Flying with a 2 year old - car seat on the plane?

DisneyFan1003

DisneyFan1003

Active Member
Original Poster
Question!
Fllying next week with our 2 year old daughter. A friend at work suggested using her car seat on the plane (when she did it, however, they were flying to Hawaii). Is it worth it for the 2+ hour flight to Orlando? We won't be renting a car when we get there, so the seat would basically be for the plane ride.

Any other suggestions for flying with a 2 year old?! :shrug:

Thanks!
 
melmood2000

melmood2000

Active Member
I would bring the car seat. Last year we brought her car seat and it was much easier to keep her in her seat and contained with the car seat. I bought a strap on Amazon that allowed me to strap her seat to my rolling carryon so I didn't need to carry it. She could also be strapped in to the car seat while I was pulling it.
 
docdebbi

docdebbi

Well-Known Member
there are always differences of opinion. the link above refers to the dangers for lap children. any child 2 and over must have their own plane seat so will be restrained during the flight by plane seatbelt (unless you choose to remove it). we felt safe, he was very secure in his seat- and last time we flew it was a wee bit bumpy- we actually skirted hurricane irene- went all the way out to ohio to get around her on the way- still he seemed very secure, even with a few bumps.
we have flown to disney several times from philly with my grandkids, last time in sept when one grandson was 2 1/2. we had no trouble with him misbehaving even though he wasn't in a carseat. he was so intrigued by everything that was going on: the take off, snack cart, then eating a snack, watching clouds, etc, that we were almost there before we even pulled out the dvd player.
i have no trouble checking the car seat and just using plane restraint system. btw, they check in all car seats and strollers for free- at least us air for sure, and most of the airlines whose websites i checked. we check in the car seats and roll the kids to the gate in their strollers. we leave them at the door of the plane and presto, they are waiting for us when we get off.
 
B

bnotti

New Member
I have 3 little ones and have flown several times with and without the seat. My experience has led me to the decision not to bring a seat when we go in April. Depending on the airline, it can be cumbersome, hard to install on the seats and the flight attendants are not helpful at all. We had a horrible experience once and will not do that again. That being said, I still want my 2 year old to be as safe as possible. I found this device which is FAA approved and will give it a try on our next trip. My older two are still in boosters so one less thing to lug on the plane is worth it to me.

If you are renting a car, most of the major companies will rent you a car seat. Makes your life that much easier, IMHO.

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
 
G00fyDad

G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
I looked and looked when my kids were little and never could find a car seat that was for use in aircraft as well. They all said that they were not authorized for use in aircraft so the flight attendants wouldn't let us use one. If you're lucky enough to have one that is checked off for use on aircraft then I'd use it, otherwise you'll be hunting one down for a long time.
 
DisneyFan1003

DisneyFan1003

Active Member
Original Poster
I never wrapped up this thread before/after our trip! I did end up going out on Black Friday and purchasing an inexpensive Evenflo carseat at Toys R Us. It had "the sticker" required by airlines and was fairly compact/lightweight (at least compared to the expensive Britax seats we have in our cars!) I took it out of the box over the Thanksgiving weekend and our daughter immediately declared "my chair!" and sat in it all weekend! Once we got to the airport (trip started Nov. 29) she couldn't wait to sit in "her seat" on the plane. The flight attendants were very helpful and it worked like a charm. She was safe/comfortable and felt at ease in her own chair (on both flights!). Best money we spent in preparation for the trip! I highly recommend!
 
hiptwinmama

hiptwinmama

Well-Known Member
car seat

The Carseat is the safest way for a child to travel. We flew quite a bit with our twins between ages 1 and 3, and we always used the carseat on the plane. It is something that they are used to and very comfortable to them. It creates a sense of security and normalcy in a very different and sometimes chaotic environment.

FYI...make sure your carseat is approve for air travel. There should be a label on it somewhere.
 
V

vjgraham

Member
bnotti said:
I have 3 little ones and have flown several times with and without the seat. My experience has led me to the decision not to bring a seat when we go in April. Depending on the airline, it can be cumbersome, hard to install on the seats and the flight attendants are not helpful at all. We had a horrible experience once and will not do that again. That being said, I still want my 2 year old to be as safe as possible. I found this device which is FAA approved and will give it a try on our next trip. My older two are still in boosters so one less thing to lug on the plane is worth it to me.

If you are renting a car, most of the major companies will rent you a car seat. Makes your life that much easier, IMHO.

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
Click to expand...

Used this device for our 2 yr old several yrs ago, worked great.
 
erinshaneb

erinshaneb

Member
My daughter has flown at 2, 4,5 and this year in September at 6..my son has traveled at 9 months, 18 months and this September 2 1/2 and I have never brought a car seat for either of them...granted my son's first two flights were on my lap and my daughter's first was across everyone's lap..lol...but I don't plan on it..i grew up in an "airline" family and have been flying for years...it just seems that lately everyone is afraid of safety, when in truth the belts are just fine..the parents need to pay a little more attention to make sure the kids stay belted when needed, but i feel that if they are trapped i a seat for 3 or more hours, do they really need to be trapped ? At least with a regular seat they can move around and wiggle a little...just an opinion
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
I would not bring it if your not renting a car when you get there. She will want to move around a little now. I would pack a backpack of goodies(little toys, books, and snacks) to keep her interested the whole flight.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
we found when our kids were younger they could reach the seats in front of them in the car seats on the plane. without the car seats, they couldnt. that made our decision. makes for a better flight for those in front of you:sohappy:
 
DisDadEddie

DisDadEddie

Active Member
We have never taken a car seat and I never would. My daughter is 6 and my son it 2 and they are just fine in the plane from New Jersey to Florida.It would just be to much carrying luggage,stroller,a kid, and a car seat. The choice is yours don't worry about anyone elses opinion.
 
Uncle Lupe

Uncle Lupe

Well-Known Member
For anyone reading this bump we used the CARES device. That was the best option for us. Just rented one on Ebay to use during the vacation. I have been on some rough flights and felt better with her secured as best as possible.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
coachwnh said:
we found when our kids were younger they could reach the seats in front of them in the car seats on the plane. without the car seats, they couldnt. that made our decision. makes for a better flight for those in front of you:sohappy:
Click to expand...

This was true for us fortunately there was nobody in the seat in front of us. We felt that if the 2 year old was in his car seat he would know it was time to travel and would not try as much to get up. We had a rental car anyway so we needed the seat for when we got there but we checked our 5 year olds car seat and like someone else's post it was free. Next trip we are not renting a car, but he will be almost 4 so no car seats for either.
 
wilkeliza

wilkeliza

Well-Known Member
Uncle Lupe said:
For anyone reading this bump we used the CARES device. That was the best option for us. Just rented on on Ebay to use during the vacation. I have been on some rough flights and felt better with her secured as best as possible.
Click to expand...

Nice to know this system is approved by the FAA. I will pass this information along to any parent I know. I always say children should be restrained the same way as they would in a car and so this allows you to do just that with out having to carry the car seat or board early.
 
polynesiangirl

polynesiangirl

Well-Known Member
We bought the CARES system others have linked to. I went back and forth on this but after reading a TON of info on the internet I kept seeing so many people talking about their success with CARES. Our car seats are FAA approved, but they are gigantic, not easily portable, and weigh a ton. We won't have a car with us in WDW, otherwise I would probably have just dealt with it and brought one along. I'm feeling pretty good about our choice here though...I guess I'll find out how it goes in a few weeks!
 

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