Child's Age, Carseat Use on Planes

Until what age is it recommended to use carseat on planes? We're really curious because we can't imagine dealing with more than 1 carseat at the airport.

I think that largely depends on if you have car seats waiting for you at your destination. If there is, then it's okay to use CARES on a plane. http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

How old/ tall/ heavy are the children you'll be flying with?

When I read the reviews on CARES, seeing the negative reviews made me want to stay away from it.

We only have 1 child right now. We're just kinda looking ahead on how we would deal with plane travels when we have a 2nd child. Our first child will probably be around 3-4yrs old by the time we travel with 2 kids.

I hate the CARES, honestly. Over the years it's just come to that. It started with feeling it was ok for a small part of the population, now I just feel that it's a false sense of security, and then people feel free to check their carseats.

The FAA recommends using a carseat on board until 40 pounds. And my daughter was 43 pounds or so before all airplane seatbelts fit her consistently. So for her, we used a seat on board until she hit 40 pounds, which was nearly seven years old.

There are ways of traveling with two seats to make it a bit easier, if you come back when you know their ages and weights. We'll be happy to help.

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when using a CRS. FAA recommends that a child weighing:

Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing CRS
From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-facing CRS
More than 40 pounds use an airplane seat belt
A child may also use an alternative, such as a a harness-type restraint, if it is approved by FAA. FAA has approved one restraint appropriate for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. This type of restraint is not safe for use in motor vehicles.

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That's from http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/.

Wendy

If you want some ideas about how to travel with 2 kids (or more!) and car seats, we can definitely share our ideas.

I have twins so we've always flown with 2 car seats. We also have limited how often we fly because it's exhausting and expensive.

Melanie

Also have flown with two kids and two car seats a bit. It's a pain but doable.

We are going to try the CARES harness on our trip next week. I just tested it out on my DS (the smaller of the duo) and it seemed to fit him nicely. Of course, I tested it on my kitchen chair, not an airplane seat.

My dd used her Marathon on the plane until she was 6.5yo. The first flight without, was the flight that she needed it. We hit turbulence and a baby (8mo) that was 2 rows behind us went flying out of her Mom's arms and ended up across the aisle & 5 rows ahead. Landed on the armrest! Poor girl. Fortunately there was a Dr on board and baby seemed okay.

My dd's tummy hurt bad and I was newly pg and afraid I was going to lose the baby. He is 24mo now : )

So, I would use it as long as possible.... I love the Go Go Kidz Travelmate!

My issue with the car seat on the plane is behavioral. I have a giant 2.5 year old who might actually fit in the seat belt, but if he throws a fit I can't imagine how I would keep all 40 lbs of him seated with his seat belt on. That scares the heck out of me on take off and landing. As long as I'm still concerned about this behavioral issue, I'm taking the car seat on the plane for toddler containment first and safety second.

KaiLing said:

My issue with the car seat on the plane is behavioral. I have a giant 2.5 year old who might actually fit in the seat belt, but if he throws a fit I can't imagine how I would keep all 40 lbs of him seated with his seat belt on. That scares the heck out of me on take off and landing. As long as I'm still concerned about this behavioral issue, I'm taking the car seat on the plane for toddler containment first and safety second.

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There are definitely good reasons for taking car seats on board besides safety reasons.

For me, the most compelling reason is that we need our car seats at our destination. I don't want to check the car seat because I know the car seat may get damaged or lost in the baggage handling process. Visible damage would be bad enough, but I more concerned about damage that is not visible. I know of people who gate checked car seats lost.

My children are also more comfortable sitting in their car seat. We flew without harness seats for the first time this summer and our twins were 6.5yo. We had a night flight and my children had a difficult time finding a comfortable way to sleep. The car seat gives them a comfortable place to rest their heads and help them stay in position to sleep.

Melanie

I just flew with 2 kids (4 y.o. and 7 weeks) and 2 car seats. It wasn't a big deal with 2 adults, but I could have done it myself pretty easily too. The way to do it is to have the right seats.

My 4 year old son has a Maestro. It is very light to carry and easy to install. The baby has a SR35 clone. I shipped a base to my destination, but in the future i'll travel with a CCO which is light, compact, and doesn't need a base. The infant seat can be used baseless on plane easily but I find in a hassle at the actual destination. I also find bringing a stroller helps. With the infant seat I used a Maclaren Easy Traveller and I hung the Maestro off the handles or slung it over my shoulder. My son rolls his own carry on (it is a rolling backpack in case he punks out...i can whip out the straps and put it on my back). I just brought a small tote bag for baby's and my stuff. Very easy.

The biggest secret to travel with kids is DON'T GET OVERWHELMED. The trick to that is to assume you'll move slowly and definitely don't worry about anyone else. Their problems aren't your problems. If you are too slow for them at security WHO CARES??? They are the idiots who got behind a woman, her two babies, carseats and stroller LOL. And if your baby's RF seat doesn't allow them to recline OH WELL. You bought the seat and the baby has the right to travel safely. Stuff like that.

I travel all the time and don't plan to slow down just because I have 2 kids! It really isn't hard with the right stuff!

We travel 2 or 3 times a year by commercial flights (lots more by GA flights, but that is a different ball game ).

For the last 6 years we have always had at least 2 kids in carseats on those flights. I totally agree with GiGi, that the trick is to not get overwhelmed and don't let other people piss you off! Figure out how you will carry the seats and stuff, as much as you can, a head of time. We usually have one of us (me) get on the plane ASAP and install the carseats and have the other parent wait till the last minute to board so the kids are not sitting restlessly on the plane for 20 or 30 minutes more than they have too. Another trick I have used often, is (if your child is big enough and you are comfortable with it) ask the passenger in front of you on the plane if they woudl rather not be able to recline their seat, or have your child kick it the entire flight - that will determine if the carseat goes FF or RF. Also offer to buy them a drink in flight

A gogo travel mate or something like that works great for transport in and around the airport. When your older child is beg enough a Ride Safer Travel Vest will be come your best friend if you travel much! It is a wearable carseat. It can not be used on th plane, but can be tossed in your bag and taken out at your destination.