Questions about carseats and flying

[Yzerbear19]

I need some help! In December my Mom, sister, and I are taking my two nieces to Disney. My nieces are going to be 3.5 and 4.75 years old. Right now they are both still in carseats that use the 5 point harness. They both have the kind that can eventually convert to the highback booster, but I know they say to keep them in the 5 point harness as long as you can. The oldest is pretty small. She's only about 39 inches and I can't remember how much my brother said she weighs, but she is a bit small for her age since she was a preemie. We've never flown with them before so this is all new. I think we are going to rent a car when we get there because we'll have a stroller and a scooter for my Mom so driving ourselves to the parks would be easier than the bus. So we will need their carseats for when we get there. Do they need them for on the plane? I'm pretty sure both of theirs are FAA approved. If we don't use them on the plane do we have to check them? I'm totally lost and confused about all of this. Traveling with kids is so much work! LOL Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[TOBS2010]

You don't need them for the plane---however, you can use them provided they are FAA approved. I know a lot of people that say their kids do better with them on the plane because it is familiar for them. If you didn't want to use them on the plane, then you can also check them with your baggage or gate check them. When DS was a lap child and we flew, we purchased a carseat carrier bag that had a shoulder strap and gate checked it. Hoped that since it was the last item on the plane--it wouldn't get as banged around as it would if we checked it with our luggage. We had no issues with it being damaged.

 

[DopeyDame]

I am an enormous proponent of car seats on airplanes but at their ages I wouldn't use them. We stopped using car seats for our kids on the plane right around age 3. Do you trust them to sit still and not unbuckle the seatbelt? You could always go with a cares harness for the younger one but really by 3.5 most kids are fine with just the lap belt.

You can gate check whatefer theyll need for the rental car.

 

[michael's mom]

We've always brought our things to the gate and gate checked them rather than checked them with our luggage. Last trip DD was 22 months so we brought her seat on board and she was awful in it and ended up sitting in my lap for a lot of the time.

We plan on checking them with the luggage this year though because as DH witnessed, they're pretty rough with the gate checked items (threw them down the stairs to the tarmac) and we're looking forward to a car seat free trip through the airport.

 

[Figmentmommy]

I need some help! In December my Mom, sister, and I are taking my two nieces to Disney. My nieces are going to be 3.5 and 4.75 years old. Right now they are both still in carseats that use the 5 point harness. They both have the kind that can eventually convert to the highback booster, but I know they say to keep them in the 5 point harness as long as you can. The oldest is pretty small. She's only about 39 inches and I can't remember how much my brother said she weighs, but she is a bit small for her age since she was a preemie. We've never flown with them before so this is all new. I think we are going to rent a car when we get there because we'll have a stroller and a scooter for my Mom so driving ourselves to the parks would be easier than the bus. So we will need their carseats for when we get there. Do they need them for on the plane? I'm pretty sure both of theirs are FAA approved. If we don't use them on the plane do we have to check them? I'm totally lost and confused about all of this. Traveling with kids is so much work! LOL Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[MHofeners]

Wondering about this also! Do we need a carseat for resort transfer to Disney (Contemporary)?? We are renting a car at the end of our stay and heading to the beach and I was planning on renting from them for that portion. Three carseat lugged along the way seems really cumbersome!

 

[michael's mom]

You do not need a car seat for the ME.

 

[supertinyluckycat]

I personally would use them on the plain and avoid having the airline handle them at all. I gate checked my daughters infant seat and base connected and when I got it back it was broken. The seat was stuck in the base. You really have no idea how hard they're tossing your seat or if they've dropped it. Not safe.

 

[FrozenDuck]

Car Seats for the Littles (CSFTL) strongly recommends NOT checking carseats on planes, due to the rough handling and potential for damage (both visible and not!). The baggage handlers aren't gentle when they cram stuff in, and they'll get bounced around quite a bit in the cargo area, as well as on the conveyor belts. I would recommend using them on the plane. You can use wheeled carts to transport them through the airport. If you must check them, do a gate check right before you get onboard.

 

[Thing 1]

You could also consider using the transportation at WDW and not even needing seats. The buses, boats and monorail really do a very good job and are all handicapped equipped and WDW handles disabilities very well. It really is easier than you think.

 

[staceyrhood]

I am bringing our car seat (FAA ok'ed) on an upcoming trip to CA. I wasn't going to but, after the rental car company told me $17 a day to rent one (X ten days there) I thought that was nuts! Plus, my almost 3 year old will be buckled in the whole time on the plane ride If you do not use them on the plane they do have to be checked. I would rent a car also, with strollers and scooters having your own car is so much faster at Disney.

 

[Nikodemos]

We didn't like the reviews of rented car seats for rental cars, so we went with an easily packable Safe Traffic System Ride Safer Travel Vest which works great. At 3 years old, we stopped using a car seat for the plane for our DS.

 

[jcorco00]

I agree the price of rentals is crazy. We have always checked them in with no problems. Just make sure they put it in a big plastic bag.

 

[kidneymomma]

The one time we flew without daughter at age 2 we took our car seat on the plane with us. It wasn't an issue at all; and I felt better knowing it wasn't being tossed around by the baggage handlers. On the return flight home our gate checked stroller was damaged.

 

[Megan @ Wit & Wander]

I wouldn't use them on the plane. I would get rolling car seat bags and check them at the gate. I would definitely bring the ones they were familiar with though, otherwise they might be uncomfortable the whole trip

 

[andiraye]

Related question. Do airlines generally gate check backless boosters for free?

 

[azdisneymom]

Related question. Do airlines generally gate check backless boosters for free?

Yes, we gate check ours every flight with the stroller.

 

[andiraye]

Yes, we gate check ours every flight with the stroller.

Thanks!

 

[scrappinginontario]

If you're taking the car seats anyway I would highly recommend using them in the plane. My DD was so much calmer in her car seat and so much easier to care for when she was in her car seat. Also, you don't have to concern yourself with them being bounced around.

 

[tabrizia]

Related question. Do airlines generally gate check backless boosters for free?

Yes but if you are using a backless booster. I would suggest getting a bubblebum and just packing it. It weighs about three pounds and is super easy to pack in your luggage and takes up very little space.