CAR SEATS on airplanes?

[bankgirl05]

We are travelling in October and actually bought seats for our 1 yearold and 3 yearold, do I bring thier car seats on board and strap them in or do I check them? gate check them? is there a fee for checking car seats?

 

[Kim1964]

We used a car seat on the plane for our kids through age 5. Since we always rent a car we needed them and I couldn't see paying extra for a rented car seat. I think you can gate check them for free, but with the way things have gotten on the airlines, it's probably best to check with your airline about that.

 

[Erica09M]

I'd definitely use them on the plane, especially for the 1 year old.

 

[tloveswdw]

we prefer to use them, they are are great to let the little ones nap safely, (we use the GoGo Babyz Kidz and make lief to easy!).

But, car seats and most strollers check free, (gate or otherwise).

Have a nice trip

 

[millerpjm]

I've always bought a seat for my DS - you use the car seat on the airplane if it's an FAA approved seat (it will have a sticker - most infant and converible seats can be used on a plane).

The only seats that can't be used on an airplane are ones that are not FAA approved (for example, DS is now in a Britax regent which is too wide for a plane seat) or a belt-positioning booster seat. Those would be gate-checked.

Hope that helps!

 

[camlace]

I believe the 1 yo will be required to be in car seat if (s)he is in their own seat. They can sit in your lap, but when they are in their own seat under 2 needs to be in a FAA approved car seat.

Having said all that...my 4 yo still uses her car seat on the plane and will continue to until she no longer fits in an FAA approved car seat.

 

[redhead09]

If you bring them, the 1 yr will need to sit in it for flight. As for the older child, if you gate check it, or counter check it - it is not considered part of your baggage allowance (same w/ stroller) - so it's free.

Just remember that the FAA has not approved booster seats, and they are not allowed in cabin.

We always check our car seat at the counter, as our daughter hasn't sat in one in flight since she was 2 1/2 or so. Good luck!

 

[all4fun]

I preferred to bring the seat on board and use it as long as he still fit in it. I did some research on checking car seats and found that most airlines consider them to be fragile and will not reimburse you if they get damaged. Also, if you need it to get from the airport to the hotel, then it won't get lost if you bring it on board the plane. I've had luggage get misrouted more times than I care to think about and I wouldn't want to deal with a lost car seat issue at the end of long flight. Having said all that, most airlines do not count car seats or strollers as baggage but you have to check w/the individual airline. That used to be universally true but with all the changes they have been making to baggage fees, I hesitate to even post that any more.
This site covers child safety on airplanes and has some good installation tips at the bottom.
This is the latest FAA statement about using CRS's on planes and covers what the airline is responsible for (pdf format so you can print out and take along).

hth

 

[stella27]

I just bought a small folding luggage cart at Target and plan to bungee our carseat to it for transporting through DFW airport. I think I will be able to wheel it right onto the plane.

When I had 2 babies under 2 and traveled by myself with them, I pushed a double stroller with a carseat balanced on top of the hood, and then gate-checked the stroller while carrying the carseat and one baby onto the plane while praying that the other baby would follow me. It will be much easier for you if you have another adult or older children traveling with you to help!

 

[Jdougherty]

American, Southwest, United and Contenital will all check your carseat(s) free of charge. I would if checking at anypoint buy carseat and or stoller covers for them. it keeps the items clean and helps to prevent damage from the luggage belts.

Depending on your 1 year old you can use a FAA approved harnessfor both of them (22-44lbs). they cost about 80.00 and can be found at the website below.

http://crsmithmuseum.org/giftshop/giftframeset.htm

Or you can do a carseat which truely are a pain on planes.

 

[snoopy5386]

I don't bring ours on board. I don't gate check it either. (We have a spare seat for traveling and I am ok with the risk of checking it). I have done both in the past. I don't use the seat on board anymore because:
The kid's feet are like 2 inches from the seat in front of you and it is near impossible to stop them from kicking.
They can't use the tray table.
To get it on the plane you basically have to carry it over your head (I do, I'm short) to avoid hitting people with it since the seat is wider than the aisle, all while sheparding a small child to "your row" when she wants to sit in every row until you get to the right one, while also carrying our carry on bags.
The carseat has to be by the window. If you have 2 seats then they have to be by the window and in the middle (FAA regulations).
My DD knows we are not in a car and whines to get out of her seat and sit on my lap.
More space, the carseat takes up a lot of room.

I do have a CARES harness but I have flown with just a lap belt from 1 year of age (before the CARES harness came out). DD did fine but she is not a hyper personality kid.
If your one year old is still in a bucket seat I would probably take that, but not a convertible seat and not a seat for a 3 yo. You can rent a CARES harness on ebay.

 

[mmcphee]

I always do for three reasons:

It is safer
Kids are used to sitting in their car seats for a long time
It is safer

 

[5 for WDW]

I always do for three reasons:

It is safer
Kids are used to sitting in their car seats for a long time
It is safer

Ditto!

Our kids have all used car seats on flights until they turned 4. We have never had a problem with them using the lap trays. I guess it depends on the seat.

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

USE THEM!! OMG never ever check a car seat!! Here is why....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzmJr1a-BHU

the answer is about 30 seconds in....

 

[LuvMy3Monkeys]

I am not going to comment on whether or not to use seats on a plane, because I always end up on the losing side of the battle.

That being said, do NOT rent carseats. I know you said you didn't want to spend the money, but its not about the money. You don't know what accidents the seats have or have not been in, you may not be able to find the expiration date or where to look for it, you don't know if the straps have been washed or submerged in water, you don't know if the seat has been recalled, etc.

If you are taking any sort of public transportation, 100% bring the seats, no question.

If you are using disney transportation only, you need to decide if your child will be safer in the carseat on the plane, or not.

ETA: We have used the traveling toddler, which is a strap used to attach the carseat to your carry on luggage. It's helpful in that you don;t need to carry the seat, and you can strap the child in the seat and travel through the airport, like you would a stroller. They cost around $15-ish and are well worth it. We used Britax Marathons and it worked wonderfully. We also have 3 Radians, but they fold up flat and you can get the shoulder strap to take it on the plane. Both are good options.

*** Do not check your carseats, you don't know what kind of damage they will do and if you will be able to see that damage or not. A stroller? Yes, I'd check that. But a carseat is the one thing keeping your child off the pavement in a serious car accident, and I wouldn't chance having it damamged in transit and not knowing about it.

 

[all4fun]

To get it on the plane you basically have to carry it over your head (I do, I'm short) to avoid hitting people with it since the seat is wider than the aisle, all while sheparding a small child to "your row" when she wants to sit in every row until you get to the right one, while also carrying our carry on bags.

I just wanted to say that there is an easy way to solve this problem and that is to turn the seat upside down, with the seat part of the crs resting on the forearm and the base on top. This puts the widest part of the seat at the top so you don't have to lift the whole thing over your head to carry it down the aisle w/out bonking someones noggin. I've done this many many times and it always worked wonderfully.

When dh and I travel together, he always boards w/ds a few minutes after I do. This gives me a chance to install the seat w/out us all blocking the airplane aisle and slowing the boarding process. If you're traveling alone w/a child, then you can inlist the help of an FA. I know sometimes they are too busy but it can never hurt to ask.

I also always used a backpack for a carry on so that it was more easy to carry.

hth!

 

[Dizneydaz]

My DD9 has been flying since she was 2-3/4. We always check the carseat (with our luggage). Many of the airlines will even provide a plastic bag to wrap it in. When she got bigger we did this with her booster seat as well. With changes with airlines you might want to bring your own bag to protect it. I never wanted to deal with carrying the car seat down the jetway to gate check it. I did however do this with our stroller. Gave me something to carry things on til we boarded. Typically I would quickly unload and fold the stroller just before entering the plane while my DM took DD inside and got our seats.

Car seats are so big nowadays (my DSis has one for her new DS 7 mo. that is so big I can't imagine trying to sit next to it! ) And hers isn't even the biggest one out there. I felt comfortable with DD sitting in her own airplane seat without the car seat. Like PP said, it allows them to use the tray too which was important in keeping her occupied for over 6-1/2 hours. (total time in plane from CA to FL). It also allowed her to sleep, laying down, during the long flight.

The final decision is yours of course but if you want to check it you can when you check in. Or at the gate I think we had to do this once DD got big enough for a booster seat and we checked our luggage at the resorts. We still needed it for the trip to MCO so we brought it with us and they gate checked it for us.

 

[bankgirl05]

gosh that is something I didn't think about, hauling 2 fullsized carseats thru the airports along with carry on bags and 2 kids in a double stroller... luckily I won't have to retrieve my luggage at MCO, but after our stay at Disney we are renting a car and driving to the west coast, so we are on our own for the return trip as far as luggage is concerned. Double Yikes!!! Any suggestions?

 

[jodifla]

I stopped using a car seat on the plane when DS turned 3. At that point, it jams their legs so close to the seat in front of them they can't move their feet without kicking it.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you are going to forego using them on board and plan to check them, I would advise gate-checking them.

Checking carseats with baggage and letting them go through the bag room involves a lot of drops from the various conveyor belts, and it is quite possible that they will end up under literally tons of baggage in the aircraft hold. Really not that good for a carseat, since they tell you that for safety you should replace them even after the tiniest fender-bender.

Gate-checking won't necessarily spare them from being tossed into the aircraft by the ramp workers or possibly falling of the baggage loading ramp, but at least they would pass only through human hands (as opposed to sorting machinery) and not end up at the bottom of the baggage load.

Gate-checking also gives you absolute assurance that the seat is going to be on the same aircraft that you are on.