Problem with airplane seat belts

The last time I flew with my then 8-month-old son, he had his own seat with a Chicco Keyfit 30. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to get the plane's seatbelt tight enough to hold the carseat stable. I ended up holding him on my lap for most of the trip, because it honestly seemed safer than him being in a barely-restrained car seat (this probably wasn't true, but it felt right at the time).

We live in NYC and don't have a car, so I have lots of experience with strapping the carseat into a taxi without a base, and because of this I don't think it was user error on my part.

The seatbelts themselves just wouldn't stay tight. I would tighten them as much as I physically could, but as soon as I let go of the tightening end of the strap, they would start slipping into a looser position. Also, because of the extra length of the belt before the clasp (the portion connecting the clasp end to the seat), the clasp fell to the inside (seat side) of the belt router thingie (sorry, not so up on my terminology here!), meaning my son could actually unclasp the belt himself! But even when he left the clasp alone, the seat was still far, far from secure.

The whole experience made me extremely uncomfortable. At first I thought maybe it was just the case of a bad seat belt, but the same thing happened on our return flight.

Has anyone else encountered these problems? Any tips for getting the belt tighter on an airplane? We have to fly again in a few weeks, and I'm worried.

Thanks in advance.

In terms of the seatbelt buckling on the inner, "kid" area of the carseat, that is normal and indeed how it is usually depicted in the little diagrams in the carseat manuals (though I don't know about the Keyfit specifically). My daughter has unbuckled the belt a few times as she has gotten older and more curious. I sometimes cover the buckle with a small blanket to make it less of an obvious target for her toddler mischief.

Now, with the seatbelt not getting (or staying) tight enough, I am not sure. I haven't experienced that, and I've installed carseats I various aircraft types (small props and larger jets). I do know that some older aircraft have a less favorable seatbelt geometry (something to do with the anchor points) though I believe that primarily affects forward facing carseats.

I see the Keyfit from time to time on flights, without any apparent issues, so I don't think it's the seat, and since you're a NYC taxi pro I certainly don't think it's user error. It may have been a fluke thing with that aircraft interior.

One thing that sometimes helps with RF seats is to recline the aircraft seat first, install the carseat, then return the seatback upright. You may also have to use more downward force to compress the seat cushion than you would in a Crown Vic, Prius or other typical taxi vehicle.

It's possible that using a seatbelt extender could also help with some carseat-aircraft incompatibilities, but I have little experience there.

Overall, I really think you're going to be fine on your next trip and wouldn't worry at all, though honestly I am quite like yourself and would be researching the daylights out of this until the day of departure.

You could try giving the female end of the buckle a half-turn (so it's upside-down.) That should help with the slipping (you'll have to tighten first, then unbuckle, do the twist, then re-buckle.) I've also heard parents say they've had success using a sock with the toes cut off to thread over the seatbelt to prevent kids from undoing it.

HTH!

Thanks so much for the tips! I'll have to try that twisting thing.