https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 05:28:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826728 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:04:51 +0000 tinyperson 2826728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: That's exactly what we do! </p> <p>We're flying at the end of June, and we have 2yo in carseat and dad in one row, and 5yo in carseat and mom in the row ahead. 5yo can be trusted not to kick the seat on purpose (she goes dead quiet/still when watching tv or reading a book). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826648 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 02:54:23 +0000 Iced Tea 2826648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Will you be using any car seats? That changes your options. Southwest won’t allow car seats in an aisle seat. They are only allowed in middle seats if they don’t impede the window passenger from exiting. </p> <p>Since my kids are younger, we generally place their car seats in window seats one in front of the other, with a parent in each middle seat. I place the 3 year old behind the baby so that she will kick her sister’s seat instead of a stranger’s! When we did three across, I spent half the flight trying keep her from kicking her legs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826576 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 17:32:31 +0000 lamariniere 2826576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What we do is one adult one kid in subsequent rows. If that’s not an option, we do 3 together and me in the aisle on the other side. My DH is better at managing the kids on flights since I have anxiety. The last time we flew, there was a middle row and my DD and DH sat in front of my DS and I, and we had extra seats so the kids were able to lay down across the rows. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826408 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 11:08:48 +0000 lindseykaye 2826408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Madison43: We also (would) do this configuration. Kiddo loves the window seat, so even when we sit with all three of us together now, she's only next to one of us. And I like being next to my husband so we can chat while she's playing (the benefit of having the two aisle seats across from each other.</p> <p>Another tip for SW, if you tend to fly on full flights, is for one parent to pay for Early Bird checkin and then get on with the second half of A boarding, before family priority. Then head to the rear of the plane and casually reserve the seats you want with your carry-on bags, personal item, sweater, etc. I figure no one wants to sit with my kid(s) so it benefits us all not to be separated by single flyers who will inevitably fill in the window/aisle all the way back until people are forced to take the middle seats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826405 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 11:04:10 +0000 Mommy Finger 2826405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So many great perspectives! Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826392 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:50:08 +0000 PinkElephant 2826392@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mommy Finger: I have flown by myself with 2-3 kids, and actually prefer the single row with no one else in it. Even if my husband were with me I would probably sit in the row with the kids and have him sit on the aisle of the adjacent row (switching off at some point). You can arrange the row with the three of you so that you sit in the middle of the two kids, with the oldest on the aisle near DH, and put the armrests up and then you have a whole bunch of room between the three of you… Or you can sit on the aisle to corral the two of them in the row if needed. But personally I just hate having another person we don’t know in our row and having to worry about disturbing them.</p> <p>On the occasions that my almost six-year-old has sat with a stranger, because the rows were two and two and I had to sit with the (then) three-year-old and a baby, She has been good, but she often talked her seat-mate’s ear off, or ask them for help with something (can you please open my straw), and I just find that can be really awkward if the person isn’t receptive the kids...Even when they’d like kids, I feel like I have to keep stepping it until my daughter to leave the poor stranger alone, ha ha! It’s more work than if I just sat with her! So if you split up two and two in rows of three, I would definitely put the kids on the aisle away from the stranger </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826379 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:09:57 +0000 Raspberry 2826379@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would also do a full row with the second adult in the aisle seat across. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826377 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:00:46 +0000 mediagirl 2826377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Middle, aisle, aisle middle. Kids get middle seats. Adults get aisle seats. Both adults have to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826376 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:58:36 +0000 JCCovi 2826376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We will reserve A,C,D, and F in a row near the back of the plane (usually second to last row). B and E in that row are likely to be empty if the plane is not full, so sometimes we score extra space. If not we trade a window for a middle so we end up with 3 in a row plus 1 adult in the adjacent aisle. We fly a lot and this works well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826373 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:55:15 +0000 Charm54 2826373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Madison43: Yep we do this exact same configuration. We used to do one parent and one child, but once unexpectedly because of a flight change we had to do 3 of us in one row and the adult across the aisle. I will never go back! It's SO MUCH easier to have a whole row of 3 seats to ourselves and stick the other adult across the aisle. Having a stranger beside my kids means I am stressed about them bugging the person. I don't care if they bug each other :silly: They are actually really good on planes and excited to watch movies/read books/play games together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826364 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:20:50 +0000 Madison43 2826364@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mommy Finger: we’ve done it both ways (kids are 2 and 4) and the easiest by far was when we did two kids with 1 parent in one row and a solo parent on the aisle seat in the neighboring row. They like sitting next to each other and so good about keeping one another entertained that I think I even read a book on that flight! I sat in the aisle and the kids sat in the inside two seats. My husband sat across the aisle so we could chat too. I think we switched half way through. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826361 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:15:00 +0000 MamaCate 2826361@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mommy Finger: we have done adjacent rows with kid in window and adult in middle. We talked about who would sit with who ahead of gone and the kids agreed. My older one is now 6 and basically watches her DVD player as much as she can so she needs less. You might consider putting the younger one with you and switching on the return flight if it goes ok? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-seats-on-the-plane#post-2826359 Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:09:31 +0000 Mommy Finger 2826359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi there! We'll be flying Southwest in a few weeks so we will get to choose our seats when we get there. What is the best seat configuration when you have 2 parents and 2 kids? My kids are 3 and 5.5 so they will both need help. I have a friend with older kids and one parent will sit with both kids and the other will be by themselves and they'll switch on the way back. I don't think that works in this case. So is it best to do one parent and child in one row and the other parent and child in another row? My boys tend to favor me so my fear is that the one that doesn't sit with me will freak out. What has worked best for you? </p>