If you use a car seat on the plane, please come in

Childs1stTime2Disney

*A dream is a wish your heart makes*
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
So I am likely bringing a car seat on the plane (or a CARES harness). Give me any helpful info you can provide regarding bringing a car seat, using it on the plane, etc, please. Anything I should know I would appreciate!
 
As soon as you get to the gate (early!!) let the attendant know that you need to install a car seat and ask if you may pre-board with the priority group so that you do not block the aisle and slow down boarding. It is tight quarters as it is, but add the car seat and 100 people and I get very flustered very quickly! I was only denied once, on AA (they stink at accommodating families) and lo and behold I had a FA trying to hurry me to get the seat in so people could get by. I made a point to “apologize” later when drinks came and told her that I did ask the gate attendant if I could pre-board so I wasn’t holding up boarding and I was denied.

You mentioned a harness in another post, if your kiddo is old enough for a harness they don’t need to be rear facing. It really is more of a hassle for you because you can’t reach around it or under it, can’t use the tray or in-seat screen, etc. Because in a plane you are more worried about up and down turbulance, not a head on car crash, rear facing really isn’t any safer once they have strong head and neck control and can protect their airway.

My advice is to keep babe buckled in the whole time. Once you let them out you’ve opened a can of worms. My DD will sit happily for a good 4 hours, past that we try to do a lay over, but even just a getting out for a diaper and right back in is a good little stretch. We treat it just like the car, you stay buckled in the car all the time, same with the airplane (and same goes for our big kids too, just good safety habits when flying)
 
And we love love love the Cosco Scenera Next for air travel. The thing weighs NOTHING, is very narrow and easily fits every plane we’ve been on, and has a great amount of cushion so our DD has been comfortable in it (and she’s used to the super padded Cadillac of seats at home, so that’s saying something!)
 
I used a car seat for my (then) 3 year old to Hawaii. It was a total nightmare for both me and the poor woman sitting in front of her. The car seat allowed her to kick the seat in front of her. I tried to stop her but she was determined and as soon as I stopped leaning on her she kicked. It was terrible. My advise is that if you child is bigger you may want to skip the car seat.
 
I used a car seat for my (then) 3 year old to Hawaii. It was a total nightmare for both me and the poor woman sitting in front of her. The car seat allowed her to kick the seat in front of her. I tried to stop her but she was determined and as soon as I stopped leaning on her she kicked. It was terrible. My advise is that if you child is bigger you may want to skip the car seat.

^ definitely. The Cosco has an upper height limit that won’t even fit a lot of 3 year olds, so I think this will be our last flight using it before we outgrow it and she turns 3, but I know we will be missing it after that!!

On our last flight she was almost 2, and could only kick the seat if it was reclined. Sorry dude, your choice recline and be kicked or sit up and enjoy your flight in peace. I reeeeeally hate that airplane seats recline!
 


^ definitely. The Cosco has an upper height limit that won’t even fit a lot of 3 year olds, so I think this will be our last flight using it before we outgrow it and she turns 3, but I know we will be missing it after that!!

On our last flight she was almost 2, and could only kick the seat if it was reclined. Sorry dude, your choice recline and be kicked or sit up and enjoy your flight in peace. I reeeeeally hate that airplane seats recline!
I do not have a choice about reclining my seat with my back issues so I would be calling FA about your child and yes I have had to do it. child along with mother ended up moved. mother was not happy
 
I do not have a choice about reclining my seat with my back issues so I would be calling FA about your child and yes I have had to do it. child along with mother ended up moved. mother was not happy

An infant’s safety is equally as important as yours. An infant can not sit straight upright as a forward facing position would result in, as they do not have the neck strength to keep from closing their airway. It is called positional asphyxia and can result in death. I would happily move if you had an equally significant medical need to recline your seat. Almost all seats actually say right on the sticker on the side that a child can not be forward faced until a certain weigh or age, and all of them have the guideline in the manual. No one is rear facing or using an infant seat just to annoy you, we just don’t want our baby to die on an airplane so the person in front of them can take a nap.

Reclining your seat on an airplane is not a right. An infant seat being used correctly is. Right in the FAA guidelines.
 
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Make sure that you look at the width of the car seat and the width of the airplane seats. We traveled multiple times with three kids in car seats at the same time so it can be done for sure. We did have to purchase narrower car seats for when we were on airplanes.
 
An infant’s safety is equally as important as yours. An infant can not sit straight upright as a forward facing position would result in, as they do not have the neck strength to keep from closing their airway. It is called positional asphyxia and can result in death. I would happily move if you had an equally significant medical need to recline your seat. Almost all seats actually say right on the sticker on the side that a child can not be forward faced until a certain weigh or age, and all of them have the guideline in the manual. No one is rear facing or using an infant seat just to annoy you, we just don’t want our baby to die on an airplane so the person in front of them can take a nap.

Reclining your seat on an airplane is not a right. An infant seat being used correctly is. Right in the FAA guidelines.
that is why that child and mother were moved during the flight as mother could not stop her child from kicking my seat and I have seen another have to change seats so she could place her carseat but does not change my need to recline as I need medically and not for a nap
 
Done it several times including Just did this over busy Feb vacation. Overall very easy. My 2 year old is very active so did better in his car seat then a harness and we needed it for rental.

Prior post is right about kicking but we put DD in front of DS so wasn't an issue for us.
We did get asked multiple times if we bought the seat. Assumed that was due to it being a sold out flight since you have to buy a seat once they are 2.
 
Make sure that you look at the width of the car seat and the width of the airplane seats. We traveled multiple times with three kids in car seats at the same time so it can be done for sure. We did have to purchase narrower car seats for when we were on airplanes.

That’s whats awesome about the Cosco, it is so narrow. It is 17.5” at its widest and so far I haven’t found an airplane seat narrower than that (Forget the car seat, how will WE fit in them if they get any smaller!)
 
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We did get asked multiple times if we bought the seat. Assumed that was due to it being a sold out flight since you have to buy a seat once they are 2.

We were once on a flight where a mom was asked, ....the answer was no, and she already had the baby in the car seat buckled in. Wonder what would have happened if the seat was needed? Carseat gets gatechecked?
 
We were once on a flight where a mom was asked, ....the answer was no, and she already had the baby in the car seat buckled in. Wonder what would have happened if the seat was needed? Carseat gets gatechecked?

Yup. They have to give that seat up for someone who paid for it, baby lap sits, and the car seat goes to the same place they send strollers at the gate.
 

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