I think it is becoming more difficult to travel with small children. When we started traveling with baby 3 years ago, it was easy. Discounts were large and nobody questioned the sit-n-stroll and it fit everywhere.
Then the newer airplanes started coming out?smaller seats, skinnier aisles made the sit-n-stroll more difficult, but still no real rejections. The smaller seats were okay, because you just raised the arm rest. Plus we moved the older child to the CARES harness.
Now, however, we have been on flights that won?t let us use the sit-n-stroll. Sometimes the seats don?t have arm rests that move so it will not fit. One made us put it in the overhead because we could not use it during take-off/landing, but it was okay otherwise. On the return leg we did not have to put it in the overhead, having it empty but in the seat was good enough.
Most recently we have been told that the airplane only has a few seats designated for car seat use. If they run out before you book, too bad.
And that the CARES can only be used in the back row because it can be seen by the person sitting behind you. Never has anyone complained to us about the CARES strap, but I guess somebody must have.
And, for those of you in business class, those new air bag seatbelts prevent car seat use beacuse the belts are too wide.
You get the idea that the airlines would rather you just left the kids at home, along with your checked luggage. You also get the idea that airplanes are designed by engineers without kids.
The worst part is that they keep quoting ?safety?. That your kid is ?safer? in one of those kiddie seatbelts strapped to a parent than in their own seat, strapped in a car seat with a multi-point harness. Who makes this stuff up?
Then the newer airplanes started coming out?smaller seats, skinnier aisles made the sit-n-stroll more difficult, but still no real rejections. The smaller seats were okay, because you just raised the arm rest. Plus we moved the older child to the CARES harness.
Now, however, we have been on flights that won?t let us use the sit-n-stroll. Sometimes the seats don?t have arm rests that move so it will not fit. One made us put it in the overhead because we could not use it during take-off/landing, but it was okay otherwise. On the return leg we did not have to put it in the overhead, having it empty but in the seat was good enough.
Most recently we have been told that the airplane only has a few seats designated for car seat use. If they run out before you book, too bad.
And that the CARES can only be used in the back row because it can be seen by the person sitting behind you. Never has anyone complained to us about the CARES strap, but I guess somebody must have.
And, for those of you in business class, those new air bag seatbelts prevent car seat use beacuse the belts are too wide.
You get the idea that the airlines would rather you just left the kids at home, along with your checked luggage. You also get the idea that airplanes are designed by engineers without kids.
The worst part is that they keep quoting ?safety?. That your kid is ?safer? in one of those kiddie seatbelts strapped to a parent than in their own seat, strapped in a car seat with a multi-point harness. Who makes this stuff up?