Flying with a 2 y/o....can She Be on My Lap??

The airlines will ask for a birth certificate... it stinks, but you'll have to pay full-price for her ticket.

Hello

If you can save the money why not. They don't ask for birth certificates just ss cards. Sometimes you can get lucky and have a seat empty beside you.First time mine flew she was 2 1/2. She did great. It was an early flight and she splept most of the way on my husband lap. That might be the best way to go. Do an early morning or late flight so she will slep through.best of luck.

It may depend on the airline, but with USAir I had to show my son's birth certificate to prove he was under 2.

The airlines do require a birth certificate. I flew with my 2 year old right before she turned 2 and they asked me for her BC in both aiports when I checked in. I have taken her on 3 airplane trips since she was born. I have a wiggly active little one, so each trip became a little harder to keep her happy and sitting still. I think every kid is different. I did take Benadryl with me for my last flight (when she was turning 2) and gave it to her about 30 min before the flight started to board. It was a necessity (although many might disagree with using drugs). It helped her relax and fall asleep (which is what she desperately needed anyway). Good luck with the flight.

It's likely they will ask you for a birth certificate. I wouldn't risk it.

I am pretty sure the cut off is two. They will likely ask to see a birth certificate if you are not buying a seat. Call your airline and ask for the particulars on flying with your child, they are all a little different.

I know it is expensive to purchase another seat, but if you bring your child's car seat & strap it into the seat of the plane, it will make the flight easier for everyone! She will be in a familiar seat, she will be secure & comfortable & you will have hands-free to entertain her better.

Good Luck!!
Flying with kids is an adventure, but it can be really fun.

P : )

Absolutely have to have their own seat - it's FAA regulations. And you have to travel with their birth certificate even if it's within the US. Outside of US you need a passport - takes about 4 weeks to get one and you have to make an appointment with the person at your post office that does the documentation and pictures if you ever need that.

You will have to buy her her own ticket. I am positive. They will check the birth certificate. Even if she were to turn two during the trip you still have to have her in her own seat.

A.,

I have flown twice with my daughter. Once when she was one and then when she was two. I am not sure how long your flight is put ours was from NC to CA and it was about 5.5 hours. If you can afford it, I would go ahead and get the second seat. It will be easier for her to move around, because they do get antsy. I also had a protable dvd player that helped out too. I bought a toy that was special for the trip. I gave it to her when the dvd and coloring books were not keeping her interests and it worked great. When I flew she had her own seat so they didn't ask for any birth certificates to verify her age. I am not sure they would either, but who knows.

I have a two and half your old daughter and a 9 month old son. I am also looking for a job. My children will stay with my neighbor and has when I worked in the past, so she is not very socialized either. She is fine in public, but rarely plays with kids her own age. Let me know if you would like to get together to have our daughters play and for us to meet someone new.

Hello,

I know that Jetblue requires a birth certificate/ID for children. They must be 2yo and under to sit on a lap.

Hope this helps!!!

As long as you and your child are comfortable with them on your lap, go for it and save some money now because later you won't be able to! My daughter is a tiny 4 year old and we flew several times last year and got her through as an "under 2 yr old". No probs for us and the entire plane was impressed by our daughter's behavior and I beleive most of that was due to her being on my lap.
No birth certificates, no IDs for her age. Just make sure you know her "new birthdate" because some airline floks may ask, I was asked and taken off guard :) Also, if you are checking in yourself at a kiosk or something, make sure you indicate "child in lap" so they will just flag you through when boarding. Also, carry your child up there, make it look good :) Have fun, next year you probably won't be able to get by with it, we can't this year :)

WOW! I just read eveyone else's responses about needing the BC and such..that wasn't our experience, so I guess you will have to come to your own conclusion. We flew Delta and Amer Airlines.

I am pretty sure that most airlines require you to purchase a ticket for 2 and up. My dtr. is married to an army guy also. They got stationed in HI and I went out last November to be with her while she had her first little one. It was wonderful!

Although the overwhelming majority is telling you to do the right thing (thanks, moms!)...it saddens me to read some that encourage you to cheat, lie or whatever form of dishonesty you want to call it. Those that have told you that 2 year olds have to have a ticket are correct. That has been true since my 35 year old was two!

As a ticket buying grandmother who has two granddaughter's in CA, and I'm in Memphis - I know the pain of buying those tickets...<grin>. But - honest people sleep better and make a better country.

J.
www.joyboudreau.com

They do ask for your childs birth certificate. I have traveled many times with my 3 year old, and I do not know of any airlines that allow a lap child past 2 years. Sorry...

The cut off is 2 and they do ask for birth certificates. Even if the child turns 2 during travel you have to have her own seat for the return flight.

once your child is 2 you have to buy a ticket no matter their size. they can fly on your lap if its more comfortable, but you still have to by the ticket!

Last year I flew with my almost two year old on my lap (3 weeks shy of two). I had to provide his birth certificate at both check in and at the gate. Both the gate agent and the airline rep at check in questioned his age despite the fact that he was a little small for his age. I also saw a couple who were flying with their 20 month old show their child's birth certificate at the gate. We usually sit in the back of the plane because usually there are more empty seats in the back and other people traveling with children who are more understanding and sometime helpful. Also, the flight attendants are usually in the back and often help by offering cookies, milk or just entertaining the child. JetBlue is usually really great with that. You might want to bring the car seat onto the plane and buckle it into the seatbelt. She'll be more comfortable in it and it's safer too. My child could open the airplane seat belt since he was one year old so it's impossible to get him to stay buckled in. Hope this helps. Have a safe trip.

Ok....I am an Army wife also and it really depends on the length of the flight. I had to travel from Alaska to NC by myself with a 10 yr old, a 2 yr old and a 4 mth old. No fun at all. I had a double stroller and a car seat that I had deal with in between flights and we changed flights 4 times. The longest flight was over 5 hrs long. The short 1 to 1 1/2 hr flights were not bad but the 5+ hr of holding my 4 mth old son was no fun. He slept alot and could have been seated but no place to put him but on my lap. Holding a sleeping baby for a little is fun. Not for 5 hrs of not being able to get up and what not. Also trying to help my 2 yr old was a chore. Me and my 10 yr old was passing both kids. I ended up letting my 2 yr old set with my 10 yr old so the baby could sleep in the car seat for a bit so I could go to the bathroom and then have some soda. I have to say that my 10 yr old girl really helped me a lot on that flight.

A.,I traveled from northern michigan to chigago several times with my daughter on my lap but our flight was only an hour each way.that wasent that bad of a trip.but you did not say how long your flight was.I have also went from northern michigan to alaska but that was 6 hours flight time and I was glad she had her own seat.the air lines did not ask for her id or birth cirtificate but that was before 9/11.dont know if they do now or not.

I just recently flew with my 14 month old and it was quite an experience! I believe it depends on the airline, but we flew delta and they allowed children under 2 to fly on parents lap. They did check her birth certificate though to see what her exact date of birth was. Once on the flight they had these crazy rules that I had to hold her facing me pressed against my chest, bracing her neck and spine. Well, my daughter is miss independant and is not a cuddler so she was not having this. She squermed and faught me until I finally gave up and let her sit facing out disreegarding the rules! I was so stressed by the end of it I vowed to pay the extra money next time and get a special child's seat for the plane just to avoid this situation again! Good luck with your travel!

Hi A., I flew with my daughter from Charlotte to California two weeks ago. She turned 2 on April 1st. We actually brought her carseat and bought her a ticket and I'm really glad I did. If you are able to fly her as a lap child, then you can probably do it but I think it depends on the child. My daughter is used to the carseat for that lenght of time because we took trips to VA and to the beach every year, and we brought toys, snacks, and a dvd player on the plane to keep her occupied and it was fine. If your daughter absolutely hates the carseat it might be worth it to try to fly with her on your lap, but you might find it easier to strap her into the carseat and let her play, eat, etc. The only problem we had the entire flight was when we had to change her. She flipped out and I ended up doing a three second change in my seat, with her standing up, and literally yanked the old diaper off and slapped on a new one to stop the noise! Other than that it was WAY less painful than I anticipated. Make sure you have her favorite stuff (blankies, etc) and try bringing a few toys she's never seen before so she'll be excited. We also told my daughter (who loves planes in general) that she would be flying a few weeks ahead of time and made a big deal about it and she was excited. Good luck!

When your child turns 2, they MUST buy a seat. The airline will check birth certificates and immunization records to verify how old she is.

I have a three year old, but when she was just turning 2 (she's big and looked 3!) she sat on my lap for what was supposed to be a 2 hour flight. We got delayed and she had to sit on my lap for about 5 hours. She did awesome! It was a little cramped and hard to reach down for your bag to get things for her to do, so get an aisle seat! I brought along her birth certificate since she was just a month shy of 2, but they never asked to see it, just asked me her age. Hope this helps you out!

They tell you to take her birth certificate & they do check it. The checked my DD to verify age & she was 11 mos old! Obvious she wasn't 2. I wouldn't chance it these days. Sorry :)

Check with the airline on their rules. They may be listed on their web site. I always felt safer with my children in their own seat.

Unfortunately, over 2 they pay, and 99% of the time, it is full price. She will have her own seat, after take off, she may end up in yours, but you still pay, and yes, they are requesting birth certificates!! If you dont buy the seat and play dumb, they dont care, they can charge you full price at that time, if they so choose, so a ticket could end up costing triple or more what you paid. The airlines are not user friendly anymore. I would say, take a backpack with lots of interactive play things to keep her and you busy!! Sorry for the bad news!

I've flown with my child across the country 5 times now, and wouldn't recommend her in your lap for a long flight. The airlines have never asked for any kind of ID for her, and don't imagine they'll be that precise, so you may be able to get away with it. Although, they may not have asked because I've gotten her a seat since she was 7 months old.
Personally, it's just a lot more comfortable for both her and me if she has her own seat, but that's just my opinion. My 2 year old doesn't like to sit still for that long, and unless she's strapped into her carseat on the plane I have almost no chance of keeping her still and happy.
Good luck!

I have flown with my kids many times. When they were under 2ish, they were always on my lap. Even after they were 3 and older, they would end up in my lap. The flight attendant will be sure that you are safe.

No, I'm pretty sure she has to be in her own seat. I was on a flight where a Mom was getting in trouble because her two year old wanted to sit on her lap,and they told her that she had to have her kid in his own seat.

I just looked into this for myself, and, yes, they are that precise. If you fly one way when they are under two, they can sit on your lap - but if you fly back on their 2nd birthday, you have to purchase a seat for them. You can look at info here:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
http://www.flyingwithkids.com/
As well as the individual company's website.

We travel with our kids and the strict rule is once they turn 2, you buy them a seat. Wish it wasn't so, but it is. Sorry.

You'll have to put her on a seat. Sorry. We always try to sit in the back of the plane where it is the noisiest. That way if our son cries or gets loud most people wont hear it. Plus, the loud plane can lull them to sleep. Added bonus...if the plane isn't full sometimes you will get lucky and there will be an extra seat available to stretch out in. The back is usually the last to fill up. Good Luck.