Torn - car seat for 3 year old on plane?

[the4hartranfts]

For some reason I assumed it was required that a 3 year old be put in a car seat on an airplane, but from what I read I guess that's not true. My DS3 weighs almost 40 pounds and is over the charts for his age in height. Now I'm not sure if we really need one. We do have a towncar service taking us from the airport to the hotel, though. Is that considered mass transportation or should we have one for that ride? Not lugging that huge seat around would be a blessing, but I want to be safe of course!!

 

[LynnTH]

I always used one when my kids were 2 and under. On the last trip my son had just turned 5 and my daughter was almost 3. We did not bring our car seats with us on the plane this time. They both sat fine in their seats with their seatbelts on (they sat next to each other and watched movies on the portable DVD player). We had a towncar come pick us up and I did request a car seat for both of them, which they did. So, that was nice. They should all have carseats available - I would call them and request one if you don't bring yours with.

 

[scanne]

My son will be three about a week after we return home from WDW and I'm not bringing a car seat for him. We, too, are using a towncar service and I requested a booster for him. We are bringing a car seat for my daughter, though, who will be one when we go. But I just can't imagine lugging two huge carseats, a double stroller, diaper bag and misc. stuff on to the plane.

 

[liznboys]

We are not taking carseats on the plane for our 5 and 3 yr olds, but we are bringing one for our 1 yr old. Which reminds me of a question I have about our Britax Roundabout fitting in the seats on Southwest... I'll post a new thread.

 

[tlbwriter]

I've heard horror stories about car services that provided carseats/boosters that were filthy, broken, recalled, etc. So if you go that route, be sure to get recommendations from people who have used that service, and even call the company and see what they provide.

 

[alecam]

My boys were 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 last trip and it was wonderful without car seats. They were very well behaved, and never moved. But we flew SONG also, so they were fascinated with the TV's,too!

 

[disneymama73]

Last fall, our girls were 5 and 3, and we did not bring carseats. It's too much to lug around with 3 kids.

If you're staying at a Disney resort, there is now complimentary transportation to and from the airport. Just an FYI in case you didn't know.

 

[the4hartranfts]

So , I call my towncar folks (Tiffany) and they can only provide a booster seat, not a car seat. Car seats are provided in vans, not town cars. I think that's odd. So I decided to check out the Safety 1st portable car seat that's for up to 40 pounds (not for air, just for car). Made up my mind to buy one (we're flying again next month, too). I checked Wal Mart and Kmart over lunch and they don't have one. Anyone ever use one of those? It's called Tote'n Go.

 

[MandM-Mom]

Do all airlines have the same policies for seats. We are flying southwest with DD 4 and we always thought they had to have a car seat. It would be so great if she did not have to have one.

 

[the4hartranfts]

At 4 you don't need one!

 

[misandrog]

We decided not to bring a carseat for my 4 1/2 yo, but we were going to bring one for my 2 1/2 yo. I would like to get others opinions. We are staying in the park and using the new Magical Express for transfers to the hotel...I'm thinking, do we really need the carseat for the plane, because that would be the only place we are going to need it.

15 days left to go.

 

[tlbwriter]

Here's a review of the Tote N Go: http://carseatdata.org/TNG.html

I'm surprised that there are so many people with *little* kids who aren't taking carseats. What do you do for transportation once you get to Florida? Do you all take a bus? While a 4-year-old may not need one *legally*, the laws of physics take precedence over the laws of Florida. There's no way a 5-year-old fits safely in an adult seatbelt, let alone a 3-year-old.

I wasn't sure if our transportation would be by bus (generally no carseat needed because they are designed to use compartmentalization, rather than restraints, to prevent injury) or van (carseat/booster seat absolutely needed for my 5.5-year-old), so we took a backless booster. It was easy to carry, and I was glad we had it when we ended up on a van - no way was I letting my child ride without one!

For those of you using harnessed seats, the Samsonite Micro Mover luggage cart is highly recommended. Just bungee the seat onto the car, pile some luggage on top of the seat, and off you go!

 

[disneymama73]

Misandrog, I wouldn't bother with the car seat. Unless you have a very fidgety 2-yr-old who will not sit down without the car seat... When my second DD was 2.5, we did not bring a seat, and she sat better than my 4.5-yr-old.

 

[disneymama73]

Here's a review of the Tote N Go: http://carseatdata.org/TNG.html

I'm surprised that there are so many people with *little* kids who aren't taking carseats. What do you do for transportation once you get to Florida? Do you all take a bus? While a 4-year-old may not need one *legally*, the laws of physics take precedence over the laws of Florida. There's no way a 5-year-old fits safely in an adult seatbelt, let alone a 3-year-old.

I wasn't sure if our transportation would be by bus (generally no carseat needed because they are designed to use compartmentalization, rather than restraints, to prevent injury) or van (carseat/booster seat absolutely needed for my 5.5-year-old), so we took a backless booster. It was easy to carry, and I was glad we had it when we ended up on a van - no way was I letting my child ride without one!

For those of you using harnessed seats, the Samsonite Micro Mover luggage cart is highly recommended. Just bungee the seat onto the car, pile some luggage on top of the seat, and off you go!

Yep, we always take a bus and have no need for a car seat.

 

[MandM-Mom]

Here's a review of the Tote N Go: http://carseatdata.org/TNG.html

I'm surprised that there are so many people with *little* kids who aren't taking carseats. What do you do for transportation once you get to Florida? Do you all take a bus? While a 4-year-old may not need one *legally*, the laws of physics take precedence over the laws of Florida. There's no way a 5-year-old fits safely in an adult seatbelt, let alone a 3-year-old.

I wasn't sure if our transportation would be by bus (generally no carseat needed because they are designed to use compartmentalization, rather than restraints, to prevent injury) or van (carseat/booster seat absolutely needed for my 5.5-year-old), so we took a backless booster. It was easy to carry, and I was glad we had it when we ended up on a van - no way was I letting my child ride without one!

For those of you using harnessed seats, the Samsonite Micro Mover luggage cart is highly recommended. Just bungee the seat onto the car, pile some luggage on top of the seat, and off you go!

Last year when we flew to Fort Lauderdale, Southwest said NO to using the backless booster, they took it and put it overhead for us. They told us that only full boosters were okay.

We are only taking the ME for transportation so no car seat will be Fine for us, they probable don't have buckles to strap down the seats anyways!

 

[tlbwriter]

Last year when we flew to Fort Lauderdale, Southwest said NO to using the backless booster, they took it and put it overhead for us. They told us that only full boosters were okay.

Actually, you can't use *any* kind of booster on an airplane. They can't be used with lapbelts alone. We carried ours as luggage.

We are only taking the ME for transportation so no car seat will be Fine for us, they probable don't have buckles to strap down the seats anyways!

Oh, okay, so the ME transportation is a bus? I probably should have guessed that one!

 

[misandrog]

Last year when we flew to Fort Lauderdale, Southwest said NO to using the backless booster, they took it and put it overhead for us. They told us that only full boosters were okay.

We are only taking the ME for transportation so no car seat will be Fine for us, they probable don't have buckles to strap down the seats anyways!

Good point about the buckles...glad I asked about the carseat, now it will be one less thing to carry around.

 

[the4hartranfts]

Well, I can't find the tote'n go car seat anywhere, which may be a good thing after reading that review. So, the question is...will my very tall 3 1/2 year old who's 38-39 pounds be okay in a booster for the town car ride? He wears size 5's...

 

[tlbwriter]

Some boosters can be used by kids as small as 30 lb, as long as they're tall enough, and can be trusted to stay seated correctly. For example, Graco specifies that children using the Turbo Booster should be at least 30 lb and 38 inches tall to use it with the back, or 40 lb and 40 inches tall without the back.

 

[the4hartranfts]

I'll give him a quick measuring tonight to see how tall and heavy he really is, and I'll the towncar place again and see what kind of booster they use. Maybe I should put a "lift" in his back end to raise him up a bit!!