Help with car seats on Plane

[richiediz]

I have twin 3yr olds who are very active. I fear they will just wiggle out of the standard airplane lap belts but dont think they will fit in a car seat as there is not much room between the seat in front of them and the car seat. Any other experiances out there using carseats with 3 yr olds?

 

[party_of_five]

We use the Britax marathon for our two girls 4 and 5. These are really big careats and they fit in SW seats just fine. I'm not sure what you mean about the room. If you know the brand of car seat that you have someone may have experience on wether or not it will fit.

Also besides for obvious safety rasons for car seats, I have found it makes the plane ride easier on my girls because they are used to being in their car seats already. I guess it's kind of a comfort to them to have something familiar.

 

[robinb]

I have twin 3yr olds who are very active. I fear they will just wiggle out of the standard airplane lap belts but dont think they will fit in a car seat as there is not much room between the seat in front of them and the car seat. Any other experiances out there using carseats with 3 yr olds?

Yes, my active 3-year old kicked the heck out of the seat in front of her all the way from Chicago to LA the last time she was in a car seat on an airplane. The car seat gave her the extra few inches so her little legs could reach the seat. I felt horrible, but there was nothing I could do about it once she was in the seat as there was no place else for the car seat. She flew strapped in with the lap belt on the way back.

For the comfort of the people ahead of you, I would recommend that you bring the car seats as luggage and use the lap belts instead. Bring lots of toys/games/coloring books/etc to keep the kids happy. Make it clear that they cannot remove the seat belts (yes, I know ... easier said than done).

Good luck!

 

[Kitzer]

I have twin 3yr olds who are very active. I fear they will just wiggle out of the standard airplane lap belts but dont think they will fit in a car seat as there is not much room between the seat in front of them and the car seat. Any other experiances out there using carseats with 3 yr olds?

We used the car seat the last two years and had no problem as far as leg room for the child. My daughter is 4 this year and we are having her sit in the car seat again. They don't allow booster seats and we dont feel the regular seat belt is enough in any real situation.

The real hassle of the car seat though is that Southwest requires the child to be seated in the window seat. The seatbelt buckles towards the window, so you have very little room to operate between the car seat and the interior wall of the plane in order to fasten the buckle and wrench out the slack.

 

[NotUrsula]

Actually, it's an FAA rule; the seat must be placed where no adult would have to crawl over it in the dark during an emergency evacuation.

Usually the seatbelts on an aircraft are installed with the male end of the buckle on the right and the female on the left, to make it easier for a right handed person to operate the buckle. In that case, sitting on the port side should eliminate the problem of pulling the belt slack toward the bulkhead.

As to leg room, IME, the space doesn't usually get uncomfortably tight until the child gets to be upward of 44 inches tall, unless of course you get a belligerent recliner in front of him.

 

[robinb]

As to leg room, IME, the space doesn't usually get uncomfortably tight until the child gets to be upward of 44 inches tall, unless of course you get a belligerent recliner in front of him.

I guess my DD had long legs then! Of course, she was intentionally kicking the seat *sigh*.

I just wanted to point out another problem with car seats in airplanes ... the car seat blocked the tray table from going down .

 

[richiediz]

thanks for all the responses - good point about the tray tables - i'll have to figure out where to put the portable dvd player.

 

[TravelinGal]

regarding the buckle issue - ask for an extension belt - it will make it much easier to adjust and to get the seat out after the flight. Just make sure the actual buckle part isn't jabbing your little one(s) in the back

 

[Minniemouse07]

Yes, my active 3-year old kicked the heck out of the seat in front of her all the way from Chicago to LA the last time she was in a car seat on an airplane. The car seat gave her the extra few inches so her little legs could reach the seat. I felt horrible, but there was nothing I could do about it once she was in the seat as there was no place else for the car seat. She flew strapped in with the lap belt on the way back.

For the comfort of the people ahead of you, I would recommend that you bring the car seats as luggage and use the lap belts instead. Bring lots of toys/games/coloring books/etc to keep the kids happy. Make it clear that they cannot remove the seat belts (yes, I know ... easier said than done).

Good luck!

I use a car seat on an airplane for my children for safety. Yes there are other bonuses such as them feeling comfy and falling asleep but the primary reason is their safety. They do not fit into the seat belt and would not sit in it w/o putting themselves out of position and placing them at risk in a dangerous situation.

Because my primary reason for using the car seat is safety that means that MY child's safety comes before other passenger's comfort.

Yes, I will do everything I can to make sure that my child doesn't kick their seat but if it happens...I'm sorry but I'm not putting my kids car seat in w/ the luggage.

Oh, and FWIW, my children always fly w/ carseats even when under 2yo. We also use them rear facing until they outgrow their seat (generally between 2 and 3yo). My ds will be turning 2yo while we are at WDW in December and will be rearfacing both ways on the plane. I rear face him for safety reasons, but the bonus is that he can't kick the seat of the person in front of him!

To the OP, Check out this link for more information about using your car seats on an airplane. Pay special attention to the part towards the bottom that explains about flipping the buckle on the airplane's seat belt so it makes it easier to release when you are getting off the plane!

If you have any questions, just give me a yell. I'm a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and even though 99% of our training is for usage in cars, I have some resources for airline use as well.

Good Luck!

 

[robinb]

Minniemouse07, I hope that you are not insinuating that you are a better parent because of the way you use your rear-facing car seat or that I don't care for my child's safety. It sure feels that way to me as you were responding directly to my post.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, well, I'm just a mean mother -- I used "hobble-pants" to stop seat-kicking. Very effective.

 

[robinb]

Yes, well, I'm just a mean mother -- I used "hobble-pants" to stop seat-kicking. Very effective.

I've said this before about my DD's kicking ... in retrospect I should have switched seats with the poor woman who was being kicked be I didn't think of it at the time .

 

[Minniemouse07]

Minniemouse07, I hope that you are not insinuating that you are a better parent because of the way you use your rear-facing car seat or that I don't care for my child's safety. It sure feels that way to me as you were responding directly to my post.

No not at all.. what I am saying is that another passenger's rights to be comfortable doesn't come BEFORE a child's right to be safe. So the OP shouldn't have to take other passenger's comfort into consideration when deciding how to transport her children.

I'm not saying I'm a better parent... I'm saying that I have training in the use of car seats (4 day certification class, umpteen hours of research, 2yrs of intensive use then 4yrs of experience being a CPST... as well as two recertifications), based on that I know that the safest place for a child on an airplane is a car seat (one that fits them based on height and weight)...and that because I'm knowledgable about this topic, my children always use a child restraint on an airplane.

Well not always, dd will be 6yo when we make our December trip so she won't be using one as her height and weight are sufficient to use the airline's seatbelt. We are taking a low back booster seat on the airplane w/ us as a carry on in case we rent a car for a day while in FL.

 

[KristinU]

The Radian carseat (by Sunshine Kids) allows the tray table to be used. It also folds and has an available backpack - I loved traveling with it for the first time in January (prior to that we had a Graco Comfortsport for traveling, which was lightweight but bulkier...and he grew out of it).

What is "hobble pants"??? Our trick for kicking is to tell DS that the person in front of him doesn't feel good and needs to rest. It has worked for us every time so far...although we're waiting for the day that he catches on that EVERY person sitting in front of him doesn't feel good

 

[jodifla]

I stopped using a car seat on the plane when DS turned 3. There was no room for his legs, he couldn't use the tray table...it was a big hassle and simply not worth it.

 

[robinb]

Here is an alternative harness that is approved by the FAA:
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/about.php

 

[tjmw2727]

Yes, well, I'm just a mean mother -- I used "hobble-pants" to stop seat-kicking. Very effective.

Then I am a mean wife because I put DH in front of DD

TJ

 

[jenjersnap]

For travel, we purchased Cosco Touriva/Scenera carseats for my two youngest children. We use Britax in our cars but the Tourivas are super light, less than $40 and well-rated in safety tests. They are great vacation seats.

Yes, my 3-year-old will ride in a car seat and my baby will be rear-facing. We're a family of five though, so I will have the pleasure of sitting in front of my midkid myself. Say a prayer for my kidneys, please.

 

[TravelinGal]

For travel, we purchased Cosco Touriva/Scenera carseats for my two youngest children. We use Britax in our cars but the Tourivas are super light, less than $40 and well-rated in safety tests. They are great vacation seats.

Us too! (but we only have one child) I couldn't imagine hauling that huge/heavy Britax through the airport. Love how light the Touriva-Scenera is! If I couldn't afford a Britax, I'd consider this car seat for full time use. (mind you, we scrimped and saved to get the Britax though.)

 

[NotUrsula]

"Hobble-pants" are my name for a kick-restraint trick I came up with that I only had to use a couple of times -- after that the mere threat was enough. (I used them in cars, too.)

What are they? They are a REALLY too-big pr. of drawstring pajama pants, too long by about 18 inches. I put them on the child and then tuck the ends of the pant legs under the tush when I strap them in the carseat. Just like with putting hobbles on a horse, kicking forward beyond a certain point is impossible, but the feet move freely from side to side. Restrictive, but not really uncomfortable as long as they are long enough, and safe for an emergency because they are not fastened to the seat in any way.

You can do the same thing with a blanket tucked around and under, but it's more complicated to tuck it just so and get it the right length, and it is easier for the child to remove, too.