Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 11:32     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely take the carseat. Kids that age do not understand needing to stay put in a regular seat and can cry if they can't get down to explore. They do understand needing to stay in their carseat. He can still get out and walk around the airplane with you, sit in your lap, sit in your husband's lap, stand in the space in front of the car seat, etc.

I would also put him in the window seat and let you and your husband swap out the middle seat. That way if he falls asleep you aren't trapped and at least one of you can get a little break from entertaining him if he's needing lots of attention.

Are you on a night or day flight?


Thanks, this is super helpful about putting the car seat by the window! We are on a night flight going over, so hopefully he sleeps some of the way there. Coming back is a day flight but I know we will just have to suck it up and get through that one.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 11:27     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:CARES harness. A 20 month old in a car seat is going to be kicking the seat in front of them non stop.


If you rear face the kid, then they're kicking their own seat, so it's not a big deal.

I don't know that rear facing on an airplane makes a difference in safety, but it absolutely makes a difference in sanity, since you don't have to enforce the kicking thing.

OP, are 2 parents going on this trip?
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 11:27     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all the help! We actually don't even have the car seat we would use yet.... On the rare occasions we drive our son still uses his infant seat. Recs on which model to buy that would work well for air travel?


A 20 month old boy using an infant seat?! No way he could be within the weight and height requirements still.


Lol, he is not 20 months yet! He will be at the time of the trip (this fall).
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 11:24     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
I'd get a Cosco Scenera Next. It is about $35 to $50 depending on where you get it. It is pretty much a no frills seat but it is light to carry around. It is perfectly safe even though it doesn't cost as much as a Britax.

I'd try to drive around with him in it a few times and leave it around the house as "his big boy seat to go on the plane."

Good luck!!!
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 10:21     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Yes. We did this when dd was 13mo. And we used the cheap cosco car seat ($40).

The only downside is that you cannot nurse on takeoff and landing.

But flying to Europe it’s very easy as most are overnight.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 10:19     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely take the carseat. Kids that age do not understand needing to stay put in a regular seat and can cry if they can't get down to explore. They do understand needing to stay in their carseat. He can still get out and walk around the airplane with you, sit in your lap, sit in your husband's lap, stand in the space in front of the car seat, etc.

I would also put him in the window seat and let you and your husband swap out the middle seat. That way if he falls asleep you aren't trapped and at least one of you can get a little break from entertaining him if he's needing lots of attention.

Are you on a night or day flight?


NP. Car seats are actually only permitted in the window seat. Otherwise they represent a safety issue because they block the interior seats from getting out.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2018 10:15     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
I would absolutely take the carseat. Kids that age do not understand needing to stay put in a regular seat and can cry if they can't get down to explore. They do understand needing to stay in their carseat. He can still get out and walk around the airplane with you, sit in your lap, sit in your husband's lap, stand in the space in front of the car seat, etc.

I would also put him in the window seat and let you and your husband swap out the middle seat. That way if he falls asleep you aren't trapped and at least one of you can get a little break from entertaining him if he's needing lots of attention.

Are you on a night or day flight?
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 20:23     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Heck yeah! My DD knows she can't get out of her car seat and she's 100% happy being stationary in it. In a regular seat she's up and down every minute.


Not trying to be snarky, but do you think she would sit in her seat for 9-10 hours happily? As I said, we don't drive much, so I don't think my son has even been in his seat for more than half an hour or so. I worry that an overnight flight may not be a good time to test out whether he will sit still!


I would not recommend it, especially if you don't use car seats often. You'll have a lot less room, and your kid will be much more comfortable with a little bit of movement. Also, if you decide half way through that you want to get rid of it, you don't have anywhere to put it.

I suspect that most of the folks answering these questions have kids that drive in cars regularly. My child would have screamed bloody murder if we had put him in a car seat on an airplane; I don't think it would have been fair to subject other passengers to that!
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:26     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Also if you are buying a seat get one with a closed belt path if you can. Otherwise the airplane seat buckle can be uncomfortable since it often ends up in the middle of the child's back.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:15     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
We've done it both ways and the car seat has been much better for sleeping. My children can't sleep in the Cares harness comfortably. Also I f you are flying a Non-US carrier print out their documentation from their website showing that they allow car seats and bring your car seat manual. We have had to show both.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:11     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all the help! We actually don't even have the car seat we would use yet.... On the rare occasions we drive our son still uses his infant seat. Recs on which model to buy that would work well for air travel?


A 20 month old boy using an infant seat?! No way he could be within the weight and height requirements still.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:08     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all the help! We actually don't even have the car seat we would use yet.... On the rare occasions we drive our son still uses his infant seat. Recs on which model to buy that would work well for air travel?


I recommend not getting the Evenflo. It is very light but enormous. We hated carrying it around the airport and down the plane aisles.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:06     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all the help! We actually don't even have the car seat we would use yet.... On the rare occasions we drive our son still uses his infant seat. Recs on which model to buy that would work well for air travel?


Get a Corroco (expensive but great seat) or the Cosco for $40 for travel.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:06     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
Bring a car seat - get a Corroco or Cosco if you want a light weight seat. The cares is a waste of money. Its just the top harness and kids can easily slide around under the seat. We didn't put our 4 year old in a car seat at the time and he complained he kept sliding under the seat. A 20 month old will not fit well in a lap belt. For the $50 the cares costs, you can get a lightweight Cosco and use it as a spare seat and it if gets damaged, no big deal get a new one.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2018 16:03     Subject: 20 month old has his own plane seat - use car seat?
OP here, thanks for all the help! We actually don't even have the car seat we would use yet.... On the rare occasions we drive our son still uses his infant seat. Recs on which model to buy that would work well for air travel?