DH doesn't want to take carseat on plane anymore

Ugh. My DH was just convinced by SIL to not take the carseat on the airplane. We are going to Europe. She says that the baby can sleep on the seat because she won't want to sit on her but for 12 hours.

Also, my husband is afraid our learning curve true fit wont fit. I have tried looking for the sticker but all I find is the ingrained letters that say it is good for flying. No sticker though. Anybody have this problem.

How old is your LO? There should be red lettering on one of the stickers that says the seat is approved for aircraft use.

I would definitely use the seat on the plane, some of the others here have much more experience with international travel. We always use our seats for travel (domestic) and there is no way I would want to hold a toddler for a 4+ hour flight and try to get them to sleep. If your LO is small enoug to use the Truefit without the headrest that would probably be your best option for RF on the plane.
Ann

I would absolutely bring some sort of carseat on the plane. When traveling home from Dublin I sat across from a family that had a child with a seat but no carseat. He screamed, cried and ran all over the entire flight. On landing the flight attendants where unstrapped trying to keep him strapped in with mom and grandpa trying to keep him belted in the regular seatbelt. It was miserable for everyone and dangerous. He was standing on the seat when we landed. Take a seat for the child safety.:twocents:

The True Fit is FAA-approved, but it is wide and probably won't fit in the bulkhead or rear facing. You would be better off buying a cheap seat like the Scenera to use on the trip (much lighter and narrower).

How old is your LO? And what airline are you flying? Have you bought a seat for your child and will you need a car seat at your destination? Your answers to these questions would affect recommendations.

The TF takes up less front-to-back room RF'ing than the MA does, so it really should be fine. If your LO is young enough to use it without the headrest, it should be great. If not, I'd probably opt for a cheap Scenera that's lightweight and easy to carry.

I've flown for 14+ hours with DS when he was 1 yo. 2 yo, 3 yo and 4 yo. We also fly domestically 3-4 times a year. Worst flights ever were the 2 when we didn't take the car seat. At 1 yo, DS could still fit in the basinette on the 14 + hour flight, which was great when he slept. But when he didn't, he was on ME the entire time. The 2nd flight he was 2.5 you and it was a 5 hour flight. He kept undoing the seat belt the entire time and did not want to sit, and he wanted to be all over me. Strapped into his car seat, DS sits and sleeps. He normally sleeps 8+ hours on the long haul international flight. Yes, sometimes he does not want to be in his car seat on the plane, but he has no choice, that is where he has to sit, and I have had to manhandle him into the seat. But he knows, that's where he sits.

I wouldn't take the trufit. Too big. Get a Scenera or a Safety First Avenue. Much lighter and smaller and easier to lug around.

I would also insist on the car seat. No car seat, no flight. End of story. I don't often put my foot down on certain things, but the car seat is one of them. And on a plane, DS would want to sit on ME and not DH, so I wouldn't let DH decide this one as he's not the one who will be uncomfortable for 9+ hours.

TAKE. THE. CARSEAT.
for all the same reasons as the above posters

Take the carseat take the carseat take the carseat. LO will be worlds more comfortable sitting on her butt and sleeping comfortably than squirming over the seat trying to find a comfortable position. AND she will be safer should you hit turbulence etc. I just went to Europe for 3 weeks in September with my 2yo and 4.5yo and while lugging the seats through the airport was a challenge, even my mom admitted that having the seat on board the plane was a godsend. Here's my trip review, including pictures of the kids sleeping like angels even through turbulence - we had to wake them on arrival after the 9 hour flight landed.

I will second, however, the suggestion to get a travel seat like the Scenera if your child will fit. I have heard of people flying with the TF but after installing the MA and Scenera on the planes I cannot imagine the TF fitting width-wise. We flew on a Boeing 767, I believe. The Scenera installed very well on the plane (in fact I think it was easier and sat in the seat better than the MA) and as long as you know how to use a locking clip or get lucky with locking seatbelts, the car installs are fairly simple as well.

ETA by bringing the seat on board you will also avoid the likelihood of getting back a damaged carseat at your destination!

Since the OP hasn't posted back yet, I just wanted to clarify that I asked what airline she's flying because if she's flying certain European carriers they might not -let- her take the True Fit on the plane. It is a very wide seat and some carriers like British Airways have rules that require a narrower seat than that. I'd hate for us all to tell the OP to bring a seat and then have her get to the airport and have to check the seat unprotected because she thought it would be on the plane. This is another reasons I'd really think about getting a Scenera or something similar for traveling though. You just never know and you don't want your primary seat to get damaged.

TAKE THE SEAT! Just got back from a trip from Cincinnati to New Zealand and back two days ago and the seat was a lifesaver! DD slept beautifully in her seat pretty much the whole trip. We got the Evenflo tribute v ($37.00 on sale at Kmart) which isn't as popular as the Scenera (I think it's because the Scenera is taller) and it worked great. Super easy to install and dd seemed very comfortable in it. We were on a flight with a lady who did not bring a car seat for her dd and her child screamed for a lot of the flight. She ended up walking around with it rocking it to sleep. I cannot say it enough...take the seat. HTH

Just take the seat. DH is the same way never wants to take her seat. He thinks it is more difficult which I do not understand as I'm the one who installes it everytime.