Airplanes, Carseats, and Kids—What You Need to Know Pt. 2
Is one seat better or easier for airplane traveling than another? Perhaps. It all depends on our mantra: the best carseat is the one that fits your vehicle, your child, and your budget. We’ve obviously got 2 vehicles here: the airplane and the car. You may think that your carseat looks too wide to use on an aircraft, but it may not be. Remember that armrests can be lifted and often the widest part of the carseat is above the armrest on the airplane seat, so it can be done. Some folks who travel often do buy a different carseat just for traveling because their main carseat is heavier or bulkier than the travel seat. The travel seat can also be a backup seat for a babysitter or grandma’s car.
A travel vest is a nice option for those with older kids who are forward-facing since it packs so easily. The RideSafer Travel Vest has been around for years and is available in two sizes: small (30-60 lbs.) and large (50-80 lbs.). The only time the RSTV requires a tether anchor is when it’s used with a lap-only belt; most newer vehicles (e.g. rental vehicles) have either lap/shoulder belts everywhere or a plethora of tether anchors, so that shouldn’t be a problem in those cars. It might be a problem for you in Grandpa Tony’s 1979 Grand Marquis, however. Another alternative to the 
traditional carseat is the Safety 1st Go Hybrid Booster is the updated version of the SafeGuard Go Hybrid Version. This is a harnessed backless booster and requires a tether anchor for use with the harness. It packs down into a travel bag that very easily fits into the overhead compartment of a 737.
Aside from those obvious travel options are the carseats themselves. The Cosco Scenera convertible seat (see our review) has been recommended as a travel seat since it came out because it’s one of the lightest on the market and we all know that when your plane leaves from the last gate at the airport, every ounce counts. The new Evenflo Maestro combination seat also
looks to be a good travel seat. It’s lightweight and appears to install easily in a variety of vehicles, plus its versatility as a belt positioning booster for older kids is a plus (see Kecia’s review of the Maestro as a booster seat here: http://carseatblog.com/?p=5923). Then there are the Sunshine Kids Radian convertible seats which were designed to be travel seats: they fold so they can be easily carried through the airport. They also have a carry strap. While there are many plusses to the Radian seats, the biggest downside is their weight: they weigh over 25 lbs.—hardly a seat you want to be lugging through the airport. Still, once installed on the airplane seat, the tray table can be fully lowered so your child can make full use of it for coloring or eating and that’s something that other carseats don’t allow because of their high sides. The Combi Coccoro convertible seat is a nice small seat that fits well rear-facing on a plane. It’s pod-like shape is reminiscent of an infant seat, but it’s most definitely a convertible without a base. Combi does make a separate stroller frame for it called the Flash for those parents on the go who don’t mind either reinstalling the carseat on a regular basis or who travel a lot.
Taking a carseat through the airport requires some thought unless you relish the idea of hauling all your gear plus your child’s carseat on your back. Go-Go Kidz makes a cart that attaches to a carseat. It’s a product specifically designed for carseats and it’s sturdy enough so that you can even put your child in the carseat and drag her through the airport when she gets tired of walking. If you don’t travel by plane much, a luggage cart and bungee cords may be your answer. You can also use those bungee cords to bungee your carseat to a stroller. It will take a bit of undoing when it comes time to go through the security line, but as long as you’ve practiced removing the seat from whatever apparatus you’ve chosen to use, you won’t get too many nasty looks 
. There’s also a nifty strap called the Traveling Toddler that attaches your carseat to your rolling carryon using the carseat’s lower anchor straps and top tether (aka LATCH straps). I’m sure you can figure out lots of ways to get your family and your carseat through the airport with a little ingenuity, but it always helps to have some ideas.
With a little planning, airplane travel with your child doesn’t have to be an anxiety-ridden adventure that requires prescription drugs for all involved. Some simple devices combined with a little knowledge will make you look like an experienced traveler even if you’ve never set foot on an airplane with your little one before and soon you’ll be jetting off to unknown lands and faraway places.
To make your travels easier, here are some links you may find helpful:
http://www.carseat.org/Legal/0_legalIP.htm#aircraft
Links to print out for your next airplane trip
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
The TSA’s page on traveling with children
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm
Department of Transportation’s aviation consumer complaint web page
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com/
A former flight attendant’s tips on flying with children
Reader Comments
Cute pictures.
Two straps on the Radian turns it into a backpack, and the weight is really not noticed. Most backpacks filled with stuff for a trip hit close to the 25 pound mark on their own. The only time I noticed the Radian on my back was if I hit something with it when I bent over reaching, and mostly because I’m short.
I LOVE the Traveling Toddler. We used a luggage cart with bungee cords for a while (before the TT or GoGo Kidz came out), and while that was very nice for what it was, the TT is SO much easier and more convenient. However, I loathe checking luggage, so if I can use the rolling luggage to carry my carseat, so much the better. Rather than have something separate and then need to check my luggage.
In February I flew by myself with my just turned 3 year old and my 17 month old and I was 30 week pregnant. I took my Radian on board with 2 straps wearing it as a backpack. It was by far the best decision I made for that trip. Yes it was heavy, but having a seat for my 17 month old to sit in was a lifesaver! And using the 2 straps was definitely much easier than lugging one of the bigger convertible seats on the plane. The flight attendents were all very impressed when I pulled it off my back
We’ll be flying again in a few months (this time with 3 kids!) and will most definitely be taking the Radian on the plane again.
I’ve flown with just myself, three kids, and 2 Radians and a Boulevard. I figured out how to stick all three seats into a regular stroller and had the kids walk. It was much more difficult getting all the seats on the plane and installed than it was getting them through the airport.
(A pox be upon Southwest for not letting me preboard.)
I love the Pac-Back, by Cheeky Monkey, for carrying our carseat on our back. It is super easy to use. We carry our Marathon in it all the time. I actually prefer that to the GogoKidz rolling cart, because of the ease of getting it on and off the seat (when I’m traveling alone with two kids, that’s important) With the Pac-Back, I can carry the carseat to my row on the airplane. The GogoKidz was too wide to roll down an airplane aisle (we only use that if I have another adult traveling with me. They can carry it up the aisle)
And I am sending a pox to Southwest on behalf of the previous poster. What is this world of lack of customer service coming to? I’ve never been allowed to preboard with my kids and carseats either – what the airlines don’t seem to understand, is that in doing this they are causing me to slow their whole boarding process down! I am slow moving with carseats and kids and stroller and carryons! If they let us on first, we could be settled and out of the way of everyone else! Gah.
We travelled to Europe a couple years ago with our 6-month old as a lap baby. We planned ahead enough to get a front row seat in the section and requested a wall mounted basinet. This is great for a long flight, and free! On KLM, during take-off and landing – and variably if the seat belt sign was on, they provided a seat belt for baby that attaches to the parents belt with a loop. They also provided a baby life preserver (imagine a baby-sized duffel bag with inflatable collar.) Their American partner NWA/Delta did not. Why does FAA not require this, when Europe clearly does?
We traveled last fall with a 4 year old (turned FF in a Radian for the plane) and an 18 month old (RF in a BLVD). Two strap on the Radian turned it into a backpack that I was able to manage even and we used the Go Go Kidz on the BLVD. This combination for boh seats made traveling a BREEZE with two children and two car seats. Having the toddler in the BLVD through the airport was wonderful. Both seats installed quickly and easily.
Tip for not getting any flack for a RF installed seat on the plane – we put my son with his FF Radian in the row in front of the RF BLVD. The stewardess had started making noises about installing the RF seat until I showed her who and what was going to be ahead of that seat.
Though I would have been totally within my rights to install the seat RF, we all know that sometimes that message has not gotten to many stewards/esses.
I think it’s clear that the friendly skies are the final frontier when it comes to child passenger safety. Since there are relatively fewer incidents, it keeps getting written off. I’m not sure we’ll ever see anything happen as far as mandatory carseats or harnesses until something happens to a major dignitary’s child.