Car Seat on airplane ?

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

We will be taking our middle and youngest DD's first flight in October. The middle is 3 y/o so she's fine, but the baby is only 1. I'm debating about whether or not to get her her own seat b/c if we do, what do we do with the car seat for the rest of the trip? We're doing a land & Sea vacation. To have to lug around a car seat for a week just for a couple hrs flight seems weird. Do the airlines rent them or do we have any other alternatives. TIA

ETA: Does my 3 y/o need her car seat too?

 

[kddlm]

My DD is 5 and we still bring a car seat (booster style) for her on the plane (but she is only 33 lbs.) Plus, I use it for our rental car there so I don't have to spend $8.00 a day to rent one. For your 1 year old, I would just sit her on your lap. Did you have to purchase a seat for her on the plane? If not, you would have to if you were bringing the car seat (obviously).

 

[RichNKatHolly]

I have seen people lugging the car seats to the cruise terminal. I imagine it takes up some valuable floor space in your stateroom. We bought ours for our then 4yo but left it in the rental car in the parking lot at the terminal. There may be someplace in the terminal that it can be held for you until you return, not sure. My DD was then 1.5 and she just sat on my lap.

This year I will bring 2 with me, 1 booster and 1 regular (kids will be 5 & 2). It does come in handy on the plane, but dragging in through the airport stinks.

I guess there are good and bad points on this issue! Do what you think is best. If you take the car seat try to limit your other carry on so you don't have so much to carry.

 

[adisneymama]

If you are going to have a rental car then you will probably want to bring your own car seats, if you are leaving the rental car at the terminal. Just leave the seats in the car when you get on the cruise. If you aren't going to have a rental car, I would not bring them. The staterooms are very small and the seats will take up a bit of room. This is if you are using DME/shuttles etc. If you are going to have a rental car just to get from the airport to Disney and then turn it in, just rent one from the rental car company.
Hope this helps some and made snese.

 

[Gooofy-Blade]

One more thing....if you do bring the carseat for the plane, check the back label to make sure it is FAA approved - if not, they won't let you use it and all your efforts will be wasted.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Thanks Goofy-Blade, I checked ours this morning and they're good!


To all, thanks for the help. We will be using Disney trans, so I really would rather not have any car seats with us. I'm extremely nervous about this flight as it is(I haven't flown in 5 yrs due to a rough flight) so I really don't know what to do.

 

[southjerseymom]

I think the best advise I ever read about whether or not to buy an extra seat and bring a car seat was....put your child on your lap and hold them there...how long will they sit comfortably with you? Can you do it for amount of time it will take you to arrive at your destination? For me the answer was absolutely not. My DD now 2.5 has been squirmy since day one. Is is a pain to walk thru the airport with a car seat strapped to your back? - absolutely! We flew with 2 car seats last November and must have looked pretty pathetic going throught MCO. We were down to 1 this past May when DS reached age 4 and 40lbs. We are going on the Wonder in February and we will bring DD's car seat. For us buying a seat worked for our kids and justified the cost. Only you can make the decision that is right for your family. Have a great time!

 

[Deesknee]

We took DD 11mnths and held her on our laps. Took her at 22mnths and took a car seat. Both worked out very well.

I have no suggestions as far as storing the seat if you decide to take it.