To Car Seat or Not To Car Seat, That is the Question...[Merged Threads]
 

Hi eveyone!

We will be going to Hawaii for 3 weeks and we also have a child that is 2 1/2 years old. Is car seat required for his travel in UA?

Any inputs, experiences, and help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance,

Steven ^

A 2 1/2 year-old is not required to have a carseat on the airplane (but is required to have his own seat and ticket). If you plan to rent a car in Hawaii you will need a carseat during your stay. You may also want to contact your airline to confirm any details regarding requirement for traveling with a young child.

Having the car seat is really beneficial, IMO. Children like familiarity, and nothing provides that for a multi-hour plane trip like the kid's car seat. Nearly all are FAA approved, and most fit on airplanes. I'd bring it, since it will help induce rest and sleep much better than just buckling him into the full-size airplane seat.

I want to second what FWAAA said. The familiarity of a car seat on a long flight will really help your child be more comfortable and sleep. On a shorter flight it may prove to be more trouble than it is worth (unless of course you are renting a car) but I would defintiely bring it to Hawaii.

US airlines seem to allow you in with a car seat. But in Europe it's a different story. We had been refused several times being able to bring it on board when our daughter was younger.

It depends on how big the 2.5 year old is. When my youngest child was 18 months, we put him in the seat with a lap belt just like an adult. He was larger than average but not huge, and I suspect your child can sit in a seat with a seat belt like everyone else.

Familiarity has its benefits, but on the other hand, a toddler may be very happy being able to sit in a seat like a big boy.

I'm wondering: Would a toddler be better able to sleep if traveling without a car seat, s/he could raise the arm rest and lay his/her head in Mommy's or Daddy's lap (as opposed to trying to sleep several hours in a car seat)? And would sitting in the seat without the car seat make it easier for the toddler to use the tray table for various activities like drawing, etc., as well as for eating?

Depends on the kid's size and seat pitch
 

My son, at 4.5 years and 42 inches tall, had to sit up on his knees, without the seatbelt, to be able to eat comfortably from an airline tray table - sitting normally, the food was at his eye level and it was hard for him to reach. He found it much easier to use the tray while sitting in his car seat. He also sleeps better in his familiar car seat ('tho he doesn't sleep well in the car, just in the air. Go figure.)

Just thought I would share our most recent experience.

On our most recent trip back to the mainland from Hawaii, we asked the FA to 'store' the car seat after take-off. We couldn't believe how great our daughter (16 months at the time) did.

So on our next trip to Europe, we decided to not take the car seat on board with us. If you can believe this, she slept from JFK to Lisbon, with a connection in Madrid! We did purchase a duvet that we put in her crib with her each night prior to the trip. When we got on the plane in JFK, we pulled our her "fluffy" and placed in on her seat. She wanted to go "night night" immediately and slept the whole way through.

Have a great trip.

Leah

To Car Seat or Not To Car Seat, That is the Question...[Merged Threads]
 

Hello everyone,
I am new on this forum. I would like to ask advice and hear experiences from people in similar situation.

We are going to Europe this summer, flying with Air France. Our son will be 2.5 yeard old by the time of the trip. I have contacted Air France because this situation is not clearly specified on their site.

I was told that children older than 2 years don't need a car seat on the plane. We are allowed to take one if we want, however during takeoff, landing, and turbulance, the child can't remain in the car seat and has to be taken on lap. Same if the child is too small for a regular seat.

My question is: should we still take a car seat on the plane in that case? I could see that most of people use it for security purposes, however if we can't use it in these situations, it only becomes a comfort question vs carrying the seat through the airports. I am not sure that my son will be happy strapped for 6 hours in a car seat, but is the airplane seat more comfortable for him?

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I'd highly recommend going without it. my daughter is almost 3 and we recently flew.. i got rid of the car seat 2 seconds into the boarding process. Sitting in a new environment, and playingi with the drop down tray from the seat ahead of us, and playing with the "special new seatbelt" (as my daughter called it) made things pretty easy. Plus, over the course of the flight she was able to kinda lay sideways in the seat and curl up for a quick catnap before waking back up again and pointing out all the clouds in the windows.

without the car seat you have a lot more freedom for the child that will resolve any boredom issues that could arise.

I've gone without as well for the same reasons posted above. Its stressful enough without having something extra to carry.

I recommend some new toys (something he hasn't played with before) to keep your son entertained during the flight.

I have traveled a bunch with my kids. And it is only a huge pain to have a toddler car seat on a plane. Carrying it, strapping it in..all of the above.
Especially a 2 1/2 year old. They will love sitting with a seatbelt and being free to play in their seat and sit on your lap.
Good luck!

I usually take a car seat however for my caribean vacation I forgot to , it was the best flight ever. he was 2.5 at the time taught he was a big boy , and was able to nap and so on, are you renting a car when you are there? we used a service and they had a car seat so it was so much easier than lugging that thing everywhere

Just to clarify something for the OP...

If you take the car seat, as you state you won't be able to use it for takeoff/landing/turbulence but the child will have to sit in the seat, not on your lap (because he's over 2 years).

That could make things very difficult, especially if the flight is full...