Best FAA Approved Car Seat??

[cbrfan]

Don't know if this should be posted on the Transportation Board, but thought I'd try here first. Any opinions on the best FAA approved car seat for a toddler? I want to take my 14 month-old grandson to MK for his first haircut and don't feel comfortable having him sit unrestrained on his parent's lap during the flight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[akrake]

we use a britax roundabout & love it.
amie

 

[Colinsmom]

Any seat that fits his weight and height, and has the FAA sticker on it, should be fine for the airplane. What does he normally ride in? I'd just use that, unless you have a reason for wanting to buy a new one.

 

[stacy6552]

You are being so smart about putting the child in a seat on the plane. It is so dangerous to fly with any child on a lap.

Our Alpha Omega was excellent on the plane. Plus it converts to a strapless booster(not for the plane), so your family can make good use of it afterwards. Are you sure his current carseat isnt FAA approved?

 

[cbrfan]

Thanks for the info! I didn't realize there were stickers on the seat. He's still in his infant carseat but is about ready to graduate to a "big boy" seat.

 

[Colinsmom]

He's still in an infant car seat? Wow! Is he under the weight limit, and does he have at least 1" of plastic shell above his head? If not, he needs to move TODAY to a bigger seat. You might consider a convertible that will allow him to rear face for a while longer since rear-facing is soooooo much safer than forward-facing. He's definitely not ready for a booster.

There's a ton of great info on this site: www.cpsafety.org

 

[cbrfan]

He's presently in an Eddie Bauer infant seat that came with his travel system. It's rated to go to 22 lbs. and he's 19 1/2. He's also quite short so he has plenty of room. I'll have to look at his seat today to see if it has the FAA sticker on it.

 

[NotUrsula]

Note that the sticker does NOT mention the FAA. This often confuses people.

The text of the sticker will be in red lettering. It says: "“THIS RESTRAINT IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT.” Look for it somewhere on the side of the outside of the shell, in a spot not covered by upholstery.

It's REALLY unusual to have a child that old still in an infant carseat; he must be really tiny for his age. Most kids switch to a rear-facing toddler seat well before they are a year old, my own never made it past 7 months before getting too tall for the infant seat.

 

[cbrfan]

He is small like his mom was. Just barely into 12 mos. clothes. Can still wear some 6-9 mos. I did double-check the height of the plastic shell to the top of his head today. He still has around 2" of space to the top. His infant seat has always looked larger to methan most of the ones I see. Maybe that's why he can still use it.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Another vote for the Britax roundabout. We researched a few car seats with Consumer reports and talked to someone at our local car dealership about which car seat would be best for our car (and when we took airlines) The Britax were among the highest rated. There was a re-call on part of the strap a couple of months ago but they sent a replacement in the mail.

 

[safetymom]

The best car seat is the one that you will use correctly. Most people don't use the seats correctly and that diminishes the safety of the seat.

Take the time to read the manual and practice using the seat before you put your child into the seat.

 

[Disfreek]

A vote for the Britax Marathon.

We have both the Roundabout and the Marathon.

The marathon can be used until the child is 65 lbs.

I liked the fact that my daughter can be in a five-pt harness until she is 65 lbs. \

Roundabout is only until child is 40 lbs.

 

[R4racing]

We have a Britax Marathon. My 2yr old seems to really like it and we like it also as we have a lot less problems with the straps twisting than with other seats we have used for her sister and seen used for her cousins. It is a pretty big seat, but like a previous poster said, it holds up to 65lbs and rear-faces till 30 or 33lbs. Whatever you decide upon, make sure if works in your or your son/daughter's car since it will be used more there than in the plane.
I have also heard good things about Graco seats. Also, with him being so small you could get one that can continue rear-facing instead of just getting belted booster front facing only type. I would go for one with a 5-pt harness vs an over the head shield type seat.

 

[cbrfan]

Sounds like Britax is the way to go. My dd drives a Chevy Equinox so I'm assuming just about any size will work. I plan on making a trip to Babies R Us and trying these seats on him for size. Thanks to all of you for your help!!

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Before we purchased our car seats we checked with our car dealer.Do to the face that our minivan had captains chairs (no bench seat) for DS who needs a seat to himself its easier to and from the wheelchair. They had a few suggestions on seats that fit the seats. If we had ahd ahte bench seat any seat would have worked. Check Babies R US for a car seat clinic or call your local police/fire dept. They usually conducta few per year. We were positive we had followed all the directions on installing the car seat and we even bought a device to keep the deat tight. Come to find out it was a better fit without the tightner.

 

[cbrfan]

The car seat clinic is an excellent idea. My dh usually does the installation but isn't big on reading directions, so I'd prefer to learn how to do it myself.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

I was amazed the officer practically sat (HE KNEELED) in the car seat to get it tight enough.....I also had the straps to long and I didnt put them up high enough for my daughter I thought they were fine. I am so glad we went.

 

[NotUrsula]

You HAVE to kneel in a carseat to get it tight enough, the directions will always suggest that you do so. I always do, on planes too.

 

[Deesknee]

We were told to do the "kneel adjustment" periodically. We try to just readjust about 0nce every month or so. You'd be surprised had how it loosens a bit. I was told that is do to the seat cushioning settling.

 

[CapeCodFam]

In a car, a good, properly installed car seat makes all the difference. On a plane, I don't think a car seat will save you no matter which one you buy. But, get something that you think your little one will be comfortable in. It'll be a long trip otherwise.