and I just breast fed when he woke up a night.
I had a lot of guilt at first, about using formula. But my son was happy, growing and I could see nothing adverse from using formula. I realized that millions of infants are fed formula and were healthy and happy and normal. I found out that even 1 ounce of breast milk could help provide some immunity, so I continued to breast feed up to 6 mo. of age, at night.
So, take a little taste of your breast milk, if you have pumped it, and see how it tastes. Burp your baby really well. If fussy, check out all the things that make a baby fuss: wet diaper, not comfortable in current position, diaper rash, needs some cuddling, etc. When babies are fussy, they are telling you that they need something or aren't feeling well.
Find ways to stimulate your baby, play with him, and carry him. If real fussy, take you and your baby out for a drive. Make sure you have age appropriate toys for him. Purchase a book about growth and development. This is a fun way of noticing all the subtle skills your infant will be experiencing during this first year of life. When he awakens at night, don't act like it's time to play. Keep your voice in a gentle whisper, use a night light. Don't let him wait to eat. The second he starts to cry, feed him. When you are half through with the feeding, quickly change his diaper and resume the rest of his feeding. Make sure he knows that darkness means quiet by using some of the ideas I did.
Ask your friends and family for feedback. Then you filter through all the feedback and choose the ideas that will work for you and your family.
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Title Post: Do I have to use an approved car/booster seat on Alaska Airlines?
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Author: Unknown
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Rating: 96% based on 987 ratings. 4,7 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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