Seeking Advice on Airtravel with Toddler

J.

Some airlines will give you a plastic bag when you check your luggage that holds car seats, etc. After several episodes when the airlines were out of the bags, I eventually purchased a luggage bag for our car seat (onestepahead.com has a version or other sites that you can google). We love it b/c it is large enough for the car seat and it isn't damaged when we arrive at the final destination.

Pack lots of snacks and diapers in case your delayed at the airport. We also find it nice to have a portable DVD player to pacify the time on longer flights (unless you planned the flight during her nap time).

Have fun

we just recently went on vacation during which my 22 month old son had to sit still for 3 hrs. each way. as for the carseat, you'll find that it is much easier to carry and transport if you can latch it onto something else like luggage or a stroller. as for the plane ride itself, i recommend many snacks and sippy cups and pacifier (if using) on hand. i found that the colorwonders crayola stuff works very well bc they can doodle anywhere and you don't have to worry about penmarks. touch and feel or any other interactive books work well too. dvd's don't help us much at this point due to lack of attention span and interest so i wouldn't recommend lugging it around unless your child specifically enjoys it. also if you are fortunate enough to get a seat that he can look out of (we had only a beautiful view of the wing and nothing else) that is also helpful.i recommend any activity that takes time to do such as building blocks or sorting shapes. hope this helps and good luck on your trip! ps if you can plan the plane ride during naptime that's an added bonus.

Hi, J.:

Call your airline and ask if they can "plastic wrap" it for you. Each time we've traveled with our small children, this service was available if we asked for it and gave ourselves a little extra time at the check-in counter.

Otherwise, there are resuable canvas bags available for purchase that are specially designed for carseat baggage check. One other option (only if you don't need to use the carseat on the way to the airport!) is to have a pack and ship place (like Mailboxes Etc.) shrink wrap the seat for you for shipping.

Have fun on your trip!

L.

We recently took a flight with our little girl who at the time was just about to turn two. We unfortunately didn't get her her own seat. I'm sure having a seat for her will be easier for you to give her space to move. We brought our car seat to the airport and they tagged it and put it in a plastic bag for us. We brought lots of snacks for her for the flight & quiet toys (I brought those markers & coloring book that don't mark on anything other than the Color Wonder paper). We also made sure she had a bottle for when the plane ascended and descended. Plus, and this is key, some Children's Benedryl. Check with her doctor though. We gave ours just 1/2 a teaspoon a little before the flight and she slept through most of it. And let her run around as much as possible before boarding. Good luck!!!

If you have a Britax carseat, I highly recommend the GoGoKidz contraption, sold at gogobabyz.com, Right Start, or several other online merchants. It's basically a set of wheels and a handle that attaches to your seat to turn the seat into a stroller. It's a cinch to attach to the seat, and the wheels can stay on the seat for installation on the plane (you do need to remove them to install the seat in a car, though). It handled so well, and really made my travel easy, since I had no need for a stroller. I strapped my daughter into her carseat, threw my diaper bag on my back, and off we went! It was a little pricey (about $80), but absolutely worth it for me.

If you don't have a Britax or don't want to spend quite that much, there are several bags and carriers that allow you to sling the carseat over your shoulder or on your back. They're not necessarily comfortable, but do the job in a pinch.

I travelled a lot by plane with my first child and somewhat with both of my kids. I always bring a car seat on board for my little one, it helps them feel more secure, because they are used to the way the seat feels and it keeps them from trying to get up and run around. I use a lightweight stroller and strap the carseat to the back of the stroller with bungee cords. Boarding the flight is a bit of a pain with the seat and our carryon luggage, but it is totally worth it!

Also, I always bring juice/milk for ascent and descent to help the children clear their ears as the pressure changes. Crayons, books and snacks are also really popular with my kids.

Enjoy the trip.

I have been traveling with children on a regular basis for 7 yrs. If you have your own seat, you may bring the chair on and use it on the plane. If you don't want the hassel of carrying one more thing, the ticket counter or porters can place it in a big plastic bag for you at luggage check in. You just have to ask them.

I know someone else said not to check it, but I would. My son is 16 months old and I think he's flown 3-4 times now. We would either borrow a car seat from someone wherever we are going or check his. You're going to have so much to keep track of (including your child), hauling the car seat around will likely drive you crazy, especially if something happens and your flight is delayed. Yuck. I like the idea of turning it into a stroller, but I guess that only works for a Britax.

As for bags, Southwest will provide one for you. I don't think the others do though.

When it comes to traveling with a toddler, I check as much as a can because I want my arms as empty as possible. That's why I check the car seat.

Bring your car seat on board as if she is in a car. I personally would not trust the lap belt of the airplane seat on such a tiny child (make sure the seat itself if FAA approved). As far as what to do to on the flight I suggest grab bags. Put together one or two grab bags for each hour you are on the plane. Let your daught choose one bag per hour or half hour. Place small stuff in the bags to entertain her. A few suggestions are: Kelly dolls, playdoe, water colors w/ book to paint, small puzzles, dollar store items, etc! Best of luck!!

Hi, J.! The advice already given is perfect.

If you can get your hands on one of those stroller/carseats, I've seen people travel with those and they do seem to be the best option.

If not, we used the carseat on the plane because we figured that our child would be more willing to stay longer in it strapped in because he was used to it from the car. Lugging it around the terminals is a pain and cumbersome, however. We got the $25 carseat backpack thing from Babies R us and it helped greatly. Hubby could strap it on his back and still carry the kid or bags. It also has a handle and can roll if you need. I had to carry it on my back coming back from Maui in the airport once and it was quite a workout!

We have also checked it in while inside this backpack thing and it worked fine. It also leaves lots of room in the seat of it to pack extra stuff.

As for the 3-hour flight - that's not bad, you can talk about everything that's happening at first (flight attendants checking stuff, signs that mean when we have to stay buckled, take off, landing gear going up, etc.). Then you can read books or watch a DVD if you have a player. Snacks help. It's always fun to have a NEW book or a toy to add excitement or distraction. The Leapster is a great (much smaller) item that can read stories to her, play videos or she can play educational games on it when she's a bit older.

I think if you not going to check it then you don't need to wrap it. Youll porbably have it with you at all times. Also call the airline or look at their website. They usually tell you what they require. We brought out car seat last time we traveled in April to Iowa and we checked it. We did not wrap or cover it and it did not have a scratch.

Hope this helps,
SAHM of 2 1/2 yr old, T. Lee

J., when I traveled with my toddler I put him in his car seat and strapped that in the airline seat. I found doing research that most head injuries occur because of turbulance and a toddler in an airline seat is not protected well. You will need to notify the airline so they can assign you a window seat, they only allow car seats in window seats.

My son, was so much more comfortable being in his "normal travel seat" and he did wonderful. Also, he was so used to sleeping in his car seat that he slept most of the way.

To haul the car seat around the airport and to the airplane I put it on top of my stroller and had the flight attendants stow the stroller in the front cabin.

Happy Travels.....L. K.

J.,since you will be using your safety seat on the flight.best way to transport your car seat is on your back thru out the terminal.When at ticket desk,they will handle your details of the seat and......you will DEFINITELY be a pre-board traveling w/ an infant.Gives yu plenty of time to get on plane and strap in your seat.Thank You for using that car seat.Another mom of 3 and a VERY FREQUENT FLYER. Enjoy vacation. K. H. ____@____.com

Hi J. - last time I flew with my son and he had his own seat, I used his car seat in the airplane seat. So maybe you can do that? Or if for some reason you want her in the seat without it, then I suggest just carrying it on. I have done that on other flights - the flight attendants are usually very good about helping you maneuver the seat and getting it tucked away in either the overhead or in their special little places they keep bags. I would advise against checking it, as damage done may affect its safety, and you'll have no way of knowing if it got knocked around. Just count it as a carryon, since she has a seat, she has the carryon allowance, too.

Use a regular address label on your seat. I put mine on the back of the seat and added my cell phone number. This would be the last thing on earth I'd want to lose!

Best tip, however, that I can give you is to request pre-boarding. The flight attendants are much more helpful then, and you can get completely arranged before other people load.

Good luck on your flight!

I would recommend using the car seat on the flight. We strap ours on top of our luggage until we get to the plane. One idea to keep your daughter busy is to buy some $1 store type toys and keep them as a surprise for the plane ride. Also, have lots of snacks ready and I also love having a portable DVD player for the flight.

I would recommend taking the car seat on the plane with you and putting her in it on her airplane seat. The seat belts open up so easily, and it is safer for the child to be in a car seat. If you do not want to take it with you, you can purchase very nice car seat carriers that have lots of padding and back-pack like straps to make them easier to carry. (we have Britax carseats and the carrier we purchased accomodates that one, which is quite large.) Most airlines will not count the carseat as one of your 2 checked bags, but I would call in advance and double check. You may have trouble going through automatic check-in or curbside, as they may not be able to waive the car seat as an included item if you are otherwise past your baggage limit. I cannot remmeber the name of the store where I purchased my car seat carriers-- it is in Plano near the Purple Cow restaurant, on Preston? It is a small baby store in the strip mall-- Right Start, maybe? Good luck! Take lots and lots of snacks and fun, interesting toys!
A.

I flew with my daughter when she was 2 mos. Law states that they need to be in a car seat. No need to pack it.. just bring it with you and put it in. Just be prepared for your little one to possibly kick the seat in front of her if they move their seat back. Just bring lots of toys and if you have a portable DVD player, would save you lots of stress. I wish they had those for me 8 yrs ago! :) Mine honestly slept most of the way with the white noise on the plane, but the take off and landing is where you will want to give her something to drink to take the pressure off her ears. They also make ear plugs specialized for that purpose too so they don't feel the pain. I just gave my daughter a bottle. Just as easy. Hope it helps and good luck.

J.