A question re: carseats and flying....

K

Karrobb

Guest
A question re: carseats and flying....

I am sure this has been asked and covered before, sorry if it has....

I am flying from San Fran to London in two weeks and want to know what is the absolute safest option for my girls. My older daughter is 7 and uses a Starriser Comfy, my younger daughter just turned 4, is right around 40lbs and is using a Britax Super Elite.

I am traveling by myself with the girls and am not sure if I can carry the Super Elite! Do they even fit on plane seats....they are so huge! I am pretty sure that the Starriser cannot be used on the plane, so I will take it and pack it. Is my 7 year old safe in the regular airline seat/seatbelt? I will use her Starriser in the car when we get there.

What do you suggest for my 4 year old? I will want a safe option for her while on the plane as well as when we get there. The Britax site says that a child up to 40lbs should be in a forward facing carseat on a plane.

Thanks for any and all advice you can give.

Karoline
karoline@greatstrides.com
 
ADS
C

Caviller

Guest
You may be OK with regular belts-

At 40 pounds, most harnessed carseats are no longer useable. Boosters are also not allowed on aircraft. The Super Elite is also not certified for aircraft.

With the exception of something like the Fisher Price Futura (discontinued) or Britax Marathon (to 65 pounds), you don't have many options for aircraft use. In the aircraft itself, using the belts alone is fine at 40 pounds, just make sure they are tight and used all the time.

Of course, you will still need restraints for them in London, so you will want to check or carry-on whatever you need like you said:)

Darren
 
D

dsharp

Guest
Re: A question re: carseats and flying....

You're brave to fly alone with the girls AND contemplate two car seats! I've been there with our son and daughter, and carrying two car seats. The other passengers would frown, especially when I bonked them while struggling up the aisle. Seriously, besides the Super Elite not being certified, that would be a struggle indeed. Our son is 4 and we recently started checking his car seat, so I only have to bring one car seat for our 2-year-old. So you're not alone if you choose to go that route with your 4-year-old...

IMHO, you consider gate checking your seats. Since it's an international flight and you'll be there early, it's unlikely that your checked baggage wouldn't make it. But we've been in the position of checking our son's seat, and the seat not making it into the baggage compartment. We were at the Minneapolis airport at 11 p.m.; fortunately, they provided a loaner (nice!).

"cheers!"
David
 
S

ssmith

Guest
carseats and flying

Another posting mentioned something I had never thought of before: if you are going to check a car seat, make sure it is in a box, preferably the original packaging. This person said that he or she had seen car seats damaged during handling at airports, which could be as bad as using a seat that had been in a crash. Just something to consider...
 
K

Karrobb

Guest
Thank you all....

I think I will end up checking both carseats and using the plane belts for both girls. I have a Britax cruiser which I may bring to use for my younger daughter when we get there. Hmmm...not sure though, I would really rather she was in a 5-point when we are there. Still not sure I want to bring the Super Elite.

So....any other suggestions for a 5-point to use while we are there. I wouldn't mind having a second 5-point for my husband's car here when we get back. Any suggestions for anything just-as-safe-as but not-as-enormous-as the Super Elite for use in vehicles in the UK and here?

Thanks again for all your advice, especially regarding gate checking the seats.

Karoline
karoline@greatstrides.com
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
How much are you willing to spend on a seat?

If you are willing to spend a pretty penny for a travel seat/back-up seat, I'd look at the Sunshine Kids Radian. It would allow your younger daughter to be harnessed to 65 pounds.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Depending on what type of vehicle you'll be using in the UK, look at the Safeguard go
 

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