Flying with infant under 2

[osucbsb]

We will be traveling to WDW nonstop from Dallas on SW Airlines next July. We have never flown with an infant before and she will be under 2 years old. There is 12 total counting the infant in our party, should we buy the infant a ticket or hold her on our lap for the 2 1/2 hour flight?

 

[dreamfinder]

So no guarantee you would all be able to sit together. And remember, for the first and last 15-20 mins you won't be able to pass them around (nor should you). Do you plan on taking the infant on multiple plane flights over the next few years? If you do, you can get a decent car seat for $40 or so. Personally, the car seat and having their own seat is totally worth it. Especially if they are able to sleep for awhile. And having been on several turbulent flights lately, having the ability to make sure the infant is secure is helpful.

Yeah, it means another adult ticket since the infant fare is a discount off the full priced ticket which will usually cost more than the Gotta Get Away ticket.

 

[osucbsb]

Thanks for the advice. The infant is actually my brother in law's and I don't see them flying again while the child is under or in a car seat.

 

[MickeyMomV]

How old is the child going to be? You mention infant and under 2. If the child is truly an infant (up to 9 to 12 months) I would just do him/her on your lap. With the cabin pressurization they are going to be doing a lot of holding and calming the baby anyway. Now if you are talking closer to that 2 year old age I would definitely do a separate seat as a 1 1/2 to 2 year old will get heavy by the end of 2 hours.

Now as @dreamfinder mentioned there is no reserved seats on SW but when traveling with small children you do get to board right after priority boarding, prior to general boarding. So there should be no issues with most of everybody sitting in the same area. At the very least your brother-in-laws family will be together

 

[Nemo14]

How old is the child going to be? You mention infant and under 2. If the child is truly an infant (up to 9 to 12 months) I would just do him/her on your lap. With the cabin pressurization they are going to be doing a lot of holding and calming the baby anyway. Now if you are talking closer to that 2 year old age I would definitely do a separate seat as a 1 1/2 to 2 year old will get heavy by the end of 2 hours.

Now as @dreamfinder mentioned there is no reserved seats on SW but when traveling with small children you do get to board right after priority boarding, prior to general boarding. So there should be no issues with most of everybody sitting in the same area. At the very least your brother-in-laws family will be together

Actually with Southwest, families with children board after the A group boards.

 

[osucbsb]

How old is the child going to be? You mention infant and under 2. If the child is truly an infant (up to 9 to 12 months) I would just do him/her on your lap. With the cabin pressurization they are going to be doing a lot of holding and calming the baby anyway. Now if you are talking closer to that 2 year old age I would definitely do a separate seat as a 1 1/2 to 2 year old will get heavy by the end of 2 hours.

Now as @dreamfinder mentioned there is no reserved seats on SW but when traveling with small children you do get to board right after priority boarding, prior to general boarding. So there should be no issues with most of everybody sitting in the same area. At the very least your brother-in-laws family will be together

She is going to be 1 1/2 years old at the time we travel. Thanks for all of the info!

 

[DryerLintFan]

She is going to be 1 1/2 years old at the time we travel. Thanks for all of the info!

All children are different in regards to the amount they move around, but it would be pure torture trying to get my daughter to hold still on my lap for 2.5 hours at that age. I would suggest your brother try it out at home. Maybe start a movie on a tablet and see how long she can sit on his lap before getting completely, utterly, and painfully restless (you'd be surprised how many hard pointy body parts young children seem to have, and they always seem to hit a sensitive area when they squirm). Even when we go to the movie theater, we get her her own seat, LOL.