Have you travelled WITHOUT carseat?

[PatricenPete]

What were you experiences? I know that most people here are huge advocates for bringing a carseat, but I would like to hear from people who have gone the no carseat route.

We purchased a ticket on the plane for our DS, who will be 1 at the time, but we will probably not be bringing the carseat. He is not a big fan of being "confined" in his carseat and I know that he will scream the entire time that we are on the plane and I will just end up holding him anyway....I want to hear from those of you that chose NOT to bring a carseat....

Thanks!

 

[tbelfonti]

We're in the group who always brings a carseat. However, I just wanted to let you know about our flight home last trip...

We had TERRIBLE turbulance from Orlando almost to Hartford. It was so bad the flight attendants were sitting down and buckled up. I thought to myself "I am SO glad I have Olivia's car seat because I would be SO nervous holding on to her with this rough air".

Just my thought. I'm sure whatever you decide will work out perfectly for your family

 

[molly2004]

We took my then 11 month old twins to WDW in February. We did not use car seats. I agonized over this the entire time. Car seats just weren't an option for us.

What we did do was this. I purchased Hip Hammocks, carriers for bigger babes. (These come in handy when waiting in line. Holding a baby for even 5 minutes over and over again can be a huge strain on your arms, back,etc). Anyway, we kept the boys in these whenever we could, particularly during takeoff, landing and turbulence. Since the boys never flew before, they didn't realize that they could move around anyway. The closeness to me and my husband also kept them from freaking out since they loved to be held.

Although this isn't exactly as safe as a car seat, the kids were still restrained so that they woudn't go flying if you hit turbulence. We are hoping to do the same thing again in August when we take our boys to Houston. They'll be 17 months old then.

Hope this helps.

 

[northwds]

Question? I just booked a seat on
SWA for a 14 month old....I thought I had to bring a car seat that was approved, etc. in order for him to fly. I understood it this way....under two no seat, they ride in your lap the whole trip; if I purchased a seat for him, he had to have an approved car seat for air travel. Did I make this up, read it wrong? I'm the childless Anty....help, please! Thanks

 

[txgirl]

Hi there! I haven't flown with a one year old, but when my 8 year old was 2 we flew for several hours without a seat; HOWEVER she was my most obedient compliant child in the bunch. My youngest is two now and hated with a big fat capital "H" his carseat when he was the same age as yours! He is much better now but even then I would have still used the carseat. Safety of course, but also because if he thought mobility was an option there would have been no containing him! He would have bucked, snorted, and flailed in my arms to get down, Down, DOWN DOWN!!!!!

By the way, my oldest (now ten) also HATED her carseat and we made the grave mistake (remember this was ten years ago and I am much wiser and less sympathetic ) but we actually got her out a few times. BIG HUGE mistake That definitely fueled the fire for her carseat tantrums!

 

[Pooh&Roo2]

Hi,

With my first son I traveled when he was 15mo. and 2 without a car seat. But as previous poster said, he was my obedient and quiet baby. He just loved looking out of the window at the clouds.

We are going to fly to WDW in November with both (8) and (2.5). We will definitely be taking our carseat only because if my 2 y.o. thought he could get out, then it would be the longest flight in the history of flights for everyone aboard. Once he's loose there is no containing him!! I'm just worried about the proximity of the seat in front of us to his feet in a car seat.

So I'm doing it both ways. It just depends on the temperament of your child and how comfortable you feel in not taking a car seat.

HTH!
Monique

 

[jodifla]

We flew without a car seat on several flights before he was two. While he was less mobile, it was fine. Once he really started to get mobile, it was tougher.


Now that he's 3.5, we'll still bring his seat on the next trip. He can slip out of the safety belt too easily, then he'd be off, making everyone else on the plane unhappy.

 

[northwds]

Thanks for the feedback......seems things are looking up. This 15th month old doesn't mind his car seat at all.....lucky me. So off we will go to the airport with a car seat. Thanks, again.

 

[robinb]

I have done both without problems. However, I used a Baby B'Air harness with my DD which attached to my seatbelt. There are conflicting resports as to whether you can still use one. Baby B'Air claims you can, but other posters here claim you cannot.

 

[GillieRose]

We just went to Disney in May without a car seat for are 2 year old. He did fine. He slept most of the way home. He is a very active child. So I was surprised on how well he did.

 

[michvin]

I have flown once, 4 years ago, with my son who was then 15 mos old and didn't have a seat or car seat for him. The flight was from Philly to San Diego and was absolutely okay. We had never even thought of getting him his own seat...I held him, gave him his milk cup, some Benadryl (doctor approved to help him sleep a little better), had books and some quiet toys, and of course snacks. He slept most of the way there and back...both flights were early evening so that helped. We are planning an October trip to WDW with my son, now 6, dd 4 and other dd will then be 19months old. We didn't get her a seat...don't think she would be comfortable sitting in it especially if me and Daddy are right next to her. My husband travels A LOT on planes and we decided that this option worked for us. Plus, the flight down is at lunch and nap time so we are figuring it will work out. I know that there are people who feel you should always have a seat but I guess it's really a matter of personal preference. Also, a matter of airline liability "they don't require you get a seat but suggest it". We never let our son walk around or whatever. We always had a hold of him in the seat so that probably makes a difference as well. Good Luck deciding.

 

[tlbwriter]

I have done both without problems. However, I used a Baby B'Air harness with my DD which attached to my seatbelt. There are conflicting resports as to whether you can still use one. Baby B'Air claims you can, but other posters here claim you cannot.

And the FAA says you cannot. This is from CPSafety.org:

What about those "vests" that fasten to the parent's seat belt?:

- As mentioned above, any child on your lap has the potential to become a human air bag for their parent. A vest offers no more protection than holding the child on your lap. There is generally enough slack in the "tether" that attaches the vest to the seat belt to allow the child to be flung towards seats, the ceiling, and the sides of the aircraft, as well as other passengers. Most airlines state that they DO NOT allow any of these types of vests. One popular model states that it is "tested to meet or exceed FAA stress levels", but currently, there is NO certification or FAA standards for this type of product. The FAA has banned the use of these "belly belts" and vests; they are not permitted during take-off, landing or any movement on the surface (taxi). Many parents trying to use these products have found that the airline WILL NOT ALLOW their use, despite the fact that the product package reassures them they can.

Personally, I think letting a 1-year-old "decide" whether he rides in a carseat is like letting him "decide" whether he eats chocolate ice cream for supper or watches The Sopranos instead of reading a bedtime story. As the parent, I am in charge of my child's safety and welfare, and I can't be swayed by convenience or my child's temporary happiness. It's hard, I know, but it's important.

 

[MelodyMack]

I flew with my DD when she was 18 months old and decided not to use a car seat. She sat on my lap the whole time, and when we did experience slight turbulence I held her tightly.

I think you need to read all of the posts here, do some resaearch, and made an INFORMED decision for yourself. The FAA, no matter what they have in their literature, has obviously not encountered enough safety problems to require parents to use car seats on any-aged children...keep that in mind.

OT - I encourage ANYONE traveling with kids to buy a portable DVD player. We can all get into the whole debate about kids watching too much TV (yadda yadda yadda), but when you find your plane STILL sitting on the runway an hour after you were supposed to take off, you would give away your CAR for a distraction for your munchkins....our DVD was the envy of every parent near our section.

Have a great trip...
Mel

 

[HopperFan]

My only thought is.........are you renting a car ? If you are you will need to rent a carseat, so for me, I would rather have my own than a rental.

 

[Nicolepa]

Question? I just booked a seat on
SWA for a 14 month old....I thought I had to bring a car seat that was approved, etc. in order for him to fly. I understood it this way....under two no seat, they ride in your lap the whole trip; if I purchased a seat for him, he had to have an approved car seat for air travel. Did I make this up, read it wrong? I'm the childless Anty....help, please! Thanks

If you are purchasing a seat for a child under 2 then yes, you do need a carseat. A child under two is not supposed to be in a seat when the seatbelt light is on, unless they are in a carseat.

 

[robinb]

And the FAA says you cannot.

Yup. You would be the poster I was talking about. I was wondering when you would weigh in here. 5 hours from the first post and 3 hours since mine. You're slipping.

She specifically said ...

What were you experiences? I know that most people here are huge advocates for bringing a carseat, but I would like to hear from people who have gone the no carseat route.

... but you just couldn't control yourself, could you?

 

[rgribik]

It seems the same group always gets in on this disscusion. Since the op asked about people who have flown without carseats, I'll get in on this one too. We have flown many times with and without carseats for our 5 kids ages 2,2,7,10 & 12. We have never had any trouble with any of the kids, turbulance doesn't bother me(alot of people are just plain scared to fly), and most times my kids go to sleep. I would love to have had them in their own seats, but lugging carseats with us is just too much in some cases, and the extra price for the ticket is a factor. Please don't tell me I don't love my kids because I'm not concerned for their safety, I don't let them run with scissors, or play in traffic, but there are times they do eat chocolate for breakfast and popcorn for dinner! We just flew to Dis from PA and did not get seats for the twins, they sat with my husband and me(right before they turned 2). Enjoy your vacation, flying is the least of your worries.

 

[EthansMom]

I have flown with my son twice with no carseat when he was 2 without any great problems. Both times, we intended to take his carseat and accidentally left it in the car and didn't have time to get back to the car to get it. And both times, the flight attendants came by and asked DS's age, stating that if he was under 2, he could not sit in his own seat without an approved carseat.

So, beware, if you opt not to take your child's carseat, you may find that you have paid for a seat on the airline and still have to hold your baby in your lap!

Personally, I've found it much easier to fly when my kids were in carseats since they can't wriggle out, stand up on the seat, etc... But for a short flight, I could see the attraction of taking a child as a lab baby to save money and avoid carrying the carseat. I don't really understand purchasing your child a ticket and not wanting to carry the carseat.

In the past, we've managed to kind of jam the car seat into the stroller basket so that it's kind of hanging off a bit and then DH straps the carseat around the stroller handle. We have to take the carseat off the stroller to put it through the X-ray at Security check, but then just put it back on the stroller. Take the carseat off the stroller at the gate and do gate check with the stroller. A pain, but not unbearable.

I just want you to be aware that the flight attendants may not let your 1 year old remain in his own seat without a carseat! If your son has a problem with being confined, you could take his carseat and there shouldn't be any problem if you wanted to unlatch his restraint belts when the seat belt light goes off.

Good Luck!

 

[lulugirl]

Yup. You would be the poster I was talking about. I was wondering when you would weigh in here. 5 hours from the first post and 3 hours since mine. You're slipping.

She specifically said ...



... but you just couldn't control yourself, could you?

Yea, that poster should really learn some self control....how dare he/she advocate parents taking control of their childs safety....

 

[HLAuburn]

I'm a little confused. If you purchase an "optional" seat for a one year old, would you just put him/her in the seat with a seatbelt? I have a 10 month old, and I sure don't see that happening! Maybe I'm missing something, but if they have their own seat, don't the need a carseat?