Another airplane seat question

[ladyv]

OK - so I purchased a seat on the airplane for our little guy, who will be 21 months when we go. It's a direct flight both down and up.

My question is what to do about the seat? Lug the car seat? Is it possible to borrow or rent one of those cares harnesses? Just use the seat belt on the plane?

DS is probably bigger than your average toddler in height and weight. We are using Magical Express, staying on property and not renting a car. We really don't fly very often (once every 3-5 years), so the cost of the cares harness seems pricey for us to use it maybe once or twice. And of course, lugging a baby, stroller, carry on bags AND a car seat through the airport seems daunting. We'll do what we need to in the end, but really I'm looking for advice on what you would do.

 

[aliyasmomma2003]

I'm not sure what to do either! We are having the same problem.

 

[ancestry]

From reading other posts most people usually advocate bringing your own car seat for the flight (assuming that your car seat is FAA approved). It is a pain in the behind but ultimately it is safer for your child.

One question you might want to consider is, will your child sit still and remain seated if he is not secured into a full car seat? Many children at that young age will not remain seated out of their own choice unless they are fully strapped into a car seat. The lap belt on the airline won't restrict a child who is determined to get out of their seat.

 

[mhartel1]

I bought my DD a seat as well (she is 2). I am not bothering with the carseats, if I know my daughter she will be in my lap 90% of the time anyway. When my son was this age he did just fine with the seat belt. I don't feel like lugging car seats with me when they are not allowed on the ME bus anyway. The rooms are small enough without finding storage for car seats too. My son thought it was a treat not to have a carseat, but we told him he had to stay buckled in & he was fine with it. We leave in 2 days, I will let you know how she does.

 

[abouley]

You are right....lugging all of that stuff IS a pain! However, your child is safest in a carseat and I really think that being in their own carseat helps them to understand that the same rules that apply in the car, apply in the airplane. My toddlers always fell asleep in their seats as well, something the CARES system really wouldn't allow without them sleeping on me! The good thing is that you only have to deal with getting on and off the plane 1 time. We've always had stops and so had to deal with it twice!

If you can get a carry bag for the carseat that will really help. We have one that is a backpack so my husband carries the carseat on his back or we hook it to the stroller. We each just carry on one backpack and check the rest of the luggage. The child will be in the stroller except going through security (or you will use the stroller to carry stuff and carry your child) and then you'll take the baby or stuff out of the stroller at the door to the plane and check the stroller so getting on the plane you'll have just backpacks, baby and carseat (if you 21 month old walks, that really helps...my toddlers always walked down the isle of the plane themselves). It shouldn't be too bad!

This last time we flew we had 2 kids, 1 carseat, 2 strollers and 4 backpacks....now that was fun especially when the 2 year old was asleep getting on and off the plane My son was almost 5 so we didn't do a carseat for him but we did fly when the kids were 3 and 6 months and did take 2 carseats!

 

[Bren's Mom]

You can make it work and, aside from being safer, your child will likely be happier and more comfortable. First, bring the lightest seat you own. Second, assuming 2 adults you can each have 1 large backpack for a carry on. Get a luggage cart (I got mine at Staples) to attach the car seat to. Mine folds up to a fairly small size and will easily fit into an overhead bin. You can also put one carryon on the cart. One adult can pull that with a backpack on their back. The other adult can push the stroller with the child in it, and have a backpack on their back. Easy peasy!

 

[Bren's Mom]

You can make it work and, aside from being safer, your child will likely be happier and more comfortable. First, bring the lightest seat you own. Second, assuming 2 adults you can each have 1 large backpack for a carry on. Get a luggage cart (I got mine at Staples) to attach the car seat to. Mine folds up to a fairly small size and will easily fit into an overhead bin. You can also put one carryon on the cart. One adult can pull that with a backpack on their back. The other adult can push the stroller with the child in it, and have a backpack on their back. Easy peasy!

 

[*pixie*dust*]

DS is going to be 4 on our for our WDW trip. Will I need to bring his car booster seat? Honestly I had never thought of it until just now reading this thread.

 

[starrynyt]

The last time we went we used Magical Express instead of renting a car so we didn't take our car seats and my triplets were 3 1/2 and my singleton 1 3/4. We ddn't have problems with them staying seated and belted in their seats. It would have been a headache to lug all the carseats since we didn't need them down there so I was glad we did it that way. But since you will only have one carseat it wouldn't be as bad. You might want to check that it is FAA approved or you would be totally wasting time/effort to take it.

 

[abouley]

DS is going to be 4 on our for our WDW trip. Will I need to bring his car booster seat? Honestly I had never thought of it until just now reading this thread.

You can't use a booster seat on the airplane since a booster requires a shoulder belt and the planes only have lap belts!! You'll be fine with a 4 year old just in the airplane seat! You'd only need it if you have a rental car on the other end but then you'd just check it for the plane ride.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

DS is going to be 4 on our for our WDW trip. Will I need to bring his car booster seat? Honestly I had never thought of it until just now reading this thread.

Nope, you can't bring boosters on the plane, b/c they are not approved with a lap belt only.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Oh snap. I hadn't thought of the booster seat issue. My ds is still in a high-back booster, but uses the seat belt instead of the 5 pt. harness. So I will have to check that? Man, that makes me rethink our packing plan.

 

[all4fun]

DS is going to be 4 on our for our WDW trip. Will I need to bring his car booster seat? Honestly I had never thought of it until just now reading this thread.

Nope, you can't bring boosters on the plane, b/c they are not approved with a lap belt only.

This is correct unless by "car booster seat" you mean a car seat that has a 5pt harness and turns into a booster when the harness is outgrown. Most of those are airline approved and can be used on airplanes.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

Make sure your CRS is government approved and has "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft" printed on it.

This is usually a white sticker on the side of the car seat.
hth!

 

[all4fun]

Oh snap. I hadn't thought of the booster seat issue. My ds is still in a high-back booster, but uses the seat belt instead of the 5 pt. harness. So I will have to check that? Man, that makes me rethink our packing plan.

Yes, if you'll be renting a car at all then you'll need his booster and it will have to be checked if it doesn't have an internal 5pt harness. I would recommend gate checking as it's less likely to be lost or damaged that way. If you're using DME to/from the airport and not renting a car then you don't need to bring the booster. hth

 

[bumbershoot]

DS is going to be 4 on our for our WDW trip. Will I need to bring his car booster seat?

This is correct unless by "car booster seat" you mean a car seat that has a 5pt harness and turns into a booster when the harness is outgrown. Most of those are airline approved and can be used on airplanes.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

Exactly.

Except you never NEED the carseat on a plane, they don't require it. It's just that it's the safest way.

 

[sshaw10060]

I would place a vote for the CARES harness. We just used ours for about the fifth time and it works great. We actually suck it up and pay to check the careseat since there is only so much I want to lug around the airport with a 2 year old and car seats are so bulky they're a huge pain.

 

[Avonlady1001]

I bought the CARES harness (used on craigslist) and I have to say it didn't work with DD who had just turned 3. She learned really quickly how to unbuckle the seat belt. LOL We didn't bother with it on the way back. Not sure if I'll ever use it again, but maybe if my DS has a different personality when he's old enough to use it, I may give it another shot.

Some people rent theirs out on ebay for $15 or so...OP, you may want to check those out if you don't want to buy it. A lot of people swear by them, it just didn't do it for me. I'd rather have her locked up in the car seat. LOL

 

[Bren's Mom]

This is correct unless by "car booster seat" you mean a car seat that has a 5pt harness and turns into a booster when the harness is outgrown. Most of those are airline approved and can be used on airplanes.

I'd like to clarify that:

If you have a combination 5 pt harness/booster and you are using it as a belt positioning booster you may NOT use it on a plane in that manner. If your child has not outgrown the harness (meaning your child is NOT over 40lbs) then you may install the seat as a car seat on the airplane seat and your child must use the harness.

You cannot use any manner of booster on a plane because belt positioning boosters require a lap/shoulder belt and planes are generally not equipped with those.

Those seats are approved for use as a car seat, not as a booster seat, on an aircraft and must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions, the child must be within the height and weight restrictions for the use of the 5 pt harness.

 

[all4fun]

I'd like to clarify that:

If you have a combination 5 pt harness/booster and you are using it as a belt positioning booster you may NOT use it on a plane in that manner. If your child has not outgrown the harness (meaning your child is NOT over 40lbs) then you may install the seat as a car seat on the airplane seat and your child must use the harness.

You cannot use any manner of booster on a plane because belt positioning boosters require a lap/shoulder belt and planes are generally not equipped with those.

Those seats are approved for use as a car seat, not as a booster seat, on an aircraft and must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions, the child must be within the height and weight restrictions for the use of the 5 pt harness.

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks for the clarification! Sometimes I'm in too big of a hurry.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks for the clarification! Sometimes I'm in too big of a hurry.

No problem, I post things with my fingers before my brain catches up plenty of times!