I stick my toddler to the plane seat with fastening strips – people say it’s not safe but it stops her wriggling away
A mother has sparked debate after filming herself taping her child to an airplane seat with restraint strips.
Lisa Flom, from Eden Prairie in Minneapolis, Minnesota, published a video on TikTok for her 800,000 followers and titled the clip “Things I Wish I Knew When I Became a First-Time Mom.”
The influencer, who shares regularly videos about her parenting hacks, has two daughters, ages three and one.
In a clip that has sparked controversy, Lisa filmed herself sticking two strips of mounting material to a navy blue leather seat on a plane before sticking another two to her toddler’s clothes.
The mother-of-two then placed her daughter on the seat, but she was determined to wriggle free.
Lisa Flom, from Eden Prairie in Minneapolis, Minnesota, filmed herself sticking her youngest daughter into an airplane seat
The child leaned forward in an attempt to escape the seat and moved back and forth to free himself, but the restraints proved to be strong.
Lisa spoke to earlier Newsweek about her methods and said it was initially her husband’s idea.
Lisa said motherhood can be “overwhelming”, adding: “My one-year-old is everywhere and sometimes you just want two minutes to get something done.”
“It was actually my husband’s idea to attach Velcro to the seat and the back of the baby’s clothes so she would stay in one place.”
She added that it was “fun” to do with the kids and emphasized that her hack was light-hearted yet practical.
At the end of their flight, Lisa pulled the strips off both the seat and her child, but this was not well received by all viewers.
The video – which has been viewed more than 19 million times – generated thousands of comments from people concerned about her baby and other passengers.
One wrote: “So after you pull it off the next passenger has to sit in the tape residue?”
We see that the one-year-old has difficulty getting off the chair and therefore squirms around restlessly
The video – which has been viewed more than 19 million times – generated thousands of comments from people concerned about her baby and other passengers.
Another added: “What about the sticky residue just left for the next passenger?”
A third said: ‘And do you pay the airline to remove the residue from the seat or do you scrub it yourself?’
Others wondered why she didn’t bring a car seat with her on the trip and fasten it with her seat belt on the plane.
“Mother of four here. A child would be safer in a car seat,” one wrote, while another said: “Just take her car seat.”
A third commented: ‘I take my car seat with me on every trip. So easy. And my aunt is a retired flight attendant and I have seen many babies injured in turbulence.”
‘Just bring the car seat! It was a life saver for my toddler,” said a fourth.
While it is unclear which airline Lisa and her children flew on, American Airlines says most seats that are safe for use in cars are generally acceptable to take on planes.
The airline’s website states: ‘The seat must have a sturdy backrest and seat, restraining straps installed to secure the child and a label indicating approval for use on an aircraft.’
The airline said these seats cannot be used in an exit row or in the rows on either side of an exit row and that they are best in window seats.