Car seat on plane for 42 pound child?

We're going to be flying with our 3 kids and I'm not exactly sure how to handle the car seats on the plane.

My biggest question is for my 42 pound, almost 4 year old. The FAA says kids over 40 lbs don't need a car seat, but I'm wondering if she could/should use her seat (a Evenflo Titan 65) just to avoid gate checking it. At the same time I'm sure it would be nice not to have to drag the seat onto the plane with us.

For our 1.5 year old: he's 25 lbs, so the FAA says front-facing, even though he's still RF in the car. Any objections to this?

(Our 6 year old is the only one I have completely figured out -- she'll be using the brand-new Emperor's New Carseat on the plane.)

Thanks for your advice!

My 35lb 2.75yr old nephew fit in a seatbelt on our last Southwest flight.

Edit: sorry if that's not what you were asking! He'd be safe on the plane either way - just depends on whether or not you trust them hate checking your seat.

If you have a need for car seats at your destination, I would definitely use it on the plane over checking it.

pooh136 said:

If you have a need for car seats at your destination, I would definitely use it on the plane over checking it.

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Yes, sorry I didn't make that clear: we need the car seats at our destination so they will be traveling with us in any case.

Your 4yo can use the seat on the plane. And it's definitely preferable to use it rather than check it.

For your 1yo, I was always comfortable with my kids FF on planes even if they were still RF in vehicles.

What is the seat you have for your 6yo? (I'm wondering if that's an autocorrect for the name). If it's a booster it cannot be used on the plane. Ideally a booster is stowed with your carry ons so that you know it's safe and will arrive at your destination.

aeormsby said:

For your 1yo, I was always comfortable with my kids FF on planes even if they were still RF in vehicles.

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Yeah, I was surprised at first, but I think it's fine. I guess it's because the main concern on a plane is being thrown around by turbulence, landing jolts, etc. which don't have a strong forward-backward component (compared to a frontal car crash anyway).

aeormsby said:

What is the seat you have for your 6yo? (I'm wondering if that's an autocorrect for the name). If it's a booster it cannot be used on the plane. Ideally a booster is stowed with your carry ons so that you know it's safe and will arrive at your destination.

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Sorry, I was just kidding about the name, since you can't use a booster on a plane. We'll be taking a backless booster as a carry on for her.

For the 4-year-old: since you are bringing the carseat anyway, I think it is ultimately easier to just install it onboard and use it. I have done so in the past on the theory that it eliminates any worry of loss or damage due to gate-checking, and honestly, if I am going to carry the thing all the way to the door of the plane, I may as well go the additional 50 feet to our row of seats.

For the 1-year-old: FF is fine over 1 yr./20 lbs. (per FAA recommendation, as you noted) but keep in mind also that if for any reason you prefer to install RF (e.g. ease of installation and/or the child sleeps better) you have the right to do so under FAA policy, as long as he/she is within the stated height/weight limits (RF) for the carseat.

If you have two kids using carseats, consider the seating layout and where you all want to be. Ordinarily carseats must be in a window seat, but with 2 kids the airline may give you some leeway -- for example, in a 3x3 setup, I have been allowed to put carseats in both the window and middle seats, with myself on the aisle. However that is not guaranteed -- FAA does give airlines some latitude on their policies there -- so you might prefer window & aisle in two adjacent rows. With a 2x2 setup it's a non-issue.

cantabdad said:

If you have two kids using carseats, consider the seating layout and where you all want to be. Ordinarily carseats must be in a window seat, but with 2 kids the airline may give you some leeway -- for example, in a 3x3 setup, I have been allowed to put carseats in both the window and middle seats, with myself on the aisle. However that is not guaranteed -- FAA does give airlines some latitude on their policies there -- so you might prefer window & aisle in two adjacent rows. With a 2x2 setup it's a non-issue.

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Thanks for that -- I think on our departing flight we have 2 window seats, but on the return we don't. I'll check with the airline to see what we can do about it.

With your child being so close to the seat versus no seat on the plane regulations, I would just not mention their weight. They aren't going to weigh your kid so if you show up with a seat, they should let you use it. I would definitely use the seat on the plane rather than checking it if at all possible.

Any child can use a car seat on a plane, regardless of age or weight, as long as they fit according to the manufacturer.

Children can also ride in any direction (rear- or forward-facing), again, as long as they are within the requirements/allowances of the seat.

http://carseatblog.com/22134/flying-with-a-car-seat-know-your-rights/