So no car seats? Really?

[luvmyguyz]

I know that I have read on here that you can't use car seats on ME or the buses, but wow, I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around that one! I can't imagine how I am going to be cool with having my 2 and 4 year old boys on a bus with no car seats, or even seat belts! Luckily, we'll have 4 adults and a 12yo with us, so between us we should be able to keep them secure, but wow, I am way too much of a worrier to be cool with this!!

So does that mean I shouldn't bring the car seats for the airplane either?

 

[kpm76]

Honestly, it's one of the many reasons we rent a car. There is no way you'd be able to install and uninstall a car seat on the busses, plus where would you put it once you were in the parks? We took the bus a few times on our last trip because DD wanted to ride one but I was a wreck the whole time. She was 2 at the time and she just wanted to explore....not safe at all! We travel with the carseat for the plane because we use it on the rental car as well.....

 

[brymolmom]

I have to admit to being a bit paranoid about it as well....but we still do it every time. And no, we don't bring our car seats on the airplane either. It is SO NICE not to have to worry about the seats at all and lugging them around.

But I do get a twinge on ME and the buses every once in awhile.

 

[luvmyguyz]

We had every intention of renting a car, but then at the last minute my mom and MIL decided they are coming, and that would mean we would have to upgrade to a minivan rental, which is a LOT more money than the compact car we had planned to rent at first. I don't want to ask our mothers to contribute to the extra rental car cost, so I figured the rental car option is out now. Ugg.

 

[tzolkin]

I'm assuming that if you're using ME, you'll be using Disney transportation to get around between your resort and the parks during your trip. You cannot use carseats there either.

It does seem unsafe, but


And, no I wouldn't bring them for the plane. There's really no reason for that age. Plus, by 4 my kids were in booster seats (which you cannot use on a plane anyway).

 

[Mommytink]

I recently did it with a 2 yr. old and a 4 yr. old. It was nerve wracking but all was ok. We had 4 adults so we just held on to them. Not the safest method but the only option we had.

 

[Hannathy]

Buses are designed differently than cars and the laws of physics help keep you safe.

Millions of children have ridden and do ride buses everyday around the world and at Disney and are safe. Mine always loved being "big" and riding at Disney without it.

If you aren't renting a car I wouldn't lug a car seat thru the airport and have it take up room in the room. My kids never used a car seat on the plane and have flown tens of thousands of miles without incident.

 

[ancestry]

I know that I have read on here that you can't use car seats on ME or the buses, but wow, I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around that one! I can't imagine how I am going to be cool with having my 2 and 4 year old boys on a bus with no car seats, or even seat belts! Luckily, we'll have 4 adults and a 12yo with us, so between us we should be able to keep them secure, but wow, I am way too much of a worrier to be cool with this!!

So does that mean I shouldn't bring the car seats for the airplane either?

Just as an FYI - To bring a car seat for the airplane they have to be approved by the FAA for use on an airplane. You can't just use any type of car seat on the airplane. You should check with the airline you are flying and check your car seat to see if it is FAA approved before bringing it with you.

 

[luvmyguyz]

Buses are designed differently than cars and the laws of physics help keep you safe.

Millions of children have ridden and do ride buses everyday around the world and at Disney and are safe. Mine always loved being "big" and riding at Disney without it.

If you aren't renting a car I wouldn't lug a car seat thru the airport and have it take up room in the room. My kids never used a car seat on the plane and have flown tens of thousands of miles without incident.

You've made me feel a little better!

 

[waltskids]

Can you imagine the time it would take if every parent had to install a carseat on the bus?! We have used the Disney buses often and found them to be fine. We have also rented a car before, but for short trips the Disney buses are great!

 

[ccgirl]

There are no car seats allowed on any bus that I know of. That includes school buses, yet we still send our children on those; right? I was just making the point that children are on buses many of an occasion without a carseat. ME is a big coach bus. I still bring carseats on the plane to keep my kinds a bit more secure. My DS2 is a houdini with seatbelts but hasn't mastered his carseat harness yet. I will stowe it under the bus for the ME and then in the closet at the hotel. That way, IF we end up renting a car for a day I have the carseat just in case.

 

[hmacmahony]

I have to admit I am very much a car seat advocate. My kids rear face longer, they sit in 5 point harness's longer, they even booster longer than most kids I know.

With that being said, we ride the disney transportation, and honestly I just don't worry about it. There have been times that we have been on empty buses, and I have even let my kids stand and hold onto the pole. Horrible, I know, but gosh they loved it.

I am going in may, with my almost 3 year old, a friend, and her almost 3 year old. This is my very first time flying with a child (who is mine). I am TERRIFIED to fly to begin with, so I am a wreck. I am going back and forth between bringing the carseat and not bringing it. If my whole family was flying, and I had my husband I think I would bring the seat, just cause it would be easier with another grown up.
Now that I am flying alone, and have to worry about me, my son (and I am a WRECK about it.....panic attacks, not sleeping, etc, and its 4 weeks away still!!). And all the stuff I have to bring. I think I have decided that I am not dealing with it.

There is a huge part of me that is saying...well, what if?!?! But, I still think I am okay with not bringing it this time.

 

[frtchr]

We used ME in December with DD who was a month shy of 3 and DS who was 15 months. No problems. I had the car seat on the plane for DS but DD used the CARES harness. We're going again in May with a car seat for DS because I hope he sleeps in the plane.

 

[livndisney]

I know that I have read on here that you can't use car seats on ME or the buses, but wow, I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around that one! I can't imagine how I am going to be cool with having my 2 and 4 year old boys on a bus with no car seats, or even seat belts! Luckily, we'll have 4 adults and a 12yo with us, so between us we should be able to keep them secure, but wow, I am way too much of a worrier to be cool with this!!

So does that mean I shouldn't bring the car seats for the airplane either?

No car seat, no seat belt and they may have to stand on a Disney bus.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

I have to admit I am very much a car seat advocate. My kids rear face longer, they sit in 5 point harness's longer, they even booster longer than most kids I know.

With that being said, we ride the disney transportation, and honestly I just don't worry about it. There have been times that we have been on empty buses, and I have even let my kids stand and hold onto the pole. Horrible, I know, but gosh they loved it.

I am going in may, with my almost 3 year old, a friend, and her almost 3 year old. This is my very first time flying with a child (who is mine). I am TERRIFIED to fly to begin with, so I am a wreck. I am going back and forth between bringing the carseat and not bringing it. If my whole family was flying, and I had my husband I think I would bring the seat, just cause it would be easier with another grown up.
Now that I am flying alone, and have to worry about me, my son (and I am a WRECK about it.....panic attacks, not sleeping, etc, and its 4 weeks away still!!). And all the stuff I have to bring. I think I have decided that I am not dealing with it.

There is a huge part of me that is saying...well, what if?!?! But, I still think I am okay with not bringing it this time.

Yeah, that. I'm an advocate (actually, tech) of extended rear-facing and using highweight harnesses up to the max but I'm OK with the buses.

I still took a seat for my daughter for the plane last year (2 weeks shy of age 3)
I'll probably take it again, too.

 

[HLDisney]

The Disney busses are basically the same at the public busses in NYC and other large cities so it's never occurred to me to be concerned about them. If anything, I was a little more concerned about the MK railroad (the one that circles the park) because it seemed more likely my DD could just fall off the side. But like everything else, I just held on to her and tried not to worry too much.

Helen

 

[Davids-Coco]

Yeah, that. I'm an advocate (actually, tech) of extended rear-facing and using highweight harnesses up to the max but I'm OK with the buses.

I still took a seat for my daughter for the plane last year (2 weeks shy of age 3)
I'll probably take it again, too.

Lol, this is me too... Tech, extended rear facing, high weight harnessing... I will take a car seat for our little ones for the plane but wouldn't worry (much) about the bus. My bigger concern is any fight I might encounter having my 19 mo old rear face on the plane! (We bought the seat in front of him as well so it doesn't restrict another passenger)

 

[bumbershoot]

On any public bus transportation there are no seatbelts. Local city bus, highway-going city-to-city bus, etc. As many have mentioned, the buses around Disneyworld do not have seatbelts either!

I'm like many here...absolute carseat person when using a personal vehicle (or shuttle with seatbelts at Disneyland), but for public-type transportation, I trust the physics of it...compartmentalization I've heard it called?

But we used carseats on the airplane for DS's years of being 2 and 3 (after a miserable no-carseat-on-plane trip when he was 17 months, I will NEVER do the lapbaby thing again!), mainly to keep him contained AND to protect against sudden, HUGE, turbulence.

With a bus accident, it's not out of the blue. Turbulence, however, IS, quite literally, out of the sky (often clear blue, LOL). I feel that with a bus, things might happen slowly enough that I could react, but with huge turbulence, I can't. So with a little one that might be wriggly in the lapbelt, I would prefer a nice 5 point harness that they know to stay in...hence, carseats on planes, but no worries about public-bus-type transportation.

My bigger concern is any fight I might encounter having my 19 mo old rear face on the plane! (We bought the seat in front of him as well so it doesn't restrict another passenger)

You might want to check on the Transportation forum, for the rules on rear-facing. The use of carseats on a plane are for entirely different reasons than in a car....rearfacing is to help with collisions and the forces those impart. You're not encountering that on a plane, or if you do, it's going to be the least of your concerns.

I personally would expect a FA to say "no" to rearfacing with such an old baby...tiny infant I would expect a "yes", but not a 19 month old... And there's really no point to it, for the plane.

 

[ICF]

My kids at that age rode the disney transportation buses and to be honest I never ever gave it a thought.

They probably even stood, but it's so crowded on them that they really had no place to run around anyway.

 

[katied]

I am going in may, with my almost 3 year old, a friend, and her almost 3 year old. This is my very first time flying with a child (who is mine). I am TERRIFIED to fly to begin with, so I am a wreck. I am going back and forth between bringing the carseat and not bringing it. If my whole family was flying, and I had my husband I think I would bring the seat, just cause it would be easier with another grown up.
Now that I am flying alone, and have to worry about me, my son (and I am a WRECK about it.....panic attacks, not sleeping, etc, and its 4 weeks away still!!). And all the stuff I have to bring. I think I have decided that I am not dealing with it.

There is a huge part of me that is saying...well, what if?!?! But, I still think I am okay with not bringing it this time.

I've travelled on my own quite a bit with DS (now 3). I've taken the car seat with a special attachement to make it into a stroller so it wheels. Once he got a bit bigger, I bought CARES to use on the airplane. I feel so much better that he's safely strapped in on the plane, and its a tiny thing to carry.

I don't worry about the busses either. As long as you act reasonablly - hold your child, don't let them climb around, etc., it is safe. It's true - millions of children travel every day on busses without car or booster seats (or any seat belts at all).