Flying with kids

MommaMia

New member
Flying in a week - children are 3y 1.5m and 4y 11m. Would you take a car seat on the plan for either of them? Seat is not needed at the destination (Disney).
 
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1mommy

New member
Flying in a week - children are 3y 1.5m and 4y 11m. Would you take a car seat on the plan for either of them? Seat is not needed at the destination (Disney).

Depends on the kids, what is weight/height? The airplane seatbelt will supposedly not fit well for kids under 40 pounds or super skinny kids in general. Also do they need the restraint? Will they stay in their seats and not unbuckle themselves to run up and down the aisle? For the entire flight? Will they listen to direction about not kicking the seat in front of them?

If the answer is yes I would not bother to bring seats, depending on how long of a flight it is and how you think they will fit in the seatbelt.
 

MommaMia

New member
Depends on the kids, what is weight/height? The airplane seatbelt will supposedly not fit well for kids under 40 pounds or super skinny kids in general. Also do they need the restraint? Will they stay in their seats and not unbuckle themselves to run up and down the aisle? For the entire flight? Will they listen to direction about not kicking the seat in front of them?

If the answer is yes I would not bother to bring seats, depending on how long of a flight it is and how you think they will fit in the seatbelt.

Flight is 2 hrs.

Kids are 32#/38" (3yr) and 40#/43" (4yr). I completely trust my older to sit still and with minimal reminders. She rode on a train earlier this year and did wonderfully.

As for the younger - sitting still... that was kind of my reason for thinking we'd need the seat. If she is in a good mood, she will do great. But, she could also be a handful. And since she hasn't learned how to unbuckle the seat, I would restrain her and not worry as much.

I was leaning toward bringing a seat for the younger but not the older.

Thanks!
 

cantabdad

New member
Just personal preference, but based on the situation as you've described, I would most likely bring a lightweight / easy-to-install harnessed carseat for the younger child.

FAA's benchmark for using the aircraft seatbelt (no carseat) is 40 lbs. While there is a pretty good chance that the seatbelt will still provide a decent fit for your younger one, the carseat will be more familiar and hopefully ward off any behavior issues with unbuckling, etc. I think that will make for a smoother flight for everyone involved. (Carrying carseats through the airport is a little bit of a drag, but I have never complained about it and honestly think it is not as bad as people might expect.)

Also, I know you don't need carseats for Disney, but if you bring a backless booster for the older child too (lightweight and can be brought onboard as a carry-on/personal item), then you will all be covered. That will give you much more flexibility in case there is some unexpected event.... for example if you need to take a taxi off-property, or your return flight is diverted to another airport or there is some other transport snafu. I realize that those scenarios are unlikely, so this is clearly not necessary, but it is always nice to have more options.
 

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