checking carseat on plane

[dragonflower]

I am traveling tomorrow with my 3 1/2 yr old daughter. I don't want to bring her carseat on the plane, and I don't want to check it. I am afraid to check it because I am worried if they are tossing it around like they do luggage it could ruin the integrity of the seat. I don't want to bring it on the plane because I don't want to be stuck carrying the darn thing through the airport. It's a Britax Marathon and it's heavy! Any advice?

 

[Gypsy]

Use it on the plane. Most 3.5 year olds don't properly fit in a seatbelt on the plane. I know it's not convenient, but it's what is safest. I wouldn't risk checking or gate checking a seat - they get abused severely.

 

[Murphy's Law]

I wouldn't check it. It's likely that it will come back broken. We use the traveling toddler, which is a strap that hooks the seat to your rolling carry on suitcase. It works quite well for our needs. I'd recommend it for your future travel plans. Since you don't have one, I'd just haul the seat around and use it in the plane tomorrow. The child will be safer in it anyway.

In the past, I have used the latch straps and tether strap to secure the seat to my stroller and then strapped the child to the car seat just while walking around the airport, then gate checked the stroller and took the car seat aboard. I'm not sure if the base on a Marathon will be small enough to do that though, but you could try it out tonight.

Have a safe trip!

 

[Unregistered1]

I would definitely use it on the plane. Many of our members (myself included) have witnessed airport personell handling seats roughly. I saw a marathon so mistreated on a recent trip that I wouldn't have considered it safe to use. They THREW it. It's also safer for her on the plane. Excessive turbulence or a rough landing (per Billy Mays) can really jerk passengers around and she'll be much more secure in her harness. I don't find the marathon too terrible to carry (although you kind of have to try a few ways to figure out what the best way to carry it is for you) or you can do the strapping it to a stroller or to your luggage thing. But after what I personally saw and the stories I've heard there's no way I would use a seat that had been checked.

 

[dragonflower]

(per Billy Mays)

He flew the same airlines we are going on tomorrow.

I pulled out her stroller and got her carseat out and it does fit in it. Now I will just have to convince her that her legs really aren't broke and she can walk through the airport (seat fits but I'm not sure of how safe it would be for her to ride in it while in the stroller).

I read on a few other posts about removing the black piece on the back of the seat. Should I do this?

 

[achs74]

I am traveling tomorrow with my 3 1/2 yr old daughter. I don't want to bring her carseat on the plane, and I don't want to check it. I am afraid to check it because I am worried if they are tossing it around like they do luggage it could ruin the integrity of the seat. I don't want to bring it on the plane because I don't want to be stuck carrying the darn thing through the airport. It's a Britax Marathon and it's heavy! Any advice?

With short notice, there may not be much you can do. We fight this "battle" frequently as we have to travel with two evenflo carseats. However, with that said, we bought two travel bags. You can find them at:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7812701 (this one you can pull through the airport which I found to be ridiculously difficult by myself and I don't do it. We always "bag check" this one. We have traveled with it at least 15 times. Sometime along the way, the wheels were ripped off by baggage handlers. However, the carseat was protected and we still use it. It protects the carseats extremely well.

We also have the backpack version:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698052&findingMethod=rr
This one I carry on my back and we put in the airplane seat. However, after 15 trips, the zipper is broken (also a baggage handler issue) and I had to do a "repair" to fix it. But, it still works and we still use it. We also sometimes check it when our 3 yo son is well napped and seems ready to be a "good" traveler.

If you have specialty baby stores in your area, maybe Babies R Us or Right Start, you might be able to find one of these locally prior to your trip. If so, either one will work great for checking your carseat. I do not recommend using a "non carseat" bag for checking or checking without a bag because it is likely you will end up with a broken carseat. If you are taking a stroller with you, you might consider carrying your child (I use a hip hammock sometimes for travel b/c my 3yo is still under 35lbs) and pushing the carseat in the stroller, then carrying it on the plane. Either way, I wish you best of luck! If you have a helper traveling with you, this method wouldn't be too bad. The worst part of getting the carseat on the plane is getting through narrow aisles and holding up "traffic" trying to get the seat installed and getting off the plane is actually worse that getting it on the plane. Also, you have to have a window seat or the airlines will not let you take it on the plane with you.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

 

[Northriver]

My Marathon fits best in my stroller upside down, I have a smallish stroller and it doesn't fit securely right side up but upside down it fits snugly. I "let" my toddler/preschooler push the stroller with the MA in it. She did tip it over once, but otherwise she enjoys "helping".

I do have a Traveling Toddler but honestly, I'm just as likely to just grab my Marathon and haul it through the airport. Yes, it is heavy, and awkward, but it isn't THAT big of a deal. I'm a single mom, my kids each have their own small backpacks and I have a large backpack and also carry the carseat.

My daughter is so comfortable in her own car seat on the plane. She just turned 4 and I'm still flying with he car seat. Sure it is a bit of a hassle, but so worth it for her comfort and safety.

 

[Unregistered]

In the past, I have used the latch straps and tether strap to secure the seat to my stroller and then strapped the child to the car seat just while walking around the airport, then gate checked the stroller and took the car seat aboard.

I did this with my evenflo convert. seat and it worked well, i used bungee cords. i read here somewhere that you weren't supposed to use the latch straps to haul it, so i didn't...i think the bungee's worked better anyway. i flipped the car seat upside down and put a bungee through the spot where the seat belt/Latch goes if you were going to RF. i wrapped the bungee up around my stroller handle, securing it..with the seat facing in towards the stroller. then i took a second bungee and wrapped in under the seat and stroller from one side to the other, securing the bungee to the stroler frame. it held the car seat snug to the stroller frame, the stroller was stable if my son was riding in it or if he was walking and i actually still could use my stroller storrage basket.

security is annoying because you have to take it all apart but...security being annoying is nothing new

i don't know how to post pictures, otherwise i would..i'll look into it.

 

[werforpsu]

here is a picture of my bungee solution. i didn't realize i wasn't logged in when i posted my idea!!