Flying w/ 3 kids to Mexico

Maisie&BodensMommy · Dec 3, 2012

I booked a trip to Cancun today for the family in April 2013. It will be the first time we're flying with kids instead of driving to our destination.

We are flying a direct flight (5 or 6 hours) to Cancun, and then a shuttle is taking us to our hotel. We likely won't be leaving the resort, and then a shuttle takes us back to the airport.

What seats do I bring for use on the plane and shuttles to/from airport? Kids will be 4 1/2, almost 4, and 2 1/2. Do I just FF the 2 1/2 year old on the plane? Will the shuttle allow me to install carseats?

Seats we have are: 2 myrides, 1 radian (without the stickers), 1 nautilus, 1 frontier, 1 maestro. I might have a scenera upstairs in our storage room--I cannot remember if we still have it, or if I trashed it out of frustration!

What's our best bet?

Carrie_R · Dec 3, 2012

I would FF the 2yo on the plane. Although it is possible to have something occur on the ground, the primary reason for restraint in the plane is turbulence. Out of those seats, I would probably go RN (but only if you can get stickers, or at least the FAA approved one) and Maestro. From all accounts the Maestro is a phenomenal travel seat.

If you have a Scenera, I would probably use it FF for your youngest on the plane, and RF in the shuttle. Otherwise, I would feel fine taking a combo seat and FFing, since it's just the shuttle rides. Maybe the GN? I don't know which of those does best on the airplanes.

Alternative is to have your oldest ride in just the belt on the plane and then take a booster (or RSTV) for use in the shuttle.

cantabdad · Dec 3, 2012

I would check with the resort about what type of vehicle they use for the shuttle and whether it has seatbelts -- it could be anything from a minibus with side-facing seats, to a minivan with 3-point belts and LATCH, or a 15-passenger van that may not have headrests at all seating positions. Once you know what you're dealing with on the ground, you can strategize about what would work best for the plane.

Previous posts here suggest that many vehicles in resort areas of Mexico lack seatbelts altogether and/or that the shuttle driver may not be expecting anyone to use them, much less to install a carseat:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=162517