HELP....What carseat do I buy for airplane???

[disneygirl1977k]

Hey everybody,
Just wondering what car seat I would buy that is FAA approved for my two year old son to ride on the airplane. I have no idea how to find out this information and if anyone could give me some recommendations for getting a car seat for the plane that would be great.....Thanks guys.
Kristy

 

[cbrfan]

I posted this question on this forum a couple of months ago. I don't know how to post a link to that thread, but it was posted on 2/23/05. It was titled "Best FAA Approved Carseat". Got some good recommendations from other DIS'ers.

 

[EthansMom]

The car seat you are using in the car is probably already FAA approved. Check your manual and/or look for a very smalll note (and I mean VERY small) on one of the stickers on the carseat that says it can be used on aircraft.

 

[disneygirl1977k]

Thanks guys.....the post from 2/23 is too old, no way to go back that far....and no unfortately my car seat is not FAA approved and I am wanting to buy him a new one anyway, however, I might as well buy one that is already FAA approved. I appreciate all of your help guys.
Kristy

 

[becka]

Here is a link to the 2/23 post: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=744799&highlight=FAA+Carseat

Also we used DS's Britax Marathon on the plane in 02/04 and we didn't have any problems with it. It is a wonderful seat for both the plane and in our car.

BTW...there is a search feature here on the boards and you can search for anything from the past few years.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

We love this carseat and I did quite a bit of reaserch on it from the Consumer Guides and The "Baby Carseat Man" (as we like to call him at our local Babies R Us) The carseat is quite expensive ($249.00) but we LOVE it and I feel very safe strapping DD into it. We have 2 of them , one for my car Marathon and one for DH's, Roundabout. The seat goes from weight rear facing 5 -35 to front facing 35-65 lbs. We figured we would get quite a lot of use .The seats ARE FAA approved. The problem we had was they are very bulky and weigh quite a bit...it was a lot to carry through the airport. We rented a luggage caddy. I love the seat and as I have said above I feel very safe with it. The first time we went to Disney we had DD in one of the convirtable kind of carriers (The base and the seat were seperate...the base locks into the car...) the base did not say FAA approved and the flight attendent made us remove it and strap DD in with just the carrier that did have a FAA sticker (stickerthat says approved for aircraft and automobile on it.) I don't know if it is a rule that the sticker had to be on the seat or not.........I would check with your airline to be sure.

 

[beth_cam]

I found tried the Britax seats since I reallly wanted to keep using 5pt harness instead of booster after 40lb. Looked at them when dd was about 4 and 38 lbs. She seemed very crowded in the one that also was able to be rear facing. It was very padded so it might have been fine but she couldnt sit flat, she had to curve her shoulders (still against the seat though). So I looked at the other one and had trouble getting it in my car cant remember exactly what the problem was.

We had the cosco alpha omega. Costs about 125,or139 if you get it with the nicer fabric i think under the Eddie Bower name. I think it was airline approved as long as the child was still using the 5pt harness (under 40lbs). It also can continue to be used as a booster seat. We loved that idea when we bought it for rear facing since my dd hit 20 lb WAY before age1. but I didnt like her in it as a booster. It just didnt seem to fit her right with the seatbelt. We got rid of it last fall. By that point it had been used for 5years and been spit up, thrown up, peed, on etc etc etc. so many times by two kids....It really needed replacing. We did have some troublewith the fabrics. We had the version with the overhead armrest/3pt harness instead of the 5point harness.We had to replace the armrest (forfree) andthe fabric started tearing on the armrest and near the buckle in the seat. I really liked this seat with a todler because in the 3pt version they COULD NOT get to the button to unhook themselves- the clip on the chest yes but not the other one. Also the straps adjust easily. Simple front adjustment for length without moving seat, easy height adjustment in back.

I just looked it up on the internet and while in my quick search i did not see this carseat is FAA approved there were instructions on installing it in an airplane as well as a statement about only using it waith FAA certified equipment. http://www.coscojuvenile.com/thumbs.asp?searchType=category&searchValue=13

 

[disneygirl1977k]

Thanks guys, appreciate the advice and thanks a bunch for the link to the february thread, I didn't know you could do searches like that...thanks for the help
Kristy

 

[cutedisney]

Hi: Do all children over 2 yo have to use a car seat on the plane?

 

[Colinsmom]

Are you sure that your car seat isn't approved for airline use? As long as it has a harness, it probably is. What kind of car seat do you have?

If you have an average to small sized kiddo, the Cosco Touriva is a lightweight inexpensive car seat that is decent for travel.

 

[ryan840]

Hi. I just wanted to ask if anyone has used the Graco ComfortSport on the plane?

It says "This car seat meets or exceeds all applicable requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 for use in motor vehicles and aircraft" in the owners manual, and I'm not sure right now if the car seat itself has a sticker, I'll have to check tomorrow...

I was just worried because I seem to recall a thread mentioning that the airlines may refuse your carseat even if it is approved for airplane use? Can anyone offer me any help? Thanks!


If this is in fact accepted by the airlines, it is a great car seat and a pretty good price- I think it was $65 or $69...

 

[Kae]

Hi: Do all children over 2 yo have to use a car seat on the plane?

I don't think so.. We have not used a carseat on a plane since the kids were under 1.

Kae

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks guys.....the post from 2/23 is too old, no way to go back that far....and no unfortately my car seat is not FAA approved and I am wanting to buy him a new one anyway, however, I might as well buy one that is already FAA approved. I appreciate all of your help guys.
Kristy

I would say 100% of CSR's appropriate for a 2yo will be FAA approved, since you still need the integrated harness. Just make it has the sticker on the back.

Personally I would not buy the seat just for airline use but I would try a few with your child and see which have the best fit for your child as well as a good fit in your vehicle. Most stores including BRS will allow you to try a demo in your car.

As long as it has the approval sticker and is of a reasonable size it will be fine for airline travel.
TJ

 

[dis-happy]

I dragged our Roundabout on several flights. It not only is heavy, the other thing I don't like about it (for airplanes that is) is that it seats the children up high---so high that the tray can't come down and so high it is impossible to keep the child from kicking the seat in front. When I needed to buy an additonal car seat (we added a third car) I picked up an Evenflo that has a 5 pt. harness but also has the seat belt threads on the side to use it as a big kid booster seat. It's tall in back and very, very light (easy to hold in one hand); the 5 pt. makes it flight approved. I love this seat for travelling, plus it will be great when my ds outgrows the 5 pt. and just needs the booster part. We've used it on a couple of flights now and it also sits him low enough to use the tray for play and eating. HTH

 

[tjmw2727]

I dragged our Roundabout on several flights. It not only is heavy, the other thing I don't like about it (for airplanes that is) is that it seats the children up high---so high that the tray can't come down and so high it is impossible to keep the child from kicking the seat in front. When I needed to buy an additonal car seat (we added a third car) I picked up an Evenflo that has a 5 pt. harness but also has the seat belt threads on the side to use it as a big kid booster seat. It's tall in back and very, very light (easy to hold in one hand); the 5 pt. makes it flight approved. I love this seat for travelling, plus it will be great when my ds outgrows the 5 pt. and just needs the booster part. We've used it on a couple of flights now and it also sits him low enough to use the tray for play and eating. HTH

Just keep in mind when using on of these seats that convert from 5pt harness to booster seat (no harness) they have two stickers on the back. One clearly states it is approved with the 5pt and another states it is not approved when using it as a "belt positioning booster". Be sure you use the 5pt and know which sticker to point out to the FA!

Our last flight with a CSR, even though the harness was intact I had one FA that was so concerned with the sticker referring to the removal of the harness and refused to read the wording. She didn't want to allow me to use the seatl, she honestly didn't understand the differences.

I really wanted to use the seat and it was pre 9/11 when I felt comfortable asking for another FA to check the seat.

Just and fyi to make sure you have the sticker and are using the seat properly these days you don't want any confustion.

TJ

 

[NandP]

I figured I would spend a little exrtra now to save me headaches during our trip through the airports....

I bought the 5-in-1 Stroller / Car Seat that is featured on the Manufacturers Website : Triple Play
Here is a picture of one:

I did a FROOGLE SEARCH and found a decent price with free shipping... Now here are my reasons for this thing:

1. No need to carry a car seat with you through the airport.
2. There is no need to bring your stroller through the airport transporting your little one while you Lug the car seat over your shoulder..
3. No need to gate check your stroller while carring your carseat onto the plane.
4. No need to "Check" your stroller and carry the car seat to the plane with no where for your little one to rest while you wait for boarding.
5. No need to rent a car seat from your rental car company. (YUK, Baby Spit up !)
6. I still bring a stroller and I do check it as baggage, that's beause our Day-to day stroller is lighter and better equiped for theme park usage. (Combi Soho)
7. I Leave the CarSeat/Stroller combo in your rental car for the entire trip.. out of site, out of mind. And no need to load it back in the car for Seworld and Church trips.
8. I've seen these things sell on EBay for pretty close to retail price, so if you keep it in good condition, you can get your money back (minus a small "rental" fee) if you sell it on Ebay once your little one grows out of it.
9. It is completely FAA Certified, 5pt harness and the stroller works like a charm.... comfortable and a smooth ride, NICE PADDING! Don't waste the extra $ on the mesh bag, they are the same ones you can get at your local Dollar Store.
10. Stroll your little one down the ramp, collapse the wheels and strap them in the airplane seat... no need to even take them out of the carseat.

I hope this helps!