What do you guys think about Piper flying without a carseat

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
For this flight she'll be 4y10m and probably 33 pounds or so. We have put her in a plane's seat, just playing before takeoff, and if you tighten the seatbelt all the way it does hold her in. What do you think?

What's going on is we have two weddings in NY/CT two weeks apart this spring. She and I will stay up there at my mom's place, or visiting friends and family, for the two weeks between weddings. Nathan is going to have to fly home for work. What makes the most sense (and sounds like the most fun) is to have me drive up alone, and them fly up. I'll be picking them up at the airport, so there is a carseat waiting for her at either end, it's just on the plane that's an issue. Nathan does not want to haul around the Radian, and he's not going to have any other luggage since I'll be driving everything up with me.

If she was one or two or even three I wouldn't even consider it, she would drive with me, but for a nearly five year old, a seasoned traveler? I don't generally like the idea of CARES, and I don't think it's less of a PITA than the Radian to install, but maybe?

Anyway, what do you guys think? Piper is great in the car, we drove from NY home yesterday in a record 9 hours 58 minutes, but she would rather fly, and I love solo road trips (and I hate flying, despite all the traveling I do). Nathan would definitely rather fly. So the logical thing is for her to fly up and back, me drive, and him to fly up in two trips.

I'm tempted to say it's ok, she's not a little baby, and while she's below the recommended 40 pounds, she's also not a little baby, she just happens to weigh nothing. She probably knows just as much as the flight attendants about crash dynamics and safety, so I'm not worried about her bouncing around the plane at all. In fact my biggest worry would be that she'd flip out and have a fit on the plane because she DOESN'T have a seat. Or not want to sit in it again after this.

I don't know. What do you guys think?

Wendy
 
ADS

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
AJ will ride w/out his carseat in Sept, so 4 yr 3.5 mos old. He is 40# fully clothed, but it still worries me. :) I think she'll be fine if the lap belt fits her and she's a good sitter.
 

Morganthe

New member
Well, speaking from the experience last year's 4 long airplane trips with a 2 1/2 year old who was the same weight and 37 inches tall, I'd say if you're comfortable with it, do it without the carseat. DD had no troubles sitting in her seat & keeping her seatbelt snug. I would suggest some polartech-like fleece throws as padding against those hard armrests & fill empty space to make the seat more comfortable. They easily roll up for carry-on baggage.

I didn't know as much as I know now about lapbelt injury, but the chance of aircraft crashing is so low, I probably still have done it the way we had to without guilt or intense worry.

but that's just mho. Go with what your gut tells you :)

Ahhh, the thought of a long drive alone with just ME to take care of sounds like absolute heaven. It's better than a bubble bath :p
have a great trip :D
 

BrookeSLP

New member
I think it is OK, personally. I would guess that the 40lbs is fairly arbitrary. Someone probably chose that number assuming that kids would be a certain age (probably 4) by the time they hit 40lbs. Since the belts does fit around her, I would do it.
 

Kellyr2

New member
For her age, I'd absolutely be okay with it. If I flew with Mikayla, the only reason I'd want to take her seat onboard would be to avoid the baggage handlers.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Thanks guys. I think even I'm overly obsessed and overprotective sometimes. LOL I will ask that Nathan put something next to her, maybe they can get a couple of blankets from the plane. That way if she's swimming a bit or is uncomfortable they can use the pillows and blankets to pad around her.

Twenty hours in the car with just me?? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Can you say audio book? LOL

Wendy
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
I'd think she'd be fine, too.

My older ds flew without a seat last time, and our upcoming trip, he'll do the same. He's 5 and just over 40 lbs.

We're bringing the Radian for him, and a MA to RF for the little one, I believe.

We have friends borrowing our Scenera, so it's not an option. And dh is insisting that ds1 have a harnessed seat for the trip. Nice. :D

Enjoy your trip - and 20 hours of peace and quiet! Audio books are GREAT!
 

groovymom2000

New member
Ahhh...20 hours alone! :lol Elliot(6 years) has been flying without his seat for about a year now. We use a booster at destination when we travel, as his weight and height have been too high for much of anything other than the Husky since about that time. He too is a seasoned traveler, and the only thing that he doesn't like is that he can't see out of the window---but didn't you say that Piper didn't like the window? So, I think she'll be fine, and have a great time flying up with her Daddy. Enjoy the quiet time!
 

rachel3612

Senior Community Member
Hannah flew without a seat at this age and she was about the same weight. Or at least under 40lbs (she was using the MCP at the time) she did fine. Liam would be in a seat if we flew, its the trust-able factor. LOL

I would say go for it, make it easy on Nathan. This will be his first flight alone with her right?

Rachel
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I think she will be fine. O and she looks so cute in your new photo

LOL Thanks. You guys would cringe if you knew more about that photo. All of the projectiles I cropped out (long trip, so there were crayons and pencils and paper and some small toys literally all around her) and the fact that that was taken while driving. I held the camera up and took a photo. I think I took 20 or so (not at once) and three were good. Just chance. But she was back there making funny faces. I'm trying to remember why her feet were up. I think she had said she was cold and needed the heat on. Go figure. 70+ degrees and my kid wants the heat on. I turned down the AC a notch for her. hehe

Wendy
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Hannah flew without a seat at this age and she was about the same weight. Or at least under 40lbs (she was using the MCP at the time) she did fine. Liam would be in a seat if we flew, its the trust-able factor. LOL

I would say go for it, make it easy on Nathan. This will be his first flight alone with her right?

Rachel

They've been on small planes together from here to SC or up to VA for the day. The last time the dads put the three kids in boosters on the plane, backless no less, and then put Piper in a high back rated from 33 pounds and up. This was after assurance that Piper could use one of their Marathons. Sheesh. But this time they'll be flying commercially, and Nathan can handle that, he just doesn't want to deal with the carseat. Guess I shouldn't pull out the "well I did it with Piper by myself while still on a cane four weeks after knee surgery," that's just not nice, even if it is true and he's a wuss. LOL

Wendy
 

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