Travel with 15 Mth Old

we found a portable "seat" at target that we used on the airplane (we use it as a booster seat at the kitchen table at home)--however it is not equivalent to using a carseat while in a car/cab. It folds up nice and neat into a box shape with a shoulder strap!It even has a space for cups and snacks :)
N.

I wouldn't buy a seat on the plane, it probably isn't that long of a flight. I just did an hour flight with my 15 month old and she was fine. Just bring something to occupy her time. My daughter absolutely loves My Pal Violet and was entertained by her the entire flight. As for DC, I moved away from the area 2 1/2 years ago, but when I lived there, cabs didn't have car seats. However, DC is small and most cab rides aren't that long. Also, the Metro is a great way to get around the city. The prices may have gone up, but it used to be $6.50 for an all day pass per person, (kids free) if purchased after 9:30 am on weekdays and I think all day on weekends. The Metro website is www.wmata.com. You can put in where you are going and it will tell you the closest metro stop and a route to get there.

I wouldn't buy a seat. We have flown when our son was 7mo., 10mo., & 19 mo., he did fine on our laps and for a lot of the flights we had an empty seat beside us. If your little one is in an infant carrier, you could bring it to the gate and before boarding ask if there are empty seats...if so, you could carry the carseat onboard or if not, you can check it right at the gate. As far as when you are there, I would recommend, if possible, to rent a car for the few days. That way you wouldn't have to lug the carseat around. Have fun!

Well, if money is no object, purchase a seat. I don't know how long the flight is between you and DC, but if it's not terribly long, you can probably get away with just holding her. I took my daughter at about 13 months on a 1 hour 10 minute flight and it was fine, but I will admit I was at my limit...I dont know if I could have done much longer with her on my lap. If you do purchase a seat, I recommend taking her carseat. It helps to keep them in their seat and they understand that they have to stay buckled in there and not get out, plus she's probably accustomed to falling asleep in it right?

I don't know about the cab question...I have often wondered about that myself, I think people don't do that, but honestly, I'm not sure!

We did both for a flight when DS was 15mos.
Best advice we got was from a friend of ours who is a pilot and frequently flies with his own kids...
Your kids know what to do in the carseat. The plane seat is a new adventure and an invitation to not sit still.

So, yes, buy the seat!

For the cabs, we did install it since it takes 2 minutes to get it in. I think for a shorter trip we could not have. But this was from the airport to the hotel, so about 30min. We took public transportation for the rest.

Check and see if that flight is usually full. If it's not, don't purchase a seat, bring the carseat, and ask at the gate if they have a spare seat for a lap infant. If not, gate check the seat. We had excellent luck doing that when the economy was lousy before they cut so many flights; it may be harder now.

Is your child still in an infant carrier? If yes, then installing it in a cab is easy and you have built in transport when you get to the other end. Otherwise, it really depends on where you're going. Airport to lodgings is easy, but sightseeing you can't schlep your seat all day long, and most convertible seats are a pain to install. Some cabs have carseats (in my town, I don't know about DC), but it's not illegal to have her on your lap in that situation.

As far as buying a ticket I think it really depends on how active she is and if she and you will be happy with her on your lap. As for when you get to DC, can you use public transit? That way you don't need the carseat. You can hire a car service that can provide a carseat for travel to and from the airport.

Yes at that age all airlines you can take the child on your lap and when there are spare seats the airline staff will do their best to find you an extra seat or 2 for extra comfort.

Most states you do not need a car seat in a cab. You do for a private vehilce. What we did was to use a lightweight carry seat/stroller and that worked fine.

We have flown a number of times --including a few international trips --with our now three year old. I've found that for the longer trips it is great to have a seat for the kid. But for DC, I don't think I would bother purchasing one. I would recommend choosing your seats as soon as you can and picking an aisle and a window in the back part of the plane for the two adults. Many times, you won't have anyone sitting in between you anyway. If you do buy a seat, most flight attendants will tell you that it is safer for kids to be in their own car seat. That being said, we no longer bring the car seat on the plane. The car seats are so big and the airplane seats are so small that our son's feet were an inch or two from the seat in front of him. It was far more exhausting for us to try to get him to not bother the person in front of him and he was far happier without his car seat. You can check the car seat with your baggage for no extra fee. However, if you do put the seat on the plane, I would recommend the GoGo Kidz Travelmate. It hooks onto your car seat and will turn it into a stroller for the airport. Great invention!