Programs: La Ministreuse de Surréalisme, CO Plat, MR Plat, SPG Plat
Posts: 6,781
My daughter does much better in a car seat than out of it so I feel it's worth it to lug it around. I tell her the seat in front of her belongs to the person in front and we have a no touch/no kick rule. Yes, it's hard to enforce, but if you do it over and over, it does sink in - with occassional reminders.
We are flying ORD - ATL - PHX....the last thing I want is for her to spend the entire flight kicking the seat in front of her!!! I know how annoying that is and it's difficult to enfore the "no kick policy" to a 2 year old.
A friend, and mother of 4, taught me a useful trick: taking the child's shoes off will often stop the kicking. Who wants to kick something when it makes your feet hurt?
(okay, the ocasional kid will, but most won't)
As for the car seat: we used it on every flight until almost age 5 and always found it to our advantage. It enabled my son to see both out the window and down onto the tarmac, and he loves watching all the preflight chaos down there.
A friend, and mother of 4, taught me a useful trick: taking the child's shoes off will often stop the kicking. Who wants to kick something when it makes your feet hurt?
I completely agree with CDTraveler about taking off your child's shoes - this made a BIG difference for us with our daughter. Even when her feet would still brush against the seat in front of her, the lack of shoes meant that the person sitting in that seat didn't even feel it. (I asked to be sure!)
In terms of the car seat, we found that when our daughter was in her early 2s, it made a big difference, but that she did just great without it (even on long flights) by the time she was 2 1/2. It helped to grab some pillows and blankets to make her more comfortable, and to make a big deal (using the in-seat safety card) about how she was such a grown-up girl riding in a chair like Mommy & Daddy.
I agree, too, that those big car seats can be such a pain to lug through security, down a long airport terminal (we used to live in ATL, and don't miss that airport layout AT ALL), etc.
I guess it totally depends on the kid. I can't imagine number one (2.5 years) sitting in a car seat in the plane for more than about 30 minutes, let alone number two (3 mos). Number one would much rather sit in a "big girl seat" or on my lap or walk the aisles, or whatever, while number two just wants to be held. Your child will vary.
I completely agree with CDTraveler about taking off your child's shoes - this made a BIG difference for us with our daughter. Even when her feet would still brush against the seat in front of her, the lack of shoes meant that the person sitting in that seat didn't even feel it. (I asked to be sure!)
In terms of the car seat, we found that when our daughter was in her early 2s, it made a big difference, but that she did just great without it (even on long flights) by the time she was 2 1/2. It helped to grab some pillows and blankets to make her more comfortable, and to make a big deal (using the in-seat safety card) about how she was such a grown-up girl riding in a chair like Mommy & Daddy.
I agree, too, that those big car seats can be such a pain to lug through security, down a long airport terminal (we used to live in ATL, and don't miss that airport layout AT ALL), etc.
Good luck!
Tried that trick with our 16 month old son Sunday and worked like a charm! Granted the flight was only an hour but we got him a seat because he's a BIG BOY and strong to boot! I can't imagine trying to contain Taz in our laps for that long! We use a wheeled attachment to make lugging the kid/car seat around a snap!
I know the airlines say that the safest thing is for children under 40lbs to be in a car seat on the plane. Does EVERYBODY adhere to this recommendation? Mr. Sportyguy jr., is on the bubble right now - 38lbs and while he still fits into his car seat, I wonder how comfortable he will be during a total of 12 hours flying. He is not a hyper kid by any means so keeping him "strapped in" is not a concern. In past trips when he was an infant, we just kept him in our lap and he was fine - now that he has is own space I would think he would be more comfortable sitting on his own and stretching out or maybe leaning on me when he takes a nap. Would we be terrible parents if we just checked the carseat in with our regular luggage and let him sit on his own while on the plane?
Would we be terrible parents if we just checked the carseat in with our regular luggage and let him sit on his own while on the plane?
No, you would not be. We do it all the time and our children seem much happier with their own space and the ability to lie down -- though without fail they seem to get to that stage about twenty minutes before landing....
I have never used a car seat on board, I donīt feel terrible! The only concern is that your child wonīt be able to look out the window without the car seat!
If you bring it, maybe you can stow it and only use it for start and landing?
One other thing to consider is what you will do if your baggage-checked carseat is damaged. You'll be at an airport with no legal (or safe) way to transport your child by private auto.
My almost five year old flies in his Britax Marathon. It allows him to have a good view while he's awake, and provides good head support when he sleeps.
Check the seat - he will feel like a big kid and you will enjoy all the benefits.
Though in theory it maybe the safest, to date, I have not read one incident where a child's life would have been saved or gone unharmed had he or she been in a car seat in a plane accident.
Programs: La Ministreuse de Surréalisme, CO Plat, MR Plat, SPG Plat
Posts: 6,781
Our daughter likes her car seat and sleeps better in addition to being able to see out the window. It's a pain to shlep around, but feel it works the best for us.
Check it in. carrying around the car seat is hell and they dont allow strollers in the airplane. Your son will be fine in his own seat, I would bring his pillow or ask for extra pillows to pad the armrests.
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We use a 
