As parents, we’d all like to think that there is nowhere safer for our children than in our arms, particularly when our kids are very young. And from a nurturing or development standpoint, this is probably true. But is it true during a high-speed rejected takeoff, clear air turbulence or a runway excursion when acceleration g-forces come into play?
When traveling by air, parents generally are allowed to hold the smallest children, those under the age of 2 years, on their laps, obviating the need to buy an additional seat. However, in the United States there are no restraining devices for lap-held children that are approved for use during takeoff and landing, so parents are expected to secure these children using only their arms.
In a speech April 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, Deborah Hersman, then the outgoing chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), made the issue of lap-held children one of the focal points of what were essentially her fare…
