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

[ladybshaw]

I haven't read each page, but I have a 5 year old who uses a high back booster. It is not a harness booster. He's kind of a peanut so I was going to bring the whole thing. I don't have the box anymore. Should I just bring the bottom part and not the back? I worry that he's too small to be without the back.

How do people travel with their convertible seats?

 

[Panonim]

I haven't read each page, but I have a 5 year old who uses a high back booster. It is not a harness booster. He's kind of a peanut so I was going to bring the whole thing. I don't have the box anymore. Should I just bring the bottom part and not the back? I worry that he's too small to be without the back.

How do people travel with their convertible seats?

You could separate the back from the bottom, pack the high back part carefully in luggage with lots of clothing surrounding it, and check it with the rest of your luggage. Carry the bottom part of the booster on to the plane and store it in the overhead bin .

Convertible seats should be installed on the plane seat for the child to sit in during the flight.

 

[starshine514]

I haven't read each page, but I have a 5 year old who uses a high back booster. It is not a harness booster. He's kind of a peanut so I was going to bring the whole thing. I don't have the box anymore. Should I just bring the bottom part and not the back? I worry that he's too small to be without the back.

How do people travel with their convertible seats?

How much does he weigh? I believe most of the boosters that convert to backless have a 40 lb minimum for use in that mode. If he meets the minimum weight requirements, I would try the seat backless in both my cars at home and see how the belt fit is. We have two backless boosters that we use for travel. My youngest uses an Evenflo Big Kid Amp with the selt belt guide and my older daughter uses a Graco backless booster (I don't remember what model it is). The Graco doesn't provide a proper belt fit for my youngest and the Evenflo only does when I use the guide. If it provides a good fit, then the preferred method would be to just carry on the backless booster onto the plane and store it in the overhead bin. If it doesn't, I highly recommend the Evenflo Amp (if he's at least 40 lbs).

If he's under 40 lbs, can you disassemble the high back and fit it in a carryon?

 

[DharmaLou]

How much does he weigh? I believe most of the boosters that convert to backless have a 40 lb minimum for use in that mode. If he meets the minimum weight requirements, I would try the seat backless in both my cars at home and see how the belt fit is. We have two backless boosters that we use for travel. My youngest uses an Evenflo Big Kid Amp with the selt belt guide and my older daughter uses a Graco backless booster (I don't remember what model it is). The Graco doesn't provide a proper belt fit for my youngest and the Evenflo only does when I use the guide. If it provides a good fit, then the preferred method would be to just carry on the backless booster onto the plane and store it in the overhead bin. If it doesn't, I highly recommend the Evenflo Amp (if he's at least 40 lbs).

If he's under 40 lbs, can you disassemble the high back and fit it in a carryon?

If he's under 40 lbs legally he can't be in a booster, high back or otherwise.

 

[scoutingbear]

There are high back boosters where the weight limit does start at 30 pounds for the booster itself. Different states have different laws about when a child weighs enough/old enough for different seats. If your child does not weigh the 40lbs that most backless boosters require, I would pack the back in your checked luggage, surrounded by clothes, and bring the backless on the plane as a carryon. This way, if your luggage gets lost, you still have SOMETHING.

And, one of the most comprehensive places I have found to ask questions and get feedback regarding airline travel, shuttle busses, carseats in general is:
www.car-seat.org It is a forum community much like this one and you don't have to register to ask questions. There are a number of technicians there as well as others who are carseat saavy and knowledgable.

 

[starshine514]

If he's under 40 lbs legally he can't be in a booster, high back or otherwise.

Actually, most states just have a regulation that a child be restrained in a proper child seat or booster seat until x years or xx inches. Many HBB start with 30 lb minimums.

For example, here is Arizona's law regarding which seat and when (our law is that children must be 8 yrs or 4'9" tall to ride with a seat belt alone):

• Children less than one year old should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.
• Children should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.
• Children should ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.
• Once children outgrow the forward-facing car seat with a harness, he or she should ride in a booster seat in the back seat of the car.
• Children should ride in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.
• For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

As you can see, no mention of a 40 lb minimum. Since many children go straight from a convertible car seat to a booster, many kids reach the 40" maximum on their convertible seat before they reach the 40 lb maximum (the weight/height limits are often becoming higher - especially since so many people are doing extended rear facing now, but these are the numbers that are the minimums for convertible car seats and are the ones for the popular Cosco Scenera). I know a lot of people go straight from a convertible car seat to a high-back booster.

Likewise, the seat manufacturers have booster seats starting at 30 lbs. For example, here is the info on the popular Graco Turbobooster:

The TurboBooster can be used in high back booster mode for children 3 to 10 years old, 30 to 100 pounds, and 38 to 57 inches tall. It can be used as a backless belt-positioning booster for children 4 to 10 years old, 40 to 100 pounds, and 40 to 57 inches tall.​

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

In CA, the rules are

rear facing until 1 yr of age AND 20lbs
forward facing, 5 pt harness until age 4 OR 40lbs
belt positioning booster until age 8 or 4'9"

ETA: No child should go to a booster until they can properly sit in one (not play with the seat belt, not slouch, etc)

 

[starshine514]

I haven't read each page, but I have a 5 year old who uses a high back booster. It is not a harness booster. He's kind of a peanut so I was going to bring the whole thing. I don't have the box anymore. Should I just bring the bottom part and not the back? I worry that he's too small to be without the back.

How do people travel with their convertible seats?

In CA, the rules are

rear facing until 1 yr of age AND 20lbs
forward facing, 5 pt harness until age 4 OR 40lbs
belt positioning booster until age 8 or 4'9"

ETA: No child should go to a booster until they can properly sit in one (not play with the seat belt, not slouch, etc)

So, your 5 yrs old will be able to use his booster, regardless of his weight. Whether you need to bring the back or not is dependent on his weight and the requirements of your particular seat.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Since I have a red face I shall reply in red. I should have talked to my daughter about the booster Lilly used when we traveled via air to SNA.

I AM WRONG ---

She did use the 5 point harness booster-- but kids took the back off to make it Just a regular approved booster that could be restrained with the lap belt.

I guess the smoke and mirrors got me. I knew we took the booster on board, I saw son-in-law preparing it but never really noticed the back was off. I am sorry for giving information that was not correct. You sure do not want me to be a witness for anything.

I suppose I should have just replied about the car restraints I knew as a kid. My Moms right arm would always come out of no where to keep her chickies held back in the dreaded front seat. Yes as a child I did get to ride in the front. I remember only rich people had seat belts.

Again please know I am sorry for the confusion. Especially the part I was confused about. Since I sit in bulkhead with my husband and the kids sit in back I think that is how I missed the back coming off. I know the back was back on when they exited plane. ( husband and I are first one last off as he needs isle seat to get to and from gate).

I feel like such and idiot .


To any one I quoted I am sorry

Patty

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.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Since I have a red face I shall reply in red. I should have talked to my daughter about the booster Lilly used when we traveled via air to SNA.

I AM WRONG ---

She did use the 5 point harness booster-- but kids took the back off to make it Just a regular approved booster that could be restrained with the lap belt.

I guess the smoke and mirrors got me. I knew we took the booster on board, I saw son-in-law preparing it but never really noticed the back was off. I am sorry for giving information that was not correct. You sure do not want me to be a witness for anything.

I suppose I should have just replied about the car restraints I knew as a kid. My Moms right arm would always come out of no where to keep her chickies held back in the dreaded front seat. Yes as a child I did get to ride in the front. I remember only rich people had seat belts.

Again please know I am sorry for the confusion. Especially the part I was confused about. Since I sit in bulkhead with my husband and the kids sit in back I think that is how I missed the back coming off. I know the back was back on when they exited plane. ( husband and I are first one last off as he needs isle seat to get to and from gate).

I feel like such and idiot .

To any one I quoted I am sorry

Patty

We all make mistakes

I did want to point out something though - I'm not sure what they did with the booster, so I'm not arguing with that, but it does need to be said that no boosters are FAA approved. The whole point of the booster is to "boost" a child tall enough so both the lap & shoulder belts hit in the proper place (not over vital organs and not across the neck). Boosters are never meant to be used with just a lap belt. The flight attendant may have let them us it that way, but they shouldn't have and it is not the way it's meant to be used.

 

[Panonim]

Since I have a red face I shall reply in red. I should have talked to my daughter about the booster Lilly used when we traveled via air to SNA.

I AM WRONG ---

She did use the 5 point harness booster-- but kids took the back off to make it Just a regular approved booster that could be restrained with the lap belt.

I guess the smoke and mirrors got me. I knew we took the booster on board, I saw son-in-law preparing it but never really noticed the back was off. I am sorry for giving information that was not correct. You sure do not want me to be a witness for anything.

I suppose I should have just replied about the car restraints I knew as a kid. My Moms right arm would always come out of no where to keep her chickies held back in the dreaded front seat. Yes as a child I did get to ride in the front. I remember only rich people had seat belts.

Again please know I am sorry for the confusion. Especially the part I was confused about. Since I sit in bulkhead with my husband and the kids sit in back I think that is how I missed the back coming off. I know the back was back on when they exited plane. ( husband and I are first one last off as he needs isle seat to get to and from gate).

I feel like such and idiot .

To any one I quoted I am sorry

Patty

If I am understanding you correctly, they took the back off the carseat and used only the lower booster seat on the plane? Eeek. Very illegal and very dangerous. Perhaps the flight attendants didn't notice or realize, often they are misinformed on carseat use in planes. But it absolutely is not approved for use that way.

I know in your situation, what's done is done, and it wasn't your actions anyway . But it's important to clarify this for anyone else reading who might think that's a good idea. Yikes!!

 

[KellaCat]

My kids are both in high-back boosters at home (I like the high back so they can rest their head when they fall asleep ) But for our upcoming trip I bought two Bubble Bums. I travelled last time with a 5-pt harness seat when DD was 2, and a regular booster (which I checked with my luggage) and it was such a pain! I vowed never to fly again till they were out of car seats! LOL I'm really looking forward to the Bubble Bums. We're trying them out at home now to try and get used to them. I don't think I'll use them on a regular basis at home, but I think they'll work great for the short drives we'll be doing in California.

 

[DharmaLou]

My kids are both in high-back boosters at home (I like the high back so they can rest their head when they fall asleep ) But for our upcoming trip I bought two Bubble Bums. I travelled last time with a 5-pt harness seat when DD was 2, and a regular booster (which I checked with my luggage) and it was such a pain! I vowed never to fly again till they were out of car seats! LOL I'm really looking forward to the Bubble Bums. We're trying them out at home now to try and get used to them. I don't think I'll use them on a regular basis at home, but I think they'll work great for the short drives we'll be doing in California.

This is what I'm doing for our trip next week. I am a self-proclaimed car seat nazi and very much over the top when it comes to car seat safety, however I pay enough for my car seats (even my high back booster) that I don't want them being thrown around by baggage handlers. Yes, we could convert our high back booster into just a booster seat, but at that point it's the same as the Bubble Bum - and the Bubble Bum also has a strap to help hold the shoulder harness in place whereas the booster doesn't. Plus it fits in DD's carry on. It's not ideal for every day travel, but it will work fine for us on this trip. (She's 5 yrs old, 48 lbs and 45")

 

[starshine514]

If you visit a carseat-specific board, you'll find that they don't recommend ever checking a carseat. That being said, we do check our girls' low-back boosters that we use for travel - they're just there to raise them higher anyway.

I wanted to retract my earlier statement. Upon inspecting the boosters after our last flight, I found one of them cracked. So, we bought a new on (the same type as the one that hadn't cracked - a backless Evenflo Amp). We'll be carrying them on from now on - I won't even let a booster be checked.