Car seat or not on LONG plane ride with 3.5 yo?

[amarberry]

We are taking a long (8 hour...yes, we're crazy) flight in a couple of months with our two kids. We have a seat for our baby and are bringing his carseat for him, but I'm not sure what to do about our 3.5 yo DD. DD is about 39.5 inches and is around 40 pounds.

At home, she rides in a Britax Marathon which we could bring on the plane. We haven't traveled with the her in the Marathon before (when she was under 40 pounds, we brought along the "Grandma car" carseat...a Graco Comfortsport). I'm a little concerned since the Britax is so big that she will be really crammed into the seat and won't have any leg room and will be tempted to kick the seat in front of her. Can anyone tell me how much room you are left with once a Marathon is installed on the airplane seat?

Our other options are to put her on the plane without a carseat and check either the Marathon or bring along my mom's Safeguard Go seat (not airline approved, so we can't use that one on the plane) for the rental car. However, my preference would be to have her in some sort of car seat for the flight. I would also be open to buying a new, reasonably priced, but higher weight limit seat carseat that is less bulky to use on the plane/rental car that we could use for DH's car at home. Any suggestions on a seat that would fit that bill? Am I crazy to want to still want to use a car seat on a plane with her?

Thanks!

 

[Minniemouse07]

You could try a Graco Nautilus. I just picked up two for my kids (dd-6yo, 47"tall and 52lbs and ds - 2yo, 37" tall and 34lbs) after I had to replace both of ours due to a car accident.

It is a decent seat and costs $150 at Walmart. Baby Depot supposedly started carrying it this month and BRU is supposed start carrying it next month. Each store has a slightly different style cover, but they are all versions of black and grey.

Seat Description:
Forward facing only
Harnesses to 65lbs
Transitions into a high back booster and then a low back booster
Large cup holder
Cubby holes inside each of the arm rests

I did have a bit of trouble finding the seat at my local Walmarts. But hopefully with time it will be easier.

Oh and I would definitely bring a seat for your 3.5yo. Dd flew from Philly to New Orleans w/ us when she was that age and she was zonked the entire flight. I think it is a lot easier for little ones to sleep when in a car seat... not to mention it being safer! Dd flew in a Graco Cargo that trip and didn't have any leg issues.

 

[TheDizMom]

I would say yes for one very specific reason. It is a long flight and since your DD uses it on a regular basis she will feel more comforted in her seat and be less likely to fuss. I find that when traveling with my kids it is always best to have as many things from their every day life so they won't feel so much like a fish out of water in the new surroundings. As a former flight attendant I have also found through experience that kids in their own car seats (or at least their own seat) are much less likely to act up and fuss, making the trip more enjoyable for everyone stuck in that little tube for any amount of time.

 

[encinc]

I'd second the recommendation to bring a seat on the plane for your daughter. The Nautilus is a good suggestion. I'm not familiar with it because it isn't available in Canada, but everything I've heard is that it is a great higher-weight harnessed seat that will convert into a good booster.

Another option would be a Radian. It is a heavy seat, but it folds for carrying. I attached a strap to the side and wore it on one shoulder through the airport. It is super easy to install FF on the plane. It sits low to the seat. My DS is 44 inches tall, and just outgrew the MA by height (shoulders went over the top slots). He still has a fair bit of growth room in the MA.

The only drawback to the Radian is that it can be tricky to install in some cars if they don't have LATCH. Not an issue for us because we know it installs well in our cars and my parents' cars and rental cars always have LATCH. If you're interested in the Radian but worried about how it might install in a particular vehicle, you might want to check out www.car-seat.org. Lots of trained carseat techs there who are happy to give advice.

 

[all4fun]

I have read that the Sunshine kids Radian works well on airplanes. It is not light weight though. It also has some install issues with the seatbelt in some cars (and keep in mind LATCH has a weight limit of 40/48lbs in a lot of vehicles). The Nautilus might be a good choice, but beware it is also not lightweight. It is airline approved as well. The GN also converts to a booster seat that looks pretty decent. Another option might be taking the GO and getting a CARES harness for the plane. The CARES has a 44lb limit though so she probably won't get a lot of use out of it unless you're planning future trips in the not too distant future. Another thing you could consider is renting the harness off of ebay. You mentioned wanting another seat for your dh's car though, so you might just want to get a GN or radian.

 

[dougsmom98]

It is safer to have them in a car seat, however I will probably get flamed, but we didn't have my daughter sit in her car seat on our recent trip. It was so much easier. She had room to stretch out and move. I had more room sitting next to her and it was less stressful in the airport and boarding the plane. She snuggled up and took a nap on me. When we took her car seat last time, she wasn't able to use her tray table and this time she could. She colored and had snacks on her table so it was nice. On the way down we gate checked her cat seat because we didn't want to be stuck in Orlando without a seat. On the way back we ended up just checking it.

 

[all4fun]

we didn't have my daughter sit in her car seat on our recent trip. It was so much easier. She had room to stretch out and move. I had more room sitting next to her and it was less stressful in the airport and boarding the plane. She snuggled up and took a nap on me. When we took her car seat last time, she wasn't able to use her tray table and this time she could.

This is actually one of the plusses to the Radian, it sits low enough the child can still use the tray table. We also stopped using the car seat on board the plane after ds turned four. At that point, I knew we wouldn't have to spend 6+hrs trying to keep him buckled up and he was also getting a little too tall to fit comfortably in the car seat on the plane (he's in the upper 90 percentile for height). Plus since we were using DME and not renting a car, we didn't need it at our destination anyway, so it just worked out better for us not to bring it. I still would have felt he was safer in his car seat though, but sometimes you have to weigh the pros and cons of the individual situation and do what is best for your family at that time. jmo

 

[Eeyoreloverforever]

but since dd was about 3 or so we have not used our car seat on the plane.

We found that it was great to keep her strapped in and if she was sleepy than it was more comfortable for that.

But we find now that she understands she has to stay in her seat and leave her seat belt on and she usually doesn't nap on the plane.

If she is in her carseat she kicks the seat in front of her and she can't use the tray.

For us we have found NOT using the car seat actually makes for a more comfortable flight for all of us.

And for the most part there aren't many accidents in planes and for the ones there are MOST don't walk away from those. So sadly I will take my chances and enjoy the flight.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

but since dd was about 3 or so we have not used our car seat on the plane.

We found that it was great to keep her strapped in and if she was sleepy than it was more comfortable for that.

But we find now that she understands she has to stay in her seat and leave her seat belt on and she usually doesn't nap on the plane.

If she is in her carseat she kicks the seat in front of her and she can't use the tray.

For us we have found NOT using the car seat actually makes for a more comfortable flight for all of us.

And for the most part there aren't many accidents in planes and for the ones there are MOST don't walk away from those. So sadly I will take my chances and enjoy the flight.

We've never used a car seat on any planes trips with any of our children.

 

[katerkat]

We've gone back and forth. I tried once without the carseat and it was miserable. He wanted to hang on me the entire flight and I was already claustrophobic. He was two and his listening skills were, ah, broken. We have an Evenflo Triumph and yeah, we had problems with little to no leg room, huge seat in a small space, and HEAVY. I bought a Cosco Apex in October and I like it, somewhat. It's much lighter and smaller, very good for planes, but the buckling doesn't work as well as the Triumph. Russ has flown a couple times in that one, from Spokane to NJ and back, and Spokane to Ohio to Florida to Spokane, with no issues whatsoever.

Of course, a few months after I bought the Apex, the new Graco comes out... Anyone want an Apex?

 

[toesmom]

We are taking a long (8 hour...yes, we're crazy) flight in a couple of months with our two kids. We have a seat for our baby and are bringing his carseat for him, but I'm not sure what to do about our 3.5 yo DD. DD is about 39.5 inches and is around 40 pounds.

At home, she rides in a Britax Marathon which we could bring on the plane. We haven't traveled with the her in the Marathon before (when she was under 40 pounds, we brought along the "Grandma car" carseat...a Graco Comfortsport). I'm a little concerned since the Britax is so big that she will be really crammed into the seat and won't have any leg room and will be tempted to kick the seat in front of her. Can anyone tell me how much room you are left with once a Marathon is installed on the airplane seat?

Our other options are to put her on the plane without a carseat and check either the Marathon or bring along my mom's Safeguard Go seat (not airline approved, so we can't use that one on the plane) for the rental car. However, my preference would be to have her in some sort of car seat for the flight. I would also be open to buying a new, reasonably priced, but higher weight limit seat carseat that is less bulky to use on the plane/rental car that we could use for DH's car at home. Any suggestions on a seat that would fit that bill? Am I crazy to want to still want to use a car seat on a plane with her?

Thanks!

I wouldn't bother with car seat for 3-1/2 year old on plane; save it for rental car only. Girls are pretty much ok at that age to sit in their seats. The plane seat is rather large and she'll feel like she has some movement room in the seat. If you have the car seat for flight, there's not much room for her. Now if you have a squirmy boy, then I would say bring the carseat. But instead bring lots of sticker books, colouring books, dvd player etc and she'll probably be pretty much entertained and will enjoy the amount of room she has on her own seat. Just make sure you keep seatbelt on her because of possible turbulence. have a great trip

 

[GoinToDisney]

We have done both. 3 flights. The second with no seat. She wiggled more and the seatbelt did not seem secure at all. Thank God we didn't have a bumpy flight. She also could not fall asleep and was generally uncomfortable. We went back to flying with her seat this past trip, and it was so much better. We used the scenera, which was really light and perfect for travel. I don't remember the height and weight limits of the seat, though. My dd is a very small 3.5 year old. I say bring seats for both, but they may both need a break from the seat during the flight, so be prepared for that. You can get a really lightweight tray to hook on the seat so the tray table is not an issue. I have germ issues with the tray tables anyhow. I was glad that my dd didn't even ask to use hers. I just helped her hold on to her coloring book.

 

[Omma]

My experience taking a carseat on the plane with a little bit older child was not a good one. The sheer size of the seat puts the child in a different position that gives them less leg room and makes it easier for them to kick the seat in front of them. I prefer to just put them in the seatbelt and let them cuddle up next to me. It gives both of us more room.

 

[Zeebs]

Living in the UK and being from New Zealand we make very long trips normally around 12 hours each leg of the journey a total 24 hours of flight to get home.

I can never recall seeing a child in a car seat. When we took Cullen home he was 10 months he sat on my knee with his belt on and slept quite well on me, in the skycot or on the seat beside me.

We will be coming to Orlando (9 Hours) in Oct when he will be 2.5 and will have his own seat and will just use the seatbelt provided. Seth will be 10 months and will sit with me or hubby. We are bringing his rear facing car seat for the rental car but will check it in.

I am also of the opinion that if you are going to crash in an aeroplane you aren't very likely to walk away from it seatbelt or not.

Kirsten

 

[Minniemouse07]

Using a car seat on an airplane isn't for crashes...it is for turbulance and difficult landings.

Please check out this great page on cpsafety.com for more info on why it is important to use a car seat on an airplane.

You also generally don't see children on car seats on non US carriers because most foreign carriers don't allow their use. Part of the reason we won't travel on a foreign carrier until after our kids outgrow their harnessed seats!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We've never used a car seat on any planes trips with any of our children.

Us either. I have seen the carseats on the planes and the kids are squished. Also would you want to be strapped in a 5 point harness for 8 hours? We never use carseats on planes. (4 kids ages 5 and under) I realize some people oppose but it works for us. At 3.5 I don't think a carseat would be neccessary. JMHO.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

We haven't travelled on the plane yet with our (not so short) little one who is currently almost 21 month now. We have a Britax Marathon in my car (love the Cowabunga print) and a Sunshine Radian in my DH's car.

We'll be travelling in late April and plan to use the Radian on the plane and in the rental car in Orlando. I think the Radian should be fine for the plane since the seat has a bit less thick profile and will keep his legs closer to the end of the seat. I think with the length of his legs and the height of the Marathon would not be a good match for the person in front of us --- he'd be just about perfect for kicking the seat in front in the Marathon.

We've done some research about the class of vehicle we're renting and done some searching on the various car manufacturer sites for manual info about car seat specs for the vehicles. I'm sure between DH and I we'll figure it out.

We're hoping that sitting in a familar car seat (that he sleeps on when we're driving) will also help to make the flying experience a bit easier for him.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

We'll have an almost three and almost six year old on our trip. So, it's not necessary to have a car seat for the plane? What about Magical Express? Thanks!

 

[brergnat]

We'll have an almost three and almost six year old on our trip. So, it's not necessary to have a car seat for the plane? What about Magical Express? Thanks!

You can't use carseats on ME. It's a bus. There are no seat belts. There is no LATCH. Therefore, nowhere to secure the seat. They will be stored underneath the bus if you bring one.

The bus seats are very similar to airplane seats.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

You can't use carseats on ME. It's a bus. There are no seat belts. There is no LATCH. Therefore, nowhere to secure the seat. They will be stored underneath the bus if you bring one.

The bus seats are very similar to airplane seats.

I didn't know if it was like a charter (which can have seatbelts) or not. I'm such a car seat nazi, so it's going to be weird not strapping in my little guy. My grandparents are driving to Florida, so I guess we'll send our carseats with them to use around Orlando.

Thanks!!