car seats required on plane for 2.5 yr old?

[DisFam95]

We are going to WDW in May and our DS will be 2.5. He's BIG for his age..like 95% on height and weight.

Anyone know the requirements for airplanes (AA) and car seats? We'll have a car service so they can provide one when we get there. I just don;t want to lug that thing w/ 2 kids and all the stuff.

I think it would let him nap better.

Thanks

 

[twinmom2]

He doesnt need a car seat, but you may want to try this to keep him tied in. I have used it several times...very samll and easy to use.

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

 

[DisFam95]

Looks nice but i was shocked at the price for a set of straps. I know..my child's safety is priceless but still...$75

Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll definitely keep it in mind..and check the budget between now and then..and maybe check ebay!

 

[DisFam95]

Wow. On ebay I searched for "cares" and then got under the car seat section and there is a lady who rents them for $15 + $5 s/h. That's 1/4 the purchase price. You email her your dates to see if she will have 1 available then get confirmation then "buy it now" to reserve it and pay. Unless you travel a lot that may be a good route to go. She has a cute picture of her kids in them in the plane. She has 100% positive feedback and several hundred rental I think.

Not sure if it is 'legal' to post the link on here??

 

[justhat]

I would rent the CARES if you don't want to buy one. We bought one and I LOVE it! So nice cause it keeps my daughter in her seat without any questions asked. In the regular airplane seat she loves to unbuckle just for the sake of doing it, but she never messed with it when we put the CARES on. I plan to use it for my son when he outgrows the carseat on the plane, as he's a definite wiggle worm and will never stay seated otherwise.

 

[thepeach80]

The FAA reccomends everyone under 40# be in a 5pt harness. AJ was much more comfy in his carseat on our last trip and he was 4 and 41#.

 

[Miz Diz]

We flew Delta in August and my DD was 2 1/2 then. I took her carseat because I wanted her in it and they would not let me use it because it does not have a sticker on it that says it is approved for flight. I've flown with this same carseat several times before and not been stopped with it and had never even heard of this. I told the Flight Attendant we've used it before on planes and never had any problems and she absolutely would not let me use it because of this sticker she was looking for. She told me my child did not have to have a carseat, so my dd sat in the regular seat and they took our carseat with our stroller.

I think your child will be fine without the carseat.

 

[all4fun]

It's not "required" but it is highly recommended. This is from the FAA site HERE

The FAA strongly urges parents and guardians to secure children in an appropriate restraint based on weight and size. Keeping a child in a CRS or device during the flight is the smart and right thing to do.

Make sure that the seat has a sticker that says "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft" printed on it. It's a white sticker with black and red lettering on it. There is a picture of one on the above link. Most US car seats that have an internal 5pt harness are airline approved.

I also would not trust a rental car seat, because I wouldn't know the history of the seat, or whether they would even have one that was an appropriate size and style for my child (like they might show up with a belt positioning booster when I requested a 5pt or the 5pt might be too small for him).

Personally, I can't overlook safety for convenience when it comes to my ds, it's just something that is extremely important to me, whether we're at home or on vacation. And there have been a few times when we were on airplanes at that age and going thru turbulence, having the car seat gave me a little peace of mind because those lap belts are not designd to hold such small children. Even at 4yrs & 40lbs, my ds swam in the lap belt on the airplane.

 

[_queenie_]

I've never had my kids sit in a carseat on a plane, they went straight from my lap to their own seat. I used to worry about it when my older kids were little, but the airlines always used to insist they'd be fine (I think a lot changed after 9/11). I guess because of that I've always done the same with my DD3.5. The cares thing does look like a neat idea, but I won't bother with it now as my DD is about 42 in (we wouldn't get much use out of it) and I have trouble with Ebay.

 

[twinmom2]

The FAA reccomends everyone under 40# be in a 5pt harness. AJ was much more comfy in his carseat on our last trip and he was 4 and 41#.

FYI....the CARES is a 5 pt harness

 

[thepeach80]

FYI....the CARES is a 5 pt harness

I know, thanks. I was more commenting on her original post, not the posts following it.

 

[Bugsmom73]

Our DS was 3 the last time we flew and we used his carseat, just make sure it is FAA approved.

 

[karajeboo]

I think I'd be more concerned about the car seat provided by the car service than the plane. Last time DD and I flew, she was 3 and the flight attendants were downright EVIL about me using the car seat! They rushed us to get it situated and then again when we were getting off. And having worked for a rental car agency years ago, they were not allowed to rent car seats, provide car seats, install car seats, etc, because of the liability. I would take my own seat, that way you'll have it for the car in Orlando, too.

 

[stacy6552]

Requirements? For children? There aren't any. You must be thinking of coffeepots. There are very strict rules about securing coffee pots.

But in answer to your question, Its all about seat depth and if your child can sit up straight with his legs at a 90 degree angle. Once when I called, the airline was ale to give me the dimentions of the seat. At a guess, though, I'd think a tall 2.5 year old is probably ok, because airplane seats are not as deep as car seats.

 

[all4fun]

Requirements? For children? There aren't any. You must be thinking of coffeepots. There are very strict rules about securing coffee pots.

Sad, but true...

But in answer to your question, Its all about seat depth and if your child can sit up straight with his legs at a 90 degree angle. Once when I called, the airline was ale to give me the dimentions of the seat. At a guess, though, I'd think a tall 2.5 year old is probably ok, because airplane seats are not as deep as car seats.

Actually my 44" tall 4yr old ds could not bend his legs at the edge of the plane seat. He is in the 90th percentile for height.

 

[jessica52877]

I agree, take your own seat and make sure you know where the label is. They are a stickler for it. It is a bit of a hassle going through the airport and getting on the plane, but worth it all.

A rental carseat would scare me, especially for a bigger (higher %) child. My son grew out of his carseat by the time he was 3 height wise, we had to get one with higher top slots, which there weren't alot of at the time, they are getting better now.

My 44" 40 lb 4 3/4 yr old also could not sit properly on the plane with the bend of his knee correctly. We are flying again in May and I'll be taking his carseat, he will be 5 1/2 at that time.

 

[thedizwizkid]

yes.

 

[NotUrsula]

Its all about seat depth and if your child can sit up straight with his legs at a 90 degree angle. Once when I called, the airline was ale to give me the dimentions of the seat. At a guess, though, I'd think a tall 2.5 year old is probably ok, because airplane seats are not as deep as car seats.

Actually, it is not all about seat depth; that's one of the criteria for ground vehicles. On planes, the ONLY criteria is weight. If the child weighs less than 40#, then use of a carseat is recommended by the FAA and the AAP. If the child weighs OVER 40#, then the CAMI study shows that the protection he/she gets from the lap belt is the same level of protection that an adult gets from the same lap belt.

IME (which is considerable), due to the seat pitch of most US coach-class seating, a child who is taller than 46" may not be able to sit in a carseat in an aircraft unless he/she is long-legged, because his/her legs do not bend in the middle of the shin. Most kids at about that height will be in a position that their legs meet the aircraft seat edge at a 45 degree angle, with not enough room for their feet to clear the seat in front of them. It can be quite painful to sit that way. On DS' last flight in a carseat (at age 5) he had to sit cross-legged for the entire flight for this reason. He was 38.5 lbs. when we retired the carseat for in-flight use, but there was just no alternative at the time; his legs literally would not fit anywhere.

The CAREs harness can be used with taller kids with no problem, but is still considered superflous if the child weighs more than 40 lbs. It cannot be used with really lightweight kids, though, the lower weight limit on it is 22 lbs.

 

[5 for WDW]

We always bring a seat for our kids until they are at least 4. DD was one month shy of 4 in September and sat quite happily in her car seat both to and from Orlando.

I felt better knowing she was safe and sound in her seat and there was no issues with her wanting to get down, etc, since she was strapped in.

I agree with the car service as well. I think I would be nervous about using seat that was not mine.

 

[ZeroMyHero]

We flew with our DD3 for the first time last May and I was very glad I brought her car seat. As others have posted, a seat must have a sticker that shows it is approved for air travel. DD3 was comfortable and happy on a 4-hour flight to CA and as a bonus she could see out the window, something she wouldn't be able to do without the car seat. Also, there are products that make transporting a car seat much easier. One Step Ahead sells something called a Pac-Bac. It allows you to strap your car seat (minus your child!) to your back, making it much easier to carry. My DH had no complaints and he carried the car seat this way through two airports.