Flying withOUT the car seat?

[Hsminnie]

I have a question for those of you with large children. My almost (nov) 2yod is about to grow out of her car seat. We will be transferring her to a booster in our van, but they do not let you bring those on the plane. I am considering putting her in the seat belt only, but wonder how well this works?

She is 37" and about 35 lbs. (Our booster runs 30-80lbs)

BTW, I do know that some care seats accomodate older children, but I don't want to buy one when we will only need it for the flight.

 

[beattyfamily]

I've done a carseat with a 14 month old and then a 26 month old (both to WDW for 3 1/2 hours) and then no carseat with a 2 1/2 year old to Paris (7 hours)!

By far, the most annoying was with NO carseat. She wanted to play musical chairs. But, I'd do it again if I had to because you don't need a carseat in Paris.

They can also take the seat belt off very easily. They feel more like they are in their car in a carseat and sit still and usually take a nap too.

Of the two options, I prefer having her in a carseat but if the carseat is ONLY for the flight then I'd live without it.

Hope this helps you.

 

[Ithastobe]

I asked similar question earlier - My kids are 4 and 3. Consensus of the replies I read, was to lug the carseats. Pros I received were: Kids comfortable with their own seats, safety on the plane if turbulance, and if you are renting a vehicle with car-seats, some of them can be grubby.

We decided to bring ours, originally we were not planning on doing it. Drag to lug these, but hear you can do a gate check in.

We decided to bring ours. Hope others will offer their opinions again, but I had the same question you did.

Also, the carseat needs to be FAA approved with sticker stating so.

Have a nice trip!

okie dokie - here is link to my questions.. hope this works!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=264785

 

[TerriBelle]

We have flown without the carseats to Florida with our twins when they had just turned 2 (25 months) and also last year when they were 3. The flight for us is pretty short so we decided against taking the 2 car seats. We did not rent a car so we would have had to store them in our room if we took them on the plane.

The flight was fine for us but we brought lots of activities and snacks for the flight! The trip home was a little worst because everyone was tired but we tried to save a few new things to bring out.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm imagining that you are speaking of a high-back booster seat with a 5-pt harness, right? You REALLY don't want a 2 yo in a car with only the regular seatbelt, because she'll duck it, and the shoulder portion would almost surely rest right across her throat.

If your booster is that type, check it for an FAA sticker. As long as the 5-pt harness is in place, US-made booster seats of that type are almost all rated OK for aircraft use.

Our son didn't hit the 40 lb. FAA recommended weight for flying without a CRS until he was 4.5. Even at that age, it took some serious disciplinary measures to get him to stay sitting buckled in the seat--I can't imagine the wrestling match it would have been to forego his CRS when he was only 2.

BTW: The other thread that someone posted had someone mentioning trying to get the bulkhead seats. You do not want to do that if you are using a CRS, because the armrests on the bulkhead row do not lift, and most CRS' cannot be secured unless you can lift the armrests to get them into position. FAA rules for placement of a CRS are that it must be in a position that does not "impede egress in the event of an emergency evacuation."
In practical terms, that means it cannot go in the row directly in front of the emergency exit, and on a narrow-body aircraft, it also means placing it in the window seat. On a wide-body, you may be allowed to place it directly in the center of the center row, for instance, if the row configuration is 3-5-3, the seat can be placed in the center seat of the row of 5, as well as at the window positions.

Be sure to call ahead and let the airline know that you will be using the seat if you choose to bring it onboard. That way they can reassign your seats if necessary, without ticking off others by taking the time to do it at the gate. SWA allows preboarding for anyone who needs to secure a CRS, because it does take a little time to do it. Also, you may need to ask for a hand-inspection at security if the airport uses sizing templates on the x-ray scanners, as most carseats don't fit through the templates, but they are definitely allowed on board if they are approved for aircraft use. Also, they don't count against the per-person limit for carryon items.

 

[honeymom]

If your booster is rated 30-80 pounds, it must be a convertible booster and offer the 5 point harness. If you read the instructions, you cannot use as a true booster until 40 pounds (that's when you take off the harness). It is most likely FAA approved with the harness on. I would definitely take it for a 2 year old. The 2 year old will be much safer if there is any problem (and I don't mean major problem - it could just be turbulence.)

Your child seems big. My son is turning 4 in a few weeks. He is tall - 42", but skinny - only 36 pounds. He still fits fine with the harness.

 

[merryRwe]

Just returned last Wed...here's my input. We put dd 2 1/2 in car seat on the way down, flight went well she fell asleep last 30 mins or so, kind of a hassle, I had to feed her etc. Talked to another mom of 2 1/2 yr old after landing and she recommended no carseat her DS could use the tray, play, eat and they didn't have to lug it through the airport. So when we went back to the airport, we decided to give the no carseat a try...BIG MISTAKE. She wanted to constantly get up, could unbuckle herself wanted to move to the row over by her dad and brother, so it was a constant musical chairs for DH and I. Even had flight attendant tell her to remain in seat with belt on...after that 2 1/2 hour flight, I needed another vacation!!!!

Take the carseat/booster whatever you have, it is much safer and if nothing else will save your sanity!

Good Luck!!

 

[juliesue]

My kids are older now - but NO WAY did I take them without car seats when they were that young. My DS was a large 2 yr old also, and we kept him in that seat. He rode much better in it. I have made a number of airplane trips with little ones on board and the most restless, crying kids that I have seen are the ones that are not strapped into their car seats. The crying is tantrums because they are not allowed to "wander freely about the cabin". I know we were very relaxed when we kept them in the seats because we weren't constantly chasing after them and juggling them between people.

 

[SueM in MN]

The seat belts on the plane are very easy to unlatch and once a bored 2 year old has done it a few times, she's going to do it again because it brings a LOT of attention.
One of the scariest flights I was on included a little boy who looked about 2. During the part of the takeoff where the plane was going almost stright up, he stood up on his seat. No one could really do anything to get him back down, since the flight attendants were still in their jumpseats and the mom couldn't do a lot with her seat belt on. The flight attendant was practically screaming, "Get that kid down." The little boy seemed to think it was pretty funny. He kept doing it thru the flight and his mom must have been totally exhausted by the time they got off.

Way back when my kids were little, it seemed like no one took their car seats on except us. (My DDs are 17 and 20 yrs). People looked at us like we were nuts when we said we were bringing the car seats on, but we never had to worry about them staying in their seats.

 

[JKLLady]

Absolutely I'd bring the car seat! Our DS is 5 & we still bring the seat w/us. He fits the 5-point harness & only asks to get out if he needs the bathroom. He's used to being in it for the car & since his first flight was at 17 months, this is all he knows on the plane! He's never had a problem playing, eating or drinking & usually naps at some point during the flight. Besides, we have the peace of mind knowing that it's safer in case of turbulence.

 

[milmore104]

I think it all depends on your child. My DD (turned 2 yesterday) hates to be in her carseat so we opted not to tkae her carseat w/ us last Dec.(she was 14mths). I brought her Color magic markers and books, stickers and her favorite toy. They all fit into our carry on. It was much nicer than lugging around her carseat. She actually slept for the first part of the trip and enjoyed sitting between mommy and daddy the second half.

 

[alexandra uk]

Notursala - Thanks for that about the Bulkhead. It was me who was going to call and request the seats.
Now I won't be able to,as we're taking 14 month old DS' car seat.
I'm not sure if its been FAA approved. How would I check this ?

This is the only part of the holiday that I am really dreading.Its a 9 hour flight, and hes bad enough on a 1/2 hour car journey
My sister thinks I should of waited until he was older.
It'll all be worth it in the end though

 

[NotUrsula]

It depends on what airline you are using. We fly to the UK frequently, so I have experience on this one, though in reverse.

An FAA sticker is an American gov't thing, (the Federal Aviation Administration) and the sticker is required only by US-based airlines. If your seat is British-made, it won't have that sticker. However, if you have a seat that is also made for the US market, the mfr. may be able to certify if the seat meets or exceeds FAA standards. (Most UK seats exceed US standards, but of course, they don't bother labeling them that way. Britax USA, for instance, could probably send you an email you could print off and carry.) I've actually never had an FA ask to see the sticker, as it happens, but our seats all did have it.

BA is not very hospitable to putting larger carseats on aircraft, but they actually do provide a limited number of infant seats that affix to the bulkhead wall on transatlantic flights, (they have to be reserved well in advance.) I don't know about Virgin or the various charter carriers, but don't be surprised if they resist letting you use your carseat onboard. US carseats do better on aircraft because they do not require a 3-pt seatbelt to secure; US seats can all be secured with a lap-belt only. We met enough resistance about the carseat from UK-based airlines that we gave up on using them for transatlantic flights; we stuck to flying US carriers over the water, because they are required to allow FAA-approved carseats if you have purchased a seat for the child. In any case, US carriers have more liberal allowances for the weight of carryon bags; helpful when carrying baby food on board.

I would call your airline and get them to advise you. If they tell you flat out that you cannot use a carseat, ask to speak to someone higher-up; many of the people who are front-line phone agents have no clue what the real rules are regarding this.
Personally, I'd move heaven and earth to get that seat on board; I can tell you from experience that knowing that he was strapped in and unable to wander was the only thing that allowed Dad and I to sleep on the flight. (And yes, we did fly to England with him at just that age; he cut 6 teeth on a two-week holiday!)

 

[alexandra uk]

Thanks Not Ursula
We will be flying with JMC, who are a UK airline.
I called customer services today to ask, and was told that providing the seat had a 5 point saftey harness, and was no more than 16.5 inches wide, then it would be okay. She didn't say anything about an FAA sticker.
I measured the seat, and it is just 16 inches wide. It also has a 5 point saftey harness, but no FAA sticker.
This may seem really dumb, but whats the difference between a 5 & 3 point, what do they do, and how will it be strapped to the seat with the lap belt ?
Was your flight with the 14 month old as bad as I'm expecting mine to be ?

 

[NotUrsula]

Never mind the whole FAA sticker thing, as you are not on a US-based airline, no one will ask.

The sticky bit has to do with whether or not your seat can be attached with only a lap/shoulder belt vs. a lap belt. It's very hard to explain without a diagram. I'll give it a go, but I'll probably be clear as mud, LOL.

For an example of a seat that probably would NOT work on an aircraft, look at http://www.graco.co.uk/you_your_baby/seat.html
and open up the instructions for the Cosmic. If you look at the directions for mounting it forward-facing with the harness in place, you'll see that the vehicle belt comes up all the way into the "inside" of the seat, just under the padding, then down again on the opposite side. That works fine if the vehicle belt latches far to the side, but remember that aircraft belts are meant to buckle in the centre; the buckle would be a lump right under the baby's bum. (Actually, it would almost surely end up somewhat off-centre, as only one side of the aircraft seat belt adjusts, and it is sized for an average adult.)

Most US-made seats have a channel for the belt to pass through which is *outside* the seating area of the seat; the belt passes under the hard plastic shell, not over part of it. When that is the design, the belt's buckle can still sit near the middle of the seat and it will not matter, because it does not project into the "inside" of the seat, where the baby will be. Most of the time with an American seat, you can open the seatbelt adjustment (on the plane's belt) all the way to the maximum, thread it through the openings, then squish down the childseat and pull on the soft end of the plane seat belt to tighten it; the seat belt buckle will usually almost disappear behind the child seat when it is tightened up all the way. (You might need small hands to reach in there and get it loose at the end of the flight! A good trick is to wait until the people behind you leave, then go around and reach up the junction between the aircraft seat cushion and the backrest, to slip the buckle from that angle. It's easier.)

I sure hope that makes sense; I tried to find a good diagram of a traditional American-style seat installation online, but I couldn't find one, as all of the new seats are using ISOFIX "LATCH" belts, and again, we don't want to go there, because planes don't use that standard.

 

[crisi]

We did it without the car seats. The kids were pretty good (2 1/2 and 3 1/2 at the time). I don't know that they'd have been any better in a car seat (we've always limited car seat time and planned long trips carefully so they could sleep - so they don't have several consecutive hours of car seat experience). Not sure how I would have lugged two car seats around - lugging the luggage and two children was bad enough!

 

[alexandra uk]

Thanks for all your help NotUrsula
DH has had a read of your reply, and checked out the link, and he's pretty sure that our seat will fit.
To be sure, we're going to scan a pic of the seat and e mail it to JMC, to see what they think.
So fingers crossed
Thanks again
Alex