Car Seat on Airplane for a 2 Year-old?

Hi! We travel quite a bit on 2 1/2 hr. flights - since my daughter was 3 mo. old and we've never used a car seat on the plane. Now that she is two I will strap her in with the regular seat belt during take off and landing. I've never seen anyone use a car seat on the plane. So I wouldn't worry about it. Or you could always call the airline and see if they even allow it.
Good luck with your trip!

My sister in law always brought hers, her son liked it. Mine however, needed room to squirm. I tried to bring a strolex on the plane a couple of times, it was tough to fit in the seat, gave me less room, and he couldn't stand it. it was great to use as a stroller though and then a car seat for traveling at our destination. so we always just check it at the gate now. you can sometimes find them at second hand stores or you can go to http://strolex.com/indexss.html too to order one if you are interested. It is really light weight and my son loved it every trip! Hope this helps. K. :)

When I traveled without my husband I took the carseat because I knew it was the only way I could keep my son in one spot. It worked wonderfully and he was asleep within 15 minutes of takeoff, but hauling it on and off the plane was a HUGE headache. Surprisingly, no one offered to help me carry it on, and I also had the stroller, diaper bag and my son to manage. Getting off was also very difficult. So is it worth the tradeoff? Depends on how long your flight is. I would for anything over 3 hours, anything less......

Hi! I am flying with my 2 and 3 year old also in July and am not taking car seats on the plane because I did that once before and it was horrible. They dont fit very well and you hit everyone with it as you are going down the aisle, it is hard to lug between changeovers, and I found that they sit just fine next to me in the plane without them. Hope this helps you, Good Luck!

if you can take one do it..... we went to the philippines with our 10mo old and 22 mo old and it was horrible!! if they had their car seats they would have sat nicely in the seat.. they screamed every time we put the harness you have to seatbelt them to you with this seatbelt thingy.. they couldn't sleep.. and they crawled all over the place!!! it was absolutly horrible!!!

I say take it and ask for help..

I've taken countless plane trips with my kids including a 13 hour 3 plane trip to Puerto Rico and I've never taken their car seats. It depends on if your son will sleep better in his car seat or in your lap. I can't imagine lugging that thing through the aisles though, while holding your son and all of your other bags. Without your hubby coming it might be more of a stress than anything.

-E.
Mom of two, 5 year old girl, 3 year old boy.

We used our son's car seat when we flew with him - mostly because I have a friend who is a flight attendent and she recommended it. (He was about 2 1/2 at the time.) It made everything SOOOO much easier once we got on the plane. (It was a pain lugging it through the airport, but it was worth it in the end.) We were allowed to board first, so I was able to get his car seat all set up before the rest of the passengers started boarding. His seat was familiar so he was more comfortable than he would have been otherwise. As the plane started to climb, I gave him a sippy cup full of chocolate milk which he happily chugged. (It must've worked on his ears, because he didn't squawk or fuss at all.) He was really good during the entire flight - and I think the car seat had a lot to do with it. He was used to sitting nicely and having his shoulders restrained in his car seat. I think that if I had had him in the regular lap belt he would have been much harder to handle.

My kids and I have been flying cross country since they were six months old and I have never taken a car seat. It is so much easier for them to get comfortable to nap and play. You can lift the arm rest and they can use your lap as a pillow. I mean with the huge carry-on full of snacks and toys a car seat is too much extra to lug. My boys are now 2.5 and 4

Hi C.,
I took my son back east by myself and struggled with the same issue. I ended up taking the carseat, because I thought it would make my son more comfortable, and he would be more likely to sleep. It wasn't so bad lugging around, well it wasn't great - I got one of those carts you can rent for a dollar, put the carseat on it and strapped my son in the carseat and just pushed him around the airport.. it worked great!
Have a safe trip!!
K.

I am not sure how big your car seat actually is...so check with the airline that you are considering to see if that size will fit in the seat.

Having flown with several of my children at once I highly recommend the car seat...it will be similar to riding in the car and they and they are use to that aspect of traveling.

I know it is a pain to haul the seat when traveling by yourself but I found it to be so worth it when I did it.

K.

My husband and I did this together when my son was 2.5 and I was 8 mo. pregnant. The point I would like to make is that it was a challenge for us and obviously there were two of us.

Getting to the terminal and on the plane was a huge hassle between the car seat, carry-ons, diaper bag and umbrella stroller. BUT it was really nice, once settled, to have him strapped in. I think it made it seem familiar like a car ride and he did exceptionally well considering his age.

If you decide to take the car seat, I would suggest using back packs for carry-ons/diaper bag/entertainment bags so you have hands free and they won't slip off getting from point A to B. One of ours was even small enough to hang off the umbrella stroller handles. Also, we found that you can buckle the carseat belts and let out the slack to "wear" like a back pack or sling over your shoulder. The umbrella stroller is a must too. It will help keep your son contained. The flight attendants can stow it as you board.

Good luck and be prepared. Snacks, books and toys and surprises help make it go smoother!
K.

we've got the same seat and it's a monstrosity but i still feel safer having my daughter in it. plus, it keeps her still. keeping her feet still was another issue tho so i'd try to get a seat with no one in front of your son so you don't have to worry about him kicking the whole way. also make sure to bring new and exciting treats and toys to keep him entertained. definitely rent a cart in the airport, it will help tons. your son might think it's pretty neat to sit in it when it's not in your car too.

I have seen people put their kids in the carseat on the plain. I would recommend it just because the child will know he has to stay put like when riding in the car. It may be a hassle lugging it around, but it will make the plain ride a little easier for your if you aren't having to hold on to him and keep him from running around the plain. Just a thought, maybe bring an activity bag, and wrap a couple snacks up in wrapping paper and give them individually throughout the plain ride and he'll feel like he's getting little presents throughout. Good luck.

I tried to take the car seat once (he was 1 at the time)- it sat empty while my son sat in my lap. Unless you have an angel of a 2 year old, who will happily sit and sleep in his car seat, I would check the seat and sit him next to you. If you get a good flight attendant (and the plane isnt totally booked), maybe you can get a spot with an extra seat so he has more wiggle room. There are also portable compact fold-up "Carseats" (more like a converter from a regular belt to 5 point harness) which would work - if you are a regular flyer.

We are flying to Boston this summer and I bought a car seat that converts to a stroller. It's perfect to use on the plane. Google the works car seat airplane and it'll come up.

Hi - I have taken several cross country plane rides with my now 2 1/2 year old. I would highly recommend the car seat. I tried it once without the car seat and she was so squirmy, that I was miserable. It is kind of a pain to lug it through the airport...but get this - I used bungee cords and strapped it to the stroller, and she rode in it through the airport so I didn't have to carry her or the car seat.

Good luck! If you don't already have one, I highly recommend a portable DVD player for the plane ride. My daughter doesn't watch much TV, so she was entranced by a few Elmo movies during the ride.

Hi C.!
I worked for several airlines in the past. My recommendation is to bring the car seat. Just let the gate agent or ticket agent know when you check in that you would like to gate check the item. That way if you have to change flights they can bring the car seat up for you at the other plane. Other reason is sometimes little guys get restless so if they are in their seat that they are used to they can stay buckled and given things to do. Make sure that your car seat is FAA approved...to tell that it should be on the side of your car seat. If you think you child would be more comfortable just sitting beside you then dont take a car seat. But if you still need a car seat at your destination you can still check your car seat in and not have to worry about lugging it around too much! Hope this helps!

It's been awhile since Iv'e flown but when I did with my 2 year old, I explained at check-in that if there was an extra seat available I could have (I only purchased one ticket)that I would like the car seat brought onto the plane if possible. The stuardess (spelling?) was very nice and moved a few people around so that I could have the extra seat next to me and had another crew member help put in the car seat that they kept outside and would have put in the cargo hold had there not been another seat, I didn't have to lug it around myself. I would call and check with the airline to see what options are available to you. Good Luck!

Hi C.,

We just returned from a 5 hour flight with our 3 girls (ages 3, 20 months and 3 months). They have all been on airplanes quite a few times (with the exception of our newest addition). We always fly with our Britax Marathon for both of our older girls. The Marathon does fit in the seat but it's best if you can get a bulkhead so that noone is in front of you. With the carseat installed in the airplane seat it does not give your child much room to kick her/his feet around (due to the seat in front of them). I know that my kids feel really comfortable in their carseats and they sleep on the plane. Which is really good for me (and the other passengers..LOL)! Also, I bought a Go Go Kidz attachment that you can attach to your Britax carseat and let your child sit in it while you pull him through the airport. You have to remove it when you put the carseat into theairplane seat. Hope this helps!
W.

C.,
Actually I found that they sleep better in their car seat. If you are worried about transporting it, there are carriers you can purchase at a reasonable price. One of them, actually turns the car seat into a stroller - one of my friends travels all the time and she has one. They are really nice.

If it was a shorter flight, I would say it's not worth it, but 4 hours is a long time for a child.

Best of luck!

Hi C.,
I have traveled on planes for up to 6 hours with my 2 year old ( & without my husband) and chose not to put her in the car seat. I have the same car seat and felt it would be more of a headache then anything since I also had to carry toys, wipes, pullups etc... I imagine that the car seat is the safest thing possible but I personally felt comfortable putting my toddler on the planes seat with the seatbelt constantly fastened. Should you decide to take it on board ask the airline to assist you by maybe giving you a ride to the gate.
Good luck!

Hi C.....I dont think you have to have a carseat ....if you want to carry the child in your lap....although i am not sure of the age limit...you may be able to squeeze him by on your lap...without the airline requiring him in a seat ....for personal reasons I prefer holdin the child ....but I myself have a traveling grandson...and he is gonna have to start having his own seat soon ....I THINK....but for penny savin reasons and in my opinion safety...i know that sounds strange....but if the plane goes down ...i want to be in control of what happens as much as possible ....sorry for the morbid outlook...but that is my opinion ...but you may not have a choice ...dont know what the exact age limit is ....oh yeah ...and about the drinks and such ...the last i heard you could have 1 unopen drink ...or a clear bottle ...but if i were you i would make it just be unopen...they have snacks and juice and pop on the plane ....is basically one treat fits all....so..i had snacks in my purse for my grandson when we traveled back from Illinois in Feb.this year....GOOD LUCK....HAVE FUN ...

Hi C., the very first time i did with my oldest daughter she was 2 at the time because i thought that if she was tired i could put her in the car seat to sleep. oh my gosh what a headache. I had her. diaperbag, carry on with snacks, magazine for me .some toys i WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I then started to get a window seat so i could lean against the window if we both needed a nap or after everyone borded i asked the stewartess if she had 2 seats come available if we could move it made it so much easier for her to take a little nap or to just play without having to sit on my lap the whole time. much easier. when it comes to kids the stewartess will do whatever they can to make it so much easier on you and the child because you know everyone wants the child to be happy reguardless how long the trip is good luck i say check it in.

My husband and I travel regularly with our 3 year old daughter and we use her carseat still on the flights. The draw backs are that they are hard to put in,they make you put it in the window seat and it is no fun lugging it around the airport. But the positive side is that your little one will be contained to his seat, if he is tired for the ride he will be more comfortable sleeping in the carseat than the regular seat, and it will also help while you are taking off and decending. Most airlines wont let them in your lap during those times and some kids can't sit till or they get scared during the take off and landing. so for us it was less tramatising having our daughter in her carseat than telling her she couldn't sit in our lap! Don't forget to bring some of his favorite thind to play with on the flight. If you have a portable dvd player it might make the trip go by alot faster too. Good luck and have a fun trip.
J.

Hi!
I just returned Wednesday from our 4th cross country flight this year. I fly with our 3 year old and 1 year old 3-5 times a year. When I first started flying with just our son I toted his Marathon all over all the airports and what a pain it was! I no longer do, I just check it!! At 2 he felt like a "Big Boy" sitting in the seat and being able to play toys on the tray. If you do decide to take it with you, there are rolling car seat bags that make the hike across the airport a lot easier!!

Have fun,
K. B.

My husband and I have flown about 5 times with our oldest, who is now 3, and we've never used a car seat before. I didn't want to lug that thing around, and that was when I would be bringing my husband to carry it. We haven't had any problems, and found he was in and out of his seat the whole time, back and forth between our laps and his seat. We just used the seat belt and it worked fine.

I think it would be difficult to manage a 2 year old, your carry on bags, and a car seat, but I imagine the flight attendants would help out with that if you decided to bring it. I've never seen anyone bring their car seat on the airplane, though I have seen it's recommended. It seems if there were many problems w/ injuries or whatever, it would be on the news, so I'm guessing it's pretty safe without it.

My two cents is you're okay to not bring it, airplane trips with a two year old are busy enough without the extra hassle of a car seat.

I would take the car seat to use in the car. I hear the ones you can rent are pieces of junk. But you don't need to use it on the plane. Really what's the point, the regular seat belt will work fine.