ANother carseat follow up question

[JandD Mom]

Hello, I am hoping Beverly Lyn or others can help with this one. I am sort of of the opinion that my children might be better off NOT in the car seat on the plane. There are 2 of them and, God forbid we never have to make the dash to the exit, how would i get them both out of 5 point car seats quickly?

But the question is, I take the car seats for the rental car. What do I do with them? Do I gate check them? Do I buy bags for them (not my favorite option)? Do I check them at the ticket desk?

In case you need the info, we will be on USAir.

Please advise! Thanks so much.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I would gate check the car seats. most kids do not like to sit on their seats in the aircraft because no one else is. they like to be like the rest of the people.

 

[ducklite]

You are far more likely to hit severe turbulence (ie injuries to pax not properly secured) than to need to make an emergency evacuation. Most kids are used to their car seats and will feel more secure and comfortable in them.

Use the car seats on the plane. If you don't, and there is a need for an emergency evacuation, your kids likely have slipped out of the seats and are "somewhere" on the plane, as the seat belts are designed to restrain an adult, not a child. You'll lose a lot less time unhooking their harnesses than searching for them...

(I'm not trying to be mean here, just honest.)

Anne

 

[JandD Mom]

Thanks Ducklite for your perspective. Is turbulance the reason to use car seats? Does anyone have any other info on why car seats should be used? Does anyone know what the airlines recommend? Anne, you may have convinced me to rethink brining them onboard.

 

[beattyfamily]

You didn't mention their ages. I think it all depends on their ages and the kind of child they are.

Anyway, we've gone twice now and the first time we had only one DD and she was 2 and 3 months and we didn't bring a car seat and it was fine.

The second time we had 2 DD's oldest being 4 and youngest being 14 months. We did use the car seat for the 14 month old and I think it was best. I knew if I didn't have it, she'd want to get up and wander around. She wouldn't have understood why she needed the seat belt. She fell asleep going down but stayed away coming home. It was what she was used to.

This next trip she'll be 2 and 2 months and I think I will still bring the car seat as she's still not talking and I'm afraid I won't be able to explain to her why she can't take the seatbelt off.

It's up to you. If you don't need the car seats, check them with your luggage or at the gate. We checked our older daughters booster seat with our luggage.

 

[JandD Mom]

Actually my girls are twins and will be 4. One is just about 40 pounds and actually is starting to be too big for the 5 point harness on the booster (we may be ok for the trip), the other is a 27 pound peanut who is still too small for some boosters. She is in a regular car seat. They have been ok on flights without the car seat, But I have not put them in a car seat on the plane since they were under 2.

 

[SJCSuzy]

If you're not going to use them on the plane the easiest thing is to check them in with your luggage. That way you don't have to carry it all the way to and from the gate with all your other stuff. Most airlines have a heavy duty plastic bag to use for carseats just ask the agent who is checking you in. Good luck.

 

[ducklite]

JandD--

In turbulence, it doesn't really matter how tight you hold on, those kids can slip off your lap and become projectiles. I wish I could remember all the details, but there is a case where a toddler slipped out of a seatbelt on a plane and became a projectile, leaving both her and the other passenger she hit with brain damage.

The seatbelts on planes are the same as in cars, they just don't properly secure a kid under 40lbs. Kids who use a car seat in the car know not to unhook it, and will do the same on a plane, not neccesarily so with a lap belt.

I don't mean to sound preachy, but I am continually amazed at what a parent wouldn't dream of doing at home with their kid just goes out the window when they go on vacation. If a kid needs a car seat in the car, they need one on a plane for the exact same reason, the lap restraints are not made to properly secure a child.

Anne

 

[JandD Mom]

Thanks Anne for the advice. You make a compelling argument, especially where my smaller daughter is concerned, that they should be in their car seats.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

turbelence like that that was described is rare. and the case of the kid gettign out of her seatbelt is the fault of the parent for not making sure the seatbelt is secure enough. I have been on more flights than I can count and even flying in severe turbelence one time (it was a tiny commuter too) the flight was bouncy to say the least and not one of us ended up with injuries or was tossed out of our seat . neither any adults or children or even the lap child that was on the flight. it was IAH to JAN. personally I would not take the seat onto the aircraft. the stats are low for what was described above.

 

[Gertrude]

Ann brings up a great point. I was amazed by a friend who is a pediatrician, who indicated when he goes away, he will not be bringing his car seats and will just let his kids "buckle up". HELLO>>>!! Like your kids aren't at risk of injury in the car while on vacation?

As to using the car seats on the plane though, Anne, I think what you are seeing is that most people who use the plane are on vacation. When people are "at home" they aren't on a plane. My point is that most people do not think to use the car seat on the plane. It is, after all, not a car. I do wholeheartedly agree to you though as to people who do not use car seats in the car while on vacation.

Unfortunately, there just is not a lot of information out there that parents get as to whether and how a kid should be buckled up on an airplane.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I do take mine in a carrier bag to use in my rental. heck I am not willing to risk getting pulled over and fined cause my DD isn't in a booster!

 

[ducklite]

My final words are very simple. Better safe than sorry. You need to take the seats for in the car anyhow, why not carry them on and use them?

Anne

PS--there was a flight last night PBI to EWR that hit turbulence so hard that the captain came over the PA and announced for everyone including FA's to get into a seat, any seat, NOW and get belted in. Also asked all parents to check the belts on their kids. More than one overhead popped open and sent things flying before it was over. Yikes!

 

[robinb]

Just to throw a monkey wrench into this whole thing ... there may no be enough room for your 4 year olds and their car seats. I had my 1.5 year old in a car seat on a flight to SNA in April and there was very little room for her legs once the seat was in place. Never mind if the person in front of her reclined their seat! I suspect that 4 year olds, even a 28 pound one, will take up more room.

 

[pajamommy]

When we flew last January, my dd age 4 sat in the airplane seat with the seat belt just fine (she had just turned 4) and my ds age 2 did sit in his carseat, but when we go again and he's age 3, we will not bring the carseat on the plane. DD flew when she was 3 last year, and she was just fine in the regular seat. We do bring the carseats with us to use in the rental car, we check them with our luggage, we don't use a special bag, we just have the airline put them in a plastic bag for us, and we've never had any damage.

 

[GCM13]

We've never used a carseat on the plane either. Those incidents that Anne mentioned do make you think twice about it though. I'm just wondering if the car seat can even be securely buckled into a seat on the plane. Do the seat belts stay tight enough the hold the carseat in place? If not, it probably wouldn't serve much purpose if the seat slides around except to keep the child from getting out of the seat (which is something my 2 year old likes to do). Am I completely wrong about this?

 

[ducklite]

Your car seat belts into the plane seat just like it would into your car.

Anne

 

[GCM13]

I guess I was just thinking that when I buckle our car seat into the car, I have to pull the seat belt all the way out so it clicks then buckle it in and tighten the straps. When doing this, the seat belt will tighten and not move. I didn't know if this was possible in an airplane.

 

[skeezixspud]

They are lap only, and the adjustment is manual-only; they don't work like auto belts and tighten up when they hit resistance. Any difficulty with securing a carseat in an aircraft usually has to do with the width of the seats, and the position of the seat belt buckle in relation to the channel on the safety seat. The buckle will sometimes end up right where the slot angles, because aircraft belts are designed to latch in front of you rather than on the side. I just do the same as I would in a car; put my knee in the seat while I tighten the belt; I usually get a very good fit.

The special carseat satchels are not as important for protecting the seat as checked baggage as they are for transporting the seat through the terminal to the gate, especially in an airport where SmartCarts cannot go past security (Denver Int'l comes forcibly to mind!) The satchels have backpack straps, the awkward load of the bulky carseat is much easier to manage that way.

My DS is finally getting too tall to use the 5-pt harness, so we'll have to start checking his booster instead of flying with him in it. I'm not looking forward to it; that familiar carseat made it much easier to keep him quietly seated.

 

[MermaidMom]

I don't think anyone mentioned this yet but forgive me if I missed it.

Have you seen the way baggage handlers throw around things? And, you know how they say never buy a used car seat or use one that's been in an accident because even hairline fractures can compromise the safety of a seat? My fear would be that the seat would get thrown around and dropped and I might not notice any change on the outside, but somewhere inside the seat would be damaged. I know it's going to be a pain to carry my booster/carseat onto the plane but I'm willing to deal with it to make sure it stays safe. JMHO

Meredith