Travel with Children - To Car Seat or Not To Car Seat...

OK, so I am taking the whole gang to see Mickey Mouse in a couple of weeks. My dilema is whether to use a car seat for the 2-almost-3 year old.

Generally, it would be a no brainer, but I splashed for F so I know that the car seat will not be snug and cozy like it is in Y and am a bit worried about it being actually anchored properly to the seat. (I'm picturing it swaying all over the place; in Y the arm rests prevent that.)

My gut is saying forget the car seat as the F seat is large enough for her to crawl up into a ball and go to sleep. (Seat belt on, of course!)

Anyone had this experience in F, with or without the car seat, and care to share their thoughts?

If you make the seat belt tight enough, the seat won't wobble around much in FC - my kid was fine and secure the whole flight we were on. But my child was the type of kid who learned how to unbuckle his seat belt early and liked to do it all the time - takeoff, turbulence, landing. We used the car seat primarily to keep him from unbuckling the regular seat belt.

We have found in F with my one child (a petite 3) is that the seat is roomy enough for them to curl up; however, this child is also a snuggler and hates the immovable armrests in first. When he is with us we don't try to upgrade (he is an FO, so it is theoretically possible that he would get an upgrade).

I'd say if you aren't going to use it in Orlando, and if your kid is more responsible than mine, to leave the car seat at home.

Please follow this thread in the Travel With Children Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
Delta Moderator

I'm a fan of the car seat. Kiddo is used to it, it has better safety restraints, and it has a nice little recline to it. YMMV

Have you looked at the CARES seatbelt for kids? It creates at 5 point harness and they sit in the seat. I typically use in Y but have used it in F for my then 2 yr old. You can rent from eBay for around $13 or buy new for ~70. I unbuckle the chest strap for nap time.

Have you looked at the CARES seatbelt for kids? It creates at 5 point harness and they sit in the seat. I typically use in Y but have used it in F for my then 2 yr old. You can rent from eBay for around $13 or buy new for ~70. I unbuckle the chest strap for nap time.

it actually only creates a 4 point harness (like the FAs have). it's my one complaint about it, that it doesn't have a between the leg strap. We've used ours around the world - just about to retire the 4 y/o out of it when we travel on her 5th birthday.

USE THE CAR SEAT! They are assumedly already used to falling asleep in it and will do so more longer and more comfortably. After a long flight to Hawaii our DS was so dead to the world he didn't wake up getting off the plane. I unhooked his seat, coupled it to the GoGo Babyz handle, and wheeled him off the plane still sleeping and right into the cab. He woke up some while later in the hotel room.

OK, so I am taking the whole gang to see Mickey Mouse in a couple of weeks. My dilema is whether to use a car seat for the 2-almost-3 year old.

Generally, it would be a no brainer, but I splashed for F so I know that the car seat will not be snug and cozy like it is in Y and am a bit worried about it being actually anchored properly to the seat. (I'm picturing it swaying all over the place; in Y the arm rests prevent that.)

My gut is saying forget the car seat as the F seat is large enough for her to crawl up into a ball and go to sleep. (Seat belt on, of course!)

Anyone had this experience in F, with or without the car seat, and care to share their thoughts?


Done it both ways and know a lot of other parents who have done it both ways. It really depends a lot on your child.

First, how big is your child? My daughter is 2 1/2, but she's in the 90% for height and the 95% for weight (she looks 4). She sits in a regular seat just fine. The smaller your child, the more you need the car/booster seat.

Second, what has been your experience re the car seat in coach? Does your kid like it? Or are they always wanting to get out? My daughter always hated the car seat in airplanes. Other kids love it.

As far as installing the seat, you can get it almost as tight in F as you can in Y, which is to say -- not very tight. It works, though. Make sure you spend a good bit of time pulling the belt tighter and tighter (like you do if you are installing a car seat in a car without using the LATCH system).

As far as sleeping, let's face it -- sleeping on a plane isn't comfortable with or without the car seat, and from my experience, it doesn't matter. They are either so sleepy they're going nighty-night or else they're going to stay awake.

If you use a car seat, get a wheely attachment (so you can wheel the seat in the airport).

If you go without a car seat, consider the CARES belt. I don't like it, but a lot of parents swear by it.

Finally, don't forget the portable DVD player and the charger (there's AC in FC). Works magic :)

Best of luck,
Mike

If you use a car seat, get a wheely attachment (so you can wheel the seat in the airport).

Careful with this. I believe this was a major reason behind my worst travel experience ever (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-children/911031-air-canada-endangers-children.html). I believe the FA in question thought the Gogokidz adapter was part of the carseat, and did not believe it could be an approved carseat, despite my proof that it was.

After that flight, we never used the gogokidz adapter again, opting instead to purchase a significantly lighter carseat (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00124EH52/ref=wms_ohs_product) that is easy to carry around.

as soon as they got big enough to comfortably wear the CARES, we moved them to that.

As far as sleeping, let's face it -- sleeping on a plane isn't comfortable with or without the car seat, and from my experience, it doesn't matter. They are either so sleepy they're going nighty-night or else they're going to stay awake.

Not true. Both as a Flight Attendant and as a mom, the kids in car seats were much, much better sleepers than those who were loose in the adult seat. It just doesn't "contain" them as well. The ones in just the adult seat belt couldn't get settled as well and sometimes they'd put their head on the parents' laps, pinning the parents down in the process...

The CARES harness is a good option if you don't need a car seat at your destination. Remember NEVER CHECK A CAR SEAT AS LUGGAGE. Very important as they often are damaged and broken en route. Your child's safety is not worth the slight inconvenience of bringing the car seat on board.

Instead of a GogoKidz, I urge everyone to just use a metal foldable luggage cart. You may already have one. Get one with a metal base and telescoping handles (the latter is not a deal breaker!) Works just as well at a fraction of the cost.

As far as sleeping, let's face it -- sleeping on a plane isn't comfortable with or without the car seat, and from my experience, it doesn't matter. They are either so sleepy they're going nighty-night or else they're going to stay awake.

Not true. Both as a Flight Attendant and as a mom, the kids in car seats were much, much better sleepers than those who were loose in the adult seat. It just doesn't "contain" them as well. The ones in just the adult seat belt couldn't get settled as well and sometimes they'd put their head on the parents' laps, pinning the parents down in the process...

The CARES harness is a good option if you don't need a car seat at your destination. Remember NEVER CHECK A CAR SEAT AS LUGGAGE. Very important as they often are damaged and broken en route. Your child's safety is not worth the slight inconvenience of bringing the car seat on board.

Instead of a GogoKidz, I urge everyone to just use a metal foldable luggage cart. You may already have one. Get one with a metal base and telescoping handles (the latter is not a deal breaker!) Works just as well at a fraction of the cost.

Regarding sleeping and the car seat, I should have added "provided your toddler is big enough to sit and lie comfortably in the regular seat." You're quite right -- if the seat is way too big for the child, then they won't be able to get comfortable and sleeping may well be more difficult. But the same thing can be true of the car seat, only in reverse. My 2 1/2 year old is as big as a 4 year old, and she doesn't like the car seat at all (it's cramped, and she feels "trapped"). She also hates the CARES belt for the same reason. She does much better with the regular seat and the adult seat belt. I realize that she may be an exception, which is why I think it really all depends on the kid. You just have to experiment a bit as a parent and see what works best for your child.

Obviously, no one should never check a car seat as regular luggage. Is anyone that silly? If that's what you meant, I couldn't agree more. But do you mean that passengers shouldn't even gate check a car seat? If that's what you mean, I'm not sure I agree with that in all cases. Yes, if you are visiting relatives or friends, it's better if they just buy a car seat and have it in the car when they pick you up at the airport, but if you're going to be doing the driving from the destination airport, you have to have a car seat with you. Renting one from a rental car company is outrageously expensive ($10-15 per day). The best thing to do is to gate check the seat, and if it gets damaged, then -- and only then -- rent one from the rental car company and ask the airline for compensation. I've gate checked car seats dozens of times, and I've never had even a scratch on one.

Regarding GogoKidz, you're absolutely right -- the regular TravelMate is a piece of junk. I used it once and swore never again. It's almost impossible to put on and take off, and it doesn't work very well even when installed. The Cruizer for Graco car seats works very nicely, although it's expensive ($100+). A regular metal luggage cart (get a sturdy one, not a flimsy one) is a really good alternative, however. That's what I used when I used a car seat, and it works quite nicely. Good advice.

Gate-checking is better than luggage checking. A lot better. Gate-checked items are loaded directly on to the aircraft from the jetway, greatly reducing the chances of those items being misrouted (although we did have a poster whose seat wasn't loaded at all. Guess that can still happen! It was a on a short domestic and they just waited for the next flight to arrive).

Stuff can still be abused. Enough of us have had strollers bent and torn. A bag can help but... There are a few airports that use chutes to send stuff down to the tarmac. Nasty! Ask specifically that the seat be hand-carried down if your airport is one of them. They do this for wheelchairs (which are protected by law).