Air Travel with 2 Year Old - Gilbert,AZ

Get a portable DVD player!! It will save you. We always bring our Britax with us on the plane. Yes, it is a pain but I can ensure that my daughter is going to stay in one place and I think she is happier too. I think it depends a lot on the child. If she's a laid back kind of kid then I wouldn't bring it, but if she's all over the place and hard to control I say bring it or you're going to want to sleep for a whole day after you get there!! Good luck!

I have traveled with an infant and a toddler, 2 year old.
I always had a car seat for the infant. The airline will not require anything. I guess it is you own personal preference. The 2 year old will be fine in their own seat with seat belt, so that you don't have to travel with the car seat, since you will have one when you get there.
I am sorry if that wasn't much help, I guess it is up to you. Whatever you feel good about.

Go Go kids makes an attachment for the Britax that is GREAT!!!!! We can put our daughter in it and wheel her through the airport and now that she is older she loves to wheel her carseat through the airpot herself it is too cute!! However if you think your little one will sit well with out a carseat and you have one waiting at your destination do what you think is easiest.

I've flown several times with my two children who are 2 years and 1 year old. They didn't need anything on the plane. Save yourself the trouble and leave your carseat in your car. Have fun.

I tried my son in his britax car seat on a plane and it was a bad move for us. It fit in the seat okay, but it gave my son enough of a boost to be able to kick the seat in front of us and I had a very disgruntled passenger who said some not so nice things to us. I literally had to lean over and hold my son's legs down for the majority of the flight. Quite uncomfortable for us both.
Since that experience, I find that letting him sit in the seat with just the seat belt has been the best option for us when we travel. His legs don't reach the seat in front of him and he feels less confined and is therefore less squirmy. As far as safety goes, I feel that the calmer both me and my son are, the safer we are. But I'm sure there will be some great suggestions from other moms.

We've flown several time with our son and after he turned 2 years old (and couldn't sit on our lap for free), we always brought his car seat with us. He feels comfortable in it and always sleeps. It's also nice to know that we can keep him secure during those times when there is turbulence.

I read a story once about a family who was kicked off a flight because they couldn't keep their 3-year-old in her seat while the plane was taxiing on the runway. My first thought was. . . ."why didn't they just bring a car seat for her and strap her in?"

As we all know, 2-year-olds aren't the easiest to control, but if you think your child will sit in their seat, with their seatbelt fastened, when it's required, then I say don't bring it.

We did not bring our car seat for our son on board with us. He sat just fine in his seat. We put him next to the window. We just had lots of activites for him and snacks! He actually slept most of the way. We brought stuff to color, flash cards, security items, books and a portable dvd player. That honestly saved us.

Her car seat is the best option, but there is also a harness for the plane called Kids Fly Safe. I have used it, but not on a 2 year old, my son is tall for his age and I started using it at age 3. They have a website-www.kidsflysafe.com. Good luck!

I did not use a carseat on the plane when I traveled with my two year old. I do believe that it is an option on most airlines. Especially if you don't need one once you arrive.

It was a pain to carry on. I flew solo with first one child and then both. I also had Britex, and was flying to the east coast. Other passangers were always very helpful. My kids are flying without car seats this year as they are now older, and larger, and I must say I am looking forward to the ease of it. I think it's probably safest to strap them in the carseat. You wouldn't let your child fly around the car. But probably one of the most compelling reasons to take your seat on is that your child will be strapped in, as in, not terrorizing you all the way to your destination. Since my kids were very comfortable riding in their seats, they understood that they had to stay there. I never had to walk them up and down the aisle. Often they would sleep most of the trip. The idea of having an impatient fussy child climb all over me for several hours all but erases the pain of carting that thing on board.

Good luck!

J.

Hi there,

If grandma is bringing a carseat on the other end then you may want to look into the CARES Harness. It is a 5 point harness approved by the FAA for toddler/child 22lb-44lbs. I know my dad (who works for the FAA) suggested that when my son gets a little older we may want to look into it for him. I have no clue on the cost and I haven't used it myself so it could be a real pain in the butt. Here is a link to their website. http://www.kidsflysafe.com/ There was also a review on it on About.com. Have a safe and fun trip.

I personally have traveled with children still in carseats, and I choose not to take them on the plane. I ended up holding mine most of the no-seat-belt required time anyway. I was really glad I did not have that to haul around. My mother had three in her car for when we arrived so i did not need to bring them as well. Have a safe trip and enjoy your family.

I have traveled with my 2 girls (now 2 & 5) a couple times and never taken a car seat. I think it depends on your kid, if they are super active etc. then maybe restricting them would be better. For us, sitting in our laps or on the seat next to us worked best by far. We always take a dvd player, small toys, books, and snacks, and so far it has worked great, especially if we put their things in a small backpack they can carry and feel is important. Hope your travels go good for you!

My son has a britax and it fits great on the plane (travel with it offen) and he always sleeps in it. Probably worth taking. When he is in my lap he wiggles and takes more entertainment. You can get a cover with wheels at Babiesrus, great for wheeling/pulling it in the airport.

Go to www.kidsflysafe.com We bought one of these (CARES)...it's a seat belt for 2 year olds and up so you don't have to carry their car seats. It's FAA approved...our daughter was fine with it since she has no issues with being strapped in a car seat. It's worth the money...since it weighs a pound and fits in your purse!

As long as it will fit in the seat, I say TAKE the car seat! It will be the only way your child will be comfortable enough to sleep, and then you'll be able to relax a bit as well. If your child is in their own seat, they will want to get up, run around, stand on the seat, and terrorize all the adults around you. If your child rides well in the car, she will also ride well in her carseat on the plane. Bringing a car seat, although heavy and awkward, saved my last nerve on many plane flights. I could give snacks, read books, help my kids color, etc, but children knew they couldn't get out.

You can call a skycab once you arrive at the gate, and they can put you and your daughter, with the heavy car seat, on a ride right to baggage.

Another tip, a teaspoon of benadryl. Per my pediatrician, it will help keep her ears clear, and make her just a wee bit tired. BOTH great benefits for her and you!
Happy flying!

If you have a carseat where you are going I would not travel with the seat. We have traveled with our Britax carseats (2) and they are a pain to carry around and very heavy. We travel a lot and if we had seats waiting for us we would not take them. I think your daughter would be just as safe in the seat as in the car seat. I hate to say it but I figure if the plane goes down, a car seat is not going ot help.

HI!

I took my son to Cali when he was two and just had him ride in my lap. It was easier to keep him relaxed and when he did cry it was easier to console him. I could keep him occupied this way also. Good Luck!

M.

If you are traveling during nap time, I would definitely take the car seat. My husband didn't want me to spend the money on a Gogo Kidz Travel Mate so I ended up fastening our Roundabout to a portable dolly with a bungy cord. We got quite a few compliments on the idea and it worked out great for holding our carry-ons as well. You can also face the carseat backwards so that you don't have to worry about your little one kicking the seat infront of her.

Check out http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

We have used this more than a 1/2 dozen times with our 3-year-old. It works great and I love not needing the car seat on the plane.

It depends on if you paid for a seat for her or not. A lot of airlines require a car seat/safety seat if you bought the child their own seat. I would check their guidelines.

If you paid for her - in your lap - then I say; leave it. We took a trip to VA as well, and although it was a hassle, we carried her seat with us so that she had her own chair that she was comfortable with while flying. Of course, we didn't have a seat on the other end waiting for us.

Enjoy the trip!!