Traveling with Convertible Car Seat

i flew from dc to sf with a 16 mo old in a britax boulevard, and it fit fine on united. she is still rear-facing, so there was no kicking the seat in front of her, although the passenger was unable to recline. it was worth the hassle for us because she was able to nap, whereas she would not have done so in our laps [we'd done that before too]. there were periods where she wanted out of her seat, which was no big deal, but generally, she was happy in it because it was familiar to her. i recommend choosing seats closer to the front of the plane b/c you'll have to lug the behemoth less far.

Trust me when I say this: Do NOT rely on the rental company to provide a carseat.

We did this once. The carseat they provided looked to be about as old as me. It had a lap-bar instead of a proper 5 point harness. It did not hold her securely. It was terrifying to have to use.

We have travelled a lot both domestically and internationally with our daughter who is now 3. She's been flying since she was 6 months old. Take the carseat. It's worth having your own. If she won't have her own seat on the plane, put it in a bag (they sell them at babies R us) and gate check it.

Please do not rely on the rental car company for a seat.

ETA: If it's Britax, it's FAA approved.

We travel with a sit n stroll http://www.lillygold.com/products/sit-n-stroll.html which is a carseat/stroller combo. It's approved by the FAA for plane use. We used to use it on the plane with our son until he turned two and started kicking the seat in front of him. Now we stroll him up to the door and gate check it. It's great because we don't need to bring a separate stroller and we have our own carseat.

We now use the CARES harness http://www.kidsflysafe.com/ on the plane. It goes over the seatback and uses the plane's lap belt. As others have complained, there's no strap between the legs, so my son would try to slide down to get out of it. I had my mother sew a looped strap to the back strap to go between his legs, with the lap belt going through the loop, which helped. There's also no head support if your daughter falls asleep, since it's just straps, so we'll use the airplane pillows and blankets to create some support.

Hi, having a busy day so can't write much, but had to encourage you to check out the Sit 'n' Stroll car seat, FAA approved airplane, seat, booster, and stroller. LOVED IT. Both kids used it and well worth having. Once went from our car, through the airport, right onto the plane, flew, got off the plane, through the airport, to the rental car place, into the rented car, to the restaurant, back into the car and to our hotel and the only time she got out was to stretch her legs and as a boredom buster, no extra dragging along bulky car seats while carrying a baby or toddler.

http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Gold-Stroll-Stroller-Combinat...

Absolutely our favorite baby item we had.

Good Luck.

Those seats are huge, I have one myself, but there is a little thing you can buy to attach it to rolling luggage and lug it around that way (like this http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Acces.... I planned on getting one of those, but my husband didn't think it was strong enough. We traveled a lot by plane the first two years of my son's life (he's almost 3 now), so we ended up buying a Sunshine Radian 65 car seat. It folds up. For us it was so worth it. We fold it up, carry it on the plane (it is still heavy, but so much smaller), and then we can use it in the car when we get there. If you plan on traveling more than once where you will need to rent a car, is worth it (about $200 for the seat), since you are saving on the rental. We also use it to throw into other people's cars when they are visiting, or if I am going out with a friend and don't want to lug the Marathon from one car to the other. It also goes up a few inches higher in height, so they can use it when they outgrow the Marathon (it is a 5 point harness). Also, we would gate check it before my son was 2 unless there was an extra seat beside us, and flying with him in it is so much better than him being free. He just sits there and plays like he does in the car, knowing he has to stay in. Without the seat he was like a little monkey, always wanting to move around. So taking a seat on the plane is a necessity in my opinion.

I'd say bring the car seat with you and attach GoGo Babyz Travelmate to it and use it as a stroller but gate check it before you board. It works pretty well for me when I was traveling with both my kids (1 and 3 y.o.) by myself. CARE was a good idea but my son didn't stay in the straps for more than one hour during our 14-hour flight to Asia just before his 3rd birthday. As far as helping your 2 y.o. to stay in her seat, you'd be better off bringing her favorite books/activities. Remember electronic items have to be turned off during taxi of the plane so ipad/smart phone apps won't work during those time. Just about every plane trips we took, my son would ask "are we there yet?" before the plane took off/get in the air. good luck and have a wonderful time:)

I say bring it on the plane and strap her in. She is used to having to sit while in her carseat, so she'll be less likely to want to get up and roam around on the plane.

The marathon is airplane approved. we did not use them with our kids because we were not renting a car on the other end (public transportation only) so it would have been a hassle. Since you will need it on the other end I would for sure take it on the plane. The airline is likely to give you priority boarding and you can nab a spot for your carry ons too(*wink* *wink* So many people carry on so it is tough to get a spot sometimes). I would not want to be limited to what the car rental has to offer. Honestly there is no way they can guarantee what they will have available when you arrive. If they have it sitting they will "sell" it.

We like traveling with our Britax Marathon. In the plane, it's easier for our son to understand that he has to stay in his seat when he's in his car seat. It's a safety thing, and he understands that in the car & the plane. On most big planes (Airbus 319 and above, or Boeing 737 and above), the marathon does fit in an airplane seat, though it does encroach on the arm space of the person next to it. (mom or dad, usually!).
To get around carrying the thing, we've bought a Go-Go-Kidz wheelie thing that attaches to the car seat. You have to dettach the bolts from the car set when you get on/off the plane, but it's not terribly difficult, and it makes it so easy to wheel around. Our son even treats it like a little mini stroller in the airport. Kind of fun. Another alternative that we've had, but is kindof expensive is the Sit-n-Stroll car seat/stroller.

Check the back of the seat to see if it say's it's FAA-approved; if so, then it will fit on the airplane. I guess it depends on the child, but I always bring the carseat on the plane. At 2, they're too small to be comfortable and secure with the seat belt alone or even with the KidsCare belt and has resulted in restless kids who can't get comfortable enough to sleep or sleep well. With the carseat, my son knows he needs to be strapped in, it's familiar, comfortable and secure. If we're lucky, he'll fall asleep for much or all of the flight.

We've also rented our seats with the car. We don't do it too often because we have 2 kids in convertible seats. At $10 each/day, it adds up.

Good for you for planning to bring your DD's car seat along - quality and availability of car seats by rental car companies can be very erratic
Here are a few useful tips from a certified Child Passenger Safety Tech on air travel with kids
http://carseatblog.com/6599/airplanes-carseats-and-kids—w...
http://carseatblog.com/6635/airplanes-carseats-and-kids—w...

I've flown with our Marathon and a baby solo, and I thought it was doable. I did get a sturdy luggage cart to put the seat on and a canvas carseat bag I got at Babies R Us, and that was very helpful. I strapped a duffel bag with all our stuff in it to the top, and wore a backpack diaper bag. With baby in a sling, we were ready to go.

I did choose to gate check the carseat to minimize the risk of damage. Then I could fold up the luggage cart into the duffel and was set to carry the rest on board with us.

We've been traveling with our daughter since she 4 months old. Since then, we've done countless trips to SF, the East Coast, and the Hawaiian Islands. We use the JL Childress Ultimate Car Seat Travel Bag. It's padded and has backpack straps to keep your hands free. It's heavy duty (survived numerous trips without any problems) and big enough for our Recaro car seat. We've checked it in and gate checked it before. Our car seat has come through without any problems every time.

I wouldn't rely on the car rental company. You're never going to be sure of the quality of the seat you're getting. You'll never know if it had been in an accident recently.

It's a hassle to travel with a car seat, but plenty of people do it. People understand and the flight staff are capable of helping. Good luck and fun!

As long as you are traveling with your husband I recommend bringing your own carseat. It is a royal pain trying to get that thing down the aisle along with your child and not to mention all the other stuff you will have.

I have traveled a lot over the past few years with my son and his Marathon. I would NOT check it - they are pretty abusive with the baggage. One thing to mention is that when you put the car seat on the belt to go through the scanner at security, it will get dirty. The dirt usually brushes right off, but just expect it.

Safe travels!

I don't travel with my Britax because I'm afraid of what will happen to it. You can always bring your carseat on board and have your daughter sit in it. That doesn't work for our daughter, so we always check our carseat. You can get carseat bags at Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby and if you really want to spend the money, you can get a padded bag. I bought an Evenflo carseat strictly for traveling. It retails at Babies R Us for around $70, but if you go online you can get a coupon for 15% off. It's still a big carseat and we've haven't had any problems with it arriving on time. We also have travelled with an Alpha Omega Elite seat and it made it okay. For what it's worth, we have just the regular travel bag for our carseat and they have both always made it.

i always bring my britax roundabout on our flights for my 2 year old. it fits fine and it seems to be so much easier for my kids to be in something more comfortable than an airplane seat. they usually fall asleep:) the only problem i ever have is them kicking the seat in front of them:( also i have the wheels that attach to carseat http://babyproducts.about.com/od/travel/gr/gogokidz.htm i love this product it has made traveling with 3 kids under the age of 5 by myself so much easier. good luck and have a safe trip.