Hi folks --

I don't fly CO much (I'm an AA guy most of the time), so I don't know how this works or what the official rules are. But here's the scenario.

My wife wants to travel alone with our toddler on a transcon this summer (I'll be with them one way but not both ways). Her parents are booked on the same flight in first class, while she and the kiddo don't have enough miles or $$ to sit upfront. She'd really rather not handle the kid for six-plus hours on her own and her parents would like to help her in-flight.

So our questions are these:

1) Will the flight crew get upset if my wife and her parents swap seats every hour or so, so everyone can take turns entertaining the kiddo in back? Can people in first freely swap with people in coach whenever they want in flight, however much they want?

2) The kiddo is under two, so she's technically allowed to sit on a lap. She will have her own seat in coach. But if she wants to go sit in first-class with grandma and grandpa for a while on their laps, will they allow that? (I realize many of you think kids shouldn't sit upfront at all, but if we could avoid that debate in this thread I'd be grateful).

Thanks for any insight you can offer... I realize that there may be official rules that don't always get enforced (but that we can't count on them not being enforced... sigh)

Ron