Get 17-month-old his own seat on plane?

LawrenceBTB

Any moms have thoughts on this? I will be taking a 3-hour plane ride with my son to visit my husband at Spring Training in March and I can't decide whether to get him his own seat or not. Will it be better to have his own seat so he can be strapped in or will I end up with him on my lap and kicking myself for wasting money on the extra seat? He does OK in his carseat when driving. Also, if I get him a seat, where should I put him? Aisle, center window?

Freddie'sMommy

3 hours is not long but I would get him a seat and bring your carseat.  If you bring your carseat the baby goes in the window seat for safety purposes.

SueandSteve

We flew with our DD at 17 months and it was money well-spent to get her her own seat.  Our flight was 2.5 hours and we had a delay so I was more than grateful for the space for her.  We did bring her carseat and it worked out good because she knows her seat and therefore didn't fight to get in it.  There also was some turbulence and she would have gotten pretty bumped around if we didn't have her in the seat. 

Just like PP said, the seat has to go near the window per FAA rules.  Also, be sure to check that your carseat is FAA-approved!  We had a stewardess who actually checked on Airtran.  (Britax Marathon has one, fyi)

Oh and lastly, buy a gadget called "The Travelling Toddler"; best $15 I spent for the trek through the airport with the carseat and stroller.

 Happy flying!

Rose.9.6.03

We've taken flights with the girls at 2, 5, 12, 17, and 21 months and each time we had one lap baby and one in a carseat.  The one in the carseat is generally the much happier baby.

Since you're flying by yourself, I'd definitely get a seat for your dc.  There are going to be times when you need your lap/arms to yourself.  Also, I think it's more comfortable for everyone involved.

Do you *need* to buy a seat? No.  So if it's really expensive or you can't otherwise afford it, then you'll survive with a toddler in your lap.  But it will be a much more enjoyable trip with an extra seat.

LawrenceBTB

Thanks so much! It sounds like I would be better off with two seats, if I can make the money work.

SueandSteve, I also appreciate the heads-up on the Travelling Toddler. I just saw that on Amazon today and wondered about it. Was it a hassle to connect and disconnect going through security and when you got on and off the plane?

Calips

I would, if you can afford.  I travelled with a 20 month old on my lap and it was tough.  In a car seat you can strap them in and have more control.  It is also less cramped.

We were on a longer flight but the following were worth their weight in gold:

-Exciting snacks she doesn't get at home (like Yogobits)

-A portable DVD player.  We got an Oswald DVD -- it was a treat for her and some relx time for mom.

-Play Doh - hours of fun on the tray table

 And my #1 advice - befriend your setamate immediately.  Apologhize in advance for any disruption, chat him or her up in a friendly way.  It helps not to have a glaring, kid hating person next to you.

jen5-03

I flew alone with DD at 15mo and did not buy her a seat it was a 2-leg trip, each flight 2-3 hours. For 3 of the 4 flights I ended up with an empty seat next to me, even though on one of those flights it was the only empty seat on the plane (what, no one wants to sit next to a toddler??)

Anyway, I took the carseat on the plane for first leg of the trip. My seat (Evenflo Triumph) was too wide to get down the aisle without carrying it above the seats. The flight attendants were exceptionally UN-helpful. It was so hard just to get the stroller collapsed down on the jetway and get the carseat off of it. So here I am with a rolling bag, a diaper bag, DD was in a sling so she couldn't run off and I'm trying to pick the carseat up off the stroller and not a soul offered to help. One of the flight attendants finally took pity on my after I basically stopped at the entrance of the plane to ask her what the hell I was supposed to do. And one of them carried it to me after everyone else boarded. So I had to hold DD, install a carseat, and try to not shove my rearend in the face of the oldguy in the aisle seat. The carseat seriously cut into my shoulder room as well.

After all that, DD hated it and screamed. Probably because it had to be installed forward facing so she couldn't see me past the sides of the carseat. Plus I had to nurse her on takeoff/landing anyway so she was out of the seat then... actually, I think she was in the seat for maybe 5 minutes.

I gatechecked the carseat for the other 3 legs of that trip and for the trip we made at Thanksgiving. DD stayed in my lap on on the floor in front of me very nicely. The times I had an extra seat (and no carseat) were nice, but it was do-able even when there was no extra seat.

Sorry for that long rambling rant!

bim38106

LawrenceBTB:

...

SueandSteve, I also appreciate the heads-up on the Travelling Toddler. I just saw that on Amazon today and wondered about it. Was it a hassle to connect and disconnect going through security and when you got on and off the plane?

Just wanted to say that I just traveled alone w/ DD over Christmas (DH flew out later but came home w/ me so I only had 1 trip alone). I used the Traveling Toddler and it was definitely $15 well spent! I'd suggest practicing w/ it a few time to get the hang of it. I figured out I needed to put the car seat way up high to easily hook it together, then I just slid the carseat down the suitcase to a good position. Security was easy. On the plane, thankfully a flight attendant helped me out. I would have been able to hook it together as long as I had enough space on the floor (like the back area or near bathrooms) but a flight attendant just grabbed the seat and told me he was going to help

Also, with our suitcase at least, it could not be overfull in the least bit! I only had it about 3/4 of the way full because the carseat, when attached with the most slack it allotted, pushed in quite a bit. If I had it more then 3/4 of the way full and didn't have room for it to squish in, I couldn't get the traveling toddler belt attached around the outside of it.

HTH! Definitely worth it though