Need advice on taking a 20month old!! Carseat wise

[mask_w03]

Ok Dh and I keep going back and forth on the carseat. DO we spend the extra money to get DD a seat with her carseat or just save that money for Disney (food and all) and sit her on our laps which she'll end up being anyways??

Also does she need the carseat for the bus from the airport to the hotel or is it ok down there to be on our lap.. I know the busses from the resorts to the parks she'll be on our laps. She'll be turning 20months while we are down at Dis.

Thanks,
Margaux

Let me also say that if she rides in our laps we will get the Baby B'Air from Onestep that secures her to one of us for the flight and is FAA approved.

 

[nicolem]

You're going to get plenty of very strong pro-car seat opinions, and I totally understand where they're coming from, but we haven't purchased a seat for our DS yet (we went to DL when he was 12 mo and WDW when he was 17 mo) because he hates his car seat. We can keep him entertained in it for short periods, but it isn't unusual for him to scream or cry after 20 or 30 minutes in his seat. We knew that if we bought a seat for him we could keep him in it during takeoff, but to keep him in it longer than that would be torture to our fellow passengers.

Like I said, I understand the safety reasons for using a carseat on a plane, and my son's safety is of paramount importance, but for us, it made more sense to save the money.

Oh, and no, you won't need a carseat in the shuttle from the airport to WDW, unless you're taking a limo or a cab.

 

[stacy6552]

YES! Buy your precious baby her own seat and use her carseat. The statistics are overwhelming. In an emergency or even terbulence, your baby is very unsafe on your lap. Just picture yourself being told to assume crash position and putting your daughter on the floor for a crash landing.

 

[jodifla]

We also consider our child precious, but did not purchase a seat for him until he was 2 years old. If your child will sit in your lap, it's very doable. If you have a roamer, it's a harder call.

 

[all4fun]

Here's a site that has some good info on traveling by air with a child:

Airline Travel and Child Safety

It also addresses the use of the Baby b'aire device.

hth.

 

[bellarella]

You can't use car seats on buses -- if the car seat can't be secured with a seat belt, it can not be used and the motor coaches don't have seat belts. So if you bring one it would only be for the plane. IMHO if you know that your child will be on your lap all flight anyway then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to buy the extra seat. Sure buying the seat and keeping them in there the whole flight is the absolute safest option, but from an actuarial standpoint (looking at odd and statistics) there are probably 100 things people do (or don't do) on a regular basis that are more risky. Not bashing anyone who does buy a seat, just everyone has their own "hot buttons" for preventing "what if" scenarios. Do whatever you are comfortable with. If you do decide to buy the seat, you should be able to get it for 50% of the cost of your ticket.

 

[sara74]

Is it possible to buy a seat for a toddler on the plane but just buckle them and not bring their carseat? Or do you have to have a carseat if you are buying a seat?

 

[all4fun]

Is it possible to buy a seat for a toddler on the plane but just buckle them and not bring their carseat? Or do you have to have a carseat if you are buying a seat?

The FAA recommends children under 40lbs use a carseat. CLICK HERE It is a recommendation though. Just be aware that when the seatbelt light is on they must stay seated in their seat with the belt secured just like an adult. If your toddler is over age two, then you won't be able to hold them in your lap if they decide they want to unbuckle themselves (which is very easy to do with those flip latches on the airplane seatbelts). Also, it's been shown that lap belts on airplanes really do not secure toddlers well enough so they really are safer in a car seat. If you're buying a seat anyway, I would highly recommend bringing the car seat along. It really is worth the extra effort.

 

[cheerbop]

We took our 22 month old last month and DID have a carseat. Did we enjoy paying the extra $$? (it was $125) no, but we have a very active chid and holding him just would NOT have happened....
Having him restrained in a seat was alot easier a place for him to relax and sleep....

 

[sara74]

Already bought the seat - at 25 pounds I don't care that he's only going to be 21 months old - I CAN'T hold him on my lap for 2 1/2 hours. Not that I will have much lap by then! I'll be 24 weeks pregnant!

If you're buying a seat anyway, I would highly recommend bringing the car seat along. It really is worth the extra effort.

Oh, man! It thought you were going to say that! We aren't renting a car and are using ME, so I was not looking forward to lugging the seat for *just* the plane trip. Guess I will just have to make DH lug it!!!!!!!

 

[D L and K's Mom]

WE took our carseat for our DD and we purchased a seat for her on the plane. We have a Britex carseat and it is big and heavy. On the way down DD sat in her seat and kicked the seat in front of her the whole way there. She wasnt kicking so much as pushing as it was so close. We were lucky as our older DD was in the seat in front but I held DD feet for quite a bit of the ride. On the way home we buckled her into the plane seat ad checked the carseat below. She fell asleep for most of the ride. If we have to do it again I am going to check the seat and use the airplane seat belt.

 

[Jenny]

i can relate to the OP's concerns.....we have brought the seat on the plane & our DD, now 18 mo, only stayed in it for 1 hour out of the 3 hr trip when we traveled at ages 10 & 16 mo. we felt that we had to take her out after 1 hr b/c she would start screaming to get out thus obviously disturbing the other passengers.

we leave again next week & we are still bringing the carseat....we decided that 1 out of 3 hrs is worth it plus we like the idea of using our own carseats in the rental car. we're always hopeful that she'll stay in it for the whole trip - as usual, we will have snacks & toys. this time, we will also have a portable DVD player w/ her favorite shows, which will hopefully keep her seated & happy.

for her safety, i really do hope to keep her in it - i am optimistic that the DVD player will help us to achieve that goal.

 

[sara74]

We booked seats that put each of us in a row with one kid with DH and DS in front of DD and I. We could pick our seats online with Song through Cheaptickets. We also picked very forward rows so DD will only have DS to kick and DS will have no one in front of him. We were going to give the kids the window seats too. I know that will keep DD occupied. Hopefully they will sleep too! Sometimes my optimism just cracks me up!

 

[Nicolepa]

Is it possible to buy a seat for a toddler on the plane but just buckle them and not bring their carseat? Or do you have to have a carseat if you are buying a seat?

If the child is under 2 they must be in an airline approved carseat or in your lap for takeoff and landing. They cannot be bucked into the seat w/o a carseat.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

My Aunt and Uncle took us on our first trip to Disney, so we didn't really have a say in the airplane tickets. They did not purchase a seat for our at-the-time 18 month old.

Now, I know from a safety view, that she should have been in a carseat. I did buy the Baby B'Air, but never was really able to use it.

From another view....the 2 1/2 hours seemed very long trying to entertain a toddler on our laps. They are at an age where they aren't happy being held that long. They want to be up and running around. It was a very difficult plane ride. We did survive somehow. I've read that when kids are in their carseats, they are already used to having to sit still in them, and therefore, it doesn't become an issue of them wanting to get down and run around.

So, I would recommend getting your child his/her own seat. I know it's hard to justify spending the money when they could ride for free, but it really does make life easier on the trip.

 

[mask_w03]

Thank you all for your thoughts and all. DD hates her carseat as it is in the car so i don't think she would behave in her carseat on the plane either. We have set it up for a layover eventhough we could straight shoot it as a 2hr flight. We are doing 1hr and 1hr layover so she can run around and burn some energy and then 1 more hour on the plane. She is pretty well behaved in our laps and we have been testing her I guess you can say with that. We set her on our lap for a few mins each day and will work up to 1hr so she is used to it before we leave in Nov/Dec. I know it's safer, but for us it seems stupid to bring the carseat where she is going to just scream and piss all the others off for the flight. Where she can sit in our lap for the flight and be happy and we don't then have to lug her Big carseat through the airport and all when we'd only use it for the plane ride!!

Thanks again

 

[jme829]

WE've done it both ways. We always rent a car so we needed them anyways, When our ds was 1, we checked his seat and held him (dd then 3 used her seat on the plane) It was only a 2 1/2 hr flight for us and he was sleeping before we took off and slept the whole way. The last time we went he was 3, dd was 5, they both used their seats on the plane, both slept all the way there and back (mind you we don't get a flight before 8 am because I refuse to drag the kids out of bed and to the airport at 4 a.m.). When my oldest dd (now 12) went for her first trip ('97 she was not quite 4) We didnt' take it at all because we went only for the weekedn and we used disney busses so we didnt' need it. On the other hand, my kids are very used to travelling and riding in their seats so its no big deal for them to sit in theirs. They have all been on long road trips since they were babies (my son was on 5 different road trips by the time he was 4 months old). Do what works and makes sense for you. It is much safer to ride in an airplane then ride in a car. (how many car crashes do you hear about and how many plane crashes-)

 

[pooh4evr]

We did not take a seat for our DD 23 mos at travel time but she did have her own seat which was best for us. She had her own room, tray and was comfortable in her seat as were the rest of us- it also allowed her to have her own carryon bag . We had shuttles everywhere so we did not feel the carseat was needed fo the trip.

 

[sweet_mama_shy]

I never knew you could use a car seat on a plane? I have a question or two, Can you bring your own car seat for on the plane? this way we have it with us for the rental car we will be picking up at the airport... or do you have to use a carseat provided from the plane? I do not think there would ever be a possibility of our daughter who will be 2 in May (date of our trip) to sit in our laps for 2.5 hrs without trying to exscape to roam the cabin... she is a runner and never sits still for a minutes! and she has one heck of a scream and temper when she is mad... I wouldn't be suprised if they wouldn't take us back on the plane for our return trip! LOL

 

[NotUrsula]

Unless you're in England and flying BA or Virgin, you cannot hire a carseat from the airline; you'll have to bring your own if you want to use one. For the safest ride, a carseat is recommended for children who are under 40 lbs.

It also keeps the little squirmers firmly contained and unable to bolt away from you or put their hands where they don't belong, like on beverage carts or the overhead call buttons. However, do be aware that a carseat makes it easier for a child to kick the seat in front of her, and be prepared. Remove the child's shoes, put a pillow into the seat-back pocket, or if all else fails, put a pr. of too-long sweatpants on the kid, then tuck the ends of the legs under her tush. I've done this, and it works better than any other method.

There are certain areas of the plane where a carseat cannot go: they must go in a window seat, and cannot be in the rows directly in front of or behind an emergency exit row. Also, they are usually too wide to fit in bulkhead seats, because those armrests don't lift. If you are getting seat assignments, be sure to tell the airline in advance that you will be using a carseat on board.