2 year old on a plane - what do you use?

[mom2meiko]

we will be taking our 2 year old on the plane next month to wdw. trying to decide between a CARES harness (pricey), a carseat (no $$ but hassle) and just letting her use the lapbelt on the plane. she's a good kid who isn't likely to do anything but sit so i'm not so worried about her squirming and getting out of her seat. it's more about her safety than anything else... what do you use?

 

[kpm76]

We always travel with DD's carseat. Yes, it is a bit of a hassle but she's used to it and comfortable in it and we know it is the safest way for her to travel. Our flight home from WDW last week was so turbulent that the FAs were unable to do any kind of beverage service. I was really glad DD was safely buckled in her seat......

 

[stephd219]

We use our car seat. DS is three, and when we return in January he will still be in his car seat. I like the added protection of the 5-point harness and especially like that he knows how to behave and knows what is expected of him when he is in his car seat. Also, he sleeps more easily in his car seat!

 

[cerberus]

we just bought 2 CARES Harness this year for a trip to Grand Cayman. We love them and could not imagine traveling with car seats again!!

 

[jmartinez1895]

We use the lap belt and that seems to work for us. my son first flew when he was 4 ( he wore a size 2t at the time and still is very small for his age). He enjoyed that he got to be a big boy and not use his carseat like he does in the car.

 

[auralia]

I have a cares but i fly at least 4x's per year and bought it when my daughter turned one... you can rent them on ebay for a very reasonable fee if you don't want to buy one... of course if you buy one you can sell it on ebay to recoop your money so it's a two way street... i really like it it keeps her the seat so much better than just a lap belt, she does slip down if she falls asleep and it can get a little tight on her neck then but i just prop her back up... i think without it she would think she can mess around more with it on it's more like her car seat and she doesn't feel like she can just do as she pleases.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

We had planned to buy a CARES harness (they are IMPOSSIBLE to come by used, aren't they?!), but ended up finding a good deal on a rental car so since we're now getting that and we'll need carseats for it, we'll just bring a carseat. (Our 10 month old, on the other hand, will not be in a carseat unless there's an extra seat available for her, but we do use a baby b'air thing during the flight)

 

[cerberus]

We had planned to buy a CARES harness (they are IMPOSSIBLE to come by used, aren't they?!), but ended up finding a good deal on a rental car so since we're now getting that and we'll need carseats for it, we'll just bring a carseat. (Our 10 month old, on the other hand, will not be in a carseat unless there's an extra seat available for her, but we do use a baby b'air thing during the flight)

I have seen used ones occassionally on ebay, but they go close to the cheapest prices I found for them on the internet...so I bought mine new and figured I can sell them for a decent amount once I am done wih thm.

 

[Hannathy]

Always flew with both my kids and just used the seatbelt on the plane and were lap kids before that, and never had any problems even in heavy turbulence and a rough landing. My kids flew tens of thousands of miles on big and small planes. Both were very small if that matters at all.

 

[abdmom]

With the small distance between one seat and another, my kids ended up with their knees practically against the seat in front of them when we used a car seat. It made it too tempting for the little one to kick the seat in front. So, we just use the lap belt.

 

[susykt4]

My 2-yr-old son in a carseat was the worst flight ever! It was easily the longest 2.5 hours of my life trying to keep him occupied and keep him from kicking the seat in front of him. We finally rearranged seating so he was seated directly behind my daughter (so he could kick) but then he freaked out the rest of the flight because he got that little taste of freedom while we moved and didn't want to be confined to the seat. He didn't sleep for one second, he cried and struggled a LOT and there was really nowhere for his legs other than kicking the seat in front of him. We checked the carseat on the way home and he was sooooo much happier in the lap belt. It was a totally unexpected reaction since he didn't have a problem with the carseat at home.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

My DD has flown since 9 weeks old since DH gets tons of frequent flier miles. The only time she went ballistic (even I was in tears...) was when she was 26 months old in a car seat- both ways! When we got home we immediately went out and bought the cares harness! My gf just borrowed it for her son who is amost 2 and did great with it.

 

[Cedarmom]

It totally depends. Are you going to need the seat on the other end? If so, definitely put them in the car seat. It is the only safe way to get the thing to WDW. Checking a seat is just scary. You never know how they are going to handle it.

If you are not renting a car and totally using Disney transportation, I'd consider getting a CARES harness. The problem with it is that smaller kids don't fit amazingly well in it. It is better than just the lap belt for sure, but if she's on the small side, I'd probably bring the car seat anyway. I have pics of my just turned 2 year old in a CARES harness if you'd like to see it (we used it as freedom from the carseat midflight on an overnight flight). Here's a pic of the same kid at 3.75 (last week) in the harness:

If you notice, even at almost 4 he slipped right down so that the belt was across his belly. I did make him scoot back for takeoff and landing so that it was across his hips, but had he been a whole lot smaller I wouldn't have felt safe.

And FWIW, I wouldn't use just a lap belt with a two year old. We hit scary turbulence last week. We happened to be in the bathroom and I grabbed the little guy above and sat down on the toilet with him for a few minutes, hanging on for dear life. We were lucky we only got a few bumps. There was stuff flying around the cabin, etc. I'm not sure just a seatbelt would have worked with a little one. It is just too loose on them. I'm really glad my 9 mo was safe in her seat and not a lap child. Yikes.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Since I bought the cares harness I have been gate checking my car seat and putting it in a travel bag. I would not check my car seat at curbside or the check-in counter, I can only imagine the abuse it takes. I also bought a lighter spare car seat just for travel and emergencies. I had DD in a Britax Marathon in my car and there is no way I would lug that thought the airport, plus when I land back home the last thing I want to do is re-install it in a snowy parking lot. We bought her the Cosco Scenera for travel, and since she outgrew it we bought the Cosco highback booster (works as a 5 point, then uses the seat belt as child grows taller).

Here is a great tip... if you have something heavy and are worried about your luggage going over 50 pounds, get a travel bag for the car seat and stuff a few things in it! They don't weigh car seat bags at the gate! We put a few heavy pairs of shoes in it!

 

[monorailsilver]

We don't fly much so the car seat worked just fine for us.

Yes a pain but I only had to take one for 3 trips-each one of my kids used it on their first flights.

I loved it since they were snug as a bug but I do recommend taking shoes off just in case you have a kicker. Luckily my kids didn't kick except for the occasional bump that even adults would make.

 

[puffkin]

With the small distance between one seat and another, my kids ended up with their knees practically against the seat in front of them when we used a car seat. It made it too tempting for the little one to kick the seat in front. So, we just use the lap belt.

My 2-yr-old son in a carseat was the worst flight ever! It was easily the longest 2.5 hours of my life trying to keep him occupied and keep him from kicking the seat in front of him. We finally rearranged seating so he was seated directly behind my daughter (so he could kick) but then he freaked out the rest of the flight because he got that little taste of freedom while we moved and didn't want to be confined to the seat. He didn't sleep for one second, he cried and struggled a LOT and there was really nowhere for his legs other than kicking the seat in front of him. We checked the carseat on the way home and he was sooooo much happier in the lap belt. It was a totally unexpected reaction since he didn't have a problem with the carseat at home.

We had the exact same experience with DS. It was the most horrific flight I have ever been on when we used the carseat. He is a perfect angel in it at home but was a monster on the plane. I still feel terrible for the poor couple in front of us! We always check the carseat now and just use the lap belt.

We just got back on Saturday and our flight down had very heavy turbulence for most of the flight and a pretty rough landing and he was absolutely fine with the lap belt.

 

[robinb]

Will you be driving? If not, I would leave the car seat at home and use the lap belt or the CARES harness. I assume that you will be putting the baby in a car seat for the trip. I think the harness will be a safer than just a lap belt and may make him feel more secure too.

Like others I also had a nightmare trip with a car seat. After that, it flew with our luggage and my DD was strapped in using the regular lap belt.

 

[abdmom]

We fly multiple times a year. My 4 year old has been on 20+ roundtrips. He bought his own FF trip to Rome. I've never had a problem checking the car seat. It always arrives in the same condition that I check it.

 

[DisneyDreamer8]

My son will be 26 months on our next trip to WDW. I will be taking his car seat this time. We used the CARES harness (that I rented from ebay) when he was 14 months old and it was really hard to keep him from slipping down during the flight so he was only in it during take off and landing and even that was a struggle.

So we are going to give the car seat a try. It is a smaller, lighter seat so I hope it won't be impossible to handle. I'm going to try and rig up a way to carry it on the stroller (we are taking our big Graco stroller so he can nap in it during the day).

 

[kpgriswold]

2 closer to 1? I'd use the car seat, as the seat belts and harness don't fit little ones well. A bigger 2, closer to 3? Use a harness, unless you will have other needs for your carseat while you are there. Then go ahead and lug it. We always find it worth it!

I have to confess, however, that we are REALLY looking forward to this next trip with no carseat or diapers to lug!