Allow Carriers on Planes

Aviation regulations may soon allow the use of baby carriers during all phases of flight, making travel more comfortable for parents and infants.

The FAA currently prohibits the use of babywearing carriers during airplane takeoff, landing, and taxiing, requiring parents to hold infants directly. This rule, in place since 1995, stems from a 1994 FAA study that evaluated various child restraint systems. However, the study did not test babywearing carriers and primarily compared against holding a child in arms, which the FAA believes could be less safe in certain crash scenarios. A proposed bill in 2024 to allow carriers died in subcommittee. While the FAA previously reasoned that banning carriers could lead parents to drive instead, a less safe option, the primary current harm is seen as inconvenience rather than significant safety risk, though the rulemaking is criticized for inconsistency.

The FAA's long-standing prohibition on babywearing carriers during critical flight phases is being questioned due to an outdated and incomplete safety study. While the agency correctly identified substitution behavior as a factor in previous rulemaking (banning lap infants could lead to more driving), a similar analysis for carriers appears to be missing, creating an inconsistency in policy. Modern babywearing carriers, not tested in the original FAA study, are posited to be safer than unrestrained holding during turbulence or evacuations.

This re-evaluation could signal a broader shift towards more pragmatic safety regulations that consider both direct risks and indirect behavioral consequences. If the FAA revises its stance, it would directly impact the travel experience for parents with infants, potentially reducing the stress of managing a child during takeoffs and landings and avoiding the disruption of waking a sleeping baby. Future policy may increasingly weigh convenience and parental choice against perceived, but unproven, risks.