Flying with Cosco Eddie Bauer Car Seat?

[DutchsMommy]

Has anyone ever taken this type of car seat on a plane? It is a Cosco Eddie Bauer model - blue and black in colour. It is the type that can go from rear facing to fwd facing to booster seat. It is pretty big and I'm a bit worried! DS will be 3 when we are leaving. He is quite tall - over 3' now and he just turned 2 in Feb., and probably about 33 lbs.

Any suggestions/advice?

Also, has anyone taken their car seat for the flight, the towncar (I hope...if we can afford it!!) to the resort, and then on the cruise??? We are planning on 6 nights WDW then 4 night DCL and I'm not sure if Disney will store the car seat at any step along the way or if we would keep it and have to carry it when we board the ship, keep it in our stateroom etc?

 

[alloyd1170]

I have that exact seat for my 2 yr old and hes already using it as a booster seat. Hes 3435 lbs, 39". He was too tall for the harness part. As a booster, you cant use it on the plane since you need an over the shoulder seat belt. Also the seat belt did not stay tight if my son leaned forward. Cosumer Reports gave it a poor rating for use as a booster because of this problem with the seat belt not tightening up. I just bought the Graco Turbo Booster the other day and so far it works great. It got great ratings too. There are 2 cup holders that slide into the base, arm rests and the really nice thing is that the sides of the head are different, making it more comfy to rest your head on when you sleep. With the Cosco, my sons head would fall forward. The back can also be removed when the child is older. The cheapest model at BRU was $49 (I got the $79 since I liked the fabric-ultra suede blue and tan on one side, and fleece on the other side for cooler weather). The BRU website has prodcut reviews by parents that are a huge help too.

alison

 

[all4fun]

which is very similar to the Eddie Bauer. We are using in on our flight to WDW next month. I read on the FAA site that the seat base has to be 16" wide or less to fit in an airline seat. Since the plastic base of the Alpha Omega is bigger than that, I will remove it for the flight to make sure it fits. According to the owners manual the base can be removed to make it fit better in the car as well.

The previous poster spoke of using it as a booster, but booster seats are not allowed on airlines, only seats where you still use the built in harness.


I would like to hear from anyone else who may have already used these seats on an airline to see what they say.

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by alloyd1170
I have that exact seat for my 2 yr old and hes already using it as a booster seat. Hes 3435 lbs, 39". He was too tall for the harness part. As a booster, you cant use it on the plane since you need an over the shoulder seat belt. Also the seat belt did not stay tight if my son leaned forward. Cosumer Reports gave it a poor rating for use as a booster because of this problem with the seat belt not tightening up. I just bought the Graco Turbo Booster the other day and so far it works great. It got great ratings too. There are 2 cup holders that slide into the base, arm rests and the really nice thing is that the sides of the head are different, making it more comfy to rest your head on when you sleep. With the Cosco, my sons head would fall forward. The back can also be removed when the child is older. The cheapest model at BRU was $49 (I got the $79 since I liked the fabric-ultra suede blue and tan on one side, and fleece on the other side for cooler weather). The BRU website has prodcut reviews by parents that are a huge help too.

alison

OK - are you saying your 2 yo is in a booster? Hopefuly I read this wrong. This seat is meant for a 5+yo (regardless of height and weight) and you may even be breaking the law. Please tell me you are using an integrated harness for your child - at least until 4ys and 40lbs. If not please do some research and put your child in a CSR meant for his/her age as well as size. There are many seats with an integrated harness system for children as tall as 50" and 50lbs. Even a larger two or three year old lack the muscle control and strength that a child the same size but older has.

Sorry - don't mean to flame but express genuine concern. This is a peeve of mine.

TJ

 

[AspiringCindy]

My DD will be 3 when we travel in August, and while the airline says age 3 doesn't require a car seat, we are bringing our Britax 5 point harness seat for her safety. Does anyone have suggestions on how to carry this through the airport? Also, do the airlines allow you to early board in order to install the seat?

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by AspiringCindy
My DD will be 3 when we travel in August, and while the airline says age 3 doesn't require a car seat, we are bringing our Britax 5 point harness seat for her safety. Does anyone have suggestions on how to carry this through the airport? Also, do the airlines allow you to early board in order to install the seat?

If your bringing a stroller you can just wheel everything in the stroller - then gate check the stroller and it will be waiting when you de-plane. If not I have seen lots of car seat satchels in BRU - maybe one of them will work, one had straps like a backpack and one had rollers - probably easier!

Most airlines don't allow early boarding for children any more esp to Orlando as 2/3 the flight would board. But ask at the gate it never hurts. We always had dh board first and get the carseat settled while dd's and I waited until the last minute anyway. This made for less people crowding the asile while dh worked and less time sitting for the kiddos.

Just make sure and check with the airlines about your britax. Many have restrictions on how wide the carseat can be and IIRC this is a large (but great!) carseat. Some carseats just won't fit in the aircraft seats - esp smaller ones like delta express. In that case they will just gate check the carseat and have your child sit in the seat with the seatbelt. This is why you will see some posts here asking about a good "aircraft seat!".

TJ

 

[AspiringCindy]

Thanks TJ!

 

[DutchsMommy]

Thanks for the advice. One question - what is BRU?

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by DutchsMommy
Thanks for the advice. One question - what is BRU?

Sorry - Babies R Us - a baby store franchise of Toys R Us.

TJ