car seats on plane

[shburks]

Thank you for all your help! Dh is on the phone calling air tran now. He has a seat with a 5 point harness...it just seems so big that i'm not sure it will fit. I think i would feel better gate checking our older ds's seat then checking it with our luggage. I think ds (2.5)will do better strapped in his car seat. We don't fly enough to buy a cares harness. We are taking a stroller so maybe we can strap the car seat to it while we are at the airport.
Now i need to go out to the car and check to see if it has a sticker on it.

If you have a newer seat (within the past six years or so) it should have an FAA approved sticker on it. (If your seat is older than six years, you shouldn't use it anyway!) Unless you have a Britax Husky or Regent (which are HUGE) seats, everything else will fit into an airplane seat even though it looks big.

 

[set1208]

Do those of you with kids under 1 install your car seats backwards on the plane?

 

[all4fun]

Do those of you with kids under 1 install your car seats backwards on the plane?

Yes, if your child is under 1 the seat should be rear facing. This site has some installation tips.
And from the FAA Child Safety on Airplanes site:

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when using a CRS. FAA recommends that a child weighing:

Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing CRS
From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-facing CRS

hth

 

[set1208]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

 

[mjkacmom]

AMEN!!!! Finally someone that feels the same way I do!! I kringe with the thought of people holding infants on there lap during flight!!! We use the CARES harness and love it!! Not to mention it gives me piece of mind. If I did not have it I would definately be putting my daughter in a car seat, even though it is a pain to carry through the airport.

Couldn't help but think of this thread while watching that plane in the Hudson river. I believe there was a baby onboard, not in a carseat? I think things turned out okay, but I can't imagine being told to brace for a hard landing, trying to hold an infant in my arms.

 

[brymolmom]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

I haven't had an infant in years...but last time I tried this - the FA's would not let the infant be in ANYTHING but my arms for takeoff/landing. I think it depends on the attendants you get and how 'strict' and how observant they are. Some people might 'get away with it' - but I think the rule is that they're not allowed to be in these.

 

[justhat]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

No, you can't. At least, when I had my daughter in a Bjorn, they said she had to be removed from that for takeoff. She had a seat with her carseat anyway, so I hadn't planned to keep her in the Bjorn, but the FA would not have let me anyway.



Regarding rearfacing on the plane, be prepared for the FAs to tell you to turn the kid around. We flew with our kids rearfacing in their carseats till they were at least a year, but many times we encountered a FA who fought us on this. One thought it couldn't be buckled that way (which it could, of course), another told us the passenger in front of the seat couldn't recline (which he couldn't, but nothing we could do about that really), another said it had to be forward facing on planes, etc. Each time we stuck to our guns, explained that our child was under a year/20 lbs and the seat had to be installed that way for safety reasons. We apologized to the person who couldn't recline, asked if they wanted to switch seats with us (they always said no), but kept the kid in rearfacing.

 

[lil mermaid]

the idea of the car seat is not so much in case of a crash (because I agree with you that not much is going to help in that instance) but to help protect the baby/child in the case of turbulence. my pediatrician begged me to spend the money to get dd a seat of her own and to use the car seat to protect her because he had personally known of a few children who were injured or even (sadly) killed in extreme turbulence. this of course applies more to lapbabies than older kids but even then, they recommend under 40 pounds sit in car seats because they don't generally get adequate protection from the lapbelts - they just don't fit the little ones properly.

I have always purchased seats for my children and put them in carseats on the plane, but are there really that many documented cases of children being killed by turbulence? I mean, are there so many that your pediatrician knows of a few personally?

 

[bookgirl]

Couldn't help but think of this thread while watching that plane in the Hudson river. I believe there was a baby onboard, not in a carseat? I think things turned out okay, but I can't imagine being told to brace for a hard landing, trying to hold an infant in my arms.

They said that the 9 month old was a lap seat but that the mom gave the child to one of the pilots, though they might have meant attendants to hold during the landing. Not sure why maybe they thought a male would hold on better or maybe because the crew's seats have shoulder harness and there was less chance of the baby being josted around.

 

[justhat]

They said that the 9 month old was a lap seat but that the mom gave the child to one of the pilots, though they might have meant attendants to hold during the landing. Not sure why maybe they thought a male would hold on better or maybe because the crew's seats have shoulder harness and there was less chance of the baby being josted around.

Imagine having to hand your baby over like that, and not knowing if you'll all survive and see him again?

 

[NotUrsula]

If you have a newer seat (within the past six years or so) it should have an FAA approved sticker on it. (If your seat is older than six years, you shouldn't use it anyway!) Unless you have a Britax Husky or Regent (which are HUGE) seats, everything else will fit into an airplane seat even though it looks big.

The US aircraft approval standard has been the law since 1985, so even if her seat were 16 years old instead of six, it would more than likely have the sticker.

NOTE THAT THE STICKER DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAA!! The sticker will always have red lettering, and by law, must read, "THIS RESTRAINT IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT."

 

[mjkacmom]

They said that the 9 month old was a lap seat but that the mom gave the child to one of the pilots, though they might have meant attendants to hold during the landing. Not sure why maybe they thought a male would hold on better or maybe because the crew's seats have shoulder harness and there was less chance of the baby being josted around.

The family was on the Today show. The man offered to hold the baby (he was just another passenger).

 

[brymolmom]

The family was on the Today show. The man offered to hold the baby (he was just another passenger).

Yes and I believe I heard the Dad (who was sitting separate from mom and 9 month old a few rows back) say that he held the 4 year old too. So much for buying kids seats in case of emergencies....I think it's just parental instinct that when a child is scared and in a potentially horrible situation that he just grabbed her out of her seat. Luckily - all worked out well.

 

[mamamac]

I just wanted to add my two cents.

The first time we flew with the girls (2y & 11m), we lugged the carseats around and installed them on the plane for the flight down there. It was a pain. On the way home, we checked our oldest carseat and had our youngest still in hers. The next time, we didn't even bother (3y & 2y). It was great.

However...

My husband and I recently flew to Florida without kids (it was so nice to have our first mini vacation) and the turbulence was SO BAD! The flight attendants were not even allowed to get out of their seats. My husband and I agreed that there would have been no way our kids would have stayed in their seats with just a seatbelt. I am taking them (3 1/2 and 2 1/2) to Florida by myself in a few weeks (not Disney) and am planning on using the CARES either by rental or purchasing.

 

[crashbb]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

Most/many airlines will not let you. The argument I was told when I questioned this (I don't have a child, but the person beside me did, and I was interested) was that the airlines were worried that the parents would "secretly" connect the carriers through their seat belt (which is not allowed). Not sure if this is something this flight attendant made up, but that's what she said.

I have seen a few parents told that they couldn't use a carrier during take-off or landing.

 

[mandynee22]

Do those of you with kids under 1 install your car seats backwards on the plane?

I would have if DS had been under one when we went. I installed his FF on the plane (he was 18 months) but it was always RF in the car. I *thought* he'd be more likely to stay in it on the plane if he had a cool tray and everything. Yeah. Ended up holding him anyway for most of both flights.
He turned 2 in Sept and I just turned his seat FF in my car (RF weight limit is 30 lbs on my seat)

 

[laughinplace199]

Do those of you with kids under 1 install your car seats backwards on the plane?

Yes, you should install it RFing on the plane if the baby is RFing in the car. I have flown with my youngest DS three times now and I have always installed his seat RFing on the plane. He turned 2 in Oct and is still RFing in my car. We're flying to WDW in April and I haven't decided if I will install his seat RFing or FFing on the plane.

 

[all4fun]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

You can use a wrap during the flight, but they are not approved for taxi, take off, or landing. The reasoning that I've heard for this (once from a former FA of 13yrs) was that these are the most dangerous times during the flight as this is when most accidents occur, and also that having a child attached to you like that essentially turns them into a human airbag.

 

[NotUrsula]

I asked this on another thread....
Can we use the cloth wraps to hold the infants during take off/landing?
I have one of those Maya wrap style infant carriers and would love to use it. I was reading the links from the above post and it only talked about the vests that attach to the parents seat belt and how they are not approved.

You can use a wrap during the flight, but they are not approved for taxi, take off, or landing. The reasoning that I've heard for this (once from a former FA of 13yrs) was that these are the most dangerous times during the flight as this is when most accidents occur, and also that having a child attached to you like that essentially turns them into a human airbag.

Yes, the FAA's CAMI study in 1994 did conclude that the child would end up acting as a human airbag in the event of a sudden acceleration/deceleration.

As for the rules, this is specifically addressed in FAA Advisory Circular AC120-87A:

CLOTH BABY CARRIER OR A VEST/HARNESS DEVICE THAT ATTACHES THE CHILD TO THE PARENT DURING FLIGHT.
a.​

​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]The regulations contained in § 121.311 prohibit the use of certain types of CRSs during ground movement, takeoff, and landing. However, during the cruise portion of the flight, there is no regulatory prohibition regarding the use of any type of child restraint, including those prohibited from use during ground movement, takeoff, and landing. ​

[/FONT][/FONT]b. [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Also, there is no regulatory requirement that an aircraft operator permit the use of "non-approved" CRSs during the cruise portion of the flight. If an aircraft operator decides to implement a policy to prohibit the use of non-approved CRSs inflight, they have the operational flexibility to do so.
[/FONT][/FONT]

(The bolding above is mine.) IME, FA's will often confiscate cloth carriers for the duration of the flight if they know that you have them, and ESPECIALLY if you protested not being able to use it for takeoff. This is because they are specifically forbidden during landing, but in the event of an emergency or turbulence that kept the FA's in their seats, they would not be in a position to check to be sure that you didn't cheat and use it at a time when it was not allowed. They are allowed to just decide this on the spot; the law does not prevent an arbitrary duration-of-the-flight ban.