how old before no carseat on plane??

Unregistered · Oct 20, 2013

We are flying with my little boy who is 6 and a couple of months... He's probably about 46 lbs or so...
The last time we flew, last year sometime, I still put him in his Britax on the plane.
For this trip, we have to take the seat anyway - but am trying to figure out what the safest/most logical option is for him.... Should he stay in the seat, or no? should I get a harness?
thanks.

LISmama810 · Oct 20, 2013

Hi there!

It's hard to give an exact minimum age because it depends a lot on the size and temperament of the kid, but at 6 and over 40 lbs, I'd be more than fine with the kid riding in just the plane's belt.

However, if you need to take a seat with you anyway, that poses some potential issues. If it's a harnessed seat, you might as well carry it on and let him use it just to avoid it getting damaged or lost if it's checked.

There are also other, packable options if you're open to buying something.

If the child is in a booster, taking a backless (carrying it on and stowing it) is an option. If it's a high-back that comes apart, the back can be packed in a suitcase.

Jan06twinmom · Oct 21, 2013

I agree with the pp.

I was wondering what seat you currently have for him. If he is riding in a Britax convertible car seat, he might be close to outgrowing it soon so you might want to look at a booster seat now. If you have the Britax Frontier, it might still be beneficial to get a booster seat for the ease of travel.

Or if your son is already riding in a booster seat, you will not be able to use it on the plane. A booster seat requires a 3pt seatbelt so it cannot be used with the lap belt that is available on the plane. Even with a booster seat, I recommend carrying the no back booster portion on the plane and put it either in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of your son.

Melanie

aeormsby · Oct 22, 2013

At that age if they've had some booster experience (and done fine with it) I'm OK with the the lap belt on the plane and a No-Back-Booster at the destination. The only caveat would be if you'll be driving a lot at the destination and he might be falling asleep during the drive or a full vehicle that might not have a lap+shoulder belt in the center position.

jjordan · Oct 23, 2013

Another option that I'll point out is not taking a car seat with you at all if you can have one waiting at your destination - for example if relatives are picking you up at the airport, you can buy a booster and have it shipped to them and they can have it in the car, waiting for you.

Sayrah · Oct 26, 2013

jjordan said:
Another option that I'll point out is not taking a car seat with you at all if you can have one waiting at your destination - for example if relatives are picking you up at the airport, you can buy a booster and have it shipped to them and they can have it in the car, waiting for you.

This is what we do. My sister and niece fly here about 3 times a year. She still does fly in a car seat, but to ensure we have a good install on her car seat, we already have one in our car to pick them up from the airport with.

how old before no carseat on plane??

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