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We are about to undertake an adventure on a Singapore Airways flight with a 22 month old.

I have found no formal information to the contrary. Has anyone successfully used an Ergo Baby carrier on a SA flight?

My wife heard from someone in her mothers group that they were not allowed to use it on theirs, and I was skeptical.

Renae Lider
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Ryan Spears
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    You cannot use the baby carrier during take-off and landing, but during the flight, it can be a useful method to hold the sleeping baby while having your hands free (put the seat belt beneath the baby, so that it holds only you). See also this question about traveling with small kids – Jonas Nov 04 '14 at 10:19
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    Sidenote: Try "SQ" (IATA code) or "SIA" if you want to abbreviate Singapore Airlines. Most travelers will associate "SA" with South Africa(n Airlines). – lambshaanxy Nov 04 '14 at 10:34

2 Answers2

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You can use child carriers like the Ergo Baby carriers for transporting your infant on and off the plane, but they not appropriate to use while seated / seat belted. Once you are on the plane, the safest position for your infant is in a car seat (but that means buying a seat for the infant, unless you are lucky and have a half empty flight) or being held in your lap.

You never want to buckle your seat belt around yourself and the infant. Some airlines have a second little seat belt that attaches outside your seat belt for the infant, but these are not real safe and not allowed in some countries.

  • Understood. It was referring entering, exiting and walking up and down the aisle on a 16 hour flight. More concerned about potentially weird company brand restrictions. – Ryan Spears Nov 04 '14 at 08:06
  • Can't see why there would be any company brand prejudices, unless one was found to be highly flammable or some other safety issue. –  Nov 04 '14 at 08:48
  • You are not allowed to use the baby carriers for take-off and landing (because your bulky form makes it harder to exit the aircraft quickly), but I don't see what the issue would be during the flight. – Jonas Nov 04 '14 at 10:21
  • This answer appears to assume that seat belts are for our safety - they are not. That doesn't change the correctness. – Gusdor Nov 04 '14 at 15:32
  • @Gusdor: That statement is downright incorrect, generic seat belts are proven to improve safety of drivers (Google it) and this indeed is the intention of belts in US aviation as well per http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2012-title14-vol1/pdf/CFR-2012-title14-vol1-sec23-785.pdf. – David Mulder Nov 04 '14 at 19:29
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Some airlines/airplanes have dedicated spaces for baby cradles/bassinets, usually placed in front of the seats at the border between plane sections. This is true in particular for long-haul flights, since the planes tend to be bigger. Each airplane has its own mounting system with the compatible bassinet. Below is a picture of what I am talking about:

Child bassinette

These bassinets are usually installed during the flight, and are removed during take-off and landing. Often if the seat is taken by people who might not need the feature, these might be asked to move to another seat to accommodate parents and their infants. (I know I was asked to move many times.)

JoErNanO
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    This is the best option for people flying with babies for both the parents and the baby, but not for 22 months old as they can move and might fall and get injured. – Nean Der Thal Nov 04 '14 at 11:10
  • Being a complete ignorant on the subject: how can 22 months old fall and get injured? Also, where do you draw the line between babies and "younger-than-babies"? ;) – JoErNanO Nov 04 '14 at 11:26
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    For airlines, infant is 24 months or less, but for parents, infants are 60 years or less. A baby can start moving and sitting around 8 months old, putting a baby in a high bassinet like this means the baby will climb and fall, just as babies do all the time. So, if parents slept and no one is paying attention, it will be very dangerous at this age. – Nean Der Thal Nov 04 '14 at 11:34
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    @JoErNanO a 3 month old infant would be expected to sleep/stay in the pictured cradle. The only way how a 22-month old baby will stay in that cradle is if they are immobilized by being strapped down as in a car seat, otherwise they will wriggle out of the covering shown in picture and deliberately climb out, risking a fall afterwards. – Peteris Nov 04 '14 at 12:10
  • Ah OK so these bassinets are for really young babies (toddlers and the like). I wonder if airlines have similar crib settings to accommodate older babies, with counter measures for "climbing frenzy" and the like. – JoErNanO Nov 04 '14 at 12:29