We have yet to fly with our kiddos 6 and almost 4. I'm just wondering for those of you who do/have or will fly, how/what do you do about car seats?
We have two Britax Regents and have learned I cannot take these on plane. I think because they are too large for the seats but not 100% sure. So do you take your kids car seats with you when you travel by air, or how about when riding on buses, taxis, trains etc. Do you own to separate car seats for these situations, maybe lighter more convenient. I kind of feel bad leaving the regents behind as I like my kids to be well protected at all times even when traveling but once I found out I couldn't bring these on a plane, it kind of through me for a loop.
There are lots of options.
There are lots of options. Yes I have flown with my girls - now 5 and 8. We took them to Hawaii when the youngest was 3, Florida for a Disney Cruise and lots of other little trips. We have a sit and stroll. It is a car seat/ stroller. Not the best of both but worked great. Contact your airline you will travel on and ask about what they suggest. A booster seat for your oldest would work on board as well as in a car. Not sure of how big your youngest is, but that might work as well, with the back attached. They are not expensive and we got ours at Target. We also have a triangle thing (don't remember the name) we got at Babies R Us that you put on the seat belt and it positions the shoulder strap for the older one in rental cars. I hope this helps.
KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.
Just wanted to comment that
Just wanted to comment that the triangle things that are supposed to position the seat belt are dangerous! I know they sound like a great idea, but it puts the seatbelt over the child's abdomen which can cause internal organ damage. The seatbelt should be positioned over the child's (and everyone's) hips. An actual booster seat positions the seatbelt over the hips.
You are correct that your
You are correct that your Regents won't work on the plane. They are awesome seats, but too big & not approved for aircraft. I'd recommend getting inexpensive seats for your trip. 1) you don't want to lug those Regents to the airport to check 2) checking carseats is never a good idea-all kinds of things can happen to them. 3)children should be in carseats on airplanes-they are much safer and survivable accidents on the ground do happen.
this website has a lot of great info to help you decide which seats would work best for your situation:
www.car-safety.org
Some people pile the car seats into a stroller to get to the gate, then gate check the stroller.
And kudos to you for keeping your kids in a 5-point harness.
We've traveled a ton with
We've traveled a ton with our three kids since they were toddlers. What I always do is simply rent the car seats/booster seats along with our rental car. Or if we're not renting a car, I'll buy cheaper versions of our car seats in the city where we're staying and then give them away/donate them before we return home.
DesertMom
http://ppdsurvivor.blogspot.com
What a great idea! I like
What a great idea! I like the neatness of it, and laud the good karmic implications of giving things away to those who need them. Out of curiosity, do you give them to the car rental place with suggestions that they keep them for others with similar needs?
We've traveled a ton with
We've traveled a ton with our three kids since they were toddlers. What I always do is simply rent the car seats/booster seats along with our rental car. Or if we're not renting a car, I'll buy cheaper versions of our car seats in the city where we're staying and then give them away/donate them before we return home.
DesertMom
http://ppdsurvivor.blogspot.com
I think a lot of it depends
I think a lot of it depends on the size of your kid personally. but booster seats are easy enough to use - especially the kind that has a removable back.
and we've also rented cars with car seats so we didn't have to lug around big car seats.
Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 7 and 3.
Maybe this sounds bad, but I
Maybe this sounds bad, but I just wouldn't take a carseat on the plane once they turned four. Planes just have lap belts, so I didn't worry about boosting them up. But I did have car seats for when I arrived at my moms and mother-in-laws (I bought them seats). For vacations to touristy spots, we bought one of those inexpensive Cosco booster from Target (about $15-20).
Well, I believe that this is
Well, I believe that this is a serious problem we're dealing with lately. I have a lot of friends complaining about it. But it also depends on the company you chose. For example Royal Caribbean is the best I have ever seen. They really understand a mother's needs.