flying/mag exp with a 2 yo?

[tkme4ard]

do we take her car seat?

 

[nicki.momof3]

NO - what a pain. My 2 year old would just curl up next to me on the plane and sleep. In a carseat I think she would have been more restricted and would not have slept.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

We have never taken a car seat and we have been flying/mag. ex. since my 3 yr. old was 8 months.

I was worried about it at first but now I have realized it is the best way to go.
1 - my son usually sits in my lap on the plane - even now
2 - there are no seat belts on Mag. Ex. so the car seat would be stowed underneath with other large carry-ons.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

We're definitely taking the car seat! I wish that we could use it from the airport to the resort and did consider a taxi for that reason, but I do feel it's imporant for the flight. Toddlers are much safer in their seats. I'd hate to start vacation with turbulence related bruises or worse.

 

[bumbershoot]

With a 2 year old, yes. Especially if it's the first flight for her. Helps her stay in one place instead of wiggling out unexpectedly, and it keeps her safe in case of sudden turbulence.

It's a pain to haul through the airport, but once you're settled in it's just heaven sent.


Can't use it on ME though, you'll put it under the bus for the trip.

 

[barnaby1]

I have never taken a car seat. My dd (2.75) has been a lap child and had her own seat after 2. We have done 7 long haul international flights with her since she was born. I have never had turbulance problems (to cause injury).
However this has been asked loads of times before and it really is completely dependant on your thoughts. There are some who would never dream of travelling without one and the same number who would never want to take one.
Go with what makes you comfortable.

 

[snubie]

We have taken the car seat for DD each time she has flown (4 times now and she is 3.5yo). She feels more comfortable in something familiar to her and she is safer. We just loaded it under the bus for the trip from the airport. I was a nervous wreck with her on that bus ride - she was excited and would not sit still.

 

[natashag76]

If you only want it for the flight, you might want to consider a half-booster. this way it's light for you to carry, but the seatbelt will fit over your 2 year old properly.

 

[crashbb]

If you only want it for the flight, you might want to consider a half-booster. this way it's light for you to carry, but the seatbelt will fit over your 2 year old properly.

Except that most booster are not FAA approved (unless a half booster is something else, it isn't a term I'm familiar with). You cannot have something where the airplane seatbelt is holding both the booster and the child. You need to have a carseat that can be strapped to the airplane seat and then the carseat has it's own straps to hold in the child.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

Except that most booster are not FAA approved (unless a half booster is something else, it isn't a term I'm familiar with). You cannot have something where the airplane seatbelt is holding both the booster and the child. You need to have a carseat that can be strapped to the airplane seat and then the carseat has it's own straps to hold in the child.

Right. A booster's job is to position a child up into a shoulder belt. Using a booster with a lap belt, even on a plane is dangerous.

 

[all4fun]

If you only want it for the flight, you might want to consider a half-booster. this way it's light for you to carry, but the seatbelt will fit over your 2 year old properly.

Those are not allowed on airplanes because they are only belt positioning boosters and can only be used with lap & shoulder belts (not lap-only belts, like you use on an airplane). Also, I would never recommend using a BPB for a 2yr old. That is way too young. Boosters are for "big" kids (meaning 4+yrs old).

do we take her car seat?

Yes, we always took the car seat at that age. DS was always more comfortable in it. DS was a frequent flyer by age 3. We even took the car seat on trips where we used the bus and never rented a car. Last April, when he was almost 5 (too big for car seat on airplane), we went to WDW and used DME, did not rent a car, so I didn't bring a booster for him. I wish I had because after we checked our bags to go home, our flight was canceled and we had to spend the night in an airport hotel. The hotel shuttle was a van with seatbelts, but they didn't have a booster for ds to ride in. Knowing just how dangerous that is for a child his size, I was quite nervous both to and from the hotel, but we really didn't have a choice at that point. Thankfully, it was a short ride. So it never hurts to have your CRS with you for those unplanned emergency situations either.

Also, the FAA does strongly recommend using a CRS for children up to 40lbs (see their site "child safety on airplanes" here). This child safety site has more info on why it's recommended to use one on a plane, and also some installation tips at the bottom.

hth

 

[arielmomma]

If you are using Disney's Magic Express, I say forget it! Its just not worth the trouble of carting it around. My little ones always ended up climbing onto my lap anyway!

 

[Shelly D.]

We brought a car seat for the plane when my daughter was 1 & 2, but didn't at three. We decided to bring it because she's familiar with it and knows once she's in, she stays in and wouldnt be trying to squirm around out of her seat. Also, she slept well in it in the car, so we figured the same would hold true for the plane and it did. But by 3, the seat would elevate her so much that she had no room for her legs between her carseat and the seat in front of her. She also couldn't use the tray for coloring and stuff.

Now, my son is much bigger than her. We brought the car seat when he was one and it worked out fine. We will not be bringing it on our next trip (he's now 2) because I think he'll be too long (and again can't use the tray). He's a mover and shaker, though, so I am worried about him wanting to run around crazy. But, we're bringing lots of distractions and snacks and crossing our fingers.

Hope that helps. Oh - we've never used one on the shuttles like magical express. I don't think they even let you, but I'm not positive.

 

[mom2meiko]

We will be traveling back to WDW when dd is 2.5 and had this same discussion. We are bringing her carseat for the ride to and from the airport and we are taking a side trip to SW.

On the plane though, it's a different story. We are concerned that the "freedom" of only using a lap belt will not only keep her not as safe (our ped tells horror stories of death and injury from turbulence) but will also make her a bit more difficult to keep calm and settled in her seat. (She's a very busy little girl.)

We found a great thing online - actually on the JetBlue website. It's called C.A.R.E.S. and is a seatbelt like contraption that mimics the 5 point harness of her carseat. It looks like it attaches to the seatbelt and around the back of the seat and it is FAA approved. We figure it will be much easier to carry that on and off the plane than her carseat. My friend actually saw someone using one on a flight one time and asked about it and the parents couldn't stop raving over it.

It's not inexpensive (about $75) but it will definitely be worth it for us for the convenience and her safety/comfort.

Good luck with whatever you decide!!!

 

[Mom2Nick]

If you only want it for the flight, you might want to consider a half-booster. this way it's light for you to carry, but the seatbelt will fit over your 2 year old properly.

Not onbly are booster seats not allowed to be used on planes - they are completely useless since the intent is to correctly position a child that is using a lap/shoulder belt and planes only have lap belts.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We have always used a car seat on airplanes w/ both of our kids. Dd flew five times before she was 3.5yo ...all in her car seat and ds flew last year at just 2yo.

Dd didn't fly between 3.5yo and 6.5yo... and she didn't use any car seat for that flight!

We used the seats for all the reasons already mentioned... safety from turbulence, and because they know they HAVE to sit in their car seats in the car.. and that transfers well to the plane.

Dd fell asleep in her car seat EVERY flight...ds didn't, but he wasn't running the aisles either!

 

[Mickey'n'Me]

I am one of those moms that freaks out when I hear that a child is on the lap of the parent or in a lap belt only, on an airplane!!! It only takes one sudden drop in altitude to send that child rocketing out of their seat into the overhead compartments. I recently bought a shoulder harness device that works with the airplane seat and lap belt to create a carseat type harness. It works great!!! It folds up to fit in your carryon bag and is easy to use. I bought it on http://kidsflysafe.com This way you don't need to haul a car seat!!

 

[pooh4evr]

i guess we are one of the horrible irresponsible parents that don't take carseats with us- 1 - we have our hands full going through the airport as it is, 2 - the seats don't fit well in airplane seats, you can't use the trays, and the kids usually end up kicking the person seats in front of them, 3- the kids have always done well in just the seat belt and when they were really little I held them just fine, they would sleep and * gasp* I have even been lucky enough to lay them down next to me in the empty seat asleep.4- what do you do with them in the room- we use the shuttles not rental caars so they just end up cluttering up the hotel room which is tight enough as it is The only time we did need seats for a rental car (during a non disney vaca) we gate checked them.

 

[Mickey'n'Me]

i guess we are one of the horrible irresponsible parents that don't take carseats with us- 1 - we have our hands full going through the airport as it is, 2 - the seats don't fit well in airplane seats, you can't use the trays, and the kids usually end up kicking the person seats in front of them, 3- the kids have always done well in just the seat belt and when they were really little I held them just fine, they would sleep and * gasp* I have even been lucky enough to lay them down next to me in the empty seat asleep.4- what do you do with them in the room- we use the shuttles not rental caars so they just end up cluttering up the hotel room which is tight enough as it is The only time we did need seats for a rental car (during a non disney vaca) we gate checked them.

I NEVER said anything about being horrible and irresponsible if you don't use a car seat on the airplane!!!! I know car seats are a HUGE burden that is why I suggested the shoulder harness on the website I referred to!! It is simply a seat belt that folds up into your carryon!! It is not a carseat at all!! I was just trying to give other suggestions for people that are having a hard time deciding if they should take a car seat or not. Maybe you should read the entire post before you fire off your comments.