WWYD? Car seat on plane or not?

[wrldpossibility]

It just occured to me that I need to decide whether or not to take DS's car seat on our WDW trip. He turns 2 the week we leave, and has always air traveled with his seat (Britax roundabout, if it matters). We fly fairly often, so I'm used to automatically taking it (we buy him his own seat). Anyway, this trip, our first at Disney, we are not renting a car. We have ME picking us up, and we're taking buses the rest of the time (with an occasional cab). Can I use his carseat on the ME bus? I assume I do not on the regular Disney buses (something tells me I'm not lugging the car seat around MK for the day ). Do we need his seat? If we will not need it at WDW, I'm tempted to not use it on the plane (he is no longer considered a "lap" child and can use the seat belts), and save the trouble of hauling it everywhere. Goodness knows we'll have enough other stuff.

What do you do with your toddler, if you fly and use Disney transportation?

Do you find it easier on a long flight to have it, or not?

Previously, it's always been easier for us to have him strapped in, but I noticed the last time we flew (Aug) that he got frustrated with some activities I brought for him because he was leaning back too far (in his carseat) to use the tray. Maybe he'd behave fine with more mobility. Maybe I'm dreaming...

Opinions? Please don't flame me for suggesting he go on buses without his seat...I just don't know what the protocol is in WDW.

 

[lastminutemom]

I don't believe the busses have seatbelts, so you wouldn't be able to use it anyway. I have no experience with ME, so I can't comment on that ride, but the internal buses, your child will most likely sit on your lap.

I like having my children in car seats on air planes. While it is unlikely, unexpected turbulance can happen and a regular seat belt might not hold your child. I know it is a pain to lug through the airport, but I always felt better safe than sorry even if I didn't need it at my final destination.

 

[Ariel8676]

You can't use a car seat on the ME busses' or internal transportation to the parks. Its up to you if you want to bring the car seat for the airplane..i personaly don't take one unless we are going somewhere that we will be renting a car...but many people feel more comfortable using the car seats. My girls sit very nicely on the plane with their seatbelts on.

 

[wrldpossibility]

Thank you both. I figured the buses did not have seat belts, but was not sure. Now I just have to decide whether or not he'd sit relatively still with his seatbelt on for the plane. Consulting crystal ball...

He's well behaved, but also an active little boy. I may need the car seat. We have 7 hours of plane time each way.

 

[mom22boys]

Last November we were in your exact situation. Our younger DS was 2 1/2. You are not able to use your car seat on ME or on the WDW internal buses. We decided not to bring his car seat on the plane. He did great! Our flight was only 2 hours. He felt like such a big boy and he kept his seatbelt on the whole time.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about having him out of his car seat for the whole trip. We almost rented a car, but in the end decided not to. I felt very safe on ME. The seats are huge and very padded.

Good luck!

 

[missymagic]

I took the car seats for the girls till they were 3. Used it on plane...they always fell asleep that alone was enough incentive for me. When we got on ME they put it underneath with the luggage. Get to resort goes with the luggage etc. Not really an issue. That is what worked for me. Good luck.

 

[chr1972]

We flew with an 18 month old and 3 year old. We did not take car seats and used DE. We did not need car seats for any transportation at Disney. I was glad we did not take the seats for our flight (50 minutes) because of having to drag them around. My children were awefully disappointed when we got home and put them in their carseats when we got to our vehicle. I guess they thought they were a thing of the past.

 

[all4fun]

On our last trip we used ME and did not rent a car. We still took ds' car seat and honestly I just feel it's much safer on the plane because I know he would want to unbuckle the airplane seatbelt at inappropriate times and having him in his car seat saved us that "battle" if you know what I mean. But maybe we're "lucky" in that he's never had the inclination to undo his own carseat harness, lol. We fly cross country if that matters so it's a fairly long day of travel. I thought it was worth having his seat even though we didn't use it once we were on the ground.

We also use his "backup" seat that he usually rides in in MIL's car - it's a combination booster seat that harnesses to 40lbs. Because it turns into a booster it sits a little lower than his regular convertible (Britax Blvd) and so on some planes he can use the tray table (but not all). The seat is also a little bit lighter to carry than his Britax.

FYI: for those who have children between 22-44lbs you can now use a new product on the market called the "CARES" harness. Here's the website:
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/ Nice option if you don't want to use the car seat on the plane.

IMO traveling with kids (especially by air) is definitely a means to an end! Hope the trip goes smoothly, whatever you decide.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

We're in the same situation. DD1 turns 2 the day we fly out for WDW. We're bringing her carseat. Its much easier not to bring a car seat but my reasoning is if we were flying the day before her birthday she would need her car seat so whats one day. For me its a safety issue but also a comfort issue for her. I bought a harness for her car seat to carry it through the airport through One Step Ahead so carrying won't be so difficult.

You need to do what you're comfortable with. Personally I don't want to worry about her getting hurt w/any rough turbulence we might encounter. Have a great trip!

FYI as others have mentioned car seats are not allowed on the buses. The configuration of buses is different then cars/planes so car seats are not allowed. I wish they would have seat belts though.

 

[toesmom]

Absolutely take the carseat. No questions, you will most likely be kicking yourself if you don't. A bit of a hassle, but DEFINITELY worth it.

The only reason I continue to travel to disney with our almost 3yo ds is because of his carseat on the plane.

I didn't know about it with my dd when she was younger. I wish I had because our plane trips were REALLY frustrating.

have fun

 

[amarberry]

We always take a carseat on the airplane for DD who is almost 28 months. Once we are at WDW, we rely 100% on disney transportation, so we only use the carseat on the plane. It works for us and is worthwhile because DD usually falls asleep for the flight and is very comfortable. Honestly, I'm dreading the day when we don't take the carseat because I think that she will want to buckle and unbuckle the seat, move around more, not fall asleep, etc. There is no question of her behavior when she is in the carseat.

 

[wrldpossibility]

Yes, 7 hours, lol. We have to travel from a fairly remote part of Oregon to Seattle, then the LONG flight from Seattle to Orlando. I'm leaning toward taking the seat. As others said, at least I know he'll fall asleep in it for part of the time.

BTW, I looked at that link for the CARES seat, and I loved the idea...until I saw the price. $75 for some seat belt straps? Umm...I'll lug my carseat through security, thanks! Too bad...it looks like a good option. I just can't justify spending almost as much as I did for the carseat we use every day.

Thought I should add: if we had a short flight, I'd definitely skip the carseat.

 

[belle&beast]

My DS turned 2 while we were in WDW and we took the carseat just to keep him seated on the flight. We did have a rental car, but he knew when he was in the carseat that he had to stay seated. It was a hassle that was well worth it for us.

 

[wrighter]

We've been in your situation ourselves, and just after our DS turned 2 we gave up on the carseat on the plane. We realized on one cross-country flight that it was too confining. So even though we thought he was a bit young, we tried it without the seat on the next trip. And he did great. We were surprised. Our DS is also an "active boy," but is also well behaved. Once we ditched the car seat he had much more room to sit "criss-cross applesauce." (That's "Indian style" for us old-timers.)

It helped that we had a DVD player with extra battery time. Our big concern was "what if he wants to sleep?" But we should have known better - he never sleeps on the plane anymore - it's too exciting.

Bottom line: Do what you think is right for you and your son. No matter what you decide, you'll wonder if you should have made the other choice. So just roll with it, and be as prepared as you can for any fallout. Good luck!

 

[Stimpy]

I know you said you weren't interested in the CARES but wanted to add in case any one else was that it is great!

We just used it Friday for our 2 1/2 yr old DD and it was so much easier than dragging the car seat. She was very comfortable and had plenty of room so she was restrained but not too constricted like in her car seat. I'm really glad I bought it. But we do fly kind of often with our children and since she can use it for 2 year, the $75 was definately worth it to me.

You might want to look into it and maybe sell it on Ebay or to a friend after you return?

Good Luck with the flight