Erasmus

Unclear from your post which cabin you're flying but I presume coach since you don't specify. In that case I would strongly recommend the carseat, as it will allow you to keep the kiddo strapped into a seat they are comfortable and used to.

IMHO the equation is different if you are in a premium cabin where the seat could go flat, but if it is just going to minimally recline, you're better off using the Scenera--perhaps propping the front up with a blanket or pillow so that it reclines even further to allow the child's head to lie comfortably against the back instead of falling forward when they're asleep.

Honestly, though, that's a long haul. Bring lots of toys and games to distract. We've always had great luck with iPads.

TravelingNomads

It's been along time, but we had issues when our daughter was young because her feet were able to kick the person in front of her even though we had her seat reclined. On the other hand, it came in handy when she was overtired and wanted to run down the aisle. Can you look into a different car seat that is more comfortable?

Vaucluse

This, It's much easier.

Ruthalaska

Have you used the CARES harness with the child? I would caution you to make sure it will work for your child before relying on it on a long flight. I know some people love it, but I found it to be useless because it's not a 5-point harness, only 4 points. There is no crotch strap stopping the child from simply slouching down and sliding out from under it, so it's only effective if your child is willing to sit up in the seat and be restrained. (Mine wasn't.)

I still use our Scenera onboard with my 2.5 year old, but I think my daughter was not too much older than that when we stopped taking the seat on the plane. As a toddler she had no trouble sleeping with her head in my lap, and that was a good option for a while. But without the seat there really isn't an effective way to restrain the child, so if your toddler is on the wild side I'd bring the seat. The seat also gives you the option of having somewhere safe to put the child while sleeping that allows you the freedom to eat, use the restroom, etc. without worrying that you'll wake her up. My kids both would sleep in their carseats on planes. If yours naps in the car on car trips, that's a good sign that it will work on the plane as well. If that's the case, I'd bring the seat.

BeatCal

1. Kids are very comfortable in their own car seats. The CARE is nice, but you cannot use it in a car.
2. If in your lap:
a; The plane hits an air pocket and the kid goes flying.
b: The kid is in your lap and you fall asleep and the kid goes flying.

The data overwhelming shows that it is safer for the child to be flying in a car seat. Why would you even question not doing so

Blueskyheaven

i brought but decided to just check when our son was around 2 this year on 15 hr flight on CX and than other internaitonal flights and domestic too. I wouldn't carry it around cos it is so inconvinent. Just watch him during take off and landing.

swise

If you can sit in a bulkhead, the Scenera can rear-face, which is a more reclined position and will enable the child to sleep more comfortably and be safer.

devastor

We find our 2-year old does much better without a car seat. Car seat seem to restrain him more when he was napping and would wake up easier.

Like others suggested, maybe bring it, and do a trial run on one of the legs of your flights to see how he does without out (if possible.)

Eclipsepearl

My toddlers were more comfortable in their car seats but because we travel a lot, I made sure they napped in car seats and strollers as a general rule. No dragging back to the hotel room with us!

As a Flight Attendant, children were more comfortable and stayed calmer in their seats in car seats. Also, the few times a baby did cry in a car seat, usually on landing since they were woken up outside their time zone (no, not ears!) the parent could then spend their energies comforting the child. With a lap baby or any toddler without the restraint, it takes a lot of effort to keep them planted if they want to escape!

Just as a reminder, never place a child to sleep on the floor. Very dangerous. I can explain but it involves triggers.

ducescoop

I will be traveling AA without an infant DFW-RSW and need to bring a (used) Chicco Key Fit 30 base with me. I will be using it to drive my granddaughter around in the car. My son has the snap-in infant seat portion that they use, but not an extra base. Should I check it? If so, should I place it in a duffle? Will it be counted toward my free bag with AA cc? Should I just carry it on since it is fairly small?

rjque

Just the base and no child? I suspect that will count as your free bag. Depending on the size and your need to check any other bags, I'd probably just carry it on.

BeatCal

Why bring the base. ITs purpose is to make it easier but usually you can attach the car seat without it

dP21

Some advice to Air Canada (AC) passengers. We recently flew on Rouge (A319?) and "normal" AC 767-300) with our Diono Rainier.

Unfortunately the Rainier did not fit the aisles past Premium Economy on our luggage cart, so had to pick it up and lift. It worked well for my toddler (4) and installation wasn't that much of a hassle. We will do it again, just not sure how we will carry 2 on board to account for my 2 year old!

joshwex90

Does anyone have experience with a Graco ClickConnect 35 on board A320 or 757? Does it fit well? Is it too bulky/heavy to navigate the airport?

kchoya

No experience on those specific aircraft, but we did take two Grace ClickConnect seats for our twin girls on a trip to Hawaii. We were on regional aircraft and single aisle aircraft, and the seats fit just fine. I would think the pitch and width on your planes (you didn't specify which airline) would be at least as roomy.

We we also took the seat bases, which I don't recommend. Navigating the airports was easy, but we did have the basic ClickConnect strollers that we used, which were really helpful.