Car Seat on plane

[kohler2009]

Thanks again to everyone for your input. This helps me a lt. I am looking into the CARES restraint. Since we will be using Magic Express and not renting a car, I hate to take our huge Britax. Our flight should only be 2.5 hours max, so I think between snacks and an iPad, the little guy will be entertained

 

[Betty Rohrer]

one piece of advice do not repeat do not start ipad before takeoff as it will have to be turned off and put away for takeoff and landing. something learned the hard way

 

[kohler2009]

one piece of advice do not repeat do not start ipad before takeoff as it will have to be turned off and put away for takeoff and landing. something learned the hard way

LOL!! I feel your pain and will certainly take your advice!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Thanks again to everyone for your input. This helps me a lt. I am looking into the CARES restraint. Since we will be using Magic Express and not renting a car, I hate to take our huge Britax. Our flight should only be 2.5 hours max, so I think between snacks and an iPad, the little guy will be entertained

I'm a big Britax fan *have owned several over the years/DD still rides in one often* but I've never flown with one - they're huge!

A great travel/2nd/grandparents car seat is the Cosco Scenera - available at Walmart ~ Amazon and several other retailers.

 

[airis]

A great travel/2nd/grandparents car seat is the Cosco Scenera - available at Walmart ~ Amazon and several other retailers.

We picked up a Scenera for travel. It's a good basic seat for toddlers and smaller preschoolers. Unfortunately some 3yos will have outgrown it already by harness height when forward facing. The shell and slots are fairly low and since the harness straps are supposed to be at or above the shoulders when forward facing, it tends to get outgrown sooner than other seats. A light and relatively cheap option for kids who are 3+ is the Evenflo Maestro. It's a forward facing only "combo" seat that has a 5-point harness that can later be taken out for booster mode. With the harness, it is approved for airline use. (Boosters may not be used on an airplane). It usually retails for $75-$80.

I personally always get my kids their own seats and will use an FAA approved car seat until my kids are ready to ride in boosters. Most injuries on board airplanes are related to turbulence and I don't want my kids turning into projectiles if something like that happens. I am also deeply uncomfortable with a bus traveling at freeway speeds not having seatbelts. One of the major bases of the presumed greater safety of buses is they travel at low speeds.

 

[airis]

also on most planes the carseat has to go in the window seat. if you do not get or buy window seat, most likely you will not be able to use for safetyof person in window seat.

Car seats are required to not obstruct other passengers from reaching the aisle. So in the jumbo jets with two aisles, you can also install a car seat in the very center of the plane. You can also install car seats side by side so long as they're not obstructing access to the aisle for anybody else. And, at least on some planes, they can not be installed in the row in front of or behind an exit row (as well as being prohibited from the exit row itself, naturally). I discovered this when were the last to board a little puddle jumper and had those two rows reserved for my husband, two sons, and myself. They had to reseat 4 folks to move us out of those rows ... OOPS!

 

[CanuckTraveller]

I'm a big Britax fan *have owned several over the years/DD still rides in one often* but I've never flown with one - they're huge!

A great travel/2nd/grandparents car seat is the Cosco Scenera - available at Walmart ~ Amazon and several other retailers.

I feel like I have to out in a good word for Britax here...and no I don't work for them . We have taken our Marathon on multiple flights without any problems and actually love it as a travel seat. We tend to leave Canada and the US though on vacation, and the built in lock offs are fantastic when installing seats in foreign countries. I'm not sure if I'd bring a Frontier, but I'd definitely bring a Marathon/Boulevard/Advocate. I hate their infant seat, so thus why it isn't mentioned
The Scenera is a great second seat; however, while you can get them quite I expensively in the US, they are still at least $70 on sale in Canada. Kids also tend to outgrow them quickly, so if someone is considering it they should look carefully at the height and weight limits.
(CanuckTraveller the Canadian car seat tech.)

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks again to everyone for your input. This helps me a lt. I am looking into the CARES restraint. Since we will be using Magic Express and not renting a car, I hate to take our huge Britax. Our flight should only be 2.5 hours max, so I think between snacks and an iPad, the little guy will be entertained

I was just about to suggest CARES. We used a car seat when my son was 1 and 2 - I felt he was safer, but it was so difficult to get that seat unbuckled and off the plane. We used CARES when he was three and started using the regular seat belt when he was 4. I liked CARES and think it's a great product.

 

[kohler2009]

I was just about to suggest CARES. We used a car seat when my son was 1 and 2 - I felt he was safer, but it was so difficult to get that seat unbuckled and off the plane. We used CARES when he was three and started using the regular seat belt when he was 4. I liked CARES and think it's a great product.

That is so great to know!! I am going to keep my eyes open for a gently used one at consignment or on eBay since this will be the only trip we'll use it on.

 

[alc571]

We brought ours when our DS was 3, but we rented a car for our trip and wanted the carseat for that. I would have left it at home if we didn't have the rental car.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

That is so great to know!! I am going to keep my eyes open for a gently used one at consignment or on eBay since this will be the only trip we'll use it on.

They are available for rental on eBay.