Carseats on planes for toddler

[Greenfield1984]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure this has been discussed (probably to death!) and I'm also sure it's a topic where everyone has a different opinion, but I can't find any other threads so I'm starting this one

We'll be flying with DD, who will be 28 mos in December. We'll be using ME once there and will not be using a car at all.

Should we bring her carseat on the plane? and can you bring any carseat on, or does it have to be some special seat?

Thank you for your kind advice

 

[Erica09M]

If it were me, I'd take the car seat.

Not all seats are approved for airline usage, but most are. There will be a sticker on the side or back of the seat saying it's FAA approved.

If you're not sure or don't think the seat is FAA approved, you can buy a Cosco Scenera for about $50 at WalMart or KMart and it's very light weight and easy to travel with.

What car seat do you have? I can tell you if it's approved

 

[jerenaud]

The other thread that I read seemed to be fairly divided by nationality - I and at least one other Canadian said that their toddler didn't fit properly in the seat belt, whereas American planes apparently fit better.

I can't speak to the US carriers as I've not used them, but on a recent West Jet flight I was forced to put my 2 1/2 year old in just the plane's seatbelt. She had literally six inches of space between her back and the seat, with the belt as tight as I could put it. She is about 36 inches and 31 pounds. My 5 1/2 year old, who is about 37 pounds and 42 inches, also had several inches of extra space.

In my opinion, the belts on the airplanes that I've been on would do absolutely nothing for a small child in the event of an unexpected landing or turbulence. My 2 1/2 year old was much easier to deal with on every other flight, where I've had her carseat with me. That said, when we go to Disney in December, when she'll be 3 and 4 months, we're not taking the carseats for her and her older sister. I'll take the CARES harness, but without the belt tightening it does only marginally better than having nothing does.

Hope that helps,

Erica

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think it depends on their size.

Our last flight was almost a year ago.

DS was 18 months but he was the size of a 2yo. He did ride in his car seat (I have had lap babies before--but this kid was wayyyyy too big for that.)

Since he still rode backwards in the car, I was able to install it backwards (though FA's almost had me remove it until I insisted that that FAA sticker did say rear facing was okay). They acquiesced and I showed them the sticker at hte end of the flight b/c they just didn't know (probably b/c he was huge and they assumed it was a forward only seat).

If he had to ride forward it would have been very uncomfortable but I wanted his car seat due to his age. His legs would have hit the seat in front of him annoying that passenger.

Now he is almost 2.5 and he would ride without his car seat if we had to fly at this point. (he's the size of a 3.5 year old.)

I would think your daughter would be fine without a car seat on the flight.

 

[Hannathy]

I wouldn't bother with it if you aren't going to have a car at Disney. You'll end up hauling it thru the airport and have it take up room in your room all week for nothing.

My kids flew thousands of miles and never used a car seat and never had a problem, but it is a pain to drag one thru the airport that I do know!

 

[tinkerlisa]

Rent a CARES harness! I ended up buying one for DS(2) for our upcoming trip. They are expensive to buy: I paid $70. But you can rent them too.

I figure if I am not renting a car, I might as well have get a CARES Harness. AT least that way, my son will be a little safer in case of nasty turbulance.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Here's a second vote for the Cares harness. It is easy to carry and easy to use and straps the toddler in harness-style like a carseat. In addition to adding some safety, I found my 2YO understood that when he was strapped in like that he had to stay seated and that was a big help all by itself.

edited to add: I bought one since we were going to get a lot of use out of it over a period of several years, but you can rent them on ebay.

 

[LWatson]

Another CARES Harness fan. We have one we just used a few weeks ago and my son seemed ok w/ it. We are using it again in Dec if we fly. I got ours for only $30 on sale though.

 

[monorailsilver]

I took the car seat for all 3 of my kids on each of their first flights.

I am so glad I did. For one it was higher so they were able to look out the window & secondly it kept them in their seat sitting still pretty much.

The last flight was on Jet Blue so my youngest watched Dora on the way to see Mickey.

The only problem I have had is the tray doesn't come all the way down which is fine because it makes less of a mess (aka spills) & the possibility of kicking is easier to do. So I make sure I take the kids shoes off (usually sandels/flip flops).

 

[LWatson]

The only problem I have had is the tray doesn't come all the way down which is fine because it makes less of a mess (aka spills) & the possibility of kicking is easier to do. So I make sure I take the kids shoes off (usually sandels/flip flops).

I thought i was the only one who put their kids in flip flops on planes. I was beginning to wonder if I was weird because everyone else had on tennis shoes. Obviously I dont do that when its snowing, but when its warmer we do. It just seems easier for when they do that whole having to put the shoes through the scanner thing.

 

[dhardawa]

Max will have just turned 2 when we go and we are using Magical Express too. I purchased a CARES harness. We fly quite a bit and I plan to use the heck out of it! You can also rent one for about $15 off Ebay. I would not just put him in a plane seat. His safety is too important.

 

[*Seanaci*]

Ditto to what many others have said...get a CARES harness. Most likely, in a year and a half when we make the trip to Disney again, we'll invest in the CARES for our son (who will be 3 by then). I like it because, if you're not renting a car (and to be honest, how many people rent a car if they're only going to Disney) it's lightweight and travels in the diaper bag.

 

[Greenfield1984]

Thank you all so much for your advice

I'm going to look into seeing how much it would cost to rent a CARES harness, but if it's not possible then we'll lug the carseat through the airport (DH says he doesn't mind...).

I just don't want to take any chances with turbulence.

Thanks again!!

 

[jerenaud]

In regards to the tray tables - that is why the sunshine kids radian is awesome to travel with. The sides are low enough that the tray table can easily fit over the child's lap, so the child can still colour etc. We have two radians and love to travel with them - but we definitely use a luggage cart, as they're heavy!

Erica

 

[peemagg]

A suggestion to make it easier if you do need to haul it through the airport is to get one of those small folding luggage carriers. We used one when we last took our three little one to Disney. It helped being able to roll it around rather than carrying it. We bungied them all together on one carrier.

 

[FunkyDuck]

This is who I rented through off of EBAY and she was extremely professional. The harness arrived as she said it would with a video explaining how to use it. Our daughter was 18 mos. at the time...I actually used a grippy shelf liner on the seat so that she would not slip...and everything went well. I will again be renting the CARES harness. It was a relief not to lug the huge Britax Boulevard carseat we own...it weighs a ton...and the harness was easy to install and worked well for us. I recommend it if you do not want to take your carseat.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Rent-my-CARES-K...in_0?hash=item3353c2aede&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[holden]

We took DD26mos. on a flight last month to FL. We didn't use a carseat or a harness. She did fine. She's 35" and about 27lbs. The seatbelt fit her snugly and I explained to her that she needed to sit with her seatbelt on for the entire ride. She is very active and a bit of a personality, but she did well. He's what I bring to keep her occupied:

DVD player with movies
lollipops (good for decent)
snacks
Horizon milk boxes (yes, you can bring these through security)
coloring books/crayons
the contents of my purse (kids love looking through purses - I clean it out before we leave for the trip)

The above was more than enough to keep her busy on the plane for 2-3hrs. Since we fly out of Philly, we always sit on the runway for 1/2 hr or more (the "Philly factor") before takeoff.

I just wanted to give you the perspective of someone who uses nothing but the seatbelt for a little one.

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

Yes I would. First there is the safety reasons. Your child is better protected in the even of turbulance or a sudden drop. There was a recent news article that a woman is paralezed because she broke her next during turbulance on a flight, so that right there is the biggest reason to bring it. The next is your child will be more comfortable in a car seat they are familiar with and they are more likely to fall asleep on the plane. They will also be more likely to sit still being restrained in their car seat.

We are planning on taking our DD to WDW next year after she turns 3 and we will still be bringing her car seat. We are planning on renting a car, but even if we didn't she would still be restained in her car seat on the plane.

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

This is who I rented through off of EBAY and she was extremely professional.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rent-my-CARES-K...in_0?hash=item3353c2aede&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Thanks for this - I just sent off my request for our dates!

 

[FunkyDuck]

Thanks for this - I just sent off my request for our dates!

You're very welcome!! Have a wonderful time!!!