patplh

Hi .. I am all booked to go to Taipei via Chicago and Hong Kong on CX and Dragonair. We are flying business class and reserved seats in the mini-cabin (rows 11/12, i think). As my infant is becoming more mobile, I'm getting more nervous about having him fly as a lapchild. I already received advice that i should bring a wrap or something to wear him loosely while we're seated or sleeping.. but I'm trying to figure out if there's any way I can have my hands free on the flight (aside from passing the baby to a family member).
Some people recommended putting him on the floor while in the air ( when no seatbelts are required).. he's already scooting around and getting into everything (he's 7 months old right now) so I'm a little wary of doing that .. Has anyone ever successfully brought a booster seat onto the plane so their kid sits on the floor in that? I'm thinking of something like this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...XD6QG9YYB0GQXS

Or is it even allowed? I figure if they are OK with kids sitting on the floor, having them restrained on the floor should be OK, right?

When you put your baby on the floor, did you also sit on the floor or is that not allowed?

I know the best thing would be for him to have his own seat with his car seat, but we didn't go that route.

Thanks, Patty

mp2

We travel with our 8 month old son in a Baby Carrier (Ergo Baby or Baby Bjorn). He seems to like it, and we can sleep peacefully too. Don't need to worry and our hands are free as well.

Keeping kids on the floor, seems like a security hazard.

This was done on a trans continental domestic flight.

Eclipsepearl

Different airlines have different rules but when I worked for two U.S. companies, babies could go on the floor if the parent was right there to scoop them up if turbulence hit. They couldn't sleep on floor for safety reasons.

It's not too clean down there, although probably better in business. Get your baby used to crawling with socks over his hands. Some parents thrown down something on the floor for the baby.

There's no way to restrain a baby on the floor so that's not an option.

That item looks bulky and I doubt a crawling baby will tolerate being strapped down in it.

An 8 month old wont fit in a Baby Bjorn or other front pack but a better quality baby carrier like an Ergo or Beco would work. Make sure your baby is not in it for take-off and landing. Ask the crew what the rules are but they are unsafe in the carrier during those times (better loose in your lap). You'll be so glad you brought it, especially in the airport and when you need to calm him down during the flight.

My babies had their own seats on the plane and I used car seats on board but they didn't stop them from crawling when the seat belt sign was off. Remember that babies do not stay in car seats the whole time.

Up in business, you'll have more room and since you're not the only adult, that will make it easier.

patplh

Thanks for the responses.. Right now, i think i'm bringing my ergo and my maya wrap (ring sling). And a blanket for the ground. Although the Reps at Cathay tell me that in the new Business Class (which are herringbone configured cubicles), the floor space is basically the aisle, so that might not be an option.. we'll see.. although, i hate the uncertainty.. i want to plan everything!

michellemck99

Hi patplh - I have flown in the CX herringbone-configured business class seats, and as memory serves there is little floor space that could be used. The upside of this configuration is for fully-flat sleeping; I think the best you could do would be to recline your seat to horizontal, and then use your pillow to sit upright against the walls of your seat configuration, cross-legged, and then you may have just enough space for baby to lay down on the ottoman-side of your horizontal seat.

Here's a good picture Google pointed me towards of how the seats are configured.

Here is another picture from a different angle.

Good luck!

Eclipsepearl

Wow, those seats are really crammed in there.

A lap baby wont be as bad as it is for families who have older kids. Everyone would be really separated and it would be hard to even hold a conversation.

So much for passing a lap baby back and forth...

BearX220

CX business class is decidedly not a family product, or for grownups travelling together either for that matter. I say that not to express bias against families flying up front, but to observe that the CX seat design and cabin layout are really only for people traveling alone. You can't attend to another person of any age with ease, and the seats are too narrow to care for a lap child comfortably, especially on a long sector like LAX-HKG. You feel like Dracula in his coffin, stashed in there with high walls all around you.

From a safety standpoint there is not much practical distinction in an emergency between holding a baby on your lap... and swaddling it up on the floor. G forces will make them little projectiles in both cases no matter how fiercely you try to hold on. The only safe way to transport a baby is to buy a separate seat and strap in an approved baby seat.

azepine00

If you turn your seat into bed and lower the footrest you can sit there with the back area completely enclosed for your kid to sleep or play. Not a lot of space and not much comfort for you but better than nothing.
There is really no room on the floor and that applies to pretty much every C product I've seen.

I am not sure if a separate seat in Y is gonna be much better as your kid won't sleep for 14 hrs anyways - perhaps a proper application of benadryl can address that.

patplh

Thanks for the visual.. i hadn't thought of using the seats fully reclined except in an attempt to get some shut eye while hoping not to smush my little one.. but as a play area.. that would be great.


Yeah, I was really against flying business after I realized how the seats were configured.. but hubby insists that through his years and years of travel, this trip is what he was banking all this miles for.. and there was no way he was going to fly coach... so here we are.. i bet he knew about this config long before i did and figured that it would be his own alone-time.. hehe


Thanks .. three walls around him would probably be best since he's becoming a little mover nowadays.. i'm hoping he doesn't go into full crawl before we leave, but i'm pretty sure he will.. oh well..

Thanks again everyone!!

azepine00

Any first hand experience updates on lap kids in C on CX?

We have a choice between F and C and to make things more fun, it will be twins approaching 2 yr. I know we are going down but should we take F or C pax with us... .

As another alternative in terms of miles and fees, 4 seats in coach are about the same but CX 777 coach is 3x3x3 IIRC making this option impractical (i would perhaps consider 4xY on 747 though).

thetraveltot

We flew in business class on Cathay with this configuration when my son was 4 and daughter was 1 (as a lap baby). It was amazing for my son. He thought the entertainment system was fantastic and was thrilled to have his own pod. I had a terrible flight with my 1 year old. We could not get comfortable and all she did was try to climb up the side of the pod for 5 hours and peek at the other passengers (who were traveling on business and less excited to see her). These seats from what I remember do not work with a car seat (although I'm not sure about a booster seat). You would need to call the airline.
At this age I feel that business class is a little bit wasted (and especially with the pods). After this trip I decided that until my kids were older, business class would only be used when traveling without kids. So coach class it has been !

http://thetraveltot.com

bagold

Definitely take F! Have flown both J and F many times. F has so much more space than J. J really has no space for kids.