Airplane question about booster seats

[jacobsmommy]

Can you take a booster seat and check it as luggage? I just found out that you can't use a booster car seat on the plane,but can you check it as luggage?

 

[staley7580]

Can you take a booster seat and check it as luggage? I just found out that you can't use a booster car seat on the plane,but can you check it as luggage?

Yep, they will put it in a plastic bag for you. Or you could get your own car seat bag- they dont cost much at a baby store. I got one and use it alot-it very handy. Mine fits both my car seats, plus if I have extra souvies I can wedge them in too!

 

[Eeyoreloverforever]

They put it in a large clear plastic bag. You just pick it up with the rest of your luggage.

We have checked ours on every trip we have gone on.

 

[encmerk]

Last time I traveled they did not put it in a plastic bag, so I highly suggest buying your own bag or putting it in a clear garbage bag.

 

[mott]

Also, they don't count it towards your luggage allowance (at least on Southwest).

 

[Zoemakes5]

You should be able to gate check it with your stroller, as well. This is big for me, as it's much less likely to get lost. If your luggage does somehow get lost, you still have that all important booster/car seat.
Not all boosters are prohibited, by the way. Most boosters with 5 point harnesses are still allowed. There would be an FAA sticker on it somewhere if it is. It's the true "booster", ie, uses lap belt or shoulder and lap belt combo in front of the child vs. behind the seat that really aren't allowed. Just wanted to let you know, as people have different views about what is "booster". DD was 3.5 our last trip, and was in a booster, but we still used the 5 point harness for her at the time. It was allowed on the plane. This time, she has just the little booster that you put them in and uses a lap belt. That won't be allowed.

 

[fidoprincess]

If you have a backless booster it fits easily in the overhead compartment and they don't count it as part of your carry on. We always carried it and gate checked our stroller. Those were the 2 things we did not want to do without!

If your child still fits in a 5 point harness type of seat, they should use it on the airplane. Like the op said, just double check for the FAA label on the side or back.

 

[jacobsmommy]

My son will barely be three, but since it's my dh and me by ourselves in the airport with him, we thought a booster would be lighter and easier to carry. We have the big, clunky 5 point harness regular car seats now, but they are hard to carry with suitcases. What would you recommend. We weren't planning on taking our stroller, but if we have the lighter car seat we might.

 

[fidoprincess]

How much does he weigh? Do you trust that he would sit up properly in a booster seat? If you are taking a shuttle from the airport, they probably won't have any seatbelts for either carseat but if you are getting a rental car and plan to do some other driving, I would want my own carseat that I trusted especially on those crazy freeways. He will be safer on the plane in his carseat but then you have to weigh that against the pain of lugging all that stuff plus reinstalling it once back home after a long trip.

Besides being safer in the carseat on the airplane, it sets the tone for the whole plane trip. The kids know they are to be seated and yes, you are in a moving vehicle! Most of the airline trays would fold down perfectly across the carseat and they could color and eat but we did have a fold up tray to hook on the seat just in case too. (One other tip is to take their shoes off so they don't kick the seat in front of them.) Mine were perfectly happy in their own seats and slept a good part of any flight.

We always brought our own stroller and carseat and I was able to sit the carseat right in the stroller and bungee it and then the kid could sit in the carseat inside the stroller through the airport. I would gate check the stroller keeping it with us until the last second just in case the flight was delayed. Most airlines will let you preboard to install the carseat. If they don't make the announcement, you can always ask the gate attendant. When preboarding, don't forget to get yourselves pillows and blankets on the way to your seat. Not all airlines have enough to go around.

I did not want to be sitting in the airport for hours with no stroller and I did not want to make the walk from Disneyland to any hotel late at night without a stroller. If you rent one, you have to leave it at the security gates, can't even shop DTD! Nights when the kids were asleep in the stroller and DH and I just walked around and ate and shopped were so so nice! Once my kids were older, we did just rent strollers at DL but more than once I had to carry the little one back and DH carried the big one-sheer torture.

When I had to do TWO carseats and two strollers by myself-ugh, I bought a simple folding up luggage cart thing at kmart for around $20. It looks something like this:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do...-_-Shopping Comp-_-Datafeed-_-Office Supplies

It would fold up small enough to put in the diaper bag and I still use those things now to carry stuff all around to the beach and to school. Then, I bought stroller connectors and hooked both umbrella strollers together. I could fit the luggage and both carseats and drag that behind while pushing the hooked together strollers. My DH says I put the "lug" in luggage so you can imagine what a pile it was. At least now, you can almost always check your luggage curbside-that is a lifesaver! I am sure whatever you decide to bring will work out with 2 adults and one kid-lol. Wait until it is just one adult and two or more kids-whew, then it gets hard. It was so worth it to me to travel though so I did it! Looking back, in some ways it was even easier than it is now. No matter what, you will have a great time at Disneyland!

 

[Rapunsel]

I check the stroller and Bungie Cord the car seat to a luggage cart and pull it behind me. When my kids were little, I strapped them in and pulled them behind. Now that they can walk I still do it, but I put a backpack in the car seat and let them walk.

With two kids it was easier as I knew that I could 'contain' them both. As once I gate checked my stroller... It was never put on the plane. I had DS 3 months old was in an infant seat that I had to lug through 3 different terminals along with a diaper bag and a carryon.. I was pissed... So knowing that I have the car seat and luggage cart on the plane I know we can get to our destination safely.

 

[Zoemakes5]

One of the most "ridiculous" first time mommy moments that I had, I purchased a car seat cover/carrier. Seemed fairly ridiculous at the time, I'll say! But, 12 years and three kids later, I have a scuffed up, but very useful car seat cover/carrier. I LOVE this thing. One of the best purchases I ever made. My parents lived across country from us, my grandparents and DH's grandparents lived 1/2 cross country and we've traveled a number of times with the kids. Once we got to the airport, we simply put the car seat into the carrier and carted it around. The holder has a over-the-shoulder strap and also various short hand straps. In addition to the car seat, we were always able to add in the child's lovies and blankies, also typically a small pillow and even their coats/jackets (especially helpful as you're going from one cliamate to another. Once we had more than one, we'd be able to also toss the "booster" into the carrier as well.
I'm a firm believer in two things when it comes to traveling with kids. This is MHO only, but it has so worked for me and I've traveled with three more than once by myself. I always bring the stroller and car seat for check in at the gate. Lines are so long, the gates are so far away, sometimes you need to hurry to get somewhere, sometimes you have to sit and wait for long periods. Even as they get a bit older, it can be challenging. If they're walking, we toss the stuff into the stroller, if they need to sit or ride, they have the ability to do so. I've had two trips with the kids when I've either been (a) diverted due to weather issue to an unintended airport and (b) had my connecting flight cancelled due to mechanical issues. Both times, they had an entire airplane worth of passengers that they had to go through and re-route/reticket and send to hotels. Having the stroller while I stood in line by myself with two children (persons traveling with young children goes out the window at that point!) for two plus hours both times was a godsend!!! And, having the car seats (particularly the infant one the one time) when we were transported over to the hotels made me breath easier! (Since then, I also traveled with about 5 extra diapers, a days worth of formula, and a snack heavy enough to be considered a "meal" (since often when "things" happen, there isn't anything open in the airport.)
As for the car seat itself, we typically do what a pp suggested and put it on a luggage cart, or toss it in the stroller if the kids aren't in it.

 

[fidoprincess]

Rapunsel, I would have been furious if my stroller did not make it on the plane! We have flown so many times that I lost track but never had that happen.

I could not imagine going through the airport without the stroller! My kids needed it just to stand in the giant security lines. When my ds got too big for a stroller, we bought him a rolling backpack that he could sit on in the lines-lol-not as comfy as a stroller but it was something and useful to hold all the junk kids want and need on the plane. It gave him a job too and he loved rolling the thing through the airport while I pushed dd in the stroller. I loved that thing because once we bought it, I never had a sore shoulder from carrying anything. We always put stuff in it that I could not live without on the trip including bathing suits! I figured if our luggage was lost, we could at least all go swimming!

We have had several flights delayed as long as 5 HOURS! just sitting in the airport-not a happy day but I was prepared with gameboys and movies and plenty of snacks. We even had a morning flight delayed over and over until finally at 8pm, they cancelled and put us up in a hotel only to do it all again at 3 am! We even got caught in that awful trouble last summer with the "liquids" scare and the security lines were well over 3 hours that day! I wanted a stroller to sit in!! If your flight is really early, most of the food places are closed too so keep that in mind. Really it is all about keeping them entertained and as the pp said "contained" because you do not want them running off. Travel can be tough on kids but as long as you don't get too frazzled or uptight, the kids really can roll with the punches. Like Zoemakes5 says, just be prepared with extras!

Now that mine are older, they each have their own rolling backpacks and all I carry is a small purse or dare I say it, a fanny pack! I usually get them one new movie each for the flight and they share.