Car seats on airplane??

[kkzarnld]

What are the rules about car seats on airplanes? I have a 27 pound 3 year old and I don't know if I am supposed to have her in a car seat or not. Please let me know. Thanks.

 

[skeezixspud]

Here is the link to their webpage where they spell out the recommendations:
http://www.faa.gov/apa/turb/CRSTips/FRCRS.htm

No one is -required- to use a safety seat on an aircraft in this country, but I highly recommend it, especially if you have a very excitable child, or if the trip is very long. Kids are used to staying in their carseats, which helps keep them in their seats on the plane. Besides that, it is MUCH safer for the child. Heavy turbulence can throw around a young child very badly.
You have to buy a seat for her anyway, you may as well make it safer and give yourself a break at the same time. (It's a bit of a hassle getting the seat to the gate, but using a small luggage cart and a bungee, or a carseat satchel, will make it much easier.)

Check the back of your carseat. To be used on an aircraft, it has to have a sticker on it that says that it is approved for aircraft use.

 

[kkzarnld]

Thank you very much for the info and the link. I hope my car seat is FAA approved.

 

[flyingcircus]

Most car seat manufactured after 1995 are FAA approved. If you have a booster type seat, make sure there is a FAA sticker on it. Some of them (even the newer ones) are NOT Faa approved!

 

[Ityldu]

Please, please bring your car seat. On our last trip, we decided to bring our car seat because our 2 year old can never sit still and we were hoping he would settle down since he was used to his car seat. On the flight home, the turbulence was extremely severe. There's no way we could have held on to him. We were all scared to death and learned a very valuable lesson. Chances are, you won't hit life threatening turbulence, but the piece of mind is priceless. The carseat also did solve the problem of sitting still and it was nice to have for the car rental. It was also extremely easy to transport and hook up to the seat.