Spin on Car Seat and Airplane Concern...

[Katienphil]

I know we will be buying a seat for our DD for our trip on the plane. BUT we were NOT going to bring the carseat - just let her sit like a big girl (she'll be 20 months and is currently 26lbs...so probably 28lbs or so at that time...she's about 32" now).

I have read all the threads about car seats on planes for turbulence, etc. I guess I need guidance and other opinions here...is letting her sit in a chair like a 2 year old would a bad idea? If there is turbulence, she'll be strapped into her seat like us - I won't be holding her.

I didn't really want to bring a carseat just for the airline...we won't need it in Disney....isn't that correct? You can't use them on Magical Express, Monorail or the Disney Buses?? So for all of you that are concerned abotu the airplane ride without the carseat - what do you do on regular transportation (assuming you are on property and don't rent a car)??

I've never traveled with a child before, so I don't know what to do...the buses scare me more then the plane does.

 

[guangs]

I travel with my children all the time and I say.....let her sit like a big girl. Just strap her in the seat belt. I can't remember the last time I saw any child in a car seat. I would however consider using a car seat if you don't think she will sit still with just a strap on. You definately don't want her standing in the seat on the plane. You are right, you cannot use a car seat on disney transportation. I hope you have a great trip! Little girls are the best at disney!

 

[KRWong]

KatienPhil,

Hi! I've never seen anyone use a carseat on Disney Transportation. I've only used the buses twice but have never had a problem...no problems with the monorail either, unless you count DS (2) not wanting to sit! He stood every time we got on the monorail. Guess he thought it was fun!

As far as the flight, I think she'll be fine. It's a relatively short flight and if it gets really bumpy, just do the old mom thing by putting your arm across her! She'll be fine, so will you! Have fun!!!!!!!!!

 

[Katienphil]

KRWONG- thanks!! LOL....I was thinking about that, during take off and landing, DH and I can put our arm across her to keep her in the seat. She HATES her car seat at home, so I actually think she would do ok, sitting like a big girl.

GUANGS - I don't travel a ton, but a couple times a year, and I haven't seen many car seats either...but I guess I wasn't looking since it sounds like a lot of people use them.

This is such a tough call...and like I said, is it worth the hassle on the plane when she'll be riding in buses all week on my lap anyway? (which seems much more dangerous to me...considering I was on a Disney bus (standing) and fell once because the driver was going so fast).

 

[lil mermaid]

I may be incorrect, but I thought that a child under 2 occupying their own seat had to be in an FAA approved child safety seat?

We are flying with DD who will be just short of 2 in a couple of weeks and plan on bringing her seat anyway (we will be renting a car at MCO so we need it.)

 

[lil mermaid]

Okay, just because I was curious, I looked and found the following:

Found this on America West's website: " A ticket must be purchased for an infant to travel in their own seat. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved child seat must be used."

An this from Alaska Air: "Infants traveling on an Infant Seat Fare (50% off of full fare) are required to have a child restraint seat onboard."

I am not sure if this is FAA regulation or if it is airline-specific, but it is worth checking with your airline to avoid surprises!

 

[goofygal531]

Hi I'm a travel agent. Jet Blue just told me this for a client: a carseat is the passengers option for a child under 40 lbs. I was blown away! I thought it was mandatory. I would call your airline to get their requirements. I'd personally feel safer traveling with my toddler in his carseat even though we don't use the seat in WDW.

 

[Hannathy]

I have traveled extensively with my children since they were infants and have only taken the car seat once. I have had no problems. I was going to check the seat the one time but the FA said bring it on it's an empty flight and found it to be a bigger problem. My kids always sit in the seat and look out the window and without the seat they have more room to play and the table comes down. They have also laid down across the two seats if the flight is empty enough. In turbulance they are no different than you and if the seat belt will keep you in it will them. It is so much easier not to slep the seat thru the airport especially if not needed at Disney.

If you do bring the carseat PLEASE do not let them kick the seat in front of them! The seat puts their feet very close to the seat back and I spent a very miserable flight getting kicked. When I asked the mom to please stop she took the kids shoes off and went back to sleep allowing him to continue kicking the whole flight.

 

[HalfDozen]

and if you are seated in front of a child in a safety seat (not YOU, but if a person is) please do not recline the seat into the baby's legs.

 

[NotUrsula]

In turbulance they are no different than you and if the seat belt will keep you in it will them.

That is not necessarily true of a child weighing under 40 lbs. The NTSB's research has shown that a child needs to weigh at least 40 lbs. to get the same protection that an adult has using only the aircraft seat's lap belt.

Unless your airline requires a carseat in a separate seat (and some do, if you have purchased a seat for a child under age 2), you need to use your own judgment about whether or not to take the seat with you. It comes down the level of risk you are comfortable with.

Here is the FAA brochure on aircraft seating safety for small children. Please read it for yourself: http://www.airsafe.com/kidsafe/faa_brochure.pdf

(That *is* the FAA brochure, but I've linked it from airsafe.com rather than directly from the FAA website because the FAA website is down at the moment.)

 

[Phalene]

I have a similar situation, I'll be traveling with a 2.5 year old and a 5 year old. I am bringing their carseats (for both of them) and they will be buckled in during the flights.

I don't want to worry about them not staying in their seats, and they are so used to being in the carseat daily that I don't expect them to have a problem with it.

I'll be traveling with another adult, so the plan is for me to preboard with the car seats and get them installed while they are in the terminal. Then, once regular boarding opens they can come and get right into their carseats.

 

[hannahsmomma]

I just returned from wdw with my 16 month old. I took him on the plane as a lap child, but on the way there we had an empty seat next to us and the flight attendent said to buckle him in the seat that it was safter than holding him. She was pretty adamant about me putting him in the seat. On the way home he nursed abd slept in my arms the whole time. Of course we only had a 1hour45minute fligh so it was pretty easy.

 

[justwinnie]

I would suggest bringing a carseat. It's annoying, but not only is it safer, it may be easier for your DD to sit and possibly nap-- especially if the plane has leather seats like Jet Blue or Song. The leather seats are slippery!

I've flown with my DD 6 times and didn't bring a carseat twice and regretted it both times.

The first time, she was 20 months and it was just the two of us so I figured it'd be easier to just hold her instead of getting an extra seat and bringing a carseat. WRONG! It was the worst flying experience of my life!

The second time I didn't bring a seat, my DD was 26 months at the time and she weighed about 26lbs. She couldn't stay upright in the seat-- she'd slip under the seat belt no matter how tight I made it and get stuck under it. She was just too small for the seat. She couldn't nap at all. I ended up holding her because the final straw was when she slipped again and was caught in the neck area-- the seatbelt was nearly strangling her!

The last time I flew alone with her (DD at 28months), I still brought the seat although it was a huge hassle for me. It was difficult for me to carry her, her carseat, and a carryon, but I did it anyway and had a much more peaceful flight with a happy, comfortable DD.

DD is now 32 months old, weighing 27 lbs, and we're going back to Disney at the end of the month-- we'll be bringing a carseat for her again. We use ME and don't rent a car, so the carseat really just sits in the hotel room the whole time. But we still bring it for the plane ride.

Another poster also brought up the fact that the airline may require a carseat for a child under two sitting in their own seat. This was true for Continental.

Have a good trip!!!

-Winnie

 

[sara74]

We just flew last week with DD 4 and DS almost 2. He is big for his age and over 30 pounds already. We got him his own seat but didn't bring the carseat for the same reasons that the OP is considering. We used ME and only the resort buses, boat and monorail. He sat just fine in the big boy seat with the seatbelt and had no probs. He fell asleep on the evening flight home and was buckled the whole time with no probs. I was not concerned that he wouldn't stay in a seat belt - to him a belt is a belt and he was no more inclined to try and get out of it than he would be with his car seat. In fact my greater concern was that he would want the big boy belt instead of a carseat when we got home! He did and we battled the first few times in the car, but he's over that now!

 

[Katienphil]

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions.

Just a couple things...our flight is 2 hours, we'd be flying Southwest...and my DD HATES her car seat...she will drive in the car in the middle of her nap time for 2 hours and not fall asleep...she just HATES it. So on a plane, I can't imagine her liking it any better....but sitting like a big girl she likes very much (i.e. her stroller).

I haven't decided what to do, but I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond...I DO know that I WILL call the airline to make sure that I can buy her a seat but not use a carseat.

 

[CleveRocks]

I have a similar situation, I'll be traveling with a 2.5 year old and a 5 year old. I am bringing their carseats (for both of them) and they will be buckled in during the flights.

I just want to make sure you're not making a problem for yourself. Is your 5 year old in a regular car safety seat or in a booster seat? I ask this because booster seats are not permitted on airliners. This shouldn't be a concern, because booster seats won't add to a child's safety in an airliner.

In a car, the ONLY function of a booster seat is to make sure that the SHOULDER BELT fits and protects the child properly. An "unboosted" child is too low to properly wear the SHOULDER BELT. It would come across their face or neck (or be above their head), which could actually cause more injury than no shoulder belt at all. A booster boosts them up so their artificially high enough to benefit from the SHOULDER BELT.

On an airliner, of course there's no shoulder belt, there's only the lap belt, so there's no safety advantage to having their bodies higher up in the seat.

I took my kids last May when they were 2.5 and 5. Just for the record, my petite 2.5 year old rode in the airplane like a big girl and loved it. We enjoyed our entire WDW trip, as I'm sure you will!

 

[pooh4evr]

We flew SW last year with DDs 4 nad 23 months at the time- no cqarseats both girls are very tall for their age DD#2 did great sitting in the seatbelt had no problems slipping out of her seat or anything- each girl brought their bookbags with juices, snacks, coloring books, stickers and toys with them it worked out great for us. We we never asked about her age or anything about having a carseat, also took shuttles to hotel and parks which you can't use carseats on and we did fine!

 

[sharongl]

We have flown twice with my boys, once when they were 22 months, and the second time when they were just about 3. The first time we flew with my parents, so 4 adults for the 2 kids--they rode as lap children. My parents had one, and DH and I had the other--of course, they got the one that slept and I had to entertain mine the whole way!

The second time, it was just DH and the boys and I. They had their own seats and didn't have a problem. We had toys to keep them entertained and lollipops to help with the air pressure.

 

[momto2girls]

Good luck with your decision! I think you have to do what is comfortable for you.

I have always taken car seats for my kids until they turned 4 or 5. I just feel much safer with them being properly restrained. We've never found it to be much of a hassle at all.

 

[justhat]

I flew alone with my daughter to WDW in March (she turned 2yo 2 weeks before the trip) and I didn't take her carseat with me for the 1st time. We've always gotten her a seat and always taken her carseat, but I'm pregnant and since I was alone with her (my husband was on different flights) I didn't think I could carry the carseat, diaper bag, her, and the stroller (which we keep in a bag, so I have to drag it behind me, not use it to push her). We used ME to get to WDW and took a towncar back (they provided a carseat), so I figured I would be fine without the carseat.

And I was, but it was certainly not an ideal flight. She kept unbuckling the seatbelt and did not want to stay in the seat. When I held my hand over the buckle she'd slide her body underneath the belt to squeeze her way out (she was about 24 pounds at the time). She simply didn't seem comfortable in the seat and had little interest in the toys I brought as getting out of the seat was a much more fun game. The way home wasn't as bad, except that she was very tired and could not fall asleep in the seat cause she couldn't get comfortable. I finally got her into a position she liked and she fell asleep as the plane landed-so then she was grouchy and bitter that I had to wake her up to get off of the plane.

A month after that trip we flew to the Dominican Republic and we took her carseat on board. Again, we didn't need it at all for the trip since we took a bus to the resort and then travelled by golf car or bus once we were there, but it was priceless for the plane. She slept the entire flight for the 1st flight there and home and on the 2nd flights she was awake but did not budge out of her seat or try to get out once. The only time she left her seat was to use the potty but as soon as she was finished she went right back in the seat without a problem-which was not the case at all in the WDW flights.

We're going to DL on Saturday and my husband wants to leave the carseat home cause our towncar will provide one. I agreed to this provided that he sit next to her and keep her in the seat cause he's the one who wants to leave the carseat behind. After he sees how much easier the carseat is I am sure we'll be taking it on our next trip!