flying with boosters

teekadog · Mar 21, 2012

We've booked our flight for the summer and now DH is bummed we're going to have to use our Ridesafer Travel Vests. He wonders if there's any way we could fly with our two Jane highback boosters. I told him I am 99% sure NOT, but he begged me to ask here. I can't really tell him "no" since he knows how often I visit CSO

soygurl · Mar 21, 2012

What is his objection to using the RSTVs? :scratcheshead:

You can't use the vests or boosters on the plane, and bringing the boosters would be a much bigger hassle IMO. You can't check them (checked = crashed, including gate checking), unless they're well padded and packed in a sturdy box. So that leaves trying to carry them on, which again is likely to be a huge hassle. It is frequently recommended that if you must travel with a booster, to pack the back in a suitcase, padded on all sides by clothes, and then carry on the bottom part. But I'm not familiar with the Jane boosters, and don't know how easy they are to take apart and put back together.

In any case, there's a reason the vest is called a travel vest. They're so small and lightweight, it makes them ideal for traveling. I can't imagine choosing to bring a high back booster instead. :shrug-shoulders:

teekadog · Mar 22, 2012

First, he thinks the vests are a pita to use. And the kids complain about how hot they are in the summer in the south. I don't disagree, but well, they fill their niche and I am happy with that.

I've been telling him we can't use the boosters on the plane but he wanted me to be sure and check

. He knows full well that checking them would be a recipe for disaster, he's just, well, being an optimist about it. I get where he's coming from, and I know he'll see the use of the vests once we're struggling with 4 kids on and off airplanes, but I thought I would humor him by checking here. He was hoping I would buy BubbleBums for the kids instead, but I can't bring myself to spend $80 on more car seats when I have vests that will work fine. Now he wants me to ask his folks if they'll drive the boosters in their car and then we can use the boosters at our destination for a week. So the kids will use the vests for the 3 hour drives to/from the airport and our destination, and then use the boosters for the few short trips while at the beach? Whatever, I guess I'll ask my ils if they're willing to do that

.

soygurl · Mar 22, 2012

Haha, alrighty then...

Yeah, I understand that some kids don't really like the vests, and they aren't all that easy to use. But well... traveling with kids isn't all that easy either!

Then again, if it'll really make your DH and the kids that much happier, maybe BubbleBums wouldn't that bad of an investment? Your younger kids will still be able to get some use out of the vests eventually anyway, right?

Oh, and just so he understands, you can't use boosters on airplanes because they only have lap belts, and you can NEVER use a booster with a lap-only belt! That's why booster seats are NOT FAA certified.

ketchupqueen · Mar 22, 2012

Yeah, if they're old enough, LiteRiders or BubbleBums might be worth it. (I think BubbleBums are cool, so I'd push for those. "Honey, if you don't want to use the vests, you have to let me buy BubbleBums!"

But of course LiteRiders are cheaper- two for less than the price of one BB.)

teekadog · Mar 22, 2012

I just can't stomach spending MORE $ on MORE STUFF. While BubbleBums would be neat-o and easy-peasy, I need to SAVE my $ and SAVE my sanity by having LESS STUFF.

Please excuse all the caps, but I've thought long and hard about it and feel strongly.

Do you think it would be safe to check the vests? In the past I have always packed them in carry-on to be extra safe, but it would be nice to have as little carry-on as possible. If I tuck them in snugly between all our clothes, I don't think they could get damaged, do you?

Qarin · Mar 22, 2012

The risk to them in checking is misrouting of the bag- if you arrive without them, you're kind of up a creek. I wouldn't worry about damage, but lost luggage is common.

I'm on the $10 Walmart Literider side, if they're old enough, but I get that you don't want MORE STUFF.

teekadog · Mar 22, 2012

Ah, good point. I'd forgotten that was another reason I always carried them on- and will continue to do so.

Must keep repeating: Stuff does NOT make my life easier, stuff does NOT make my life easier, stuff does NOT make my life easier...

ketchupqueen · Mar 22, 2012

You could always leave/donate the boosters when you go back, so you don't bring home more stuff; $25 for the trip might be worth your kids' comfort and husband's sanity.

rxmommy · Mar 22, 2012

ketchupqueen said:
You could always leave/donate the boosters when you go back, so you don't bring home more stuff; $25 for the trip might be worth your kids' comfort and husband's sanity.

yup, this is exactly what I would do. Literiders are really easy to take on a plane. The kid carried her own. Actually it was her sister's seat and she had her BB in her backpack, so she was my pack mule LOL. It was no big deal at all.

teekadog · Mar 24, 2012

Where we're leaving it is that the ILs will bring the boosters in their car and we'll use them all week once we get to the family compound. Trips once we reach our destination are of the very short and rather frequent variety and I can see people complaining about using the vests in those instances and encouraging us to go without, so I am glad to have the boosters there. My kids will still have to use the vests to and from the airport. While that is two 3-hour trips, I honestly think they will be more comfortable in the vests. It is highly likely the kids will fall asleep on those drives and the vests hold them nice and snug when they do that. My kids have yet to meet a lbb because they still fall asleep so easily. More than an hour in a hbb and they flop over like salmon.

The donation idea is a fantastic one, but I would have guilt about not using the $200 worth of vests I already own, and as I said, the sleep issue on long drives...

Thank you everyone for your help!

flying with boosters

teekadog

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