Hi everyone, I'm trying to figure out the best way to approach our trip in January and I'm having a little difficulty with one thing. My daughter is one year old, she will turn two during the trip. I have always bought a seat for my kids and brought along a car seat for them, we always rented a car so it just made sense to bring the carseat for the rental as well as for the safety on the plane.

I'm still planning on buying a seat for my daughter but I'm wondering if I need to bring a carseat for her since we are not renting a car this time. We will be using the busses and you don't put carseats in those, it would be so nice to not have one at the airport - especially since we have to change planes in Dallas.

I will definitely bring it if it is a safety issue though, I'm just having a hard time finding any info about this particular age/stage of development and their safety in a regular aircraft seat/seatbelt. Most of the info I'm finding is geared at "should we buy a seat or hold baby on our lap" - which isn't really what I'm asking. I called the airline and the answer I get is basically "we prefer infants to be in FAA approved car seats over laps but you are free to carry her if you like" even though I wasn't asking about bringing a lap baby, LOL.

Does anyone here know of any research or reccomendations for that age group? When we travelled with my son we brought his carseat even when he was three, but like I said we were renting a car so we needed it anyway. At three I probably would have just sat him in the seat, I'm just hesitating on just-turned-two.

That is a tough question. The issue is can a just two year old keep properly restrained in severe turbulence with just a lap belt. I have never really found a good answer to that. My daughter will be 4 this month and we travel by air frequently. I bring her car seat because I feel she is safer and she feels more secure in it. Also, it makes her tall enough that she can look out the window.

If you do decide to bring it you may want to get a rolling tote. It is my one carryon bag. It fits nicely under the seat and holds everything I need for the flight. The one I have has a squared off, flat top so I can put the seat on top and strap it to the extended handle. It leaves one hand free to hold on to or carry my daughter.

Definitely get a rolling tote. Our first big trip last year we brought a carry tote and it was not easy getting through the airport with it. When we got the rolling tote it was so much easier.

Our son turns 2 in November and we are doing a trip to WDW at the end of October. We also are not renting a car on this trip, but we definitely do plan to bring along a car seat for the airplane (we did purchase a seat for him on the flights). Our son is fairly tall for his age (although very skinny), but I can't imagine him being at all well secured by the lap belt only in a plane. In fact, I think he would easily be able to wriggle out from under a lap belt. He also probably would fight us as far as wearing it.

We do have a rolling tote for the car seat. In addtion, the car seat that we normally use is pretty large, so we purchased a smaller one that we use for travel. While we know from experience that dealing with the carseat is something of an inconvenience at the airport, I still think having one is going to be the safest way to travel.

-Jeff

I am a former flight attendant, and my DH is a commercial pilot. We ALWAYS have our kids fly in carseats. Even my 4yo sits in his carseat. YES it is a totaly pain in the butt lugging to large (Britax) carseats on the plane with all the other gear that you need for them, but their safety is worth the incovenience. I saw too many videos of turbulence during training, and have experienced some pretty bad turbulence myself, while working and traveling as a passenger, to think they could be safe just in the seat belt.

I don't have any information that would help you - but I wanted to commend you on the decision to buy your daughter a seat.

I am not a parent, but a loving Aunt to 7 nephews, and at that age, I think she'd be so USED to her car seat, especially for a long flight (SEATAC to Orlando is a LONG flight), that she'll be more comfortable in the seat. She's probably more likely to doze off if she's in her familiar seat.

Thanks everyone, we have decided to go ahead and bring the seat. My husband brought up something that was alluded to here, that she is so used to her carseat it would probably be easier to keep her in her seat with it than without. He said that she knows that in the carseat she stays put. I also didn't think about how she wouldn't be able to see out of the window, she'd probably spend most of trip trying to get on her knees which kind of defeats the purpose of a seatbelt I guess, LOL. At least my son at almost six doesn't need one right? :p Only a few more years of all this baby gear. :eek:

I know that you've already made your decision, but another point to consider for anybody else looking to the information on this thread to make their own decision is the child's comfort. If the child is small, their legs are most likely gonig to be too short to easily hang over the edge of the seat. This will make it uncomfortable to sit in the seat, since they will either have to sit cross-legged or have their legs out straight. In a car seat, they will be able to sit with their legs bent at a comfortable angle, which will help them to relax on the flight much more easily.

Suggestion. If you are traveling with more than 2 people in your party. Have the others in your party sit in front of your child, so that he/she is kicking the back of THEIR seat and not some total strangers. Trust me, no matter how hard you try, they WILL kick the seat. hehe

I know that you've already made your decision, but another point to consider for anybody else looking to the information on this thread to make their own decision is the child's comfort. If the child is small, their legs are most likely gonig to be too short to easily hang over the edge of the seat. This will make it uncomfortable to sit in the seat, since they will either have to sit cross-legged or have their legs out straight. In a car seat, they will be able to sit with their legs bent at a comfortable angle, which will help them to relax on the flight much more easily.

Great point, and another one that I didn't consider, LOL.

Suggestion. If you are traveling with more than 2 people in your party. Have the others in your party sit in front of your child, so that he/she is kicking the back of THEIR seat and not some total strangers. Trust me, no matter how hard you try, they WILL kick the seat. hehe

Oh, absolutely. Last trip we took we were in a 757 and stupidly I thought that it would be easier for us to sit 4 across with my husband across the aisle. She kicked the seat in front often, and I also felt bad that that person couldn't recline their seat with her in back. This trip we will still be in a 757 but I'm just going to figure it is less of a hassle to have to bug the person in the aisle seat to get out for the restroom than to deal with constant seat kicking. I mean, how many times will we be in the restroom anyway, right?

This trip we will still be in a 757 but I'm just going to figure it is less of a hassle to have to bug the person in the aisle seat to get out for the restroom than to deal with constant seat kicking. I mean, how many times will we be in the restroom anyway, right?

May I make a suggestion if you don't already have this idea?

Book the aisle and the window seats for yourselves. IF a third person comes to sit in the middle, he/she will probably be happy to switch seats with you and sit on the aisle. If no one shows up for that seat in the middle, you could have an empty seat next to you.

Adrienne

Book the aisle and the window seats for yourselves. IF a third person comes to sit in the middle, he/she will probably be happy to switch seats with you and sit on the aisle. If no one shows up for that seat in the middle, you could have an empty seat next to you.


While I can see the logic in that, it sounds a bit dangerous to me. While it may be somewhat unlikely, it would introduce the risk that someone might book that middle seat who really does specifically want a middle seat. In such a case, one could be stuck in a situation of having a stranger seated between parent and child.

-Jeff