Car seat / child restraint on airplane

[Coconuts]

In Sept. we will be traveling with our 17mos old and have never taken a child this small on an airplane. We have bought a seat for her because there is no way she will sit on our lap for 2 hours, and even restrained in a car seat is going to prove difficult. She likes to roam free and be independent. A few questions....

1) How do you carry your car seat and a stroller through the airport? Our car seat is so heavy and bulky, I don't know how we're going to do it with the carry-on's and everything.

2) How do you keep your toddler from freaking out being restrained in a car seat in an unfamiliar atmosphere? I'm thinking about bringing a tranquilizer gun.

3) Are there special restraints that are smaller that you can buy or do you just use the car seat you have? I know that any car seat that has a special sticker saying its ok for airplanes is good, which we already have.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

 

[abc999]

In Sept. we will be traveling with our 17mos old and have never taken a child this small on an airplane. We have bought a seat for her because there is no way she will sit on our lap for 2 hours, and even restrained in a car seat is going to prove difficult. She likes to roam free and be independent. A few questions....

1) How do you carry your car seat and a stroller through the airport? Our car seat is so heavy and bulky, I don't know how we're going to do it with the carry-on's and everything.

2) How do you keep your toddler from freaking out being restrained in a car seat in an unfamiliar atmosphere? I'm thinking about bringing a tranquilizer gun.

3) Are there special restraints that are smaller that you can buy or do you just use the car seat you have? I know that any car seat that has a special sticker saying its ok for airplanes is good, which we already have.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

First off, you don't need a car seat on the plane, it is not required. So, no car seat is always an option.

We used to carry a car seat by flipping it upside down on top of the stroller (where the child sits) and piling all carryon items on top of it. Then the other parent should be free to carry the child.

Find some toys or give the kid some treats. Our kids have been flying since they were a couple of months old and we have never had issues with them. A cup of juice, bottle of milk is always good at take off.

 

[MartDM]

1) How do you carry your car seat and a stroller through the airport?

This contraption to make your car seat mobile is the best travel investment we've made for our son:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog...Id=85184&categoryId=85218&subCategoryId=86218

It's proved worth it's weight in gold! Very easy to lift him out of the car while still in his car seat, roll him around the airport in it like a stroller, then put it back in a car when we reach our destination. To answer your third question, our car seat was flight approved so we just went with it.

2) How do you keep your toddler from freaking out being restrained in a car seat in an unfamiliar atmosphere?

Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck getting him to sit in his car seat on the plane (at 2 yrs old). We found he was more restless in his car seat because he was so much higher than us and couldn't make use of the seat tray. We could have used that tranquilizer gun He did settle down eventually but it was a struggle.

On the return trip, we gate checked the carseat and let him sit by himself which was much more successful. He was able to have the space to play quietly with his things and was much more content.

Good Luck!

 

[Tara]

One method for carrying the seat is is to loosen the straps and use them as a shoulder strap. Somewhat awkward, but it will do. We had a bag for our seat (Britax Roundabout then a Marathon) and it had a long shoulder strap. This worked fine and we got many, many trips out of that bag. A seam finally gave out on the last trip we used the Marathon and we gave it a private burial.

A friend of mine raves about the GoGo Kidz carrier with wheels, though. It didn't come out until we stopped flying with the Marathon so I've never used it.

As for keeping your child in the seat, you might be surprised. The car seat is something she's used to, so getting her to sit calmly (relatively speaking ) might be easier than you think. But do have plenty of entertainment on hand - whatever she really enjoys, plus a couple of small new things to provide distraction.

But my advice is to use the car seat - your child will be much safer in it!

 

[Jacqui]

When we flew last year with DD, who was almost 2 years old, we purchased the CARES system. It is FAA approved and is for kdis that are between 22-44 lbs.

 

[Coconuts]

...On the return trip, we gate checked the carseat and let him sit by himself which was much more successful. He was able to have the space to play quietly with his things and was much more content....

My DD will only be 17 mos old, and I thought that if kids are less than 2 yo, they have to be in a lap or a car seat. Am I mistaken? I am sure that she would love to sit by herself with all the extra room, but I also want her to be safe.

 

[KJMAX1]

We have flown many times with our kids. Most of them were lap babies at some point. You can either have them sit on your laps, (ask for the bulkhead to have standing room and play room for baby) or buy a seat. Sometimes airlines would book my husband and I on either ends of the row, so that there was one seat between us. That way most people dont want to sit by themselves between two people. So if the seat was open we used it for our baby. If it was booked we asked for them to trade so we sat together.

Id also bring things you usually wouldnt give them. Lollipops etc. Stickers, Crayola Wonder where it doesnt color on clothing. Small container of playdough. A soft ball to pass around. Anything high interest for a baby like a simple push button light spinner (Target), something squishy like a rubber squish toy. Do you have a portable DVD player to bring something like Barney DVDs?? I let my little ones watch a lot of TV on the way. They also have Disney sing along songs on DVD, Brainy Baby, etc with other kids singing.

You might ask your pediatrician if there is anything to help with the flight. We usually fly over 8 hours and our pediatrician suggested Benedryl for one of our children. But Id ask your doctor before hand. He gets really nervous on flights. Make sure you have things to chew on, and suck on for the accent and decent. I usuaky give Tylenol right before we board, and for you it should last at least 4 hours. Two of my kids have ears that ache on flights.

Youll do great! Most of all what a special trip for your family! Enjoy!

 

[kaytieeldr]

My DD will only be 17 mos old, and I thought that if kids are less than 2 yo, they have to be in a lap or a car seat. Am I mistaken? I am sure that she would love to sit by herself with all the extra room, but I also want her to be safe.

No regulations requiring car seats on an airplane. Some are allowed, sure - but they're not required.

What is required is that the child be secured in a seat. Apparently, CARES is an excellent compromise.

 

[EpcotQueen]

Any car seat or booster must be FAA approved or the flight attendants won't let you use it.

 

[1girl1boy]

We bought a bag for our car seat similar to link. DH carried bag while i had DS in stroller

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3091046

DH would board plan 1st (when they call kids) and hook up the card seat in seat. I would hold back till then end of baording so DS and DD were not bored on plane while the rest of boarding happened.

I would read to DS and then on take off and landing give him a bottle (or sippy cup when he got older) The noise of the plane sent him off to sleep sometimes before take off

We have done several trips back and forth to the UK (7-9 hrs) and this has been best method.

Good luck I am sure you will be fine

 

[candy0730]

I have always brought our Britax Marathon on the plane and just lugged it through the airport. My son loves his carseat so he never complains being in it on the plane. We do bring lots of snacks and toys to keep him busy. I always feel bad for the person who is sitting in front of him since he does tend to kick the seat so this next trip either my husband or I might take the seat in front of my son.

I recently found this on Amazon. It looks like it would work to pull the seat but I am skeptical about having a child in it at the same time.

http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Tod...ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1248701958&sr=1-3

Have a great trip!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I would highly recommend putting an almost 2 year old in a car seat. If they are used to sitting in a car seat in a car while traveling, they will be a lot more comfortable during the flight. Not to mention it will be more enjoyable for the parents as well.

 

[Macduffy]

Sometimes airlines would book my husband and I on either ends of the row, so that there was one seat between us. That way most people dont want to sit by themselves between two people. So if the seat was open we used it for our baby. If it was booked we asked for them to trade so we sat together.

We're trying this! PLEASE send happy baby vibes our way!

 

[Coconuts]

No regulations requiring car seats on an airplane. Some are allowed, sure - but they're not required.

What is required is that the child be secured in a seat. Apparently, CARES is an excellent compromise.

Forgive me but I'm usually slow on the uptake, but are you saying that if I have a child under 2 in their own seat, they don't have to have a car seat, just some child restraint system, like CARES?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yep. More in a minute... Technically, all any passenger needs is to be secured using the airline's seatbelts. Very small children are probably better using the additional restraint that the CARES harness provides - but car seats are not required on airplanes. They don't serve the same purpose that they do in a ground vehicle.

Generally, parents use car seats on planes because they have to be brought anyway (child rode in it on the way to the airport/may need it at the destination/will need it for the drive home). If a car seat was required, all car seats would be manufactured and labeled to be acceptable on an airplane.

 

[Wazowski31]

Forgive me but I'm usually slow on the uptake, but are you saying that if I have a child under 2 in their own seat, they don't have to have a car seat, just some child restraint system, like CARES?

I work for a British airline as cabin crew and the rules here are that any child under 24 months must remain on a parents lap, whenever the seat belt signs are on. A seat belt extension will be given to the parent so the child's seatbelt will be attached to the parent's. It is not safe for a child younger than 2 to use the seatbelt and sit on their own. I have seen children fly up out of their seat on landing as they are too light for the seatbelt to have any real affect. Parents hate us for making them have their screaming baby on their lap, but its for their safety.
Car seats are very tricky. The vast majority do not fit in the seat nor the hatbin so will be checked in at the aircraft and taken down to the hold. Even if the car seat fits and can be secured onto the seat as per the airline's regulations...any child under 2 must still be on the parents lap secured with an extension seatbelt whenever the seatbelt sign is switched on.