Air Travel with or without carseat?

J

jubee

Registered User
For our next trip to the US, I'm debating whether or not to take our carseat. I'd like to get some opinions/experiences other parents have had with/without the carseat. My little one will be exactly 2 years on our next trip and 14 hours is quite the haul...(seems like on the few trips we've taken, we're the only ones lugging around a giant carseat.)

Thanks!!
 
Also wondering about this. Jubee, presumably, you 've booked a seat on the plane for your LO? I'm not sure when you have to.
For us, I think we may as well since we'll be hiring a car in the US and we'd have to hire an additional car seat. I figure we may as well take our own.
Any thoughts?
 
We use the car seat, but our son is only 5 months and it beats holding him for 14+ hours. Plus it turns into a stroller so we never carry the car seat around. Actually quite handy in airports.
At 2 years old, couldn't he sit in the normal airplane seat? Then the issue becomes what do you do with him in the states where you have to have a car seat.
 
I'll be taking my 1 year old and just 3 year old soon, will be purchasing a seat for the 3 year old. We are coming to hong kong and won't be using the car seat there, but I am considering taking it, just so that I can strap him in and he is not trying to run around. We recently went on a 1 1/2 hour plane ride (he is 2 and 3/4 now) and thank goodness it was only 1 1/2 hours, because by the end he kept taking off his seat belt and wanting to stand up. I'd like to hear how others deal with this too. I know there is no way he will stay in his seat for 12-13 hours.
 
I have just returned from New Zealand (11 hour flight) and we used a car seat for our 14mth old despite the fact that we don't have a car in Hong Kong so he is not used to travelling in one. To use it we had to pay for a seat on the plane. Using the car seat on board was useful in three ways - we put it in the recline position so it made it easier for toddler to sleep, he can't undo the buckle (unlike the plane seatbelt!), and because we were taking it on board we didn't have to include it in our luggage allowance.

If your toddler is used to using a car seat I would definitily recommend using it on the plane
 
You are right Jools - but you can still take a car seat. In fact if you want to take a car seat you have to pay for a seat on the plane - nowhere to put the car seat otherwise!
 
Make sure you tell the airline how young the child is and, even if you have the car seat, ask for the bassinet. Our 3 month old slept in the bassinet during the "night" and his car seat/our laps for his naps the last time we flew to HK.
Seat prices for under 2 are discounted, as are (usually) 2 to 11 though not as much.
Korean Air is flying our 6 month old son from Atlanta to HK for $693, round trip, in business class.
Delata/Continental give a 50% discount on international and 25% on domestic.
 
the bassinette is only for small infants, you definatly cannot put a 2 year old in one, in fact I thought once your child could sit you couldn't use them
 
capital said:
the bassinette is only for small infants, you definatly cannot put a 2 year old in one, in fact I thought once your child could sit you couldn't use them
Click to expand...
Oops, you are correct. They are small and you would never get a 2 year old in one.
 
Thanks for all your replies! We've always booked a seat for the little guy (we've done 3 trans-Pacific flights now) and have used his carseat, I was just wondering about your experiences if you didn't bring the carseat.

We have a spare carseat in the US already, so that wouldn't be an issue. It just seems like the last few trips I've taken, we are the only family using a carseat. (which, I think for my sanity, it would be better because bubs is such an active fellow)

Sleuth - your carseat-stroller sounds like a great alternative, since I do bring his stroller with us each time. Where did you get it? I have also seen a stroller attachment I can add to the carseat to convert it to a stroller. I should revisit that.
 
For babies / children UNDER 2 years of age: if you travel with British Airways, you can have a seat attached to the bassinet stand instead of using a crib. We used this for our son from 3 months all the way till he was 2 (when we had to pay for his seat). Its like sitting in a car seat but you don't have to pay for an extra seat. Best to book it in advance though!
 
Jubee,
Ours is called a Sit-N-Stroll and we got it at Target in the US. The wheels fold into the base of the car seat and it can be done by one person. The handle telescopes up and down, so when you want it to be a stroller, you pull the wheels out and the handle up and you are ready to go. It is perfect for airports and malls, not too bad on streets and sidewalks. Wouldn't be good for really uneven terrain as the wheels just aren't big enough.
 
Thanks for the info Sleuth. Do you remember how much you paid for it? If it's cheaper than the car seat attachment, maybe I'll get the Sit-n-Stroll instead. (the seat attachment is about $90 USD but you have to add tax and possible shipping etc)

mrs momo - here is the info on the stroller attachment:
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html

Click on the carseat list to show a list of compatible carseats.
 
One of my friends just got this to fly with her two year old. It looks pretty neat!
http://www.amsafeaviation.com/cares/

We have a Sit n Stroll and love it, but my daughter, at 16 months, is 28 pounds and I'm wondering when she'll be too big for it, just in terms of comfort. She fits in the stroller/seat itself fine, but if you were to put a big 2 year old and the Sit n Stroll in a coach airplane seat it could be a bit crowded to the point of being uncomfortable.
 
Another thing you may want to get is the Joeysafe. www.joeysafe.com

I am not sure if the specific airline you are flying with will approve it, but it certainly beats the child seatbelts they give! I've used it several times on Singapore Airlines and Eva Air. Has worked well as the Joeysafe comes with a 5 point safety harness which is pretty snug. I usually put them on my kids even before leaving the house as the ride to the airport is pretty long. My 2 and 3 year old are used to it now and it makes even taxi rides so much safer!

I am not sure where you can purchase them in HKG but worth taking a look at their website.
 
what is the child seat belt like on a plane? Do most carriers have this? we recently flew domestic with air cananda and were not give a child seat belt, of course he undid the regular one all the itme and didn't want to sit still (2.5) and it was only a 1.5 hour flight? I'm thinking for our trip to hong kong we will have to bring the car seat just to keep him contained.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top