carseat on plane?

[D L and K's Mom]

DD will be 3 this trip. We are bringing her BRITEX carseat with us for the van we are renting. Should we take it on the plane with us? Last time we went she was younger and the carseat boosted he up so high her feet pushed against the poor person in front of us. Can she be on the plane without a seat? What have others done? I don't know waht to do. We have always bought a seat for her even when she was an infant but now that she is bigger the carseat is also bigger. Should we buy a smaller seat? What have others found to be helpful??/

 

[Tara]

The FAA does not require children over age 2 to be in a car seat. However, several groups (such as the AAP) have advised that all children under 40 pounds should be in a child restraint while flying. So, it's a judgement call. I've brought DS's Britax Marathon on the plane before and I haven't had a problem with it fitting. Bringing it on the plane is preferable to checking the seat, IMO, because there's always a risk of damage due to baggage handling.

My son is now almost 5 and only this year have we stopped using the car seat on the plane. And believe me when I say the ability to kick the seat in front doesn't go down when the car seat is out of the equation! My son doesn't kick, but it must be more comfortable for him to prop his feet against the seat back, because he does it absentmindedly a lot!