Car seat on plane for almost 3 year old

[MissPrice]

Hi All. I keep going back and forth about bringing a car seat on the plane for my daughter. She is almost 3 and 33 pounds. The flight is only 2 hours to MCO. We lugged the car seat around last time we flew and it was such a pain. I think she would do fine in a seat. Have any of you flown with your toddler not in a car seat? Thanks -Amanda

 

[cjbcam]

YES at three she should be fine. She will probably like it more actually because it gives them a little more wiggle room. My son loved it.

 

[Lvsdisney]

You can fly without a car seat. But, if you are concerned but don't want to carry one around, you can look into purchasing a CARES harness.

 

[Dis703]

We rented the CARES harness for our twins when they were almost 3. It's a great option if you want a little more security but not lug around a car seat.

 

[han22735]

Our DD was just 3 for her first flight to Disney and did fine without a carseat. Our flight is about 2.5 hours.

 

[MissPrice]

Thanks all

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

If you are using Magical Express and Disney transportation exclusively, I would not lug the car seat. One less thing to deal with while traveling. My three year old did just fine on our last trip, our flight is about four hours from Denver. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[mcjaco]

Last trip in October, we checked the car seats, and just let them sit in the seats. They were fine. And so was my back, and tolerance for getting the dang things on the plane.

 

[jpeterson]

My 3 year old is fine in the seat. We have used a CARES harness in the past, but I wouldn't want to lug a car seat.

 

[njmom76]

We rented a CARES harness when my son was 2.5 and it worked great! I wouldn't worry too much about a car seat for the plane if you cannot use the harness.

 

[Muskrat191]

I'm Canadian, and the latest Transport Canada advisory on child restraints in aircraft says "Due to their short stature, the standard aircraft lap strap is generally not well suited for the safe restraint of small children (those less than seven years of age or with a body length less than 125 cm (49 in.)). There is a risk that the lap strap will slip into the child’s abdominal region in the event of an accident or during turbulence, which could result in severe internal injuries." (https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviat...vices-referencecentre-acs-600-605-003-493.htm)

I've flown with car seats a few times. I use an inexpensive folder luggage cart to move the seat around the airport, and then stow the cart in the overhead bin. It is definitely easier with a lightweight seat, but I've flown with heavier seats as well.

 

[DopeyDame]

I'm a huge advocate for carseats on airplanes, but by 3 most kids should be fine in just the seat. Do you trust your little one to sit still and not undo the buckle? If so, and if they aren't especially little, they should be fine. CARES is a great option too.

 

[DisTravels]

Have any of you flown with your toddler not in a car seat?

If you do not need the car seat in Orlando/Disney then I would skip it on the plane. We have found the pressurization/depressurization is more of an issue than the seating.

 

[MissPrice]

We decided to forgo the car seat and she did very well. She did slump down once or twice but we just sat her right back up. Thanks everyone for your input. -Amanda

 

[Gwoman8920]

I have flown twice by myself with 2 boys 15 months apart, oldest being 4. I checked their car seats for once we got off the plane. Being able to maneuver them while we were on the plane was a blessing and a curse. One side is that if they would have been strapped in their car seats I might not have had to worry about the constant need to stop them from touching the darn tray table. The other side is that we were able to hang out at the airport with minimal fuss and crap to lug around. I didn't have to install them and we were just able to sit down and relax until the plane took off.

 

[TwinkleKS]

Carseat or CARES harness until they are bigger is really the safest way to go. I've flown with three kids in car seats before and mine are just now old / big enough that they are out of the CARES harness.

 

[westah]

Last trip our 2 yr old did just fine with no car seat and we don't plan on bringing one for the 3 1/2 year old this year. Especially if you're going to use the magical express and the shuttles while you at each there, I wouldn't waste your time carting around the carseat.

 

[BLAZEY]

We are Canadian too. When DD was 3 in 2012 Air Canada REQUIRED her to be in a carseat on the plane. The next year at 4 they had changed the policy to RECOMMEND children 4 and under be in a carseat while on the plane. We didn't do it the second trip as she we were using the Disneyland Express coach bus, and had no need to the carseat while in California. On the trip in 2012 we were renting a car as we were attending a wedding.