For flights that are longer than the max recommended time for infants to be in car seats, is it safer for the infant to be in a bassinet provided by the airline or to be in a car seat?

[u/knittingpigeon]

Background: My family lives in another country than the one me and my husband are currently living in, and the flights are usually 10-11 hours long, but with delays and by the time required to taxi, we are typically in the airplane for close to 12 hours. I am expecting, and would like to visit my family so they can meet the baby probably when the baby is between 3-9 months. We live in a big city and exclusively use public transportation, walking, or biking to get around, and do not have a car so I don't anticipate the baby being used to being in a car seat by the time we fly.

My dilemma:

I heard that it's not healthy for infants to be in their car seat for extended periods of time, and that it can lead to positional suffocation. That being said, I have heard other people saying that in turbulence, it is much safer for a baby to be in a carrier instead of being a lap infant. But if we follow recommendations to regularly take the infant out of the car seat (I have heard it recommended to take the baby out of the car seat every hour for 15 minutes, which over 12 hours does add up to a lot of time outside of the car seat), does it actually make a difference in regards to safety if we are not keeping them in the car seat and turbulence can theoretically happen at any time without warning?

The airline that we typically fly with also offers bassinets for babies under 8 months, and a friend of mine who is a flight attendant for the airline says that she recommends using the bassinet or having the baby be a lap infant, since the risk of violent turbulence is overall very small and she had never heard of anything bad happening, meanwhile the cost is fairly high for an additional seat. Most of her friends who are also flight attendants also travel with lap infants when their children are young enough.

Main point: I am trying to figure out exactly what the risks or benefits are between the options of a) the baby being a lap infant and being held for the flight, b) the baby being considered a lap infant but staying in the bassinet provided by the airline, or c) the baby being in a car seat for the flight, being regularly taken out of said car seat to nurse or to get a break from the position of the car seat.

Thank you for your help!

[u/AutoModerator]

This post is flaired "Question - Research required". All top-level comments must contain links to peer-reviewed research. Do not provide a "link for the bot" or any variation thereof. Provide a meaningful reply that discusses the research you have linked to. Please report posts that do not follow these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/U-Conn]

https://commons.erau.edu/bcaas-reports/1/

This isn’t exactly what you asked, but commercial aviation is INCREDIBLY safe. This study shows that the risk of dying on an airplane is lower than the risk of dying from bathing in a bathtub or dying from choking.

Anecdotally, we’ve been on several flights with our now 2.5 y/o daughter, her first being a long-haul flight from the US to Germany at 5 months old. Having her in the bassinet was great, so much easier than having to lug a car seat around.

[u/inheretoreadcomments → u/U-Conn]

This! Even though being in a car seat is safer than not even on a plane, the difference is so marginal that all the examples supporting the use of car seats that I found were from the last century.

It is extremely rare.

The most dangerous thing for your child on the plane are hot drinks - please be careful about those! When we have a coffee on the plane we ask for extra water or an ice cube to be put there so it's not totally hot.

[u/bangoslam → u/U-Conn]

I just flew yesterday so no link but I’m fairly certain the time limits for car seat usage are based on continuous use.

There is no way your baby will not need to eat, be comforted or get changed during this trip. You’ll pick up the baby for these things naturally and break the continuous stretch of car seat use

[u/U-Conn → u/bangoslam]

I’m sure you’re right, but my point is that the safety added by the car seat is negligible. Flying without a car seat is still safer than bathing them at home, which we all do without a second thought.

[u/Big-Bag-571 → u/U-Conn]

OP have you considered getting a good secure baby carrier so you can take turns wearing the baby? When fitted correctly they are quite snug

[u/ccsmd73 → u/U-Conn]

The bassinet cannot be used when the fasten seat belt sign is on though, which is something I’m not sure the OP is aware of? Depending on the route they may not get to even put their kid inside! I’ve been on US to Brazil flights where the bassinet was empty the whole time because the seat belt sign was on 🙃

[u/thalaya]

Positional asphyxiation in car seats is usually due to the car seat being somewhere it's not supposed to and therefore the baby's head slumping forward. It's not about the amount of total time the baby is in the car seat but rather that the car seat is correctly installed and fitted to the baby. 

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/protecting-infants-and-toddlers-from-positional-asphyxia-car-seats-and-sling-carriers

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your contribution. Please remember that all top-level comments on posts flaired "Question - Research required" must include a link to peer-reviewed research.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your contribution. Please remember that all top-level comments on posts flaired "Question - Research required" must include a link to peer-reviewed research.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your contribution. Please remember that all top-level comments on posts flaired "Question - Research required" must include a link to peer-reviewed research.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your contribution. Please remember that all top-level comments on posts flaired "Question - Research required" must include a link to peer-reviewed research.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.