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airplanes and car seatso.k. next week we are flying to CA with DS who will be 2 this saturday (Happy Birthday, baby). . .we have flown a lot with him as a lap child, but this time we had to buy a seat. my question is. . . do i have to bring a car seat FOR his seat? the concept of him staying in his car seat (which is big and tough to carry)during the flight is laughable since he hates the thing to start and he is only used to sitting with me (nursing a good part of the time). . .i know i can call the airline and i am sure they will tell me to bring it, but i want to know if i really have to. i get that it is safer for take-off and landing. . .how expensive are smaller models of car seats and can a 2 year old use them????
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oh cool
I wish I had found this before my last trip, dh bought me a set of straps to haul the carseat with, but I bet this is more balanced.
oh and another cool site
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/where2buy/carseats/travel.html
i have one of those
and it ripped the second time i used it. ive got the damn thing all patched up with duct tape, but the fear that it could rip open at any moment haunts my every move!
We bought one
And it is so much better than carrying on a car seat. We used it for the first time when DS was also just 2 when we flew from San Francisco to Orlando. It was a very long flight.
Bring play dough, crayons, cars, trains and books. You can bring a sippy cup with juice and a bottle and anything your little heart desires for the baby (liquids don't count for the little ones). We brought some puzzles with the pieces attached by ribbon to the puzzle frame - that was pretty fun too. And Mr. Potato Head! I almost forgot - a huge hit. Blanket, change of clothes, plenty of dipes and wipes and you're good to go.
Good luck!
What did you use
A booster?
Reply ended up in the wrong place
A kidsflysafe seat belt. I have to say, I'm not convinced that in a crash he wouldn't just fly out the bottom (no strap between the legs). But for turbulence and safety on take off and landing I think its as good as a car seat.
no, you don't have to.
my dd is almost 2 and we fly about once a month. i always get her her own seat but i don't bother bringing her car seat on the plane anymore. not only do they not fit in most airline seats (coz they must cram us in like sardines), she would be miserable if she were strapped in her car seat that long, and it's just too much to carry around. plus, it's not gonna do squat to protect her if *something* serious happened . since your ds is on the brink of 2, you wills till be able to put him in your lap duirng take off/landing/turbulants if you want, the flight attendants aren't gonna card him. my dd has no problem chilling in her "big girl" seat for most of the flight. i just bring lots of books and snacks and the best invention ever- the travel size magna doodle! total lifesaver.
magna doodle?
i'll have to check that out. ..i have a sticker book that worked really well last time. thanks. . .
oops
double post
The smaller seats aren't for 2 year olds
I have a feeling that using the seat is still going to be the best idea. He might hate it, but you can assume if he hates his seat, he is going to hate the regular seat more. The seatbelts are not made for kids.
They are safer when it comes to turbulence etc, and remember that you cannot hold him in your lap when the seatbelt light is on. It is going to be easier to strap and keep him into a car seat then a lap belt (yeah that would be pretty much impossible).
I assume you don't use one in a car. Do you need one for a taxi? Are you going to be picked up by a family member? If he is going to be in a car at all he needs to be in the proper style carseat for his age/weight range.
Good luck! They have some pretty inexpensive ones out there.
thanks
we do use one in the car at home and he is not a fan in the least. . .we don't need it on the other end of the trip because we are taking the bus up to my relatives and they have a car seat for him. . .i guess i am just worried about how he is going to respond to not being on my lap since we have flown 7 different times prior to this where he has just always been held (which he loves). but you are right that he will hate the lap belt just as much and it'll take 23 seconds for him to figure out how to undo it!
well
you can always try it without, I just can't imagine it since my son is such a runner/explorer!
some info...
http://saferidenews.com/html/Airplane_Eng.htm
http://www.buckleupnc.org/using_airplane.cfm
and a device for buckling kids up without a carseat (but it is spendy)
http://store.kidsflysafe.com/
that kidsflysafe harness thingy is ideal!
exactly what you need and way better than lugging a car seat onto the plane only to find out it doesn't fit. but $75?? for some straps and a couple of clasps?? zoinks, somebody's got a corner on the market.
thanks for the link.
totally
but it is FAA approved which is amazing. Lol oh and and Pence...if you do bring your seat, make sure it says FAA approved on one of the stickers. Sometimes they barely look and other times they analyze the label as to whether the "FAA Approved" label actually means FAA approved. D'oh
thanks for the links
these will definitely help in my decision-making. . . .seems so stupid to be obsessing, but once i get over this mental hurdle i can enjoy the thought of the trip!
I was the same way
And I know more experienced mommy fliers are more relaxed.
I just figured there are alot of things that can go wrong in flight that you can protect your child from. Maybe the movie Fearless with Jeff Bridges in it ruined me for flying with my child without a car seat.
i think the fact
that DH and i just got addicted to the first season of lost hasn't helped matters much!