Flying with a 17 almost 18 month old

jobiann

Ok ladies, I need some direction.

My IL's have proposed a family trip in June and we of course would be flying with my then 17 almost 18 month son. I need some advice and input.

I already know I want him to have his own seat, and I assume we have to provide a car seat for him to sit in while on the plane which we'll use also for the rental car we'll have for that week. Do you have any recommendations for cheaper car seats to get for this trip? Something lightweight but also comfortable for him to be in for the 2 or 3 hour flight with no transfers hopefully. The convertible car seat we have now is pretty bulky.

Any advice is welcome. Are there certain airlines that are more kid friendly? 

Also, we are flying with MIL, FIL, DH, myself and DS. Possible my BIL and his GF...

TIA!

jobiann

Thanks @PrivacyWanted. I'm a nervous flyer to begin with, I like to be in control and on a plane I'm so very not in control. So I want to do my research to know what to expect with a toddler. I think we are looking at United Airlines, they are the cheapest tickets with a direct flight, flight time of under 2 hours. Thank god, I cannot imagine having to restrain DS for too much longer. 

I also posted this on Parenting and I had suggestions too for the Sencera, so I think that is the route I'll go. One of the Grandma's can just use it in the future for their vehicles for DS. 

One gal said to keep the LO out of restraints for as long as possible so when they are strapped in they don't get tired of it so quickly. Sounds like a good strategy to me. 

Now, to figure out if I can check a BOB utility stroller at the gate or not. Since we are going to a National Park I'd love to have that stroller because it's made for off trail. But it's quite large even broken down. I'll have to call the airline and ask once the tickets are booked. 

jobiann

PrivacyWanted said:

Yeah, you may not be able to gate check the Bob.  But it can still be checked for free.  Since I have a double now all our strollers were too big for gate check.  We got a travel back for our stroller- which totally protected it.  

Though if I was going to a NP and likely hiking, I'd invest in a Kelty pack or something and forgo the stroller

Good point...I may have to look into this!

BabyHope2013

We travelled with our regular convertible car seat a few weeks ago when we traveled. I bought a bag with a carrying strap from Amazon for around $25. It worked out great for us. We also bought a smaller stroller to bring on the trip. I was worried my good one would get damaged even if I gate checked it. We had no problems, but it was one less thing to worry about. 

I packed up a small little kid back pack full of books, cars and other random things for DS. He was greatly amused by simple things like post-it notes and I used painters tape to make a "race track" on the tray table for his truck. He also got to have his first sucker when we took off. 

I waited to board until pretty much all the passengers were on the plane so we didn't have to be on the plane longer than we had to. He was also really amused by the tray table itself and the lights overhead the seats. I also brought my ipad with some kid games. Overall we had lots of options for him to keep him occupied for 10 minutes here and there. I also brought some snacks too. 

lulamagoo

You should be able to gate check the BOB, I've seen many moms and dads do this.

FYI: United does NOT have family boarding, so if you get boarding group 4, you will still be the last to board.

Make sure your carseat is FAA approved, otherwise you cannot use it on the plane.

I have also found Southwest to be the best for flying with little ones.   We also love the free checked bags.  

this decaf life

Good luck! At least you'll have lots of people to help you with LO. 2 hours is not bad at all!

jobiann

Update: I'm pretty sure we are flying Southwest now, at least that is what the IL's indicated this weekend. I'm excited about that as I've been told so much that they seem to be the most accommodating to families with small children.

I'm still undecided about the use of a car seat or not. When I bring that up to my friends they all say it's crazy since it's only a 2 hour flight. So I have NO idea what to do....I wish there was just ONE regulation and that would be it. I think I'm overthinking the entire thing.

AppleJacks81

It is honestly a tough decision. On one hand - it is safer for LO to be in a car seat. No doubt. However, from a practical standpoint (and to a degree, financial if the extra ticket for the baby is expensive) - hauling a car seat can be a pain in the butt. We have flown on 6 two hour direct flights to and from Disney with my now 4 year old through the years, and my 15 month old last year. We've just done the lap child thing when they were under 2. I know how you feel about overthinking it. I've tried not to because it's not really the cost, but the thought of dragging that seat, and the stroller, and the carry on, and the luggage, and the kids is daunting. If you need the seat for the rental car anyway though, then that might sway you too (we didn't need one at Disney). And not that this means it's totally okay, but I've seen a lot of lap children on all those flights (yes, I was looking to see what others did ) .