Carseat Dilema -- Help Please

[barbanm]

Hi everyone-

Here is my dilema. We are flying to Dinsey at the end of the month with DD4 and DS14 months. We have 2 car seats Britax Roundabout and Britax Boulevard. We purchased a seat for DS and will use the Roundabout for him. We used this seat on the plane for DD when she was 2 so I know we will have no problems with it.

Here is my dilema. Do I take the Boulevard on the flight for DD4 to sit on or do I check it? It is a larger car seat -- has anyone used the Boulevard on the plane and how did it work? Is it safe to check it or will it come out all beat up -- I know I can get a bag for it and if we check it we certainly will do that but I am still worried about 1) it getting beat up and 2) what happens if we arrive and the car seat doesn't??? Can we gate check it -- is that a better option? What a pain though carrying a second car seat through the airport just to gate check it. We are renting a car and will need it as soon as we get there.

Any suggestions from those out there with this experience?

Thanks so much for you help.

Barbara

 

[belle&beast]

My DD was 4 in January when we went to WDW and we used her carseat on the plane. She was able to see out the window and just felt more secure. My 2 yo DS was also in a carseat, so there was no question from either one. The flight attendants did make sure it was a 5 point harness and not a booster- as boosters are not allowed, but she was not heavy enough for a booster yet. I say use it, just because it was really easier for us in the flights, although carrying 2 carseats at the airports can be a little tough. We were glad we had it.

 

[Schmeck]

First of all - is the Boulevard approved for airplane use in the US? There should be a sticker/decal on it.

Is your DD4 a squirmy kid? Does she need room to spread out, or does she feel more comfortable in her carseat? How long is the flight?

If you think she'll be more contained/comfy in her carseat, I'd use it on the plane, especially if it's a long flight. Otherwise, I'd check it with the baggage - carrying it through the airport, with two kids and their stuff and another carseat, just seems like way too much to carry!

 

[GatorGal]

I checked Britax's website and the Boulevard IS approved for airplanes. I've always traveled with my DD's carseat. I attach it to my carry on suitcase that has wheels and pull them both through the airport. I usually put my purse and coat in the seat and secure it with the shoulder straps. You didn't mention if another adult is traveling with you, but hopefully someone is and can do the same with the second seat so getting both seats through the airport shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

I don't recommend checking the carseat with your luggage. You are right to be concerned that you'll arrive at your destination but the seat won't. Also, you'll have no way of knowing if the car seat sustained any damage during transit (ie being thrown about by baggage handlers, falling of conveyor belt etc). Checking the seat at the gate is an option, but if you've lugged it that far, you might as well bring it on board with you.

If your 14 month old is still rear facing in the car, you can install the seat rear facing on the plane as well. You should be aware however that whoever is in front of the rear facing car seat won't be able to recline their seat.

HTH

 

[KelsiesMommy]

Just so you know, if you are planning on rear facing in an airplane, let them know at check in (helps to be early) and request a bulkhead seat, so that passengers in front aren't bothered by the fact they can't recline. We did this a few yrs ago on a cross country trip because the first leg I had a gentleman grumble at me the whole time that my toddler was rf in a Marathon. She weighed only 18 lbs, so I didn't feel comfortable facing her fwd, and the law stated she stay rfing (I stated that to every flight attendant the whole time) Return home flight- I requested a bulkhead seat and they moved other people for us

 

[GatorGal]

Just so you know, if you are planning on rear facing in an airplane, let them know at check in (helps to be early) and request a bulkhead seat, so that passengers in front aren't bothered by the fact they can't recline.

Great tip!

I should have also mentioned that with carseats, you can't be seated in the exit row or the rows right in front of and behind the exit rows.

 

[NotUrsula]

It would be a great tip, except that most toddler carseats will not install properly in a coach bulkhead seat, because the armrests in that row do not raise. What you definitely should do is carry a printout of the FAA's recommendation for rear-facing carseats, because FA's will often tell you that you cannot rear-face the seat at all.

Just FYI, other than on SWA, the odds *against* getting a bulkhead seat for a family are very high on a US domestic flight, unless Mom or Dad has elite status on that airline. SOP on US legacy carriers is to save those seats for elites or for passengers who pay full unrestricted fare.

 

[all4fun]

Here is a thread from another board of a Marathon rear-facing in a coach seat on a "regional" airline: click here . I figure if it will fit rear-facing it will probably fit f/fing. I have a Boulevard also and it is the same size as the MA. We haven't flown with it but we have flown w/our Evenflo Bolero which I would say is at least the same width and it fit in the airplane seat ok (I can't remember for sure, but I don't think I could lower the armrest all the way, which isn't a big deal to me).

Here's a link to the FAA rules someone else mentioned in case you want to print them out: http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

This site has helpful info on rear-facing car seats on airplanes as well:
http://www.cpsafety.org/articles/airplaneRF.aspx

hth.

 

[jodifla]

Why do you want to put your daughter in the car seat? Is she very wiggly or very small? At 4, she's old enough to ride in the airplane seat.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Here is a thread from another board of a Marathon rear-facing in a coach seat on a "regional" airline: click here . I figure if it will fit rear-facing it will probably fit f/fing. I have a Boulevard also and it is the same size as the MA. We haven't flown with it but we have flown w/our Evenflo Bolero which I would say is at least the same width and it fit in the airplane seat ok (I can't remember for sure, but I don't think I could lower the armrest all the way, which isn't a big deal to me).

Here's a link to the FAA rules someone else mentioned in case you want to print them out: http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

This site has helpful info on rear-facing car seats on airplanes as well:
http://www.cpsafety.org/articles/airplaneRF.aspx

hth.

I wish I had had those FAA rules when I flew with my DD to Disneyland 5 years ago. She was 17 months old and somewhat small for her age, 19lbs. I bought her a seat because I wanted to be sure that she had one and was as safe as she could be for the cross-country flight. Her seat did not forward face until 22lbs, so she was still rear facing in the car so I put her rear facing in the plane. I had a horrible experience with the woman in front of me complaining, even though the flight attendant offered her the option of moving to a different seat. That wasn't good enough, she paid for her seat and she liked it and she wasn't moving, my baby would have to be turned around. I told the FA that my baby was too small to be forward facing, that her seat was not approved for forward facing use by babies that size, but the FA made me turn her around anyway. Looking back I wish I had just refused to do it. When I called United to complain, that's what the customer service rep told me she would have done, refused to move it and told the FA if she touched my child I would have her charged with assault. That's a little strong for me, but to this day, nearly 5 years later, I still get irritated when I think that the safety of my baby wasn't as important as the comfort of that woman, especially given that she could have changed seats. United did give me vouchers good for a year for another flight, but less than two weeks after this experience was 9/11, the vouchers actually arrived a few days later, and I was so shaken up by that I didn't think I would ever fly again, and in fact did not fly again for a few years, so I never used the free trip.

Anyway, thanks for posting those very useful links, I hope they help another parent!

 

[Schmeck]

Isn't the only time that a rear-facing position is needed is during take-off and landing? Turbulence tends to drop a plane down, so facing front or backwards isn't going to make a big difference, is it? You could have had her seat facing back during take-off, then switched it around during the flight, then repositioned it back before landing. During take-offs and landings the plane seats have to be in the 'locked upright position'.

 

[all4fun]

Isn't the only time that a rear-facing position is needed is during take-off and landing? Turbulence tends to drop a plane down, so facing front or backwards isn't going to make a big difference, is it? You could have had her seat facing back during take-off, then switched it around during the flight, then repositioned it back before landing. During take-offs and landings the plane seats have to be in the 'locked upright position'.

If you read the link I posted above it explains why r/fing on the plane (even for toddlers) is safer.

As for switching the seat around during the flight, well that seems like a pretty big hassle to go through to me... Given the lack of space on the airplane it would be a real inconvenience to have to do that IMO.

As for people wanting to tilt their seat back - I usually told the person in front of us as a courtesy that ds' seat would make that impossible just so they knew and no one (thankfully) ever had a problem with it. I personally almost never feel the need to recline my airplane seat either. There is so little room nowadays in coach class, between rows, that when someone reclines their seat it's practically in your face and I prefer to not do that to other people, especially since I don't feel uncomfortable with it in its upright position anyway. I'm one of those people that can't sleep sitting up (like ds would let me anyway, lol) so it works for me.

 

[barbanm]

Hi everyone-

Thanks for the responses. DS is facing forward so that will not be an issue for us. My 4 year old DD is very small for her age, just barely 30 pounds and sits very well in her car seat, hence the reason I was thinking of taking it on the plane. I am also very nervous about checking the seat and afraid of the condition it would be in when we arrived. It looks like from your posts that the Bouleverd is the same size as the Marathon and it seems lots of people have used the Marathon's without a problem. Has anyone used a Boulevard on the plane??? I think I am definitly leaning toward taking DD car seat on the plane.

Thanks again,
Barbara

 

[NotUrsula]

One last point re seat assignments, if applicable: if you have two carseats in the same row, they will have to be placed in the window seat and in the middle seat next to the window, with the largest seat at the window position. The accompanying adult gets the aisle seat in a row of 3. You cannot put two carseats in a row of 2 seats only, obviously.

 

[Phalene]

Personally, if it were me and I needed the carseat for the rental car on arrival I would use the seat during the flight. Mainly because I would worry about checking it, even gate checking it. Who knows what/how much stress or force could be put on the seat in cargo, would other luggage be put on top of it, or would it be thrown around? The potential exists that the seat could be damaged, either visually or not.

If you have a need for a carseat, and you're bringing it anyway, I'd bring it on the plane.