Carseats on Airplane

Sitting in a car seat is much different than sitting in a regular seatbelt. I guess it depends on how active a 2 year old he is. What are the chances of him unbuckling the regular seatbelt? I am a flight attendant & I have seen this many times where the child won't stay in the regular seat belt because it is fun to un-buckle it. Then Mom & Dad are battling the little tyke the whole flight when the seatbelt sign is on. At your son's age I tried once to not take the carseat for my daugher because my parents had one when we got there & I never did it again. I had a Houdini child who was able to escape quickly.
At around 3 she did much better. It is amazing what a difference 6 months can make. As far as safety, studies have been done by the FAA that show your child is safer in a car seat...

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we are traveling with a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old.. we will have carseats at our destination.. we will not bring carseats on the plane.

we will bring a umbrella stroller for use in the airport.

with all the things you will have to bring I would not bring the carseat.

you will have a lot of luggage a child toys.. snacks.. carseats are heavy and hard to manage...

1 mom found this helpful

I travelled with my son at that age, I just put him in his own airplane seat, and he sat there for most of flight looking out the window and playing with his little supsise bag of toys

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We fly across the country all the time with 2 toddlers and never took the car seats after they were about 1 year. We don't use the other harness system either. We tried it and the kids hated being restrained.

Having travelled MANY times with our baby since she was 6 months old, a carseat is MUCH more comfortable than the airplane seat. It gives them much better support and it's familiar. Additionally, there really isn't a way to strap a baby into an adult sized seat effectively should you encounter turbulence or any sort of rough weather.

I strongly reccomend taking your own carseat.

Update: Holy Cow! I'd never heard of that CARES thing! We're travelling to Japan next month for vacation with our daughter and I think I'll definitely do more research into this! Looks cool!

we went without a carseat once when she was under 2 and sat on our lap and it worked fine. And then we brought a car seat another time when we had to buy her seat at 2 yrs old and it was too big for the seat and she couldn't fit her legs in properly behind the person in front of us. We ended up having them stow it below the plane. So I would recommend not bringing a car seat unless it's super tiny.

I have been traveling with my son from LA to NY twice a year since he was 6 months old and I've never used a car seat on the plane. I would hold him for take off and landing and then let him sit or sleep in his seat for the rest of the trip. We have never had a problem. We always had someone on the other end with a car seat or rented one with our rental car. I really haven't seen a lot of people use car seats on the plane - at least not on the flights I've been on.

Hope this helps! Have a fun trip!

We have always taken our carseat (to make using that easier, we use the Go Kids Travelmate that turns the carseat into a stroller to wheel through the airport). Our next trip will be when our little guy is 2 y 9 m, so I'm definitely curious to see what you decide to do! My concern has always been turbulence - I've been on enough rough flights in my life that I wanted him to be strapped in and safe - but also keeping him confined for most of the flight in something he's familiar with has worked well for us. Good luck and let us know what you decide!

We recently used the CARE harness for our 22 month old. Bought it at Buy Buy Baby for about $50 but was able to use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons plus Buy Buy Baby coupons. It was great! Comes in a little bag that weights less than 5 pounds. She loved sitting in her own seat.

Look at www.kidsflysafe.com. They sell a seatbelt/harness that you use instead of a car seat. It's government approved and very easy to use. Several friends have borrowed ours and love it.

i took my son on a trip to CA at 1 and a half. he did not sit in a car seat but i bought a cares seatbelt which turns airplane seatbelt into 5 point harness. he loved sitting in his own seat. here is the link.

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/?gclid=CMbg_4fB-58CFaAO5Qod7kTAnA

I would recommend taking a look at the CARES flysafe system.... they child sits on the actual airplane seat but this device is a 5pt harness that attaches to the seat. It is airline approved and has all the safety regulations of a carseat. I used it to travel with my 2yr old to Mexico.

Here is the website. http://www.kidsflysafe.com

Best wishes,
C.~

If you think your boy will nap on the plane, he may be more comfortable napping in the car seat, if he can do that. He is kinda big, so the carseat might take up too much room in the seat and he will be kicking the seat in front of him and might get frustrated that he can't use his little pull-down tray. I think I stopped bringing a car seat on the plane when I had to pay for their seats, after 2 years old. I have 2 kids and I have flown every year from Maui to Boston with them. He does not need it for safety on the plane, and he'd probably have more fun if he has more room to move around. Then again, containment is a wonderful thing...

I took my daughter when she was 2 1/2, we tried to get the carseat in the airplane seat (Southwest) and there was NO way. We ended up having to store it at the front of the plane. DD was fine, we brought activities for her to do on the fold down tray and she liked sitting in the seat without a carseat. We just buckled her. She was probably only around 30 lbs.

We lived in Japan and Hawaii for 6 years and did several trips back to the states with my children. I always brought car seats when my kids were that age. It IS a huge pain, but they know that when they are buckled in the car seat they can't get out. It was easier for them to nap and was much more comfortable for them.

Good luck with your trip, whatever you decide.

If you have someone with you to help you get to the airport and help you navigate with the carseat, I would say take it. We flew from NC to CA last year when our daughter had just turned two, and she did much better in the carseat than on our laps. Plus, she was able to take a nap since it was suc a long flight and the nap would have been impossible without the seat. You'll be fine if you don't take it, but it might make things slightly easier for you on the plane.

i have traveled both ways with my daughter. i would just let him sit in the regular seat. he should be ok just bring small quiet toys for him and such.

We've made the trip from Indiana to Virginia, Indiana to CA, etc. several times with 2 kids and NO car seats. I'm sure it's a legal thing they recommend should something happen, but they're not required on flights. The only requirements are that they have their own seat (over the age of 2) and are buckled in.

If nothing else, the TSA's website should provide some clarity:
tsa.gov

Oh wow, another TF!! Hi!!

At this age, weight, height.......if you are buying a seat for him on the plane, I'd probably let him sit in the airplane seat with seatbelt and then use the carseat your sister has when you are in a visiting and he is in a car.

I was in the plane a lot with my now 15 yr old daughter from 6 mths on and around 3 is when we did not use a car seat in the plane. It is up to you and how comfortable you are with it. I am sure a lot of moms have differing opinions.

Enjoy your trip!

Take the carseat!!!!!

I find that kids are conditioned to being confined to the carseat and that they can't get out. They are much better controlled. Plus it's a contained "safe" environment where they may feel more comfort.

Out of the car seat, your son may want to get in and out of his seat repeatedly. Climb on the seat. Climb up on the seat and look at the passengers behind him (annoying)! Pull up on the seat in front of him and annoy the passsengers in front of him. And if very restless may insist on running up and down the aisles.

I find my kids seat quite nicely in their car seats. Can't disturb anyone else. I let them out to go potty, take short walks, etc.

If your child has any sinus issues, I highly recommend benadryl. It helps with the pressure and makes the child sleepy. My kids had sinus and ear issues and my ped insisted it was the humane thing to do - keep them comfortable.

Take snacks, books, stickers, and a DVD player with movies.

Good luck!

Actual airplane seat. Hawaiian Airlines won't even let you use carseats. And car seats are a pain to haul through the airport terminal just to find out you have to check it at the gate. However, it is hard to keep a 2.5 year old from jumping up and down on the seat and standing on the arm rests (lift them up out of the way if they move).

Good luck, have fun. Take a change of clothes for both of you--one spilled bottle of milk makes for a long flight.

db

Yes, he definitely needs to be in SOMETHING. We used the CARES seatbelt system, too. Took it to Costa Rica with our (at the time) 2-year old and used it about 6 or 7 times over there w/ all the small planes we flew on -- and the commercial flights, of course. Highly recommend it, truly!

I wouldn't bother. I have tried it both ways and really, the only reason to have the carseat is to keep him immobile for the trip on the plane. I recommend more to take the stroller to the gate. He will most likely want to sit in your lap for most of the trip. As far as safety, think about it. If you really think that the seats will be a floatation devise, then by all means bring the car seat on the plane. If you, like me, think it's unlikely, then just let him sit in the seat. It's not that big of a deal. It's more of a pain to get the seat into the plane and through the airport than anything else.

I have 2 kids.. 2 1/2 and 4 1/2.... the last flight we took, I finally allowed my 4 year old to sit in his own seat. We did check a car seat for him. My 2 year old who was probably 30 pounds did sit in a 5 point harness car seat. Yes, big to carry but he would nap in there and was a bit easier to "contain" in his car seat. Tough call. I had a systerm to hang the car seat from the hooks of the stroller or use a car seat carrier and wear it as a backpack. Maybe you should ask your son which he prefers??? I have found my kids to often have the best answer. What if you get on the plane and he wants his car seat? It is no doubt much safer. On the other hand, he may say that he wants to sit in a big boy seat. I had to convince my 4 year old that he was a big boy and didn't need his car seat. He still wanted to sit in my other son's seat.

I wouldn't take it. We just flew with my son who is the same age and same weight and did not take the car seat. It was SO much easier than bringing a huge seat along. He was safely buckled in and had the freedom to move around. Our flight home was a red eye and he slept the entire time because he had room to lie down (he was in the middle seat). I wouldn't take it, especially if you don't need it once you get there.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com
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We flew from Nevada to Tennessee with our 2 3/4 year-old son on Southwest and we took his carseat. The carseat kept him confined (the plane seatbelt is just like a car seatbelt and allows for squirming), he was up higher and could see out the window, and he could fall asleep and have head support. I would suggest taking the carseat even though it's bulky.

Have a great trip!

My very active sons have always done well in there own seat. With enough toys and maybe a movie or two, he'll be fine. I would suggest getting seats toward the back of the plane so if he needs to, he can get up and walk around and peek in on the flight attendants in back (without disturbing too many people). Generally, they are really sweet with little ones!! Good luck!!

I think the rule for most airlines is that any child age 3 and up can ride in the regular seat. Under 3 needs to be either on your lap, of if in a separate seat, they need to be in a car/booster seat. I always feel it's better to be safe than sorry with my kids safety, no matter what the inconvenience is for me. So we've bought separate seats for our kids everytime we fly and used their carseats everytime until my son turned 3 (I have an almost 3 yo daughter too). You just never know when the plane will hit a patch of turbulence or have to make an emergency landing or hit a rough bump on landing. We fly w/ kids about once a year to see the in laws.

But if you really don't want to take the carseat, I know they make a belt harness thing that you attach to the seat of the plane for like $50 or so.

If you do take your carseat, be sure to ask the attendant for the seat belt extender before you install your carseat in the plane. I didn't do this the first time we flew with kids, and they had to bring on an airplane technician upon landing to dismantle the airplane seat itself just to get my Britax Marathon off the plane because I had installed so well. With the seat belt extender, you just pull it and it releases the carseat.

Ditto to Lauren! We used the CARES harness when we flew a couple of years ago and it was a lifesaver!!!! The only bummer was that I only used it once and I later found out you can rent them off e-bay! I could have saved $$$ by renting one!!! If you think he'd be able to stay buckled in I say go for it ;)

I don't bring a carseat on the plane if I have a carseat available at the destination. Too much hassle. My son will stay contained in the seat just fine (so far). And I can't imagine what kind of plane crash it would have to be that a carseat would really help matters. (if anyone knows a good safety reason to use one on the plane, I'm all ears.)

Normally I would recommend that the car seat is brought on the plane, because checking a car seat does about as much damage as a car crash. Since you aren't checking a car seat, and have one at your destination, then i wouldn't bring it.

We've only ever used a car seat once on an airplane and that was when my son was 10 months old. He didn't want to stay in it, so we ended up holding him the entire time anyway.

If you don't need the car seat at your destination, I wouldn't bother. They are a big fat hassle to get through the airport, and I know my son was much happier on the airplane seat than he would have been in the car seat.

Just ask yourself if he'll sit still for 3hrs w/o being confined or would he do better and sleep in his carseat?