Is a car seat required on Disney transportation?

[belle&beast]

Has anyone travelled with a 2yo? I am not sure I feel comfortable with him being on the plane on a bare seat. I was hoping the comfort of his own car seat would help ease any fear on the flight itself. Do they allow you to store your seat somewhere on the ME? Now I am more troubled about this than ever. Any story from someone who took their 2yo and how you worked it out would be greatly appreciated...He's not anywhere close to 40 lbs, my DD5 is only 38 herself, my kiddos are smaller than most their ages.

Our DS turned 2 on our trip. We took carseats for both him and DD4 for the flights and the rental car. (We flew into Sanford so ME was not available.) I don't think he would sit still in a regular seat without his carseat. When he is in his seat, he knows he can't move around and has to sit still. So for our own sanity and the sanity of those around us we opted to put him is his carseat and it was a great decision! Our DD is also still in a 5 pt harness carseat because she is not yet 40 pounds. It worked well for us and I really recommend it for a 2 year old.

 

[tjmw2727]

Has anyone travelled with a 2yo? I am not sure I feel comfortable with him being on the plane on a bare seat. I was hoping the comfort of his own car seat would help ease any fear on the flight itself. Do they allow you to store your seat somewhere on the ME? Now I am more troubled about this than ever. Any story from someone who took their 2yo and how you worked it out would be greatly appreciated...He's not anywhere close to 40 lbs, my DD5 is only 38 herself, my kiddos are smaller than most their ages.

I hope you didn't misunderstand my post. You absolutely can use the carseat on the aircraft and both the FAA and AAP recommend it. Just check the back of the carseat to be sure it has the sticker indicating it can be used in aircraft. 99.9% of new seats have the approval and the sticker.

Once you arrive at the airport in Florida you can just take the carseat with you on the Magic Express bus but your son won't be able to sit in it. If you are using Disney bus transportation during the trip you won't need the carseat again until your flight home.

Sorry for any confusion, I hope this helps.
TJ

 

[jodifla]

so even though it is extremely dangerous to hold a child on your lap on a plane, they let you do it. kind of like how we all didnt have car seats when we were little.

I would take issue with the statement that it is "extremely dangerous." I did it for most flights when DS was under 2. I do not feel I put him in an extremely dangerous situation.

Five lap children have died in the last 30 or so years on planes, and some of them MAY HAVE (note the may have) been saved if they'd had a car seat. Statistically speaking, that's a incredibly low number over the number of kids on flights over the last 30 years.

In fact, it's probably statistically more dangerous to ride in a bus or a train than as unrestrained lap child on a plane.

 

[sassymom]

I hope you didn't misunderstand my post. You absolutely can use the carseat on the aircraft and both the FAA and AAP recommend it. Just check the back of the carseat to be sure it has the sticker indicating it can be used in aircraft. 99.9% of new seats have the approval and the sticker.

Once you arrive at the airport in Florida you can just take the carseat with you on the Magic Express bus but your son won't be able to sit in it. If you are using Disney bus transportation during the trip you won't need the carseat again until your flight home.

Sorry for any confusion, I hope this helps.
TJ

No...I was concerned with the fact I may not have a place to put the seat once we got off the plane. Now that I know I can just store it in the luggage compartment on ME no worries . He can be buckled in for the flights which I think will be best for everyone, and the rest of the time DH and I can take turns sitting with him. By August I think my DD will be at least 40 lb. she tinkers on the edge so we just won't skip desserts . I did check the sticker on his seat and the manual and it is approved for planes so that's good news too. I can just stick to my original plan to set in in a corner of our room and use it again on the flight home.

 

[nancy drew]

I would take issue with the statement that it is "extremely dangerous." I did it for most flights when DS was under 2. I do not feel I put him in an extremely dangerous situation.

and most of our parents let us roll around in the back seat without car seats when we were babies, but we are all still alive, right? im sure none of our parents thought they were putting us in "extreme danger" either. doesnt mean its safe to drive with a child out of a car seat. if you feel safe holding your child, go for it. i have talked to an expert and understand the danger involved and i wont be doing it. if youd like to take it up with the person who told me it was "extremely dangerous" id be happy to pass along a message to him.

 

[NotUrsula]

I am shocked there are no seatbelts on the buses. God forbid we get into an accident. I guess my fear comes from living in a big city. Seeing awful accidents almost daily. This has post has just made up our minds to rent a car and not take the buses.

Please forgive me if this seems like a snide question, but how is it possible for a city dweller to be shocked that a public transit vehicle doesn't have seatbelts? Most city people are very familiar with public transit and don't find anything unusual about a child riding in a bus without a carseat.

Personally, I would think that someone from a very rural area would be more likely to be shocked at the lack of seat belts.

 

[jodifla]

and most of our parents let us roll around in the back seat without car seats when we were babies, but we are all still alive, right? im sure none of our parents thought they were putting us in "extreme danger" either. doesnt mean its safe to drive with a child out of a car seat. if you feel safe holding your child, go for it. i have talked to an expert and understand the danger involved and i wont be doing it. if youd like to take it up with the person who told me it was "extremely dangerous" id be happy to pass along a message to him.

Basically, we're a generation who obsesses over risks. It makes no difference that it's safer to fly with a lap child than drive with a child in a car seat, people will still go ballistic over lap children on airplanes.

And now, some folks are refusing to use ME because there are no seatbelts! (Not sure how these folks are going to put their kids on schoolbuses.)

 

[Schmeck]

thats because the people who run airlines are smart and they know that people wouldnt fly if they *had* to buy a seat for their infants. also then the accident rate for motor vehicles would increase dramatically from the increased traffic. so even though it is extremely dangerous to hold a child on your lap on a plane, they let you do it. kind of like how we all didnt have car seats when we were little. and a car seat would be a huge help if the plane skidded off a runway. the child would fly out of your arms if you came to a sudden stop, but a car seat securely strapped in to a seat would protect your child. also, in a collision on the ground (or close to the ground) even if you were somehow able to hold on to your child and prevent them from launching across the plane, the force of your body smashing your child against the seat in front of you would be about 1000 times your normal body weight. the child would serve as an airbag for you, basically. a car seat would protect your child in that case as well.

sorry to be all preachy, but my friends husband is an expert in airline safety and accident investigation and ever since he told me about all of this i cannot believe it is legal to allow children on planes without proper restraining devices.

and all that being said, my kids (2yo and 8mo) will be riding on disney transit without car seats. so go figure

Accident rates would increase dramatically because people with infants are not flying to their location, and are driving instead? So, people who have small children are horrible drivers? Yeah, sure...