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

[Daydreamer64]

I understand that CA law requires my DS7 to use a booster seat in a rental car. The same is expected in New York state, our home.

He uses a backless car seat at home and we were trying to find out if we check it at luggage drop off or at tha gate?

We will travel over 7 hours in air time and the seat is too uncomfortable to expect him to use it on the plane.

Did anyone travel with their booster but not use it on the plane?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[ykmom]

We always travel with one. Depending on the airline they may check it at no extra charge - they just put it in a plastic bag and tag it. We have also just carried it on and put it in the overhead bin. Sometimes we check it in a bag if we have the space.

 

[sonjaandsue]

We have always been able to check ours - we have flown Delta, United and American. We now have a simple booster and we wrote our name & info right on it.

 

[DharmaLou]

after watching airline employees throwing car seats around, bouncing off the concrete, I'll never check a car seat again. The backless boosters can easily fit in the overhead bins.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'd put it in the overhead bin or check it at the gate. You cannot sit on them in the plane as they aren't approved.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Thank you!

You guys are so great, another question answered in record speed!

We will put it in the overhead for the trip.

 

[mrswh]

If you don't want to deal with it, just put it in a suitcase. We put ours in a suitcase and pack clothes all around it. It works fine, though of course if our baggage fails to arrive, we will be in some trouble.

 

[tdhickey]

If it is just a backless booster, easiest thing to do is check it with your luggage or as people suggest on the plane in the overhead. We always check ours as it is just another thing to lug through the airport and we already have enough to carry.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

I think some boosters must be FAA approved as grand daughter used one for our fight from PDX to SNA last Oct.

One reason it is nice to use the booster for all or part of trip is 7 year old legs end up just dangleing as they have no place to actually "plant" themselves. Using the booster gives a small area infront for little legs to use for resting those feet.

Please also remember with the 7 year old swinging their feet the feet will most likely end up banging the seat in front of them. This just happens but can be an issue with the flyer in front of the child.

To get the booster on board use it for first part of flight then let child not use and place under seat infront of child or in over head. This way it is on board with you.

Remember the arm rests lift up and if the little one gets tired they can lay down ( keep the seat belt on though) and by laying head on you there is plenty of room for child to have a nice nap while in flight.

Have a great trip.

 

[wallawallakids]

If you don't want to deal with it, just put it in a suitcase. We put ours in a suitcase and pack clothes all around it. It works fine, though of course if our baggage fails to arrive, we will be in some trouble.

I do this all the time!

 

[keltiesmom]

I think some boosters must be FAA approved as grand daughter used one for our fight from PDX to SNA last Oct.

One reason it is nice to use the booster for all or part of trip is 7 year old legs end up just dangleing as they have no place to actually "plant" themselves. Using the booster gives a small area infront for little legs to use for resting those feet.

Please also remember with the 7 year old swinging their feet the feet will most likely end up banging the seat in front of them. This just happens but can be an issue with the flyer in front of the child.

To get the booster on board use it for first part of flight then let child not use and place under seat infront of child or in over head. This way it is on board with you.

Remember the arm rests lift up and if the little one gets tired they can lay down ( keep the seat belt on though) and by laying head on you there is plenty of room for child to have a nice nap while in flight.

Have a great trip.

No booster seats are approved for airplane use as they have to have a shoulder/lap belt combination. You must have been on a plane that didn't make it an issue.

 

[DharmaLou]

I think some boosters must be FAA approved as grand daughter used one for our fight from PDX to SNA last Oct.

One reason it is nice to use the booster for all or part of trip is 7 year old legs end up just dangleing as they have no place to actually "plant" themselves. Using the booster gives a small area infront for little legs to use for resting those feet.

Please also remember with the 7 year old swinging their feet the feet will most likely end up banging the seat in front of them. This just happens but can be an issue with the flyer in front of the child.

To get the booster on board use it for first part of flight then let child not use and place under seat infront of child or in over head. This way it is on board with you.

Remember the arm rests lift up and if the little one gets tired they can lay down ( keep the seat belt on though) and by laying head on you there is plenty of room for child to have a nice nap while in flight.

Have a great trip.

Boosters are not FAA approved to use on a plane.

 

[Ariel224]

OP, you might want to check out a Bubble Bum inflatable booster. It was quite convenient for traveling with my (then) 7 year old. When the base is not inflated, it rolls up and goes into its own drawstring bag. Because it is so compact and lightweight, DD was able to put it in her own backpack that she carries on with her snacks and activities for the flight. It also can double as a pillow if anyone gets sleepy!

 

[Daydreamer64]

Thank you all again for all the added information!

We have flown before but have not needed a booster for DS7 as we used buses for transportation in the past.

Since we are driving we will need that booster. I think I looked at BB booster and the weight limit was too small- DS7 weighs around 55 lbs for now.

Our carry-on is big enough to hold the booster seat and I will pack additional clothes around it as we always have a spill on our clothes during travel no matter how careful DS is with his drinks.

We have to carry a nebulizer, and various medications for DS so the carry-on should take care of the issue for us.

On a side note- I am a very type "A" person and kicking feet would be one of the things that would drive me crazy. That translates to me being very observent of what DS is doing in his seat, especially to the one in front of or beside him.

On our first flight, the man behind me was not comfortable and he kept grabbing my seat to adjust himself in his seat. After 6 or 7 times of getting yanked back and jerked suddenly, I turned around to him and said "these seats aren't very comfortable".

He agreed with me, then I added that I understood the problem but might he not use my seatback to pull himself up in his seat as I was getting motionsickness from it? He laughed, in a nice way, and apoligised- at least he was nice.

That would not have bothered my DH but it did me and so I try to be aware of what my kids are doing to our captured neighbors-

Again thanks to my dis buddies!

 

[ValpoCory]

We always pack our backless booster seat in the box it came in and tape a piece of paper on the box with our contact information. The airlines check it as a free bag.

 

[asc72]

A lot of airlines let you check the car seat for free. We have a car seat bag that we use to protect it (made by Sunshine kids). Its come in handy a few times, as we have thrown extra items in there on occasion (non valuable, like shoes etc), when we were out of room in our suitcase or close to being overweight on some trips to Hawaii.

The only downside is that at some airports, it comes out at a seperate baggage carrousel (oversize), but its never been a big deal.

 

[tuesdayswife]

So glad I found this! We're traveling with a 5 and 7 year old and I'm taking 2 backless boosters with us because we're renting a car. As long as I know they'll fit in the overhead, I'm good!

 

[bcla]

As was noted, pretty much all airlines will check in a child seat where it doesn't count towards your limit at no extra charge. You can do it either at the gate or the check-in counter. I prefer the latter so I don't have to lug the thing through security.

As for anything that baggage handlers could do to a booster, I wouldn't worry. Boosters aren't like full seats with energy absorbing foam. Even my kid's full seat that I use in my car only has foam near the head - the rest is just a plastic shell. One isn't likely to get damaged, and I've literally seen the care that baggage handlers took when child seats came off the carousel. There was always an airport employee who would pull them off and place them in a specific area. The ostensible reason is to reduce the incidence of heavy bags landing on them as they go down the chute.

Quite a few people might buy one when they arrive, if they get to the destination by bus and rent a car at the destination. I've seen boosters for $20.

 

[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.

 

[Panonim]

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.

Damage sustained by a booster seat IS just as critical a problem as in a harnessed car seat. Even though the booster "just" positions the child rather than restrains them. In a crash, if the booster failed, the child could be instantly out of position, causing potentially fatal injuries by the seat belt.

The safe option is to either pack the low back booster in checked luggage, cushioning it very well with clothing, or carry it on the plane and keep it in the overhead bin.