Car seat for AIRPLANE: forward facing??

[ddolinoy]

Dear All,
We are traveling to CA and Hawaii with 13 month old. We have purchased a separate seat for the baby and need help figuring out what restraint to use. Our EvenFlow forward facing car seat is too big (21.5 inches -- FAA brochure says 16 inches??). Therefore, we are considering purchasing another forward facing car seat for airplane travel. Can anyone recommend a forward facing car seat that will fit airplane seats!

I have seen the CARE restraint, but don't think our son would be comfortable in that, he's a little on the small side, 22 lbs.

Thanks so much!

[ddolinoy]

I posted this on the Car Seat board too. Thanks.

Dear All,
We are traveling to CA and Hawaii with 13 month old. We have purchased a separate seat for the baby and need help figuring out what restraint to use. Our EvenFlow forward facing car seat is too big (21.5 inches -- FAA brochure says 16 inches??). Therefore, we are considering purchasing another forward facing car seat for airplane travel. Can anyone recommend a forward facing car seat that will fit airplane seats!

I have seen the CARE restraint, but don't think our son would be comfortable in that, he's a little on the small side, 22 lbs.

Thanks so much!

[o_mom]

At 13 months he should still be rear-facing. Most convertible carseats will fit in an airplane seat in spite of what the FAA brochure says.

If you want to buy a lighter weight seat for travel, the Safety 1st Avenue is a good choice. It is lightweight, fairly narrow and has EPP foam for side impact protection. It is not too difficult to install either and has one of the taller harnesses to last a reasonable amount of time. It is around $70-80 at Sears or Kmart.

[o_mom]

Replyed on the other thread: http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=328288

:)

[bubbaray]

What Evenflo seat do you have?

IMO, your son is too young for a CARES harness.

[deannanb]

I would think about using the infant carrier - gives baby a nice place to sit - and sleep
I wouldn't worry about about being 22lbs if the carrier says up to 20lbs....
snap it onto the stroller and go - or put baby in umbrella stroller and carry the infant carrier -

and the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that children remain rear facing until at least 2
http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a

[mom2binsd]

Definitely use your convertible seat rearfacing for a child that young in the car and on the airplane too....on the carseat forum there is a sticky thread at the top that talks about flying with carseats etc. Many folks print it out and bring it with them.

Which seat do you currently own?

You can install a carseat rearfacing on an airplane and if that's the way they ride in the car the flight attendants shouldn't make it be installed forwardfacing...yes the person in front doesn't get to recline, but it means your child can't kick the seat and there's a much higher probability said child will be happier and sleep (and can see the parents).

Car seats on airplanes must be installed in the window seat too.

If there's an FAA sticker on your seat it'll fit...just about every seat except for a few huge seats like the Britax Regent are FAA approved.

[ddolinoy]

Thanks for the fast responses. And the info on rear facing until 2 and car seat sticky.

We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance LX Convertible Car Seat. A quick search of Babies R Us did not reveal whether it is FAA approved. It measures 21 inches across and FAA brochure said 16 inches...

[o_mom]

That seat is FAA approved, it should be on your seat and in the manual. The width measurements from the FAA are really not correct. Most any convertible seat will work - people here have flown with Marathons and I have seen pictures of a Graco Nautilus on a plane. Those are both pretty wide seats. You can't always put the armrests down, but they fit. Having said that, that is one of the wider seats out there and it's not light by any means, so a lighter seat like the Cosco Scenera or the Safety 1st Avenue may make your trip easier.

[Jen841]

We bought ours for the purpose years ago and love it. We have one and my parents have one too. Our rule due to traveling a lot is we always have one lighter weight seat so we can travel without breaking our backs (especially with 2 kids!) This is nice and light. We carry it in an Eddie Bauer bag I bought at BRU.

[jjordan]

I find that it is easier to rearface on airplanes for several reasons. What rearfacing carseat(s) do you have?

[vonfirmath]

Note: Not EVERY rear-facing seat will fit in the airplane seats rear-facing, even when they have the FAA sticker.

The Marathon fits, the Radian does not. I don't know about your seat.

[MissyAg94]

And my daughter who will be four in August is still RF in my car. Unless there is some research about RF vs FF on an airplane that I am unaware of, I think the most important thing is that the child is restrained well in case of severe turbulance.

[denna]

Note: Not EVERY rear-facing seat will fit in the airplane seats rear-facing, even when they have the FAA sticker.

The Marathon fits, the Radian does not. I don't know about your seat.


We've travelled on 20+ flights w/ DS and we used our BLVD for all but one trip when we attempted a 'travel seat' with the Cosco Scenera. The BLVD fit rearfacing and IMO its a rather large seat.

To the OP definitely keep your DS RF'ing as long as he possibly can (per the limit of the seat). If the seat is marked FAA approved it should be fine.

[arivecchi]

And my daughter who will be four in August is still RF in my car. Unless there is some research about RF vs FF on an airplane that I am unaware of, I think the most important thing is that the child is restrained well in case of severe turbulance. Yeah - I thought the main issue was turbulence. Would it matter then whether the car seat is FF or RF? Have flight attendants refused to let people use the car seats RF?

[o_mom]

Yeah - I thought the main issue was turbulence. Would it matter then whether the car seat is FF or RF? Have flight attendants refused to let people use the car seats RF?


Yes, turbulence is one of the main issues and there isn't a whole lot of research on FF vs. RF on an airplane. However, there is something to be said for being consistent as far as using it the same way on the plane as in the car. Additionally, since the OP said that her DC was only 13 months and in a FF Evenflo seat, I think that is why many people added info about RF.

Some misinformed flight attendants have refused RF seats, however the FAA is pretty clear that they should allow it.

[arivecchi]

Thanks omom. I plan on flying with my kids soon so that is good to know. I will have to look up the FAA rules in case the FAs say anything about the car seat being RF.

[Pbl427]

FWIW, we have had DS on 50+ flights in his 27 months. There are some aircraft that you will not be able to rear face. The seat will simply not fit. I hated turning DS on those occassions, but had no choice and he had no issue with rearfacing in the car afterwards or on other aircraft. There are also some airlines/aircraft that have only a couple of seats that infant carriers will fit in. These seats will likely be the only ones that you can rear face a convertible seat in too - so you may want to ask the airline if they have particular seats for infant carriers. In addition, I have had one flight attendant tell me that if his feet touched the back of the seat, he had to FF and forced us to turn him. Something about crushing his legs in a crash. I asked my sister-in-law, a flight attendant for a different airline, about this and she had never heard such a thing. Just be prepared for all different possibilities.

After DS' infant carrier, we used a Radian 80 for travel initially, but transitioned pretty quickly to a Cosco Scenera. The light weight makes it much easier to travel with. The main challenge is that I sometimes find it hard to get an good install in a rental car at our destination.

Have a wonderful trip! I really wanted to get a Hawaii trip in when DS was that young. I think we missed the boat for a while. I can't imagine having him on flights that long right now.

HTH!

[o_mom]

FWIW, we have had DS on 50+ flights in his 27 months. There are some aircraft that you will not be able to rear face. The seat will simply not fit. I hated turning DS on those occassions, but had no choice and he had no issue with rearfacing in the car afterwards or on other aircraft. There are also some airlines/aircraft that have only a couple of seats that infant carriers will fit in. These seats will likely be the only ones that you can rear face a convertible seat in too - so you may want to ask the airline if they have particular seats for infant carriers. In addition, I have had one flight attendant tell me that if his feet touched the back of the seat, he had to FF and forced us to turn him. Something about crushing his legs in a crash. I asked my sister-in-law, a flight attendant for a different airline, about this and she had never heard such a thing. Just be prepared for all different possibilities.

After DS' infant carrier, we used a Radian 80 for travel initially, but transitioned pretty quickly to a Cosco Scenera. The light weight makes it much easier to travel with. The main challenge is that I sometimes find it hard to get an good install in a rental car at our destination.

Have a wonderful trip! I really wanted to get a Hawaii trip in when DS was that young. I think we missed the boat for a while. I can't imagine having him on flights that long right now.

HTH!

Yes, there are many uninformed flight attendants with bad info about the legs touching, etc. It is always best to print out the FAA directives and have them with you when flying. Many people here have travelled with larger seats such as the Marathon and had no issues at all with rear-facing, even in small commuter planes. The Radian is one of the few seats that will have issues rear-facing because the recline angle cannot be adjusted.

Additionally, if there are seats on the plane that CAN accomodate the seat, the FAA requires the airline to reseat you there. Many flight attendents do not know this (it is relatively new), so again, best to have the regulations handy.

[arivecchi]

Here's a link to the FAA website for those who need it.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

[codex57]

Just remember, if flying international, you might be playing with a whole different set of rules. FAA rules may not apply.

Air France is notorious for being anti-children.