Flying with a 3.5 year old....

[ClaraOswald]

We won't be going back to Disneyland until 2017. But I like to "plan" early. Our son will be 3 and a half at that time.

When we went last year, he was 17 months old. We brought a cheap car seat (Cosco Scenera) onto the plane with us. It was installed in the window seat and worked pretty well. And then we used it in our rental car.

In March 2017, he will likely still fit in that same cheap seat.

These would be our options...

1. Bring the car seat onto the plane for him to sit in. Then use it in the rental car.
2. Gate check the car seat. Use it in rental car. Use CARES Harness on plane.
3. Bag check the car seat. Use it in rental car. Use CARES Harness on plane
4. Rent car seat from car rental company. Use CARES Harness on plane.

Any thoughts on those options??

I am unsure about letting the baggage people throw our seat around. Also unsure about the quality of rental car seats. I don't want one that is expired or has dried vomit all over it.

Of course, the less stuff to haul through the airports the better since we will have a layover.

 

[AZMermaid]

Traveling with a 3.5 year old is about 1000 times easier than a toddler! I wouldn't gate check it just because I feel like if I schlep it through the airport... I may as well get the benefit of using it. I also would hesitate to use the rental companies because of your listed reasons.

So that leaves 1 and 3. If you want him secured in the plane, I'd just go with #1 unless you have other travel the CARES would help with.

What we did last month was use a high back booster and checked it (actually 2 for my 3.5 and 5 year olds). My daughter is still in her Britax Marathon at home, but we figured the booster was way easier for travel. But you totally have to do what you feel comfortable with.

We flew to Hawaii when my kids were 4.75 and 3y4m. Neither were secured on the plane beyond the regular seatbelt. I WAY over planned to prevent them from watching 6 hours of TV, I'd say they watched 3-4 hours each way and we're happy and quiet the whole time! My son would never watch anything as a toddler but that changed around 2/2.5 and he discovered Calliou!

 

[dani24]

If you're going to bring the car seat, I'd just bring it and use it on the plane. I wouldn't feel comfortable handing off the car seat (even at the gate) to be checked with other luggage. Too much risk for it to be bumped around, which could comprimise the safety of the car seat in an accident.

 

[craigkerstiens]

We travel probably 5 times a year with our daughter whose currently 3.5. Half the time we do bring the car seat along, but not on the plane since she was 2. It's extremely cumbersome, a pain in the airport, and then once you have it on the plane they're pretty much stuck in it. We actually at this point use no extra harness and she sits just fine.

As for checking it, normally they have a bag if you're traveling out of any sizable airport to cover it with. We did have an experience once with a stroller getting some small damage due to them not having bags, but that was a smaller more regional airport that didn't have them. Any major airport should have a sturdy plastic bag that will protect it.

If you do decide to gate check it then I'd opt for something like this travel carrier for it - http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Tod...2&keywords=car+seat+travel+cart&tag=mypred-20. Otherwise lugging that around plus a 3.5 year old that may want to walk with whatever else you have with you will become quite a handful.

 

[tinkpower]

I'm so glad I looked at this thread. We've been debating the same situation. I really like the traveling gadget.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I saw some youtube videos of baggage people mishandling car seats. It made me quite nervous. Also read the car seat blogs post about it. So yeah...I have decided I definitely to NOT want to check a car seat! Eek!

When I made the original post, I didn't realize how expensive the CARES harness was. And renting on seems like a pain in the butt.

So yeah...seems I pretty much eliminated options 2, 3, and 4. Ha!

Likely we will do almost exactly what we did last time. I just hope my son still fits in the cheapo Cosco Scenera seat! Our other car seats are much to bulky to want to bring on the airplane. The Cosco is super light and we just strapped it to a small wheeled carry-on to go through the airport. And it fit nicely in the airplane seat.

Last time we brought a stroller. It was our cheap stroller but I loved it because it has a bigger basket and whatnot for the parks. We gate checked it (in a bag) for our flights. We wheeled our son through the airport. He was a late walker and was still somewhat unsteady on his feet. So the stroller was fantastic to have. It was honestly a bigger pain than the car seat though.

So I'm wondering if it would be easier to just bag check our stroller next time so we aren't fussing with it at the gates. Basically just risk the damage because it's so cheap we can always find a new one once we get to Anaheim, if necessary.

Do you guys think a stroller is necessary in the airports for a 3.5 year old??

As for the actual flights...I'm pretty much dreading it. Last year it wasn't as bad as I expected except for two low points. 1. First leg of the trip, we put a video on for him when he started to get restless...and it made him sick. He vomited everywhere. 2. Last leg of the trip home, tons of turbulence. He screamed and cried.

He has a significant speech and language delay so that will make it slightly more difficult than going with an average 3.5 year old, I'm sure. I just hope he's talking at least a little by then.

I can't believe I have to wait more than a year to go back to Disneyland! Going through major withdrawals which is why I enjoy "planning" and talking about this stuff so far in advance.

 

[AZMermaid]

The stroller- it could be nice to have a place to contain him, but we have not brought one in the airport after 18 months or so. It just seemed like one more annoying thing to deal with. If he is a runner at that time, you may want it. We rented a stroller from City Stroller Rentals twice and were very satisfied with them. The stroller was a Baby Jogger City Mini (Double for us) and they delivered it to the hotel.

FWIW- my kids hardly talked until their second birthdays- like 5-10 single words. They didn't have a diagnosis though but at two- it exploded. They both now go to speech for articulation though. So.... he could be really talking by then!

 

[AZMermaid]

I can't believe I have to wait more than a year to go back to Disneyland! Going through major withdrawals which is why I enjoy "planning" and talking about this stuff so far in advance.

I totally get it! I am driving my husband nuts with talk of WDW in summer 2017! I obsess about that more than our DL trip this June!

 

[ClaraOswald]

He turned two in September. He doesn't say any words. And it's not just verbal language...he just doesn't have the same communication skills as other kids. He doesn't mimic sounds or actions. It's tough. He's been in speech with Early Intervention for quite a few months. And has recently started at another place once a week. Hopefully we'll see some changes soon. It's stressful.

Hooray for WDW! We haven't been since 2012. We're thinking maybe 2019 though.

 

[lalasmama]

Personally, I'd bring the stroller through the airport. My 3.5yo grandson spends a fair amount of time with us (like a day a week)... I would *have* to contain him in an airport, LOL!

At 3.5, he's still needing containment. He is all kinds of distractible, and would totally run off to see something that caught his eye! Our airport isn't especially large or small (PDX), but I can see him getting tired of all the walking, and probably needing some place familiar.

 

[Indiana Scott]

He turned two in September. He doesn't say any words. And it's not just verbal language...he just doesn't have the same communication skills as other kids. He doesn't mimic sounds or actions. It's tough. He's been in speech with Early Intervention for quite a few months. And has recently started at another place once a week. Hopefully we'll see some changes soon. It's stressful.

Hooray for WDW! We haven't been since 2012. We're thinking maybe 2019 though.

Hi Clara,
My son Wes, was much like yours but now he's 26 y/o.
I just wanted to tell you not to worry too much. He will do all the things you mention in time. It may take a bit longer than we like but he will indeed succeed.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I hope so! I am wondering if he may end up diagnosed with apraxia of speech. Or perhaps be on the autism spectrum. Time will tell, I guess.