I have the car seat backpack; it's the only way to carry a Britax (very heavy and without any handles or anything to hold).
The bag will also protect the seat if you decide to check it in.
Where are the car seats allowed to be placed? Only at the window? I ws planning to take the Window seat, my wife the isle seat, and my son in the middle. Is this allowed with a car seat? How much room would I have to get out, if I needed to do that?
The only time a carseat has to be in the window seat is when you are using an infant seat that is rear-facing. This is because it protrudes and can block access to the center aisle for the people blocked in at the window and center seat.
It can go in any row with the exception of an emergency exit row, the row in front of the exit and the row in back of the exit.
Have a good trip!
Ok so now how about 2 car seats? We're relocating from SYD to SEA in July and have a just turned 3yr old and a nearly 1yr old. I am very tempted to u/g to business just for the looks on the faces, but I'm not sure which airline or ticketing it will be with yet.
If in Y I assume we'd be in the centre row with the car seats in the middle.
Also, has anybody found that a portable DVD player with appropriate child friendly entertainment (wiggles etc) helps the little ones pass the time?
I think that for a 1 year old, you absolutely want to bring the seat onboard. Your daughter will be MUCH more comfortable, especially for such a long flight. You might consider buying a lighter carseat for your travel purposes. We have a Boulevard for our 1 year old that I absolutely love, but there was no way that I was lugging that thing around an airport. I don't trust the airlines not to lose a checked carseat, so that was also not an option.
There are a couple of really good options for a lightweight convertible seat that can be used for travel, and we will also install it in our second, less-used car when not traveling. The Cosco Scenera is around $50 and the Safety 1st Uptown is around $80. They are both just as safe as the Marathon, they just don't have some of the nicer features. I went with the Uptown because it had a little more padding and looked more comfortable. I was able to bring it onboard our flight home last weekend (we didn't have a ticket for my son, but they had empty seats), and he was able to sleep for a good portion of the flight. The installation on the plane was super easy with the lap belt (I installed it rearfacing) and I was able to actually enjoy the flight without the little guy using me as a mommy jungle gym!
As far as where the seat can be placed, it really kind of depends on the flight attendants. Some flight attendants will allow you to put it in the middle as long as the person at the window is part of your party, but others absolutely will not allow it and will insist that it be at the window. You can either check with the FA when you board, or just install it in the middle and see if they say anything. Honestly, the flight attendants on my flight last weekend didn't even glance at it, but you never know.
last Novembre I travelled HAM-MUC-LAX with my 18-month old nephews and my 4 year-old niece. We were two adults and took the car seats as this was the only way the little ones would/could sleep and I felt that they were safer. We had to instal the car seat at the window.
We put the car seats on the stroller ( we had tried this beforehand at home)and put the little ones in a carry sling.
The car seat needs to be installed in the window seat.
Not true, as far as CO is concerned the window seat is the "preferred location" but you can put the seat anywhere except already advised (exit row, or also "not in the row in forward or aft of the exit row" as long as a responsible adult sits next to the child in the restraint.
Center seats on a widebody aircraft are acceptable again if a responsible adult is seated next to the child.
Also take into account if there are empty seats, as its much nicer if the child is in a seat behind an unoccupied seat as the person in that seat isnt affected by the seat when they try to recline.
Check with your airline though, they may differ in their rules.
FAA reccommends that any child over 40lbs is restrained by the airline lap belt.
Some Flight Attendants turn into seat nazis when it comes to this whole thing, but bottom line if its a forward facing seat and you're next to your child you can place it where you like, other than the above.
We've had good experiences using the Marathon with the GoGo Kidz attachment. It turns the carseat into a stroller, although we use the Marathon to carry the Roundabout and the carryons.
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All,
Thanks for all of the great information. We have decided to take the car seat with us. I have a follow up question; we're looking at various methods for carrying the car seat through the airport. I am looking for a carrier that is lightweight and that can be stored easily. The GoGo Kidz attachment looks bulkier than what I am looking for and like it would be hard to store on a plane. We're considering the Cheeky Monkey Pac Bac and the Traveling Toddler. I am use to backpacking, so carrying the seat on my back where I have good control of it has appeal. I have concerns about how secure the Traveling Toddler would be attaching a Britax Marathon to a 22" Rollerboard. Also note, regardless of what we get, we will use our regular stroller for transporting our daughter through the airport. Anybody have experience (good or bad) with either the Pac Bac or the Traveling Toddler?
Second follow up question, does anyone have a recommendation for a good car seat cover. We tried the Graco Baby Car Seat cover and it self-destructed after one trip. The nylon ripped in multiple places. So we're looking for something more durable, but hopefully still reasonably priced. I am leaning against wheeled for the cover for simplicity, but could be talked into it. Cover would be used for short hops where we will continue to take our daughter as a lap child for the next year.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NTAFlyer
Not true, as far as CO is concerned the window seat is the "preferred location" but you can put the seat anywhere except already advised (exit row, or also "not in the row in forward or aft of the exit row" as long as a responsible adult sits next to the child in the restraint.
Center seats on a widebody aircraft are acceptable again if a responsible adult is seated next to the child.
Also take into account if there are empty seats, as its much nicer if the child is in a seat behind an unoccupied seat as the person in that seat isnt affected by the seat when they try to recline.
Check with your airline though, they may differ in their rules.
FAA reccommends that any child over 40lbs is restrained by the airline lap belt.
Some Flight Attendants turn into seat nazis when it comes to this whole thing, but bottom line if its a forward facing seat and you're next to your child you can place it where you like, other than the above.
CO has always told me we have to install the car seat in the window seat.
Second follow up question, does anyone have a recommendation for a good car seat cover. We tried the Graco Baby Car Seat cover and it self-destructed after one trip. The nylon ripped in multiple places. So we're looking for something more durable, but hopefully still reasonably priced. I am leaning against wheeled for the cover for simplicity, but could be talked into it. Cover would be used for short hops where we will continue to take our daughter as a lap child for the next year.
--Jon
This one isn't awful and fits the Marathon. It's pretty comfortable as a backpack. Durability is decent. The nylon isn't exactly bulletproof but has survived multiple trips in the baggage hold. It has wheels that aren't very functional because they are set in the middle of the base, allowing the front bottom to grind along the pavement when you pull it.
What about an old fashioned folding luggage cart with bungees? Mom pushes the stroller while dad loads up that thing with all the carry ons, including the car seat (before we got the bag).
If there is turbulence or other less severe problems, the car seat will keep our daughter securely anchored and help prevent injuries. Without the car seat she could easily slip out of the regular seat belt on the plane. Agreed hauling the car seat through three airports each way is a pain, but it is worth it for our daughter's safety.
--Jon
Would it really be a problem for you or your wife to hold your baby if there is any turbulence? That would be secure, and you wouldn't have to worry about her slipping out of the seat belt. We just got back from Amsterdam and our daughter (20 months, but very small) ended up with her own seat. We didn't bring a carseat (I can't imagine the hassle) and just held her during take-off and landing. Not having a car seat in her seat allowed her to wiggle, stand, sit and lie down as much as she wanted.
We've been using the Safefit cover (referred to in the ToysRUs link) for our Britax Roundabout. It's made at least a dozen trips by now and is still being used, although the material around the wheels is definitely showing signs of wear. The greatest features of the cover are the wheels and once it's been removed from the carseat, it will easily fit overhead.
All,
I have a follow up question; we're looking at various methods for carrying the car seat through the airport.
I was able to perch our Britax Roundabout on top of our Metrolite...fold the canopy out, put the seat face down on top of the stroller, with the baby's foot area resting on the cup holder and the head area on the support bar for the canopy. This worked with the baby in the stroller, and with him pushing the stroller.
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