Child's age to stop using car seat on plane?

[javaj]

I asked this on the transportation board but realized I might get a better response here.

We've always used a car seat on the plane for DS, but he'll be almost 3 1/2 when we go to WDW in May. Should we still use the car seat on the plane or just check it in to use for the rental car? He's getting taller of course, and the space in front of the seats is so cramped.

Thanks!

 

[FreeTime]

We did not use our child seat the last time that we flew when our daughter was 3. The lap belt fit her fine.

 

[FreeTime]

We did not use our child seat the last time that we flew when our daughter was 3. The lap belt fit her fine. If

 

[FreeTime]

We did not use our child seat the last time that we flew when our daughter was 3. The lap belt fit her fine. If yoour

 

[robinb]

I stopped using the car seat on the plane when my DD was able to reach the seat in front her her with her feet. That would have been about 3 1/2.

 

[bicyclemark]

Using a child seat should be based on the size of the child and not their age. If you need a child seat in a car, then you should also use one on the airplane. A childs safety should never be given up for convenience.

 

[nygrl]

Using a child seat should be based on the size of the child and not their age. If you need a child seat in a car, then you should also use one on the airplane. A childs safety should never be given up for convenience.

not necessarily because my ds 3 uses a boster seat in the car and on a plane they will not allow you to use this. he is almost 40 pounds and has been using a booster for a while now. a plane will only let you use a regular car seat with a 5 point harness or pull down bar not a booster which you use with a regular seat belt which is what most 3and1/2 year olds would be using. so depending on what kind of seat your child is in you may not even realize that you cant use it on a plane!

 

[all4fun]

FAA tips for parents using a CRS

Choosing the correct CRS
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding use of the CRS. Do not place a child in a CRS designed for a smaller child. Be sure that any shoulder straps in the CRS come out of the CRS seat back above the child's shoulders. tighten the aircraft seatbelt around the CRS as tightly as possible.

• Under 20 pounds - Use a rear facing child restraint.
• From 20 to 40 pounds - Use a forward facing child restraint. Although the safety technology of forward facing carriers in aircraft is still developing, current devices offer dramatic improvements in protection compared to lap held and/or unrestrained children.
• Over 40 pounds - A child over 40 pounds may safely use an aircraft seatbelt and does not require a CRS.

hth,
Cheryl

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Using a child seat should be based on the size of the child and not their age. If you need a child seat in a car, then you should also use one on the airplane. A childs safety should never be given up for convenience.

Not true. The plane seats are not the same as auto seats and the "car seats" don't fit the plane the same way. Our DS is tall and if he was in his booster seat (in the plane's seat) that I currently have in my car his legs would touch the seat infront of him. That is not really safe. Also forget it if someone puts their seat back.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

FAA tips for parents using a CRS

Choosing the correct CRS
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding use of the CRS. Do not place a child in a CRS designed for a smaller child. Be sure that any shoulder straps in the CRS come out of the CRS seat back above the child's shoulders. tighten the aircraft seatbelt around the CRS as tightly as possible.

• Under 20 pounds - Use a rear facing child restraint.
• From 20 to 40 pounds - Use a forward facing child restraint. Although the safety technology of forward facing carriers in aircraft is still developing, current devices offer dramatic improvements in protection compared to lap held and/or unrestrained children.
• Over 40 pounds - A child over 40 pounds may safely use an aircraft seatbelt and does not require a CRS.

hth,
Cheryl

Thanks Cheryl

 

[beattyfamily]

I stopped at age 3.

 

[javaj]

Thanks for all the input

 

[cwnhokie]

I find the best questions on this board, things I never thought of. I have a 4 and 2 year old. I was planning on putting them in their carseats on the plane just so they feel more like they would in the car. For instance, know that they can't get up and run around. My 4 year old is short 39" and only weighs about 36 pounds so will he be ok in the carseat or is he going to be cramped, they are both still in the regular seat with the 5 point harness. I guess I could try putting him in the seat, but then his brother is going to have a fit that he has to be in his. Oh well, we'll see.

 

[java]

Be prepared for those feet to be hitting the seat in front of you- and if they recline forget about it! I had trouble with the seat when DD was 2- she was too close to the seat in front. Then also be aware you can not sit in an Exit row with a car seat-As you can tell after a few too many fiasco flights we now drive....

 

[robinb]

Be prepared for those feet to be hitting the seat in front of you- and if they recline forget about it!

Yup. There was a very unhappy pax who sat in front of my DD from ORD to LAX 2 years ago. My DD wouldn't take her feet off the back of her seat no matter how much I begged, pleaded and threatened her. The overheads were full and there was no way we could put the car seat away. I felt soooo bad and the woman kept on peering back over the seat at us giving us dirty looks . There was really nothing I could do at that point short of cutting off her legs. She was 3 1/2 and a total snot-bucket until she finally fell asleep. That was the last time she flew in her car seat.

 

[NotUrsula]

Once kids get to be 4 feet tall, the pitch on most US domestic coach seats will cause their legs to dangle at an angle that is very uncomfortable. (Their knees will clear the edge of the carseat, but the back of their ankles will rest on the edge of the plane's seat, usually pressing the backs of their feet against the seat in front. If the person in front reclines, it may crush the child's legs.

We had to give up on the carseat before DS reached 40 lbs. for this reason; he's very tall and slim, and his legs were crushed more than once. Invariably it would happen when he was asleep, someone would recline onto his legs, and he would wake screaming from the pain.