Do you need a car seat on the plane?

[paigevz]

Wondering if you have to have a car seat on the plane for a 2 1/2 year old? He had to have a ticket this time. Last time, he was 10 months old and a "lap child" and had no seat. Do they require one now or is the seat belt fine? I thought they didn't have to have one, but then I see all these stickers on the seats saying they're okay for air travel, so wasn't sure.

 

[jel0511]

The FAA strongly recommends (though does not require) children under 40 lbs to be in a car seat during flight. The seat belt doesn't provide proper restraint for a child under 40 lbs in the event of turbulance or an accident.

 

[cepmom]

I would recommend using one. I brought one on the plane for my 2 year old last time we flew. It saved us from having to rent one from the car rental agency and also it kept DD buckled securely in her seat the entire flight. I had nightmares of her running and screaming up and down the aisles, so I told her she could not unbuckle, just like when we drive in the car. She bought it and stayed safely in her seat!

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

You are correct that you are not required a car seat for a 2 1/2 year old on commercial aircraft. But if you do decide to take yours, make sure that it has an FAA Approved sticker on it, otherwise the ground staff will stop you from taking it on board. And I have seen that done; Mom & Dad get very ugly when that happens! If there is NO sticker on it, best not to take it!

 

[paigevz]

I'll sure check for that sticker! I'm leaning towards not taking it, as we can rent a town car with a booster, and won't need one on Disney transportation. What do you think of those all cloth ones that Safety First sells.............they say it's approved for cruising, just not take-offs or landings.................since there's no shell, it can be folded up in luggage or a diaper bag.

 

[dvc guy]

Do your self a BIG favor and bring along your car seat.
cepmom has it right. When small children are in there own car seat they tend to stay in place. They cannot walk around in the car and at that age the last thing you want is to fight to keep them in the seat. From a saftey standpoint point nothing better than a car seat. Alittle extra dragging will produce postive results during the flight. Ever try to strap a 2 1/2 year old in a regular seat belt? Try it a home with your car and see the results not pretty

 

[DemoBri1]

If you do take your car seat along, you better make darn certain that it fits the size seat that is on your plane. We had our boosters ready to go, and found out that according to the specified width of the seat on our plane, we couldn't use them.

Brian

 

[CarolA]

What do you think of those all cloth ones that Safety First sells.............they say it's approved for cruising, just not take-offs or landings

'

What good is that??? The two most dangerous times of a flight are takeoff and landing....

Just today as we got ready to land all the sudden we went RIGHT back up at a rapid speed. I was glad I had my seat belt on! If you won't drive without them in a car seat, why will you fly?


Boosters are different from car seats and are harder to use on planes.

 

[NotUrsula]

Don't waste your money on a harness. They don't hold a child securely AT ALL, and most airlines will not let you use them b/c of the risk of submarining in them.

BTW, the FAA definition of a "booster" is a carseat that does NOT have an upper-body harness. A carseat that DOES have an upper-body harness, and the sticker that says "Approved for use in aircraft" should be useable. The width recommendation is 17" at the base; you must almost always raise the armrests to install a seat, so you do NOT want to be sitting in the bulkhead position.

 

[DemoBri1]

I also don't believe that any airline will allow you to use your car seat on the plane if the harness has been removed to convert it into a booster.

 

[jcemom]

DD will be 2 1/2 when we fly in February and we are taking our carseat. Yes, it would be more convenient not having to schlep it though the airport, but even if I set aside the safety issues, those airline seatbelts are WAY to easy to unlatch. There is no way I would be able to keep DD in her seat.