Sorry, another carseat on planes question!

[ptslp]

What kind of car seat do you have and what kind of stroller?? Just curious, because I found that with the seat we have (Graco that goes from harness to booster), it has indentations for the seatbelt when it is a booster that fit perfectly over the stroller handle so we don't have to carry it. We hook it over the handle (it is a light weight seat, so the stroller wouldn't tip-large stroller too) and then push the stroller by holding the carseat. That is one reason I would consider bringing my big stroller (rather than umbrella) again!

 

[justhat]

We have a Britax Roundabout (and Marathon, but no way am I carrying that thing around!!) so it doesn't have any seatbelt holes. At the moment we don't have a stroller-we had a Maclaren but it's currently sitting on the floor in 4 pieces so we're in the market for a new one. We went to look at the Peg Perego Pliko P3 tonight and I'm pretty sure that's the one we're going to get, but whether or not we get it in time for the trip hasn't really been decided yet. Otherwise I guess we'll be taking our huge Graco.

 

[robinb]

So what would you guys do, just suck it up and take the carseat along, or go without it? I feel badly, like she shouldn't have to be any less safe simply cause I am not feeling great, but at the same time, I don't want to overdo it and then not have tons of patience to keep her entertained either.

I'm answering without reading what others have said ...

This is a tough one. She just two which means that the carseat will help her stay seated and occupied (in a familiar place). Allowing her to be on the plane without the carseat may bring you more problems with wiggling, etc. OTOH, it appears that you will really be phyically unable to carry the carseat (congratulations!!! BTW ).

What about a luggage cart? I tried to carry my DD's on my back, but it was big and bulky (you are a better woman than I!). Instead, I bought a cheap $20 luggage cart from Penney's and strapped the car seat and everything else I could to it (coats, bags, etc). Sure ... it took me a bit longer though Security ... but who cares? If someone wants to help the single a mom through Security, I stand up and applaud them!

Consider the luggage cart. I think your DD will be more comfortable on the plane with her carseat. If she were 2 1/2 - 3, I would recommend leaving the carseat at home. My (then) 3 year old made someone's life miserable an the way to LA once because the car seat gave her enough room to kick the seat in front of her. That was the worst flight of my life (and I don't think the PAX in front of her enjoyed it either!).

 

[robinb]

If I take off her shoes she generally can't reach the seat in front of us, but on a flight home from Minnesota 2 weeks ago the tray table was a little broken (stuck out more than it should have) and so she was barely scraping against the seat and the man in front of her went insane! We ended up letting him switch seats with my husband so I had to sit with him the whole flight and listen to him complain that she was talking and laughing too much. Ugh, some people. Luckily for him he got off of the plane before I had to use the 'motion sickness' bag.

Changing my opinion ... she's already a "kicker". Don't give her that extra few inches to reach the person in front of you.

Too bad about the barf bags. That guy sounds like he deserved it,

 

[NotUrsula]

Foolproof way to stop a problem kicker: go get some cheap flannel jammie pants that are several sizes too long; you want about 2 ft. of extra leg length to play with. Slip them on before you put kid in the carseat, then double the ends of the legs back up under her tush so she's sitting on them. It's a hobble, and will restrict the forward movement range of her legs without compromising your ability to get her out of the seat in an emergency.

I only had to use this trick on DS twice; he learned by experience that Mom means what she says about keeping his feet to himself. Several years later, he now happily sleeps in the infamous "kick-stopper" pants.

 

[all4fun]

Minnesota, I agree with Justhat. If I were you I would take your current car seat for the airplane ride and that way you'll have one with you that you know the history of and you know will fit your ds, should you decide to rent a car sometime during your stay. At your ds' age he'd likely be much more comfy in his car seat on the plane. Also, he might be completely different than my ds, but I know it would be a struggle for me to keep my ds seated during a flight w/out his car seat at this age, so I just won't travel anywhere without it. Obviously every child is different though and this might not be a problem for you. Just something to consider. hth.

 

[justhat]

Thanks all4fun for wording that in a much less confusing way than I did! I realized after I wrote it how confusing it sounded but couldn't really think enough to edit it.

 

[melag]

One thing though, I've never rented a carseat from a rental car company so I can't say anything about their quality/cleanliness, etc. You might want to check on that with others. LovesDumbo said she got a good carseat from a towncar company, but not sure if the same thought applies to rental car companies, since in that case the carseats are loaned out and who knows what could happen. In the towncars, they're used just for short trips and odds are the kids aren't eating and drinking and spilling things all over.

I know I probably didn't help much since I was pretty inconclusive, but I agree that it's a tough call![/QUOTE]


We have used carseats from rental companies (not in Fl) including Hertz and Dollar and they have always been clean and look brand new. They even come in sealed bags. So can't say I've had a bad experience with them...

 

[grlpwrd]

I guess I am the only one with a dissenting opinion...I think you should take the carseat because Madison is light as you say, will turn a little over 2yo at the time of the trip, and on airplanes seatbelts work for kids 40 lbs and over.

I would at the least try to find a lighter, substitute carseat for the trip and to possibly use it for future trips even if it's not a Britax like the Cosco Tote N Go which is for kids 25 lbs and over, weighs 4 lbs, and is better than no protection at all (review: http://www.carseatdata.org/TNG.html) or approved-for-airline-travel booster seat like the Radian which weighs about 20 lbs: http://www.skjp.com/Pages/radian.html

GL in your decision!

 

[DawnaJean]

Foolproof way to stop a problem kicker: go get some cheap flannel jammie pants that are several sizes too long; you want about 2 ft. of extra leg length to play with. Slip them on before you put kid in the carseat, then double the ends of the legs back up under her tush so she's sitting on them. It's a hobble, and will restrict the forward movement range of her legs without compromising your ability to get her out of the seat in an emergency.

I only had to use this trick on DS twice; he learned by experience that Mom means what she says about keeping his feet to himself. Several years later, he now happily sleeps in the infamous "kick-stopper" pants.

very creative way to solve a problem.

I think if I did that to my DS, the problem would change to a louder one about the pants being too big, can't move my feet.....etc.

Dawna

 

[justhat]

I thought about that too, that my daughter would start screaming if she couldn't move her legs enough! She won't even use a blanket at night cause she doesn't like anything covering her legs.

Thanks for the link to the Tote N Go. I haven'te read the whole thing yet, but is that approved for airline use, or just cars?

 

[amarberry]

Hi...just read through this thread and I agree that maybe a lighter weight carseat might be a good option. We have a Graco Comfort Sport that is FAA approved that we bought specifically for traveling and also so my mom would have a carseat for her car. I don't know how it compares to the Roundabout's weight, but we just returned from our trip earlier this week and the Graco seemed very lightweight to me.

 

[grlpwrd]

Sorry, I checked - the Tote n Go is not FAA approved. I was just trying to find a lighter, but manageable seat for Madison. GL!

 

[justhat]

Thanks Lisa. Ya know what though, even if I can't use it on the plane, it might be worth purchasing for when she's a bit larger to use in rental cars when she can sit on the plane without a carseat.

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks Lisa. Ya know what though, even if I can't use it on the plane, it might be worth purchasing for when she's a bit larger to use in rental cars when she can sit on the plane without a carseat.

As the prev poster mentioned it is not airline approved and honestly, having tried one, don't waste your money!

We bought the tote n go and it would not install secure in my or my dh's car. He is really good at installing carseats, but there is nothing to keep the car seatbelt in place. This resulted in my dd laying down with her back on the seat of the car still fully buckled in the tote n go. If you do decide to give it a shot make sure the store has a good return policy just in case.

We did retun the tote n go got a lighter weight low end model graco with the full harness for not much more than the tote n go. (Still met the height and weight requirements for my dd but it was no britax!) It was fairly small and light enough to carry around, esp in a carseat bag. It came in very handy for traveling and quick trips in grandma's or auntie's cars so we didn't have to remove her full time seat and re-install it. My sil has a carseat bag she got at babies r us and it has a handle and roller wheels so its very easy to use.

As for bringing Madisons carseat this trip - there are pros and cons for both. We stopped using a carseat on the plane when my girls were between 3-4 but they were either very close to or over the 40lbs.

If you are using disney transportation and ME on this trip I would lean toward not bringing the carseat. If you use a towncar most will provide a carseat and most are in good condition. We used two different town car companies and both were wonderful with seats in good condition.

Have a great trip!

TJ

 

[all4fun]

Here's a pretty thorough review of the Tote 'n Go for anyone who might be interested:

http://www.carseatdata.org/TNG.html

 

[NotUrsula]

I think if I did that to my DS, the problem would change to a louder one about the pants being too big, can't move my feet.....etc.

Just to be clear, they can still move their feet and legs, they just can't kick forward with any force. As long as you have a fair amount of slack in the pant leg, they can still swing side to side, etc., to their little hearts' content.
If it's done properly, their feet can move forward, but not far enough to touch the seat in front.

DS knew they were put on because he failed to heed my warnings about keeping his legs to himself; he had the chance to sit without kicking, and the special pants only came out if he ignored the rules. Wearing them is not as comfy as not wearing them, of course, but continuing to let him kick was NOT an acceptable alternative. At 2+, neither was restraining him in my lap; the FA's won't let you hold a child that old for more than a minute or two--they will come by and sternly remind you that for safety, your child needs to be in his own seat, buckled in, and they will stand there until he is. Failure to follow an FA's orders is REALLY not a good hill to choose to die on, so to speak.

 

[justhat]

Okay, I think with side to side movement she might be okay with it. Like I said though, my child is very, very weird when it comes to things touching her feet and legs. She's always been like that, but I really thought it was something she'd outgrow. Whenever she'd sleep in my bed she had to be on top of the blankets cause if they dared touch her feet she'd freak out and start wildly kicking. She's probably got some form of a sensory disorder now that I think about it cause I don't think it's normal to hate things touching you like that. Though my grandmother was the same way....

Thanks for the Tote n Go reviews. Every little bit of info is helpful to me! (And I'm sure plenty of other parents who might be reading this thread.) I really appreciate all the suggestions you guys have come up with.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Whenever she'd sleep in my bed she had to be on top of the blankets cause if they dared touch her feet she'd freak out and start wildly kicking.

I've got one of those too! She will NOT sleep under a blanket, will NOT wear socks to bed and will NOT wear footed PJ's.

I'm sure she'd be screaming if I tried that pant trick on her and then there be a whole plane full of people disturbed. On my last flight with her in a carseat I tried distraction and then I ended up holding her legs so she wouldn't kick. She'll be 3 1/2 on our next trip this summer and I won't have a car seat in the plane. That 2 1/2 age is so tough-bring the car seat and keep her contained but risk the kicking. At least it is only 2 hours!

 

[tjmw2727]

Ahh good luck you guys, my oldest (11 now) was like that and still is. Be preapred for one who wears sox inside out (including tights) and will only shirts with the "tagless feature". She also uses the fold over technique on sweats but not because "its cool" because she hates the tag.

To those of us in that situation, thank goodness for hanna andersson the only option when my dd was little. Now the the gap and sometimes even childrens place have tagless items.

My dd is hypersensitive to touch but she manages to survive the dentist and doctor as long has she has advance notice of what is to come. She dosen't like the hairdresser at all - but now at 11 she wants to look nice and have a style so that has been hard for her. Its interesting to parent - I just follow her lead as I am sure you are both already doing!

Sorry to be OT but it kind of came up!
TJ