do we need a carseat on the plane?
 

We are taking our daughter on her first plane ride (2.5 hours direct), she will be 18months old at the time of travel. We did purchase her a seat, my question is do I have to bring the car seat, or can I just strap her in for take off and landing? We were thinking we could just rent a carseat with the rental car when we get there, so if we don't have to lug the car seat through the airport, that would be nice. Obviously, safety is the first priority, just wonder what others have done.

thanks!!
Trish

Welcome to FlyerTalk. :)

Depends on the airline. If you purchased a 50% (under 24 mo) discount coach domestic ticket on AA, for instance, AA wants you to use a car seat.

Your daughter's car seat will allow her a better chance of looking out the window.

Besides, nearly everyone who rents a car seat regrets it. The "don't rent" view is practically unanimous. Take your own seat. :)

Lugging car seats thru airports and onboard is not the herculean task some people make it out to be. My twin girls were frequent travelers before they were 24 mo old and we managed to lug two seats everywhere we went.

Again, welcome. :)

Thanks for the warm welcome and the good advice.

After reading a few websites about safety, we're definitely going to bring the car seat, bulky as it is.

That way we can strap her down easily for take off and landing, and any turbulance. She's VERY active though, so sitting the whole time is probably not going to happen (but we'll keep our fingers crossed).

We did purchase the 50% reduced fair ticket for her, so I guess we need the car seat anyway, per AA.

Thanks again for your response, I appreciate it,
Trish

Just so I can feel useful here (since FWAAA (once again) has delivered some excellent information), I believe the FAA requires that any child under 24 months either be in an approved car seat or be held in their parents arms. You are not allowed, legally, to strap in an 18 month old into an airplane seat.

Two words: children's benadryl. Give her a dose when a few minutes before you board.

Confirm with your pediatrician that this will be OK.

Two words: NOT SAFE.

Benadryl is antihistamine for the treatment for the treatment of allergic reactions, and it is notorious for causing excitability and hyperactivity in children - it says so right on the box! In a small number of children it can also affect their respiratory function.

{sarcastic wit = ON}
2 more words...JIM BEAM? Just a teaspoon! :D
{sarcastic wit = OFF}

Hauling the car seat doesn't have to be a chore, connecting through IAH we saw a mom & dad with, count 'em, THREE wee ones in tow: newborn infant, toddler and a 3 year old. Dad was puching the toddler and 3 year old in a double tandem stroller and mom was carrying the infant. Dad was also sporting a huge backpack that had all the car seats inside.

We have been shopping for baby stuff for the past month or so and have seen a few bags designed to hold car seats, strollers etc. We have one on our registry. You could look into one of those or even get a duffel bag to make it easy to carry.

Well, my grandfather was a doctor of the old school. His idea of cough medicine for kids was a dash of whiskey, a little honey, a little lemon juice and a little hot water. Mom says we slept very well after a dose. :D

Alcohol would probably have fewer side effects than an antihistamine - unless child protective services catchs you.

However, I can't recommend it either.

be arware to check with the airline... The rules are dramatically different. Some allow, some require and some don't allow car seats....

We fly with our daughter, and when asked on her age (she is 16 months now) we say 2 years (if we have a seat for her). It happend to us that the FA made us hold her at take off because I told the true age..... the worst thing to do....

so ask and don't tell the real age, so she is safe during take off.

Why would they care about the age when using a car seat? I thought that as long as the seat had the sticker saying it was approved for airline use then they had to allow its use?

We will be travelling with our 18 month old in June on an ATL-MXP route with Delta. We are definitely bringing a car seat with us, and from what I read Delta allows this.

I have found that US airlines will not give you any problems as long as it is an approved seat. However, European airlines are a different matter. Alitalia will not let anyone use a car seat, and you cannot even purchase a seat for a child under 2. The Italian version of the FAA does not allow infant seats.

We booked three award seats with an ATL-MXP-ATH route and have Alitalia on the MXP-ATH leg. I assume we will have to gate check the seat. Our child is tall for her age, so hopefully we can pass her off as 2 and not have to hold her.

The rules depend on where you're flying and what carrier you're flying. Most US airlines go by FAA guidelines and allow car seats that an FAA approved sticker. Carriers based in other countries have other rules. Alitalia apparently never allows safety seats, BA offers its own version in some circumstances, KLM seems to use the American standards. Best bet is to get the policy of the carrier you plan to fly *in writing* before you get to the airport.

Personally, I would boycott an airline that wouldn't let me use a safety seat for my child.

Actually the BA "seat" is a in actaulity as pseudo-bassinet, it goes on the bassinet table and is a good option, in any case on most int'l carriers you MUST hold your child for take off/landing/turbulence and they make you use a belt loop seatbelt for this purpose. You only need buy a 10% infant ticket to get it. As for the person fling to MXP with Delta, depending on your childs weight, you too can use Delta's bassinet which in fact is the best option (infant tkt is 10%).

I thought BA now offers 2 different seats, one for infants and one suitable for a larger child?

True, its a choice of either "traditional" bassinet, or sideways Britax type seat. It's generally your choice, although obviously the first one would be better for extremely small ones.