???carseat for plane ride???

[CarrieAP]

We are traveling in May with our 5 and 2.5 year old daughters. I was uncertain regarding car seat for the little one, but my mind is made up and we will be taking her seat with us. Thanks to all for the great advice!!

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[raidermatt]

Yes, bring the car seat. It's much safer, and the child will probably be a little easier to handle because they are in somewhat of a comfort zone.

I have to admit though, lugging it up the aisle along with carry-ons is a pain. And you almost have to wait for everyone else to leave before getting off the plane. But its a small price to pay for the childs safety.

Raidermatt

 

[Gillian]

Do any of the airlines still do this? I'm thinking about how long it will take to get us all settled!

 

[raidermatt]

We flew to WDW on Delta (from CA) last September and they did allow pre-boarding.

We also flew to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago on ATA and pre-boarding was allowed for those with children under 5. The shorter inter-island flights however did not.

(No, we don't normally take such frequent big trips, but it just worked out that way this year)



Raidermatt

 

[ilisa]

If your airline does not allow preboarding - Metrojet, for example - ask quietly and politely if you can board early, especially if you have a carseat. We did this, explaining to them that we needed to install the seat. If we waited until general boarding, we risked delaying the plane since it could take a little while to install the seat correctly. They were more than happy to oblige.

 

[B3LM]

We took our carseat with us when our DS was 2YO. It fit into the seat just fine and he was much more comfortable being in his own seat. He went to sleep as we took off and woke up as we were landing.

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[buzz5985]

I leave next monday and am bringing a Century Next Step car seat for my 4 year old son. He is still using the 5 point harness, so this is an approved car seat for the airlines, if he was using the belt system it would not be an approved car seat. I decided to bring my own, after someone told me that the car seat with the rental car was horrible. Dirty, and hard plastic all around, no cloth covering at all. I will get back to you if I have any problems using it on the plane.

 

[mormol]

Just got back from our stay at the Contemporary and flew both ways on Delta. We decided at the last minute not to bring the car seat for my 21 month old. (traveling with a 5 year old as well).
We did buy her a seat however. She ended up on my lap basically the whole flight anyway and we had an extra seat for stretching out and putting stuff during the flight.
Not the most economical way to fly but she was comfortable as was I.
She is still nursing however and spent most of the flight doing just that so a car seat would not have been very useful to us.
We were met at the airport by a Tiffany Town Car van, which had, as requested, a car seat and booster seat already installed for us!
andre

 

[pajamommy]

We just went in Feb. and we brought our carseat for our 2 y.o. boy. He would never sit still if just buckled in seat. Our 4 y.o. girl does just fine, though, in the regular seat. We still bring a carseat with us for her for the rental car, but we check it with our luggage.

 

[CamperJean]

we have flown both US air and American and never had a problem with any of our car seats. I can't imagine not taking a seat. We just stopped with our 5 year old but have seat waiting in Florida for her. The only problem I find with the airline seats they really don't allow the car seat to be secure. You know shouldn't be able to move more than 1 inch in any directions. Plus I feel they should have a locking clip on them to prevent slipping so I always twist the strap so it can't slip.

 

[mar915]

I am taking it for my almost 3 year old. I just can't imagine that little guy actually sitting in a normal seat and not taking off the belt. He is used to his car seat and has done well when he was 2 in it. He is an active!!! child so I need to keep him down.

 

[snoopylovertoo]

We have always brought our carseat on the plane in the past. My DS has the new eddie bauer booster car seats for bigger kids.On our last trip, the seatbelt buckle on the plane was directly in the small of my DS's back. Needless to say, he was unconfortable and on the way home, we checked the carseat and he sat in his seatbelt buckled-up.
I personally wouldn't rent a car-seat from the rental car companies. you don't know if the seat was in an accident or how clean they are.

 

[staylor]

Hi everyone! I am a flight attendant for a major airline. The majority of airlines do allow pre-boarding. So, take advantage of it. Also, whatever you do, bring the car seat. I know it is a pain to carry allover the place. But it is a life saver in an emergency. We have two sons 5 and 14 mos. and always bring our car seat. My oldest grew up flying in a car seat and didn't know there was any other way to fly. Therefore, didn't know he could get up, etc. Our youngest has flown 4 times and does well in his seat also. You always want to place the car seat next to the window. Therefore, your exit won't be blocked in case of an emergency. It frustrates me so much when parents take their babies out of their car seats for take off and landing. This is the most dangerous time of the flight. I guess the parents think their baby would be safer in their arms. But that is so wrong! Your baby is a flying object in your arms. I hate to put it that way, but these are the facts. Unforunatly, it took a few accidents for the FAA to figure this out. I think the Iowa one was the kicker. There were more than a few lap children who did not make it.
So, whatever you do bring your car seat.
Thanks!
Staci

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[HenryMom]

I am with everyone else on the "take a carseat" advice. Dh and I have traveled extensively with my 2 1/2 yr old son, and we found the absolute greatest invention in the world. It's a FAA-approved, five point harness, carseat that converts into a stroller. It can be used rear facing for babies as young as five pounds or forward facing for kids up to 40 pounds.

The key is, the wheels and handle retract so it fits in a plane seat (or backseat of a car) just like any other carseat. But then, when you are ready to move, just lift it out of the seat (with the child still strapped in), pop up the handle and the wheels come down and you have a stroller.

We love it b/c we can put our son in it at our house, drive to the airport, maneuvere our way from parking lot, through our hometown airport, roll him right down the aisle of the plane to our seat, then same thing when we land -- his feet literally never have to touch the ground. (Altho we do let the little guy stretch his legs now and then LOL) We are besiged by other traveling parents everywhere we go with it ... if I had a dollar for every time we've been stopped in an airport by someone wanting to know where we got it, I'd be rich!

Speaking of dollars -- it is pricey (about $160) but if you are thinking of traveling very much at all, it is SO worth it. Or, you can do what we did, which was split the cost w/ another family. (But now we just can't travel at the same time!)

We got ours from RightStart, but I've seen them in other kids catalogs as well. Here's the link to it on RightStart: http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product_detail.cfm?TID=09614646215335620112036275&Site=baby&rs_section=keywordsearch&GroupID=2281&GroupTP=Model

Good luck and happy flying!

~HenryMom