Carseat or no Carseat?

[KJMAX1]

We will have our daughter with us this time who is 2, and weighs 27lbs. We booked her, her own seat on the plane, but we will probably be taking the Mears bus to the Wilderness Lodge. Has anyone used a seat before in the bus, and should we even bring one? I mean, I worry about tubulance and stuff...Not to mention the way some of those bus drivers turn corners.

 

[LKS]

Well, most buses, even most school buses, do not even have a seat belt to hook the car seat onto. I just took a field trip from Savannah to Jacksonville with the kids in a yellow school bus, down the interstate with no one hooked in. It's nuts, isn't it?!

 

[kidzmom3]

We were on Mears last Sept with 3 kids aged 3,5,7 All sit in car seats/boosters at home. None at Disney. Mears is just the first step. All the bus usage from Hotel/parks also none. We learned to live with it. Have an adult sit next to a kid. Hope you don't have to stand.

 

[tjmw2727]

No, you can't use the carseat on the Mears bus or on Dinsey transportation. Sorry :=0

If you want to use the seat you could look into one of the towncar services - we use Tiffany. Its about double the price of mears round trip but you will get personal service and use of your carseat. Instead of a bus that travels to many resorts in addition to yours each way you get door to door service. Tiffany will also take you to an offsite grocery store to stock up if you wish, especially money saving with a toddler. We never did the math but some say they save enough on groceries to warrent the extra cost of the towncar over mears.

You could also look into rental cars - we have gotten great rates at L&M.

FWIW - we use the carseat in the airplane until dd's were about three. We still use Tiffany towncar!

I know I went a bit further than answering original question - sorry but I hope it was helpful.
TJ

 

[Kermit]

I would look into getting a towncar to take you to your hotel. It's more expensive than the per person charge for Mears, but the price for the towncar is for the car, regardless of the number of people, so the difference won't be as bad. You should take the carseat on the plane for safety issues, and it's good for the ride to the hotel.

I wouldn't worry about it as much while on Disney property. I know that accidents do happen there, but I'd be willing to bet that they're more rare and less major, especially when a bus is concerned.

 

[HoosierFantasia]

You may be able to do without on the shuttles and buses, but I believe airlines want your child in an approved carseat if they are under 40 lbs. Not sure how strict they are but I would definitely check that out.
Bill

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by HoosierFantasia
You may be able to do without on the shuttles and buses, but I believe airlines want your child in an approved carseat if they are under 40 lbs. Not sure how strict they are but I would definitely check that out.
Bill

Nope, actually, IMHO many airlines actually seem to find the carseat a "pain" to deal with. Carseat must be in the window seat which often causes seating confusion. Many seats don't fit right since the airplane seats are so small. We had problems when buckle on the airplane seatbelt was to big to fit through the back of the carseat - very frustating.

The airlines allow children under two to "lap-sit" for free not even a seatbelt to hold them in so I have a hard time believing they would require an older child to use one.
YMMV
TJ

 

[dcedwards]

I have flown with my son for the past three years about 4 times a year. After the first trip at 6 months with him on my lap I have since always bought a ticket for him. We even bought a one-way return ticket for him after the first trip. I have heard arguments on both sides of taking the car seat or not taking the car seat. I think it is a personal call. We have not used a car seat and now he is too big for one so it isn't an issue. I have always been concerned about "keeping him happy" and not disturbing other passengers and yes, his safety, too. We used the his seat space for a play area as he got older and was able to be out of the seat belt. I know there are those that would disagree with me but it worked for us. We could not have done this with a car seat plus he wasn't found of a car seat and his actions would have probably reflected that.

We have always hired Tiffany Towncar to take us from the airport to the hotel. They will bring a car seat for your child to sit in so you don't have to bring yours along unless you want to do that. Once at Disney, you can't use the car seat. The car seat Tiffany provided for the 30 minute ride from the airport to hotel and back again was just fine. And, for three people it wasn't that much more -- especially if you use the internet coupon on their website.

You should know that Florida law says that kids using public transporation do not have to be belted in. This includes taxis, buses, vans, private town cars, etc. Anything that is considered to be commercial type of transportation. They do, however, have to be belted in if you are renting a car or driving on your own.

 

[HoosierFantasia]

We were told with our 28 month old daughter weighing 33 lbs. that she is too old to sit in our laps (which I wouldn't do anyway) and the booster seat we brought for her to use in her own seat is not allowed. They would not let her sit in the seat by herself because she wasn't over 40 lbs. I had 25 minutes to get to my car and grab the other car seat. I barely made it. This link may provide more info for you but I suggest calling your airline directly for presise info.
http://www.faa.gov/apa/publicat/crstips.htm

 

[tjmw2727]

My girls sat in their own seats on an airplane from the age of 3 on without a carseat. That was my confort point, old enough to sit straight and not fool with the buckle etc., YMMV.

Although unless your carseat has and FAA Approval sticker on it they won't allow it. Booster seats and those without their own harness system are not allowed. It may have had more to do with the type of seat you were trying to use rather than age or weight of the child. If I purchase a seat for my dd its my decision to use a carseat or not not the airline. Personally, with a child under 3 I always choose to use a carseat but have never been required to do so.

We fly an average of 10 times per year on a few different airlines so I have had some experience. In fact we had one attendant try and refuse to let us use our seat once when the FAA sticker was clearly prominent. She caused a huge commotion and finally got the rest of the crew involved. We used the seat!

BTW if the 40lb is or is going to be the cut off both my 5 yo(32lbs) and 7 yo (39lbs) would still be trying to squish into a carseat with a harness - not happening

Calling the airline and checking your carseat is always the best plan of action.
TJ

 

[dcedwards]

I have not encountered the 40 lb rule. My son is only about 32 pounds but will be 4 next month. This last trip we used the seat belt and it wasn't an issue. We fly two different airlines regularly and neither have a pound minimum. I'm surprised to hear that one may. Like other posters have said, I would just check with the airline. Each one may have their own rules.

 

[skeezixspud]

... Not the point at which it is not required. You are never required to use a carseat,
but it is safer to do so, (and the FAA recommends it) if the child weighs less than 40 lbs.

Once a child weighs 40 lbs. he/she should just use the passenger belt in the aircraft seat.

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by skeezixspud
... Not the point at which it is not required. You are never required to use a carseat,
but it is safer to do so, (and the FAA recommends it) if the child weighs less than 40 lbs.

Once a child weighs 40 lbs. he/she should just use the passenger belt in the aircraft seat.

Thanks "Skeez" that makes more sense. I always think recommendations make more sense than requirements esp when they don't allow boosters. There are exceptions to any rule, my kids are small but tall and "Laws can't make exceptions!".

I was laughing when I posted about my 7yo (39lbs) fitting into a traditional car seat. Although she does still use a booster seat in my car (recommended for 8yo to 80lbs in my state, and I agree) the airline won't allow those and I really don't think it necessary.

Imagine - tall enough to ride RnRc (and loves it!) but required to use a carseat to fly commercial airline.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

I don't doubt your experience a bit and after looking back it looks as if I do - sorry.

More likely an overzelous flight attendant gave you bad info. I am sorry for your trip back to the car! I am very aware that they won't allow boosters but they should have let you have your dd have use her own seat in any way that you and your wife (SO) were comfortable with. Glad things worked out eventually, flying is difficut enough with kids!

TJ

 

[HoosierFantasia]

Now that I read these replies and my own post I see the confusion. I stressed to the attendant that my child's safety is the number one priority and I didn't want her in our laps. She told me that she can sit in the seat but how the belt fits over her legs wasn't very safe and they highly recommended I get her car seat which I was more than happy to do. I wasn't upset with the attendant. If they say this is the best thing and I got time to do it, I do it!
I didnt get that point across in my original post, sorry!

Only 57 days till our trip

Bill

 

[KJMAX1]

We have a Britax carseat, so I know it is FAA approved. I was just wondering about hauling the thing all over the airports, but I think we are going to do it. Flying American, I called and asked what we can do, and he informed us that we can use a carseat. I want it merely for the turbulance and the control we will have over our daughter with her not being able to stand up, get the belt off etc. Thanks for eveyones suggestions.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

For carting the carseat around, I would suggest getting one of the backpack carriers made just for that purpose. Ours is made by Briggs & Riley (a luggage company) but it can be expensive (we got lucky and got a great deal on ours); there are other brands out there that are quite affordable (try Babies R Us etc.). Basically, it is a bag that zips around the carseat (ours is also a Britax and it does fit) and has backpack straps on the back. It is bulky to wear but much much better than hand carrying it. Once you take the seat out, it folds up nicely into its own little drawstring bag. Definitely worth the $$$$.

 

[skeezixspud]

If you have a convertible hi-back booster, you will be allowed to use it on board only if the 5-pt. harness is in place; if the harness has been removed, it is not allowed.

Seat-only boosters (aka "belt-positioning boosters") are not useable on US-based air carriers, but some European airlines do allow them to be used. BTW, someone mentioned the Baby B'Air; that is not a tandem harness; you cannot use it to restrain a child on your lap. It can be used to restrain a child who is sitting in a seat by himself, but it cannot be used during takeoff and landing, for some reason. Also, if you have a small baby and use a sling or snugli-type carrier, don't be surprised if the FA insists that the child be taken out of the carrier for takeoff and landing.

We just had a nasty turbulence incident near our airport here. The plane had to make an emergency landing because about half of the passengers on the flight needed medical attention. Remember, if the aircraft hits turbulence and drops suddenly, an unrestrained child is going to fly head-first into the bottom of the overhead bin. I've been in bad turbulence incidents, where the only thing keeping me from hitting the ceiling is the seatbelt, and I'm no featherweight.

 

[HoosierFantasia]

Sounds like Tower of Terror without a lap restraint.
Ouch!
Bill