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While we all look forward to flying to some exotic country, or perhaps take the family on a much anticipated vacation to Disneyland, child safety on airlines is of the utmost concern to parents, airline carriers, and the airline crew.  Here are tips to ensure your child’s safety in the air.

By following this simple check list of procedures, you are ensuring your child will be secure, you are, as it were completing a child safety version of ‘property surveys‘ to ensure your child is as ’safe as houses’.

Ensure that you follow the instructions given by the flight attendant regarding seat belts and exit doors.  For children, it is recommended that you keep them in their seats with the seat belt locked.  Children tend to get antsy and want to move around.  They can do so when the seat belt sign is off – but if there is turbulence, keep them in the seat belt until it is safe for them to get up.

If you do take your child to the bathroom, hold the child’s hand while walking up or down the aisle.  Ensure he or she doesn’t reach out to take anything off a passenger’s tray.

Speaking about children who get antsy – there are some children who get downright uncontrollable.  Keep in mind the flight attendants are not there to mind your children, so it is important that you supervise the children at all times.  Bring their favorite toys or books to keep them occupied, especially on long flights.  You can also bring electronic toys, but these can only be used when the airline is in flight.

One of the most important recommendations is to not seat your child in the aisle seat.  If there is turbulence, the tray cart the flight attendants use may veer off and hurt the child’s arm.  The appropriate seating arrangement should have the child sitting in the middle between two adults.

In case of an emergency where the masks are deployed, put your mask on first and then tend to your child.  This is necessary because if you wait until after the child’s mask is on you may have been deprived of oxygen and will not be able to think clearly.  In addition, by putting your mask on first, the chances of your child developing hypoxia will decrease significantly.

Finally, the FAA recommends that children who weigh less than 40 pounds are to wear some type of restraint.  If your child is under two years of age, he or she may sit on your lap, but they will need a restraint as well.  What type of restraint can you utilize?

The seat is called a Child Restraint System.  It is a hard-backed safety seat approved for use in airplanes and recommended by the FAA.  It has a harness for children who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds.  For children who weigh less than 22 pounds you can purchase a CRS that faces the rear.  For children who weigh over 40 pounds, the seat belt is recommended.  Check with the airlines to determine the size of the CRS to ensure it will fit in the seat.  All child restraints seats are usually placed in the window seat.