DZ450

Hey All,
First post here.
I've searched and searched the web countless hours the last few days and sat on hold with the airline to no avail. So heres my question -

We're traveling to DR later this year with kids, ages 2.5 and 13 months old. My 2.5yr old has her own seat and the 13 month old is in the lap.
My concern is can my 2.5yr old sit in the seat normally, like we adults do or do we need to get a CARES harness or use a car seat for her. We flew last year with her (she was 13 months old) and we had a car seat which was a big pain to lug around. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

lost*in*cyberspace

As long as she is willing to stay in her seat with the regular lap bet fastened, she should be fine.

azepine00

Our kids went from being either lap kids or infant baskets to regular seats without ever using cares or child carseat.
They are at 200k miles each at the age of 4...
Even watching some parents dragging giant britaxes across terminals is painful...
if younger kids end up in a separate seat (like international c or f) they may be tempted to unbuckle at the most exciting moment of takeoff - keep an eye for that..

rjque

I've abandoned CARES for my very small 3 year old in favor of just the lap belt. I still occasionally bring a car seat on board because I know she can sleep in the car seat, but she will not do so in the regular coach seat.

AsiaTraveler

At 2.5, I think we had moved to just the seat belt for our son. Sitting in the car seat put his feet really, really close to the seat in front of him, which didn't usually end well.

Another consideration, though, is whether you'll need the car seat on arrival.

maurene

I always used a car seat on the plane until my boys were 2 yo. I used a CARES harness once (for my youngest) and then decided that once they hit 2 yo, just using the lap belt was OK. Perhaps if I had had the CARES harness for my oldest, I would've used it more. The one time I did use it, I had no issues with it and DS didn't complain about.

We did one trip when my oldest was 2.5 yo and we used the car seat on board. It was terrible! He repeatedly kicked the seat in front of him and was super fidgety and always wanting to get out of his seat. On the return flight home, we check the seat with our baggage. That flight went much better.

DZ450

Thanks for the advice everyone.
We've been really contemplating taking the car seat with us but didnt even consider the whole kicking the seat in front of them. I know we had an issue with that when my daughter was 13 months and we flew with the car seat, I was constantly apologizing to the people in front of us.
As side from keeping them entertained, any one have any advice on how to make sure they stay buckled down? My daughter tends to be very adventurous and will surely be playing with buckle.

rjque

For us, it's routine. The time between sitting down and takeoff is the most difficult period for our daughter, so we always do the same thing during this time - a movie on the iPad and a small snack immediately after sitting down. This usually keeps her quiet and occupied until well after takeoff, when the engine noise and motion of others around us tends to keep her from going bananas in her seat.

DZ450

Will try. Thanks for the advice.

heraclitus

I find that young toddlers (between 1.5 and 2) are tricky... too big and restless to put them in a car seat, but still too small to go comfortably in a CARES or just a lap belt.

I will say that after reaching about 1.5 years, a car seat is out unless you know there will be generous seating pitches. There is nothing worse than a restless toddler who can reach the seat in front with his/her legs. The problem I ran into travelling with our son at that age is that he was a bit small for the CARES and kind of slid out, so it was a bit of a no-win situation.

For future trips I'll be using CARES for our son, mainly because I have it already, so why not. But in reality a 2.5 year old would probably be OK just with a lap belt.

It'sHip2B^2

For a 13 month old, just rear face on the plane. That way he or she kicks his or her own seat.

DZ450

We tried last time, but then the person in front of the car seat wasnt able to recline their seat, so we had to put it front facing. Plus I've heard stories that the flight attendants have the right to make you face the seat front facing.

heraclitus

I did this once on a SFO-OGG flight with an 18-month old. Trouble was that he fell asleep, and the way the seat was positioned in the narrow space his head kept falling forward awkwardly... my wife had to spend most of the flight with her hand on his forehead to keep it up!

AsiaTraveler

Another thought: What is the seat configuration? If you'll have three seats together in a row, I would lean towards not having the car seat for the 2.5 year old for a tiny bit more space. If you only have 2 seats together, I would put Adult 1 and the 2.5 year old in the car seat in one row. Put Adult 2 and lap baby in front of 2.5 year old. That has worked for us.

Eclipsepearl

The question on brining the car seat is simple. Do you need it at your destination? If you do, then the obvious smart thing to do is to use it on board. More comfortable and safer for the child. Never check a car seat as luggage.

The CARES harness is a good option when you're going somewhere you don't need the car seat, like taking a city break or when you have a reliable one waiting (not one from a car rental company!)

Children in car seats are less likely to kick the seat in front. With a CARES harness, the legs stick straight in front of them but with a car seat, even forward facing, the legs drape down.

The lap belt alone will not hold a toddler in place in any kind of emergency. It's sort of the same risks as flying with a lap baby. Pray there's no accident! (Commercial air travel is safe and the risks are low).

If you're organized, it shouldn't be a big deal to take the car seat through the airport. Flying alone with three kids, I simply put ours' on a metal, folding luggage cart and pulled it behind me. A toddler can ride in it if tired. The stroller was either checked or we borrowed one where we were going.

They even sell car seat toting products but please don't pay that much more money for basically the same thing. One popular brand even has a plastic base which risks breaking. I recommend an all-metal cart and use an extra bungee if necessary.

Someone said that the Flight Attendants can force you to turn your seat forward facing. That's partly true. The rule states that the seat cannot be used against "manufacturer's instructions" so if your child doesn't meet the forward-facing minimums, they can't. They can if your child is above those guidelines. Be sure to have the instructions with you to show them if this applies.

If the child's head isn't comfortable rear-facing, the angle is probably off.