How does air travel with 2 year old work?

[tny915]

DH and I haven't been on a plane since 2001, so I'm really out of practice with air travel, let alone traveling with kids. We'll be taking a short 1 hour flight with DD in the next few months. Is it law that we have to buy DD a seat and strap her into her carseat? She's petite, less than 3 feet tall and maybe 25 pounds. Another friend has mentioned the airline won't check how old DD is, so she can just ride on my lap. I'm all for safety and want to get her her own seat, but DH is balking at the price and the fact that I'm asking to lug her carseat on the trip.

We're going to Disneyland and we plan on taking the hotel shuttle to the resort, then just strollering over to the park. DH is saying there's no way we'd need to bring her carseat just to put in the shuttle for the short ride to and from the airport.

Care to share your thoughts on this?

[tiapam]

I don't know if it is a law or not, but it is at least policy for many if not all airlines. They might ask for a birth certificate, I know it has happened to some people we know. I would definitely buy her a seat. If you cannot prove she is under two, you might run into problems at the airport. Not a good way to start a vacation.

I am sure others here will be able to address the carseat issue. To me it sounds like you could get away with not bringing it. But if you bring it, you could also use it on the airplane, assuming yours would fit in the seat.

-Pam

DD - One year old!

[Lmoor]

I don't mean to get preachy on you, but you should really buy a seat and use the car seat on the plane. There are tons of threads on the Car Seat board about this, so do a search there - this includes some scary stories from women who have had close calls with their little ones in turbulence.

I once talked to a woman on a plane who was commending me for using a car seat for my DD (15 months at the time). She has grandchildren, so she is particularly sensitive to the topic. She was once on an airplane that dropped 10,000 feet suddenly. The woman next to her had a baby in her lap... When the plane dropped, the baby was plastered to the ceiling while everyone watched helplessly. When they finally were able to right the plane, and the baby was back down, his face was horribly bloodied. The grandmother who told me the story said that she never knew if he broke his nose.

I understand where your husband is with this. I took my first 2 trips with my baby in my arms, at 3 months and at 8 months. Luckily, both trips were uneventful. I reasoned that if the plane is going down, DD certainly did not need a car seat. Then I started hearing about and reading of all the routine turbulence and freak occurences on planes that don't result in crashes that could hurt your unrestrained child. Then, I realized that a couple hundred dollars for her safety is certainly worth it.

As far as the short shuttle ride... have you been in a shuttle with these crazy shuttle drivers? In L.A.? I would definitely have my child in a car seat...

Good luck convincing your husband. Hopefully he will come around!

[marit]

Yes, you need to buy her a seat, no monkey business here. And no, you don't have to bring her car seat IMHO. We once flew to a resort that had a bus shuttle from the airport and we didn't bring a seat. It is not necessary on the plane, and there are no safety belts on the bus, so even if you did bring the car seat you'd have no way of connecting it to the bus. The only reason to bring a car seat would be to make her more comfortable on the plane (some kids prefer their own seat, but then again it is only 1 hour) or in case of an emergency, if you have to drive to an ER or something. I would probably skip it if I were you.

Enjoy your trip!

[table4three]

I just flew last week with my 9 mo old. I flew on united and his seat was half price - that's their policy when you buy a seat for a child (24mo or younger) in a carseat.

http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,6722,1051,00.html

I was told when booking the reservation to bring his birth certificate, but no one ever asked for it at the airport.


http://lilypie.com/baby1/060325/3/15/5/-6/.png

[geochick]

Southwest Airlines asks to see a birth certificate if the child looks close to 2. I'd just pay for a ticket so you don't have to buy an expensive one at the gate if you get caught.

[mariza]

First of all, prepare for your trip through the airport by reading these links:
http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1020.xml

http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/Permitted_Prohibited_Facts.doc

I would check with the airline about the carseat. Yes, you will need to buy a ticket, I used to work for an airline and would request a birth certificate if the child looked 2 or older. Also, some airline will require that you use a carseat if the child is in a paid seat so you will need to call your airline and see what their policy is.

[samiam]

Check with your airline. We just flew Southwest - they require kids 2 and up to have their own seat. Younger than that, they allow them on your lap.

However, I'd also advise getting her own seat and bringing the car seat. I have my own turbulence story. We adopted my son out of state and flew home when he was less than 3 weeks old. I had him in a car seat. I took him out once to attempt a diaper change. I no sooner took him out when our small plane crossed the wake of a much larger plane and the plane dropped suddenly. My baby nearly flew out of my arms. I quickly got him back in his seat when our plane dropped again, then tilted quite a bit. Had I been changing my son's diaper when this happened, I'm 100% certain he would've at the very least fallen off the seat, if not much worse.

[Momof3Labs]

If you do not buy her a seat and you are "caught" at the airport (anyone can catch you - at the counter, at security, at the gate, on the plane), you will have to buy a full price ticket for her right there, or won't be able to travel with her. Definitely not worth it.

I personally would bring a car seat because at that age, there's no way my DS would sit still in a seat belt at all times that the fasten seat belt light is on (most of your 1 hour trip will be like that). And you probably can't use the car seat in the shuttle, unless it has seat belts.

[dr mom]

I just purchased tickets for DS (under 2) and I to fly to Houston - the reservations agent I spoke with told me that "there are no longer discounts offered for infant seats in that market" but wasn't able (or willing) to clarify whether that meant Houston, or all domestic flights. She seemed as surprised as I was that the discount was no longer available. I called back and checked with a second reservations agent and got the same story.

I was steamed at having to pay full-price for his ticket, but it's worth it to me to have the carseat - not only for safety, but also because I have my fingers crossed he might sleep through part of the flight.

I flew American with DS last year, and they discounted his ticket to half price. Unfortunately, the cheapskates at Continenal are the only ones offering a direct flight to Houston, and I'm willing to suck it up and pay more to avoid a two-hour layover with Fussypants.

[kozachka]

We flew United by Ted on Christmas day and got a 50% discount for my 25 months old DS. Had to call the 1-800 number for his ticket, could not buy it online.

[squimp]

I've found that traveling with DD on my lap was just not fun, even when she was 6 months old. I like for her to have her own seat. I can't imagine holding my squirmy two-year old on my lap for a flight! It would be miserable. So even if you could get away with it, it's just not worth it, IMO.

[pittsburghgirl]

I'm with the PP, I would never travel without my DS in the car seat. I find it tiring enough to get him through security, to the gate and onto the plane w/o having to wrangle him during a flight. Even one hour... you'd be surprised at how long that stretches out to with boarding, waiting in line, etc.

We use the Cosco Touriva (Scenara) for travel and it doesn't require "lugging" at all, it is so lightweight. I can carry it in one hand while carrying DS in the other arm (all 30 lbs of him). Plus, if you have your stroller with you, you can prop it on there when your DD isn't in the stroller (if she's anything like my DS, she probably wants to walk a lot.) The seat was one of the best $50 I have spent on baby products. (We have a Marathon for my car, I wouldn't even consider taking that on a plane it is so darn heavy).

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[amck]

Ditto. DH and I bought our tix online and then had to call the airline to get the 50% discount on DDs seat. Note: the 50% discount was not on the price of the tix we bought online, it was on the price of a ticket when you call the airline directly (which is usually more expensive.)

[hez]

We just took two short trips this fall with Payton (plane rides in the 2 hour range).

In both cases we paid full price for his ticket (he turned 2 in September-- we paid half price for him on ATA and Delta when he was under 2) and put him in his carseat. The flight attendant seemed a little surprised that we installed his carseat vs. gate checking it, but I couldn't imagine him strapped into a plane seat directly-- too wiggly right now. He knows and loves his carseat, and slept in it 3/4 of the flights this fall, which made for very pleasant flying.

DH has gotten very good at the installation on the plane, I wear the seat (Roundabout) on my back like a backpack through the airport, and it's not a huge deal for us now. Then again, we always seem to rent cars vs. take the shuttle (in fact, it was cheaper to rent a car for the weekend in Minneapolis/St. Paul than to pay for the hotel shuttle 2 ways for the 3 of us), so we need the carseat at the other end, anyway.

Hope the decision-making goes well!

ETA It wasn't Airtran we flew the first time with half price ticket-- it was ATA. Airtran we paid full price after he turned 2.

[wagner36]

We fly very frequently and we've always bought DS a ticket and used a car seat. My litle brother is a safety investigator for a major airline (he's also a pilot), and it freaks me out to hear his stories so there is no way I'd go without a carseat. It's also just so much easier then having a toddler climb all over you. I had a recent issue because he had outgrown one carseat (Britax RA) and his new one (Britax Husky/Regent) wasn't FAA approved and WAY too big for a plane, but I just brought the older one for use on the plane.

But, even though we've always had a ticket, I have been asked for DS's birth certificate twice when he was under 2 and we got a 1/2 price or discount fare for him! They asked at the ticket counter and again on the flight once! Luckily, I had it with me the first time when he was about 14 months because I was flying with him alone and we have different last names and I tend to get stuck in security most times (my name must be on some sort of list), so then I brought it with until he was 2.

He's large for his age so I'm sure that's why, but I still wouldn't risk the hassle or expense of having to buy a full fare ticket for her on the day you travel.

[tny915]

Thank you everyone! This has all been so helpful. DH is starting to understand that we really should buy DD a seat and bring her carseat.

We plan to bring our Roundabout. So Heather, what type of gadget is out there that allows you to wear the carseat as a backpack?

[Lmoor]

While I'm not Heather, we do have a neat gadget for that. It's called the Pac Back. Here is a link to one site, but there are several online retailers that sell it. Make sure you don't use the harness straps on the car seat to carry it - it can ruin the seat. Good luck!!! Traveling with a LO is really not that bad. Just make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time, and it's actually fun for the LO to explore the airport with you!! :)

http://www.babyride.com/9277-01.html

[hez]

No gadget required :) We just make sure the straps are loosened all the way and I put those over my shoulders, just like they'd go over Payton's shoulders. That's why you need narrow shoulders-- so they fit inside the top of the carseat. If DH wears it, he only puts one strap on 'cause he doesn't fit. I like having it on both shoulders so I have both hands free.

ETA: And I just read the other reply maybe we're ruining the seat? Oops! It's not on for long...

[supercalifragilous]

We ALWAYS install the carseat on board for safety reasons. Too many horror stories as stated by the PPs.

We've never been asked for DD's birth certificate and we've had free seating for her (when we booked an aisle and window seat for DH and me and no one wanted to buy the seat between us - this was on the advice of the Alaska Air phone rep) or bought her a 1/2-price ticket until she was 2 y/o to ensure her seat.

One of our trips straddled her 2nd birthday so we went ahead and bought her the 1/2-price ticket and if we got "carded" LOL on the way back (she was going to be 2 years 3 days) we'd just pay the difference for the full-price ticket but that never happened, luckily.

Whether we got a free seat or pay full price as we do now, it is never an option for us to omit the carseat, no matter what dirty looks we get. DD's safety is most important.

To make airport traveling smoother & faster, we have the KiddieCargo LoRider (now discontinued) but there's an identical product out on the market called the GoGo BabyZ. We fly at least 2x a year and this is an absolute lifesaver for us (then again we don't take a separate stroller with us). Are you planning on renting a stroller @ Disneyland or buying a cheapie unbrella stroller there?

Here are some links for info/sale:
http://www.theportablebaby.com/gogokidz.html
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/75187/GogoKidzCartforBritaxRoundaboutandMarathon.html

It's also been reviewed here on BBB before:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=13&topic_id=28857&mode=full

If that's not an option and you want to back-carry the carseat, there's also this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=2276637&sourceid=0100000012231186902498

We actually used this before the KiddieCargo came out. It's a pain to install on a tight-fitting Britax MA but it gets easier/faster with practice and it made transporting the MA easier since you can roll it or carry it as a backpack without worrying about stretching out the Britax straps. The thought behind it is similar to the Pac Back, only it has the option of rolling it when you get tired of carrying it.

If you're going to roll it though you might want to consider the GoGoKidz b/c at least you can strap your DD in it while you're running through the airport. That way you'll have one less thing to worry about.

[tny915]

Wow, thanks for all the info! So helpful!

The GogoKidz really looks interesting and I'll keep it in mind, but we don't travel much so I don't think I can justify the cost for us. Might try the Safefit bag though.