car seats for airplanes ???

[rsjj]

Never traveled on an airplane with our children. Are car seats required on planes? Will we not be able to board the plane without them? Or is it optional? My DSs are 2 & 4.

If they are required, and we must bring them...what do we do after? Lug them with us to the ship? Or would there be lockers big enough to store at the Orlando airport?

I'm sure others have done this, so please give me tips! Thanks!

btw, any good brands, (small, portable, etc.) if we need to buy them, or can we just use the ones we have? (which seems very BULKY to me, to be carrying on the plane...)

 

[hydster]

I dont THINK they are required but I do think they are encouraged. We've never brought one on the airplane (yeah I know bad parent I am) but have always bought a seat for them regardless of age. For us we usually rent a car when we fly somewhere and get a seat from the car rental agency. Most child safety seats say if they are approved by the FAA for use in aircraft. Most booster or car seats over 16" wide cannot be used on an airplane or at least they couldnt in the past. If you want the absolute answer by your airline I would contact them. Usually once kids get over 40 lbs they would be fine in a regular seat belt on the plane. My kids freak out in their car seats and I just cant stand to listen to them scream or bug others on an airplane for the 4-6 hours it takes us to fly. Thankfully now they are old enough and weigh enough it doesnt pertain to them. If you do bring your carseat there are NO lockers in the airport to put them in so you would have to lug them with you onto the ship and put it in the closet or somewhere it would be convenient. I know that turbulence happen where people have been thrown around but I guess we were really lucky with our kids and didnt experience that. In fact we havent had turbulence with our kids on board ever. Now hubby and I flying to dive destinations is another story. I'd call your airline or see if you can find one of the foldable booster seat things that someone has mentioned on here before that fold up and can fit in a diaper bag if you are worried about it. I would think however that if the FAA hasnt made it mandatory that ALL children regardless of age be in a restraing that it is more of a personal call than anything. Children under the age of 2 as of about 6 months ago anyway were permitted to sit on the lap of a parent but once they turned 2 you had to buy them their own seat.

Dont know if that helps much
Heidi

 

[jel0511]

The FAA strongly suggests the use of car seats for children under 40 lbs. You will not be denied boarding without a car seat, but it is much safer for your child. You can only bring a seat with an appropriate intergrated harness system. If the 4 YO is in a belt positioning booster, those aren't FAA approved and not allowed to be used on the plane. Most car seats have a sticker on the side indicating whether or not they are FAA approved. If there isn't a sticker, it is also noted in the user manual. There aren't any lockers that I'm aware of at MCO that you could store car seats in. We bought two with us on our Wonder Cruise and they stored fine inside the closet. They were never in the way, and we stacked them so they didn't take up much room.

Edited to add: I just re-read your post and noticed this is the first time traveling with your children. I'd strongly suggest bring the car seats, since you're flying in from CA. I've flown MANY times with my children (6 and 3) and having them in their car seats made a world of difference. They know when in their car seats, they are to stay put. They are more comfortable in them, and readily fell asleep in them. It made for a much more comfortable flight for all. I've also noticed that most "smaller" children that are not in car seats are the ones who are complaining, trying to get down, basically trying to kill their parents will, you get the picture. Since it is a new experience for them, they get overwound and act up. With a familiar car seat, it helps them have some sort of familiarity and boundries which helps them stay calm, IMO.

 

[Masonpips]

I've done both - when DS (now 6) was an infant, we brought a seat. Once he hit 2-ish, we stopped bringing his seat, but had DD (now 5) as an infant and brought one for her. Once she hit 2-ish we stopped as well. They do remain buckled in by the regular seatbelt for the flight and although I know turbulence is a possibility, we too have been lucky and never experienced it (I won't go into my solo flight experiences of being hit by lightening and having the oxygen masks drop due to a loss in cabin pressure - different flights by the way).

We also rent carseats from the rental car place when traveling. Sometimes you get lucky and they don't have the actual seats to give you, so they upgrade you to a minivan or something that has built-in seats (SO nice, did this in SanFran one year). Now that both of mine are old enough/heavy enough for butt-only boosters, we can easily carry those with us (checked luggage; these are not FAA approved for flying) if needed, but we typically rent.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

The first time we flew to WDW DS was 2. I had made arrangements for our rental car to have a car seat so I didn't take one on the plane. BIG MISTAKE! He was very antsy and I had a horrible time getting him to sit down--even when the belt was as snug as I thought it could be he got right out of it. We had him in one on the next trip (when he was 3) until we knew he was old enough to listen and do as he was told--now he is an "old pro" after 6 round trips to Orlando!
Robin M.

 

[CheapMom]

If your child is under 2 they fly free but are not guaranteed a seat on the flight so in that case you couldn't bring a car seat at all. I am sure they see lots of people do it both ways- do what you think is best for your situation.

 

[aprilgail2]

There was a news show once that showed what happened to children if the plane hit turbulance and children were not secured into their car seats(especially lap babies) and after seeing that I would never ever take my child on a plane without a car seat....please for your childrens safety take their car seats, its worth the little extra trouble!

 

[lbgraves]

I flew from NC to TX with both kids at 11 mo & 35 mo by myself. I was quite a sight I am sure. Double stroller with DD in the front, both carseats in the back seat with carryons everywhere & DS walking along next to me with his harness. Whew!!! that was before 9/11. My biggest problem was that the airline employees were not at all helpful. Anyway, it was so worth it for me to have both the kids in carseats. I had to sit in the aisle seat so they would have been after each other more. Both of them slept for most of the trip so they were much more comfortable with the carseat sides propping their heads up. I also could relax a bit...I hate to fly & had to really work to remain calm for their sakes...knowing that they were secure in their seats. The airline only charged me half price for their tickets. They encourage you to use carseats so they use to give the cut rate to help out a bit.

 

[crazy4cruises]

I've done this both ways. It is certainly easier without having to lug the seats around, but the car seat helped my son relax and sleep for most of the flight. I have seen a stroller that has a car seat built onto it. You just take the seat off the stroller to put in the car or plane. It is called the Sit n Stroll. Another option is a a travel vest. I know Cosco makes one that is not very expensive. It has a five point harness and fastens into the seat with the seat belt, but it is made of cloth so that it is very packable.

 

[Skuba2]

As noted earlier, car seats are not required but can be very handy. Chances are a 2 year old will fall asleep and the car seats recline them just enough to make them comfortable. They must be placed in a window set and not in an exit row. You can also expect that their little feet will find the back of the seat in front of them and they will kick it to death. Also, the seat back tray won't work with the non-booster style seats. It doesn't come down flat enough. I have always brought one and wouldn't go without. It does keep them strapped in. I have learned that you try not to get them out because depending on the child, getting them back in can be a battle. Plus I use them to and from the airport.

Someone mentioned the sticker and they are right. Some of the older seats may not have the sticker either.

Good luck

DG

 

[shelly3girls]

We found our carseats to be very bulky so we wanted a light-weight alternative. I bought an inexpensive booster with the 5-point harness ($40, happen to be the lightest I could find). We use the 5-point harness on the plane which keeps my very active DD from wanting to get out of her seat. When we are home we use it as an extra booster seat for when we bring my DD's friends somewhere in the car with us. The ease of this seat made it worth every penny and it has now stood up to 8 round trip flights and is still in great condition. This was a great alternative to carrying the heavy seat and because of the size we had no problem storing it in the closet of our cabin.

 

[rsjj]

thank you everyone, for your thoughts! I appreciate them all!

 

[minniemouse1]

rsjj

WE have traveled twice with our children and brought car seats. I admit they are bulky and heavy but we would never fly without them. Our children just sit in there seats and fall asleep or play with their toys, read books. etc. It makes them think that they are in a car and they know they cannot get up. If your little one is antsy I would definately consider traveling with your seat. If they are under 2 and not guaranteed a seat and there is not a seat available they will gate check your carseat and also your stroller if you are bringing one to the airport with you. We will not fly without our stroller again. The seats are very heavy to carry with a 30 pound toddler in it who is too tired to walk!

We have booked 2 flights recently and airlines do not offer reduced rates on children over the age of 2 anymore (atleast the several airlines we tried) since Sept. 11th.

 

[twocjsmom]

We too have traveled with young ones and both times have purchased their own seats and brought along the car seat. Teh msot recent time was a trip to WDW, with our then 3 1/2 to and 8 month old sons. The were definately less antsy being in their familir car seats. Our older son didn't even try to sdk to get up out of his seat, which I do not think would happen had he been in an airplane seat alone. When traveling in the airport with them, we loosened the straps on the carseats and wore them on our backs like a backpack (read that tip here on the DIS!). When we got to the rental car, it was much easier to instal two familiar carseats into a car with 2 tired kids waiting than trying to figure out the workings on an unfamiliar one.

 

[SandraLee]

I would never think of NOT bringing my own carseat on the plane. My kids are used to being in the seats and they are happy in the seats. I can't imagine how a 2 year old sleeps on a plane without being in a carseat. They are too small for the airplane seat and the carseat provides the needed security and support for sleeping.

Also, I must admit we have strapped the carseats to a set of 'wheels' designed to carry luggage. My DD has sat in the seat indian-style, attached to the wheel and we just wheeled her through the airport! You should have heard all the positive comments we got. I wouldn't recommed this method for a younger child, but for my 3-year-old-too-lazy-to-walk, it worked out GREAT!