Child Restraint Seat for airplane

[Love2Cruise - IL]

HELP! DH, DS and I leave in 18 days and I'm panicked. I have not found on AA.com that says yes or no.

 

Is a 4 year old required to sit in a child restraint seat for the plane ride?

[sas80]

HELP! DH, DS and I leave in 18 days and I'm panicked. I have not found on AA.com that says yes or no.

 

Is a 4 year old required to sit in a child restraint seat for the plane ride?

 

No, but they are required to wear a seat belt when the seat belt light is on, just like every other passenger.

[Love2Cruise - IL]

You are a lifesaver, thank you. Now I don't have to worry about lugging a regular child restraint seat or find a light inexpensive one.

 

Thank you!;)

[bluezee]

If you do want to take a booster along (not required by AA), in order to use it it MUST have the FAA approved sticker on it. There aren't many boosters that are approved for flying.

[bigpuma]

Kids just have to be able to sit up and wear the normal seat belt. My 2 year old was able to do it no problem. Just make sure you have a DVD player or something to entertain your child when they are unable to get up due to the seat belt light being on.

[travlingrlclt]

We just recently used the CARES restraint system for my 2 year old on a flight it was great. It's a seat belt that attached around the airline seat and creates a 5 point harness. They are normally $79 but you can rent them on ebay for like $10.

[SaySumthing]

I have two boys, 1 and 3. I've flown with both car seats, with one car seat and one in just the airplane belt (the older), and now am going to try the CARES (rented from eBay). While my 3 year old is well behaved, he had a hard time staying still in the airplane seat and it was so easy for him to take the belt off, so it did it with increasing frequency during our last flight. We had a LOT of turbulance going over the Rockies and I don't ever want to be in that position again.

 

GL

[Cruzluvin]

they also make a restraint system called Baby B'Air. You can get it on onestepahead.com

[seacrcsvz]

FYI - there are no boosters approved for airline travel because all booster seats are made to be used with a lap and shoulder belt (at least those approved for use in Norht America). Although there are no laws requiring children to use car seats on airplanes, think of your childs safety. If the plane were to crash, the impact would likely be three to five times that of a high speed collision in your car - a child's body will not withstand those forces. It's a pain in the #%$ but your childs life is worth it! Also, consider that 90% of the time you will require your car seat at either end of your journey so make the extra effort and lug it along, at least until your child is at the booster seat size and starts to "fill" a regular car seat. I have used the CARES system onboard aircraft - I was desperate for an alternative to my car seats since I have three kids all still in car seats- but was not satisfied. I was never able to get the belt to lie flat against the back of the seat, so my kids were always leaning forward. I wrote to the customer service department and was simply told to put a rolled up sweater behind them - not exactly my idea of a solution. I plan on writing to CARES and asking for a refund for the tow belts I purchased. We travel a lot - about 24 flights a year - and with three kids in tow it can be a challenge, but the car seats really are the best way to go.

[nothriver]

CARES is for kids UNDER 40". Great for toddlers but most preschoolers are over 40".

 

I'm still lugging a carseat along for my 4 yr old. She doesn't seem comfortable in just the seatbelt on the plane, but is not only comfortable, but also able to sleep in her carseat. Not to mention that she is safer in a carseat but the bottom line for me, if she is happy and comfortable on the plane, I'm happy and comfortable, kwim? I really don't think flying with a carseat is THAT big of a hassle.

[clansac]

It depends on your child too. My son is very tall and starting about 3 years old, sitting in a car seat made him the exactly perfect height to kick the tray of the seat in front of him. He would just barely move and kick it if the person was reclined in the slightest. It was much better for the other passengers (and my sanity) for him to sit in a regular seat with the regular seat belt.

 

We travel exclusively with a Safeguard Go seat. You cannot use it on a plane but it installs in a car in about 60 seconds. It comes with a bag, folds up and you know your child will be in a 5 pt harness on arrival whereve. After too many rental car seat fiascos, we boutht the Safeguard Go instead because we travel a lot.

[Kerry's Girls]

We travel a lot - about 24 flights a year - and with three kids in tow it can be a challenge, but the car seats really are the best way to go.

 

How old are your kids? I also brought my car seast up to the age of 2, but starting at 2 being in a car seat on a plane meant my girls' feet were firmly pressed against the seat in front of them with their knees uncomfortably bent. I can't imagine what a pain it would be at 4 years old. They're miserable, the person in front of us is miserable because they spend the entire flight being jostled, and the kids can't use the tray table to eat or play. I'm wondering what you all who regularly brings their kids' car seats on board do about all this?

 

Best,

Mia

[nothriver]

How old are your kids? I also brought my car seast up to the age of 2' date=' but starting at 2 being in a car seat on a plane meant my girls' feet were firmly pressed against the seat in front of them with their knees uncomfortably bent. I can't imagine what a pain it would be at 4 years old. They're miserable, the person in front of us is miserable because they spend the entire flight being jostled, and the kids can't use the tray table to eat or play. I'm wondering what you all who regularly brings their kids' car seats on board do about all this?

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

My daughter was about 41" last time we flew and she is leggy. I actually didn't have problems with her not kicking. When she does, I gently remind her to "criss cross applesauce" and she crosses her legs. Now, once when my son was little, he kicked the person in front of him for an entire 4 hour flight. I felt terrible. My daughter flies more often, and usually I try to intorduce her to whoever is in front of her when we board then I can remind her "don't kick that nice lady in front of you" and she has a point of reference. I also appologize to whoever is in front of us at the end of the flight for good measure, because no matter what, we'll be bumping the seats ahead just shifting around and getting toys out of our bags, etc.

 

You know I wonder it depends on the depth of the carseat, if their legs are short, they would stick out in front of the child, but older kids with long legs bend and hang naturally. Because I think my child kicked the seat ahead of us more when she was 2 than when she was almost 4. For a younger child, it might be easier/more comfortable to install them rear facing even if they ride forward facing in the car, many carseats rearface to 35# now.

[Momto2cuteboys]

Our boys are 3 and 5 and we always fly with their carseats. It was difficult when we were using the Britax seats, they were way too bulky and the kids were not able to use the tray tables and did tend to kick the seat in front of them at least until they were told not to. We now use Sunshine Kids Radian 80 seats - they are extremely narrow and low to the seat, so they are strapped in a 5-pt harness, and they are able to use the tray table. The thing I like the best about these seats is that they fold in half, which makes them much easier to carry through the airport. They are heavy, but not too bad for carrying through the airport - and luckily I've only had to carry them both by myself once. ;)

 

We don't necessarily need them on the plane, but we do always need them once we get where we are going. I thought about leaving them for our trip in June, but if we decide to get into a taxi we'll need them, so they're coming with us. On the cruise I'm guessing they'll just sit in the closet taking up space.

[nothriver]

I'd like to appologize for hijacking the OP's thread, sorry!

 

For the Radian, did you buy the extra carry strap so you can use them as a backpack, or do you just use the one strap? if you use just the one carry strap, how is it to carry? Another nice thing about the radian is that you can fold it, stick in in a suitcase under the bed when not in use, so it won't take up any space in the cabin. I was thinking about taking mine but I've never flown with it mostly because I'm nervous about installing it in strange vehicles - I've only installed it once in my mothers car and it was a bear to get it in there. Not to mention it weighs as much as my child, so I'm not particularly looking forward to dragging it through 4 different airports. ;) I guess if you can carry TWO, I should be able to carry ONE, right?

[Momto2cuteboys]

No, I didn't buy the strap for the Radian's, I just use the red one on the front of the seat. It does hurt your hand a little bit if you carry it for too long, but switching hands usually helps. The only time I really had a hard time was when I had to fly with both boys to meet up with DH...the 1 year old was in the stroller, I attached 2 carryons to the handles of the stroller, had a carseat in each hand (while pushing the stroller), and had to encourage the 3 year old to hold on and not walk too far ahead of me.

 

I haven't had a problem installing it in different cars, but I do usually turn the car on and crank up the AC while I'm doing it. ;) DH cannot do it, but I've moved them around enough to be pretty quick about it now.

[nothriver]

No, I didn't buy the strap for the Radian's, I just use the red one on the front of the seat. It does hurt your hand a little bit if you carry it for too long, but switching hands usually helps. The only time I really had a hard time was when I had to fly with both boys to meet up with DH...the 1 year old was in the stroller, I attached 2 carryons to the handles of the stroller, had a carseat in each hand (while pushing the stroller), and had to encourage the 3 year old to hold on and not walk too far ahead of me.

 

I haven't had a problem installing it in different cars, but I do usually turn the car on and crank up the AC while I'm doing it. ;) DH cannot do it, but I've moved them around enough to be pretty quick about it now.

 

Thank you for your response. I normally travel with a Britax but am thinking of trying the Radian for our cruise. We'll have more luggage than I've ever travelled with on the way to Alaska, so I hope I can find a way to manage all of it.:o I'll be traveling with myself and my kids, a teen and a preschooler. We'll have 3 suitcases one of which we'll carry on and can use with the Traveling Toddler to transport a carseat, plus 3 small backpacks. No stroller this trip. I'll pack a week in advance and figure it all out, one way or another. I don't know if I should buy the carry strap for the Radian, or not. With shipping, they are nearly $20, yikes.

[seacrcsvz]

I don't know if I should buy the carry strap for the Radian, or not. With shipping, they are nearly $20, yikes.

 

Skip the strap for the car seat. The easiest thing is to simply lengthen the shoulder straps on the harness of car seat itself, then use them like a backpak. It is really easy to do and gives you a padded strap. OK, I admit, if you had to walk around like that for a long time it would get a bit uncomfortbale, but to get on and off the plane, and between tern=minals it was fine. It frees up your hands. The only problem is you can only carry one that way, but hopefully with a teenager along you will have some help. Also, let your toddler pull the carry on - it gives them something to do, they feel important, and it frees up your hands. Good luck!

[nothriver]

You are typically not allowed to use the shoulder harness to transport carseats, they could be damaged and your child would not be safe. This is clearly stated in the warning sections of the manuals of at least a few of my carseats we've had. Check your carseat manual and if you still aren't sure, you can contact the company but err on the side of caution, you don't want to put your child's safety at risk.

 

In any case, I found the shoulder strap for the Radian at HipMonkey for $11.99 including shipping, and ordered that this morning. The Radian80 comes with one carry strap, and I purchased the second to be able to wear it as a backpack.