How to transport a booster seat on a plane but not sitting in it

[DharmaLou]

Yeah, I was on the fence about bringing the full high back booster or just the low back booster for our trip next month, but after seeing the damage that can be done first hand, I am just bringing the low back. DD just turned 5, but is in the 95th percentile for height so I'm not super worried about her using it.

 

[Panonim]

Yeah, I was on the fence about bringing the full high back booster or just the low back booster for our trip next month, but after seeing the damage that can be done first hand, I am just bringing the low back. DD just turned 5, but is in the 95th percentile for height so I'm not super worried about her using it.

Another option for you would be to carry on the low booster part and store it overhead, and pack the high back part in your checked luggage, if it fits.

 

[scoutingbear]

You can not use a belt positioning booster seat on the plane. The boosters are made to be used with a lap and shoulder belt. But, you can stow it in the overhead, or put it under the seat in front of you. I would never check a child safety seat of any type because of the way they are thrown about.

Good for you for thinking about how your child will be transported in the car upon your destination. Another option would be to look at the Bubble Bum booster seat. It rolls up very small and fits quite easily into a backpack or other carry on bag. I'd link...but I can't. You can find it at Target or Amazon.


-Karen (Child Passenger Safety Techinician)

 

[DharmaLou]

They're pretty awesome: http://katietalksabout.com/make-travel-easier-with-bubblebum-inflatable-booster-seat/ - we have one. I almost forgot about it. Maybe we'll take this instead.

 

[bcla]

No booster is ever safe or approved to use on a plane. Perhaps the previous poster was referring to a harnessed booster?

And correct, checking a car seat or booster seat, whether at check-in or at the gate is never a safe option. Microscopic fractures could render your seat unsafe, but you wouldn't know it unless and until it failed to protect your child in a crash.

Again - it depends on the seat. The only worries I have are with expanded polystyrene foam impact absorbers that are designed to basically take one large impact and sacrifice themselves. Most car seats with plastic shells are polypropylene. I wouldn't worry about "microfractures" with the shell. We've got an Evenflo Maestro. The foam is only right at the headrest and the remainder of the shell is hard plastic. Nothing short of bending the shell will compromise it.

Now some seats use expanded polypropylene foam, which rebounds and doesn't break like styrofoam. It's more expensive and not that common, but Britax uses it in their current child seats. I've taken the cover off of our Marathon 70, and it's literally this foam everywhere. I don't really worry about the foam being damaged, but if transporting the thing my biggest worry would be that something bends the steel frame. It weighs about 30 lbs, so it's not one we take on the road.

The most important thing that a child seat does is what a seat belt would do for an adult. It keeps the body restrained, as in not flying through a window or into the roof. Some of these seats have varying levels of foam inserts.

Have you seen how these things are treated off a delivery truck? Our seats were ordered online and I have no idea how they treated them during transport. I just don't worry too much about it - at least with the seats we have.

 

[atmail35]

we just took the Bubblebum for my 8yo. the weight range is 40-100 lbs. it is very light and convenient, I highly recommend it.

 

[Panonim]

Again - it depends on the seat. The only worries I have are with expanded polystyrene foam impact absorbers that are designed to basically take one large impact and sacrifice themselves. Most car seats with plastic shells are polypropylene. I wouldn't worry about "microfractures" with the shell. We've got an Evenflo Maestro. The foam is only right at the headrest and the remainder of the shell is hard plastic. Nothing short of bending the shell will compromise it. Now some seats use expanded polypropylene foam, which rebounds and doesn't break like styrofoam. It's more expensive and not that common, but Britax uses it in their current child seats. I've taken the cover off of our Marathon 70, and it's literally this foam everywhere. I don't really worry about the foam being damaged, but if transporting the thing my biggest worry would be that something bends the steel frame. It weighs about 30 lbs, so it's not one we take on the road. The most important thing that a child seat does is what a seat belt would do for an adult. It keeps the body restrained, as in not flying through a window or into the roof. Some of these seats have varying levels of foam inserts. Have you seen how these things are treated off a delivery truck? Our seats were ordered online and I have no idea how they treated them during transport. I just don't worry too much about it - at least with the seats we have.

I'm afraid I don't entirely agree with you. Disclaimer- I am not a car seat technician (yet!) . But in all my reading, it seems the plastic parts are usually the parts that weaken, break down and fracture with age and use. Hence why seats expire in X number of years. I have heard many techs speak of plastic micro fractures being a possibility from seats being tossed or mistreated by baggage handlers. As for them being delivered to a store, this is why they are transported in heavy, corrugated cardboard. The box packaging is designed to act as a crumple zone to take any impact and protect the seat.

A vehicle seat belt does not *only* keep the body restrained. It is designed to be positioned exactly in the correct area to keep the crash forces against the hard bones of our collarbone and pelvis. A seat belt laying in the wrong spot against the soft abdomen can, and has, caused fatal internal injuries, especially in small children. So the booster is crucial to ensure the child's lap belt stays on her lap and does not ride up to her belly. If the boosters structure has been compromised by unseen damage, it could fail in an accident, putting the child in improper position for the lap or shoulder belt, which could absolutely cause fatal injuries.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Deleted by OP

 

[Cats2]

I think part of the confusion in this thread has to do with terminology. "Boosters" to me mean belt positioning devices with or without a back...these are not FAA approved because they need the shoulder belt component found in a car. "Combination seats" are those seats with 5 point harness that can eventually be switched to a booster (I.e. as a booster, the harness is removed). Combination seats typically are FAA approved, but ONLY in 5point harness mode. New combination seats like Britax Frontier 90 are not FAA approved due to a special way that seat installs (ClickTight). HTH.

It's a Small World After All....I recognize Scouting Bear from a carseat forum (car-seat.org) that I frequently read ;-)
They do have a sub-forum specific to airplane/bus/special transport: http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=36

 

[bcla]

I'm afraid I don't entirely agree with you. Disclaimer- I am not a car seat technician (yet!) . But in all my reading, it seems the plastic parts are usually the parts that weaken, break down and fracture with age and use. Hence why seats expire in X number of years. I have heard many techs speak of plastic micro fractures being a possibility from seats being tossed or mistreated by baggage handlers. As for them being delivered to a store, this is why they are transported in heavy, corrugated cardboard. The box packaging is designed to act as a crumple zone to take any impact and protect the seat.

A vehicle seat belt does not *only* keep the body restrained. It is designed to be positioned exactly in the correct area to keep the crash forces against the hard bones of our collarbone and pelvis. A seat belt laying in the wrong spot against the soft abdomen can, and has, caused fatal internal injuries, especially in small children. So the booster is crucial to ensure the child's lap belt stays on her lap and does not ride up to her belly. If the boosters structure has been compromised by unseen damage, it could fail in an accident, putting the child in improper position for the lap or shoulder belt, which could absolutely cause fatal injuries.

We've got two convertible child seats and an infant seat. The Britax Marathon 70 came in an odd shaped box. It was L-shaped to contour to the seat's shape. The Chicco Keyfit 30 and Evenflo Maestro came in rectangular boxes. The was no extra padding to protect the seat in any of the boxes, and I'd say the contents were quite loose and would even shake a little in the box except maybe for the Britax. All were ordered online and shipped via UPS or FedEx Ground. Now walk into a Babies R Us or a Target store and look at the boxes. Many show labels indicating that they were sent via package delivery services directly to the store and not through the chain's own warehouses. This sort of tells me what the industry thinks of the durability of their products, since I'm pretty sure these services are often as brutal to what they ship as airport baggage handlers.

If you're really paranoid that a seat is going to fail because it's handled, put it in a box with bubble wrap and check it in like regular luggage. Maybe they'll give the same car seat exception if it's the original box, maybe they won't. It's $25 one-way on many airlines for the first bag or package. $50 is almost what I paid for the seat.

Right now we only use the Evenflo seat if we're flying and going to be renting a car. It's lighter and really only a plastic shell. That shell won't "microfracture". I have a whole lot of experience with materials. It will either crack or it won't and it will be pretty obvious if it does. The foam at the headrest might, but that's recessed. In any case I know how to remove the cover and inspect it, since I've cleaned it on occasion.

 

[starshine514]

If you're really paranoid that a seat is going to fail because it's handled, put it in a box with bubble wrap and check it in like regular luggage. Maybe they'll give the same car seat exception if it's the original box, maybe they won't. It's $25 one-way on many airlines for the first bag or package. $50 is almost what I paid for the seat.

In my experience, airlines do allow car seats to fly in their original boxes for free, provided they are within the size constraints or a regular-sized bag. Call your airline to check on its policies.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Edited by OP [/QUOTE]

 

[bumbershoot]

If it had a 5 point harness that is NOT a booster.

 

[atmail35]

In the past we have also flown with just the booster base with the back in the suitcase. I either put the base under the seat (I put it in one of those bags the mattress pad comes in....seems to fit) or in the overhead bin.

 

[Panonim]

We've got two convertible child seats and an infant seat. The Britax Marathon 70 came in an odd shaped box. It was L-shaped to contour to the seat's shape. The Chicco Keyfit 30 and Evenflo Maestro came in rectangular boxes. The was no extra padding to protect the seat in any of the boxes, and I'd say the contents were quite loose and would even shake a little in the box except maybe for the Britax. All were ordered online and shipped via UPS or FedEx Ground. Now walk into a Babies R Us or a Target store and look at the boxes. Many show labels indicating that they were sent via package delivery services directly to the store and not through the chain's own warehouses. This sort of tells me what the industry thinks of the durability of their products, since I'm pretty sure these services are often as brutal to what they ship as airport baggage handlers. If you're really paranoid that a seat is going to fail because it's handled, put it in a box with bubble wrap and check it in like regular luggage. Maybe they'll give the same car seat exception if it's the original box, maybe they won't. It's $25 one-way on many airlines for the first bag or package. $50 is almost what I paid for the seat. Right now we only use the Evenflo seat if we're flying and going to be renting a car. It's lighter and really only a plastic shell. That shell won't "microfracture". I have a whole lot of experience with materials. It will either crack or it won't and it will be pretty obvious if it does. The foam at the headrest might, but that's recessed. In any case I know how to remove the cover and inspect it, since I've cleaned it on occasion.

We will have to agree to disagree then. And I can promise there are a heck of a lot of car seat technicians who disagree with you as well. The plastic shells can sustain invisible damage. I am familiar with the Britax boxes as we've owned several . Car seat manufacturers design their packaging to keep the seat safe in transport. The packaging you see seats in on store shelves is not necessarily how they were shipped to the store (some seats are stacked 4 or 5 high and shipped in much larger boxes, then removed to sell in store).

I do agree with you about wrapping a seat in bubble wrap and in a heavy cardboard box if you MUST check it. But checking a car seat is never recommended by technicians. Besides, with the exception of a booster seat, a child should always be riding in their car seat on the plane. There is no paranoia here. We are following instructions, and taking child safety seats seriously, as they should be. Seats are only designed to withstand impact once. I won't make my child a crash test dummy by putting them in a seat that has possibly already been damaged.

 

[DharmaLou]

We will have to agree to disagree then. And I can promise there are a heck of a lot of car seat technicians who disagree with you as well. The plastic shells can sustain invisible damage. I am familiar with the Britax boxes as we've owned several . Car seat manufacturers design their packaging to keep the seat safe in transport. The packaging you see seats in on store shelves is not necessarily how they were shipped to the store (some seats are stacked 4 or 5 high and shipped in much larger boxes, then removed to sell in store).

I do agree with you about wrapping a seat in bubble wrap and in a heavy cardboard box if you MUST check it. But checking a car seat is never recommended by technicians. Besides, with the exception of a booster seat, a child should always be riding in their car seat on the plane. There is no paranoia here. We are following instructions, and taking child safety seats seriously, as they should be. Seats are only designed to withstand impact once. I won't make my child a crash test dummy by putting them in a seat that has possibly already been damaged.

Agreed. Any CPST knows that plastic can sustain invisible damage. This is why most all brands tell you to replace the seat if there has been ANY sort of collision with your car.

Car seat safety is no joke. People always say "well, we survived our primal car seats" - yes, we did, but there are plenty who didn't and they're not around to speak for themselves anymore. I only have one child, I'm not taking chances with her safety.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Edited via OP.[/QUOTE]

 

[DharmaLou]

Oh My Gosh--- Yes it was /is a booster. Heavens -- She started out in an approved carrier-- ya the one with the bottom portion that the carrier fit into with just a snap---. She then went to the car seat, again FAA and auto approved and yes it was a 5 point harness also. Lilly then went in to a BOOSTER with a 5 point harness that did not use the seat belt system to secure her-- it was secured with said seat belt which could either be just a lap belt-- FAA uses those or lap and shoulder combined-- the one in a car then she sat in the booster which had the 5 point harness. Strap going over each shoulder that is secured with the approved system that clamps near/ over the sternum. I am going to look for a picture of the BOOSTER and post. There is also a picture of the one Lilly had on the internet. As I stated before it had a higher back --oh and that lovely cup holder. It is sold as a booster not a car seat. It is the move up from a car seat .

Ok Now done. Yep I am one of those that if I know I am right -- well it was April 7, 2007 that I was last wrong LOL Just kidding.

Disney Love and hugs. Share the Pixie dust-- it makes me happy when I do .

Boosters don't have the 5pt harnesses. Boosters only use the car's seatbelt to secure the child in. Anything with a 5pt harness is considered a car seat. Some car seats with 5pt harnesses can also be used as boosters when the child outgrows the weight limit for the harness, however the harness system has to be removed in order to do so. HTH!

 

[starshine514]

Oh My Gosh--- Yes it was /is a booster. Heavens -- She started out in an approved carrier-- ya the one with the bottom portion that the carrier fit into with just a snap---. She then went to the car seat, again FAA and auto approved and yes it was a 5 point harness also. Lilly then went in to a BOOSTER with a 5 point harness that did not use the seat belt system to secure her-- it was secured with said seat belt which could either be just a lap belt-- FAA uses those or lap and shoulder combined-- the one in a car then she sat in the booster which had the 5 point harness. Strap going over each shoulder that is secured with the approved system that clamps near/ over the sternum. I am going to look for a picture of the BOOSTER and post. There is also a picture of the one Lilly had on the internet. As I stated before it had a higher back --oh and that lovely cup holder. It is sold as a booster not a car seat. It is the move up from a car seat .

Ok Now done. Yep I am one of those that if I know I am right -- well it was April 7, 2007 that I was last wrong LOL Just kidding.

Disney Love and hugs. Share the Pixie dust-- it makes me happy when I do .

The kind with the harness that can also be used as a booster is normally referred to as a combination seat in car seat circles (also note in the link I provided that they call it a "combination booster" in the product description). They look something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Chase-Booster-Seat-Optical/dp/B00AJSIXWK/ This type of seat generally can be used on an airplane in harness mode. Also, they often have a terrible belt fit when the harness is removed, rendering them useless as actual boosters (I know, I owned 4 of them between my two girls and none of them provided proper belt fit when used as a booster, so I had to buy dedicated boosters when they were too big for the harness). We actually do still own one of these combination seats, a Britax Frontier (http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Frontier-Booster-Seat-Onyx/dp/B00BEVF1W6/) that my youngest is harnessed in for use in our primary vehicle. I do not consider her to be in a "booster" when she is in it because she is still using the harness. She is in a booster when she uses her Graco Turbobooster.

A dedicated booster, on the other hand, does not have a harness and can never, ever be used with a lap belt only. Therefore, they can never be used on an aircraft: http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-High-Back-Booster-Wyder/dp/B006PB2C5Y/ This is the type of seat that most people generally are referring to when they say "booster". The one in the picture happens to be a high-back booster, but backless boosters are also referred to as boosters.

The big takeaway here is that only harnessed seats can be used on airplane. A booster that relies on the vehicle belt cannot be used with a lap belt only, and therefore cannot be used on an airplane.

 

[Panonim]

Yes, that would be a combination seat. It is considered a car seat. They are often called harnessed boosters, but are only approved for aircraft use in harness mode.