Booster or not?

[DDreamer]

I'm not an avid traveler This will be my daughter's first time on an airplane and she is 6. She's about 50lbs. Do I bring her booster seat for the airplane? We WILL be in a car in Florida so I'm thinking the answer is "yes" but I just wasn't sure if they would think I was strange or something. I know people bring car seats, but I wasn't sure about booster seats.

 

[tricia]

I don't think you can use most booster seats on airplanes. They are not certified by the FAA.

 

[justhat]

No, booster seats aren't allowed on planes, unless it's the kind that uses the internal harness. You can check it (or gate check it) though, so you'll have it for the car in FL.

 

[lulugirl]

You can not use the booster seat on the plane but you will need it for car travel once you get to Florida. You can either check the booster seat w/ your other luggage or gate check it when you board.

 

[jkelly86]

Booster seats are not allowed to be used on planes. They are unnecessary due to the use of lap belts instead of shoulder belts. You will need one in the rental car though, so I would check it with your luggage.
ps I didn't know this either until I read it on the boards somewhere

 

[DDreamer]

Thank you so much! You guys are a wealth of information, thanks again!!!

 

[CleveRocks]

Just to add to what jkelly said ....

Think about booster seats for a minute. The only reason they exist is to "boost" a child high enough to safely use a shoulder belt. A shoulder belt must go across the chest. If a very small person (such a child) wore a shoulder belt across the neck or head, there could be devastating results in case of an accident. So the booster seat places them in the proper position to be helped by and not hurt by the shoulder belt.

In an airliner, of course, there are no shoulder belts. There's absolutely no safety advantage to your child being higher up in the seat if only a lap belt is worn.