Carseats and airplanes

Our up coming trip to Seattle will be the first time my boys have been on a plane, and my first airplane trip in 9 years! I have never installed a carseat on a plane and I need some tips b/c I know I'm going to be a little harried just getting both boys and all our junk on the plane to begin with.
I only bought a seat for the 4 yr old and made sure to get a flight that's relatively empty so I can hopefully have a second seat for the baby. My plan is to have my 4 yr old sit in a regular seatbelt and use the Wizard for the 1 yr old. Do I put it in FF or RF? Does anyone have any tips for getting it installed easily?
If for some reason there are no extra seats and the baby has to sit on my lap, do I still use the Wizard for the 4 yr old, or is he better off just being in the seatbelt? (I feel stupid asking that, but you never know )
Anything else I should know? You guys have already answered so many of my questions. I think I am freaking out about this trip a little too much.

I just took our Wizard on a plane....

Not very easy to haul the Wizard through the airport when alone with a toddler, but the attendants were great about calling transportation so we rode between our gates instead of walking I kept my carryon to a minimal hip-pack with essentials only {wallet, cell, medications} & my daughter carried a tiny backpack with toys {finger puppets, playdough, crayons & mini game/story/coloring books}

On the plane I found it much easier to install RF because then the latch plate is accessable {I tried it FF & have a little scar from trying to unbuckle it} however, I'm glad we had her blanky - I had to fold it up in such a way that she sat on it & it was tucked tightly between the carseat & airplane seat back in order to keep her thighs comfy since the buckle sticks out right in the middle of the seat {at first she kept trying to unbuckle it because it was bothering her}. Also, your kid won't bother the person in front when RF - s/he'll just kick her OWN seat {LOL}

BTW, the window seat is best - otherwise the attendants might have you switch with another passenger because all passengers need easy escape paths & an RF seat in an aisle or middle seat blocks the other passenger....

My guess is that if you tell a flight attendant ahead of time that you'll need a place to secure your seat for the 1 year old, they'll help you out - if all else fails, remind them that the FAA states that infants & toddlers should be in approved safety seats on aircraft!

I don't think the 4 year old needs a safety seat & might not appreciate the lack of leg room anyway Some toys, maybe a disk-man & even gum {I'm partial to the vitamin kind for kids myself!} can help keep him entertained & cooperative.

GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN

well, as far as getting around the airport with the carseat, I bought one of those folding carts and using the LATCH tethers and a bungee cord, I can get it strapped to the cart super tight. Even with my 4 yr old in it, and going careening around corners in the house, it didn't budge. lol So I am going to put the baby in it since that will be his carseat while we are in Seattle. I will have our diaper bag and my 4 yr old will have his backpack with books and crayons and stuff, and then I can just pull the cart with the carseat and the baby. He thinks it's great fun to ride in it like that.
It's a pretty small plane, only 3 seats in each row anyway, so I will put the Wizard against the window and my 4 yr old on the isle and sit in between them. It's a pretty short flight, only about an hour in the air, and Morgan is so excited about flying in an airplane I think he will fine.
I kinda figured it would be easier to install it RF b/c of the bars on the side of the carseat. It's hard to get the buckle under them to install it in the center seat in my Jeep, and the buckles on plane seats are bigger.

I used luggage carts to haul my kids' Britax Roundabouts through the airports when we flew to Germany, and I plan to use them to haul our Marathons when we fly back to the US on the 23rd. I've already purchased both the Samsonite Micro Mover Carry-On Cart and the Samsonite Travel Accessories Compact Luggage Cart to try out, and I like the less expensive Compact cart better!

It opens much and closes much more quickly and easily. The Marathon (and I would assume the Wizard) fits on it much better. It has a 75 lb weight limit vs the Micro Mover's 50 lb limit. The Compact cart also has great little loops that are perfect for using the lower LATCH anchors to lock the seat on it. I practiced wheeling all 3 of my kids around the house (one at a time) in the Marathon on the cart. Or, I can put several carry-on bags on the Marathon and strap the whole thing to the cart using the built in bungies. I plan to return the Micro Mover and get another Compact cart.

UlrikeDG said:

It opens much and closes much more quickly and easily. The Marathon (and I would assume the Wizard) fits on it much better. It has a 75 lb weight limit vs the Micro Mover's 50 lb limit. The Compact cart also has great little loops that are perfect for using the lower LATCH anchors to lock the seat on it. I practiced wheeling all 3 of my kids around the house (one at a time) in the Marathon on the cart. Or, I can put several carry-on bags on the Marathon and strap the whole thing to the cart using the built in bungies. I plan to return the Micro Mover and get another Compact cart.

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I got mine at WalMart for $14. They had 3 and I got the medium sized one. It has a weight limit of 120 lbs. It has bars across the back upright part that are perfect for attaching the LATCH clips things to. Then I used the bungee cord at the top, kind of wrapped around the harness adjuster knobs. It holds it so secure it's like it was made for this carseat. I thought baout buying one of those wheel things from babyuniverse (I think) that is made specically for Britax seats, but this cart works great, and it was a heck of alot cheaper!

I agree - RF for the one year old is probably easier - especially if that's the way the child normally travels (I like it because it's easier to see DS's face and interact with him). I would definitely pull up the cover though and put the belt under the padding (I assume that the Wizard has the slits in the cover so that you don't have to put the belt underneath the padding, like the RA has?) because the belt buckle ends up under the legs in the middle of the seat, and could be an attractive "toy" otherwise.

For FF, I've never traveled with a seat FF, but I've heard that you need to flip the latchplate over once before fastening it, otherwise it's impossible to undo (as a pp mentioned).

Personally, I'd probably put my older child in the carseat if there's not a seat for the younger one because I'd be nervous to check the seat (even gate checking it). That way, there's no chance that the seat is damaged or misplaced.

HTH!

KeikiHula said:

I got mine at WalMart for $14.

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I sooooo wish I'd had the time to shop around for an affordable one before we went on our trip - but it was pretty last minute anyway