I have a question about traveling with a 3 year old?

Question

I am traveling with my 3 year old grandson and he is under 40 pounds. Any idea what kind of a car seat I can use on the airplane?

Answer 1

This is a lot easier than you think. Right before you board the plane, stuff him in a suitcase. To make it even funnier, don't let him out until the plane ride back!!

Answer 2

I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three children. We always take a car seat. Good for you for considering this option. The seatbelt doesn't hold 3 year olds very well and he'll be more comfortable in his familiar seat. I found this both when working flights and flying with my own children.

You don't say where you are in the world but since you used "lbs", I'll assume the U.S. Here is the FAA page with the information you need. It shows the label that a car seat must have to be approved. Most car seats sold in the U.S. are FAA approved so whatever he has now should work;

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr...

Approved seats have a 5-point harness (shoulders, waist and crotch straps).  I have my 4 year old child is a 5 point harness which goes up to 65lbs and is FAA approved. Much safer than a booster!

To get it through the airport, they sell plenty of gadgets. I'm not promoting these sites or products but just to give you an idea;

http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_k...

http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-...

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/...

I use a simple metal luggage cart, the kind that fold down and secure it with an extra bungee cord. This actually works very well and sometimes my daughter can ride in it when she's tired (although it wont entirely replace a stroller, which is less needed at this age anyway).

If you are flying a U.S. company, your right to use the seat is protected by law. He has a seat and if his car seat is FAA approved, it CANNOT BE REFUSED.

Here is a rather long FAA document to prove your case. Some parents print this up to show any uninformed F/A's they may encounter (trust me, we speant far too little time learning about car seats on planes!)

http://web.nbaa.org/public/ops/ac/AC120-...

If you have any further questions, please feel free to visit my totally non-commercial article on this subject. It's an 8 year project (with lots of other parents' contributions). If it's not covered there, my contact information is at the end.

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

Good luck and have a safe trip!

Answer 3

The answer that says that "most any car seat" will work is completely false.  To be used on an aircraft in the US, a car seat must be certified as useable for that purpose by the FAA.  Those that are certified for that use will say so specifically on the seat itself.  If it doesn't say that it's FAA certified, then it cannot be used during the flight.

The airline should be able to provide you with a seat belt extension if it's needed to secure the seat.

Answer 4

For the most part, any car seat can go on the plane. Some companies even have certain seat belt extenders to accompany for different type of car seats.