Real quick :) Talk me through flying!

judesmommy · Jun 27, 2011

Okay...

I have a two year old ERF. We are leaving for a less than 2 hour flight on weds. I am taking him and a crud load of luggage by myself. So originally, I was planning on just purchasing a CARES harness. But, now money is tight. I cannot afford it. Can I take him without anything?? I highly doubt he will have a problem remaining seated... We have a window seat, and I am bringing a new bag of toys and snacks on the plane. Is this a legal option? I have a radian, but, I don't feel comfortable lugging around such a heavy seat alone, and trying to watch my son. I also have an Avenue. Is the Avenue FAA approved and less than 16 inches across??

DS is almost 3, and 31 lbs. 37 inches. He has a brand new seat at our destination.

An Aurora · Jun 27, 2011

ETA: NM, I see you have a seat at your destination.

I'm personally not comfortable flying without a seat. In order to see out the window, he would have to kneel or stand on the plane seat.

mommaof2boys · Jun 27, 2011

We just flew (Alaska Air) yesterday with our Avenue and had no problems with it. It is FAA approved and narrow enough that I could put down the armrest with it installed both RF and FF. The other nice thing is that FF, the Avenue sits low enough to use the tray table.

We also used one of our Radians FF, and it too is low enough to use the tray. We had two of the shoulder straps to carry it. It was heavy after a while, but did leave our hands free to deal with carry-ons, a toddler, and a stroller.

turtlemama · Jun 28, 2011

We were taught in our tech course that car seats on planes were to keep the child safe in the event of heavy turbulence, and so that they would have a trusted seat at the arrival destination. So it's not so much about keeping the child seated (though that is a plus) but more about keeping them safe. I'm not too familiar with what seats work on planes, but just by going off of what I learned in my tech course, and from watching videos about car seats and airplanes, I would strongly suggest bringing one along.

ketchupqueen · Jun 28, 2011

Can you rent a CARES on ebay? Or borrow one?

judesmommy · Jun 28, 2011

thanks ladies! Decided to bring the Avenue. It says that it is FAA approved in the manual and it seems pretty narrow to me. I didn't even really think about turbulence. DS has epilepsy, so the last thing we need is a head injury from turbulence too!

Patriot201 · Jun 28, 2011

Good decision!

The Avenue works well on planes.

jeno · Jun 28, 2011

Great! I would def. bring a seat along.

My DD is 3, 38lbs, 38" tall and the lap belt def. does not fit her properly yet.
My son was almost 4 before he rode w/o a seat, and I would consider him extremely mature compared to my DD.

murphydog77 · Jun 28, 2011

judesmommy said:
thanks ladies! Decided to bring the Avenue. It says that it is FAA approved in the manual and it seems pretty narrow to me. I didn't even really think about turbulence. DS has epilepsy, so the last thing we need is a head injury from turbulence too!

Make sure to find the red lettering on the label on the side of the seat before you leave. There's a sample label here: http://carseatblog.com/6599/airplanes-carseats-and-kids—what-you-need-to-know-pt-1/ . It's easier to point to the label when a flight attendant asks you than to look it up in the manual.

Eclipsepearl · Jun 29, 2011

Too late but CARES can be rented. Just google "CARES Ebay" or "Craigslist" and the name of your location to get a list.

For the record, I flew alone with three children on 11 1/2 hour flights plus a connection alone with a Radian. It really wasn't a problem. I skipped the stroller and strapped the Radian on to a luggage cart and wheeled it behind me. You have only one child and a really short flight so it shouldn't be a problem.

Just to make it clear that flying with a Radian is no big deal!

Real quick :) Talk me through flying!

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