how to travel with car seat

[goofy4wdw2]

we'll be flying to orlando with an 8 month old in april. we've decided to book her a seat on the plane and will bring her car seat. i just want to be sure because the info on the airline's website was a little unclear...can we use a graco snug ride car base with her infant carrier? we'll also be bringing her matching stroller (it's a 3 piece set).

does anyone have experience traveling with this or something similar? i think we gate-check the stroller? do we have to pre-arrange that at check-in, or can we just do it at the gate? what's an easy way to carry the base through the airport and the resort when we arrive? any other tips? thank you!!

 

[KerriMc]

Two years ago we too travelled with the same kind of system. You can't use the base on the plane. Since it is a lap belt, you just use it as you would if you didn't have the base. There are "hooks" on the seat where a belt can attach the seat to the belt. Technically you don't have to use a base in a car either, it is mainly for convenience of dropping the seat in and out. We took the base with us and they put it in a big plastic bag and it went on with all of the other luggage. No harm was done to it, but I suppose if you were worried you could carry it with you and gate check it too.

The lady we checked in with put tags on the stroller to indicate it would be a gate checked item. Then we just walked up the runway to the plane, folded up the stroller and left it there. You could leave the base there too I suppose.

Good luck

Kerri

 

[GatorGal]

we'll be flying to orlando with an 8 month old in april. we've decided to book her a seat on the plane and will bring her car seat. i just want to be sure because the info on the airline's website was a little unclear...can we use a graco snug ride car base with her infant carrier? we'll also be bringing her matching stroller (it's a 3 piece set).

does anyone have experience traveling with this or something similar? i think we gate-check the stroller? do we have to pre-arrange that at check-in, or can we just do it at the gate? what's an easy way to carry the base through the airport and the resort when we arrive? any other tips? thank you!!

You should be able to use the base with the carrier. The seat but have a label on it with RED lettering that says it's approved for use on an airplane. You should be aware that the person sitting in front of you won't be able to recline their seat because their seat back will hit the car seat. You paid for the seat, and the carrier must be installed rear facing, so it's your right to have your car seat installed on the plane. Once when I flew with my DD in her carrier, the passenger in front of her repeatedly slammed their seat back into the car seat (they couldn't figure out what the seat was hitting) and then called the FA, who asked that I remove my daughter from the seat so it could be moved and the other passenger could recline their seat. I refused on the grounds that I paid for the seat so she could be in her car seat for the duration of the flight. You shouldn't have any problems, but just be prepared to stand your ground

Yes, gate check your stroller. They'll hand you a tag for the stroller, but tell them the carseat will be going on board with you, they may expect that you'll be gate checking that as well.

I recommend bringing a bungie cord to strap the car seat base to a piece of your carryon luggage or to the stroller to make it easier to get it through the airport.

Good luck and have a great trip

 

[Kez250]

Thats strange that that made you put it in facing rear - I've travelled a tremendous amount with both my children (4 and 2) and they always made me install the seat facing forwards even when my kids were rear-facing in the car

Maybe different airlines do different things

 

[GatorGal]

Thats strange that that made you put it in facing rear - I've travelled a tremendous amount with both my children (4 and 2) and they always made me install the seat facing forwards even when my kids were rear-facing in the car

Maybe different airlines do different things

Those infant carriers are designed to only be rear facing; they aren't reinforced to withstand a forward facing impact.

If your children are still within the weight limits of the seats for rear facing, you should be able to do the same on the plane, but you might have to point out the weight limits on the sticker on the seat and stand your ground. They are safer rear facing on the plane just as in the car. Sadly, You were probably encouraged to install them forward facing for the convenience of the passenger in front of them and the fact that they wouldn't be able to recline their seat with a RF seat behind them not because it's safer for your child.

 

[Kez250]

Ah ok i think I may know why I was asked to place them forward facing - this would of been in Britax car seats - one that can face forward or rear - never in infant carriers

 

[goofy4wdw2]

KerriMc- I forgot about that, that we could just use the carrier without a base, like I've heard you can do in the car.


I think we might just take the carrier (leave the base at home). We are using Tiffany Towncar, so strapping in the carrier for the trip to/from the airport is easy enough. Unless anyone can think of a reason we should or need to take the base??

Thank you!!

 

[NotUrsula]

It's often impossible to use a base on an aircraft, approved or not. The reason is that aircraft seatbelts buckle in the center, not the side. If the seat fits directly against the base, there won't be room for the buckle in-between them. All infant seats sold in the US must be capable of safe installation without the base; check your manual.

As a test, you can put a pack of playing cards on top of the spot where the seatbelt crosses the middle of the base, then try to lock the seat in. If it won't lock in, then it is probable that the base will be essentially useless on an aircraft.

BTW, 8 months is kind of old to still be in an infant carseat. Check the weight and height limits to be sure she's not too large for it at that time. Our ped told us that most babies outgrow their infant carseats by the time they learn to sit up unaided.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

We were not allowed to use the base. We strapped the seat into the plane seat. The Airline Attnedant said the base was not approved.

 

[bartleby1]

Unless your little one is on the petite side, she will probably have outgrown the infant seat by 8 months old. Most of the seats have a length limit as well as a weight limit. My 3 kids all outgrew their seats due to length between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 months old. Be sure to check your seat for specifics.

 

[belle&beast]

When I flew with an infant carrier, we gate checked the base and stroller and put DD rear facing in the seat. We had a rental car, so it was easier for us to have the base, too- I just felt more comfortable with it. While we were in the airport, we were able to stick the base in the bottom basket for storage. As someone else mentioned, your baby may be too big to be comfortable in the carrier by then, if that is the case you can bring an approved 5 point harness carseat on the plane. We have flown with our kids when they were infants, toddlers and preschoolers and I always have used carseats. The kids just know that they have to sit when they are in them and it makes the trip gp more smoothly. Hope you have lots of fun!!!

 

[doberlady]

We just went in Oct with a 4month old and used her base with no problem at all, rear facing of course.

Now gate checking the stroller was another issue as it was broken in pieces.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

our graco infant car seat (part of the travel system) is up to 22 pounds, 29 inches. our daughter was 13 pounds and 24 inches at her 4 month check, so we might still be able to use the carrier at 8 months. i think this graco one can be used longer than some others. thank you everyone for all of your suggestions!!

 

[FirstTimeCruiser]

We just went in Oct with a 4month old and used her base with no problem at all, rear facing of course.

Now gate checking the stroller was another issue as it was broken in pieces.

Oh no... we're going to be flying soon and this is exactly what I'm afraid of, gate checking the stroller and it coming out damaged! Sorry that happened to you.

Suzy

 

[all4fun]

our graco infant car seat (part of the travel system) is up to 22 pounds, 29 inches. our daughter was 13 pounds and 24 inches at her 4 month check, so we might still be able to use the carrier at 8 months. i think this graco one can be used longer than some others. thank you everyone for all of your suggestions!!

Just so you know, as long as there is more than one inch of shell between the top of the seat and the top of your dd's head, and she is still within the weight limits of the car seat then it's ok to still use the seat. Weight limits on car seats are set in stone but height limits have a little "wiggle room" because kids can grow so differently. Some carry their height in their torso's and do outgrow certain car seats much faster than others because of this. Just thought I would mention it.

Rear-facing car seat basics:
http://www.cpsafety.org/articles/RFbasics.aspx

hth!

 

[doberlady]

Oh no... we're going to be flying soon and this is exactly what I'm afraid of, gate checking the stroller and it coming out damaged! Sorry that happened to you.

Delta was really good about it and they did mail me a check for $200 a few weeks later BUT what a hassle to drive all over Orlando looking for a new travel system!!!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

In 2000--we traveled sans base in the seat and DD4 months was forward facing.

 

[all4fun]

I just want to say that the FAA states that children under 20lbs s/b in a rear-facing seat, 20-40lbs in a f/fing seat, and the seat should be installed according to the mfg directions, so if it's a r/fing only infant seat, it s/b installed that way. Also, if you have a convertible seat and your infant is under 1yr and 20lbs then the seat can still be installed r/fing. I have heard that some FA's might give some pushback about this however if you state (politely) that you're using the seat according to mfg instructions then they should leave you alone. Personally though I never had a problem with it. hth.

FAA tips for parents using a CRS

 

[justhat]

We have had a few FAs tell us that our seat needed to be FF on planes, but we politely explained that she was under the weight limit to be RF. Sometimes they countered that with "but the passenger in front of you can't recline" and we said "that's unfortunate, but our daughter's safety is more important than the 2 inches of recline for the other passenger".

Oh, and our daughter was safely riding in her infant carrier carseat until she was 10 months old (and another month or so after that when we went out of town just to avoid carrying the Britax). She wasn't 20 lbs. till she was about 15 months, but she was 26 inches at 6 months old (the height limit of her seat). The car seat tech told us what all4fun posted, about the head having to be an inch or more away from the top of the seat, and so we went by that.