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Houston Babies
brideonjuly8
member
buy baby a plane seat? with car seat?
brideonjuly8
member
So my mom just mentioned that she would buy DS a seat on the plane, if that's what I want. This never even occured to me, but we would have to bring his ginormous car seat (boulevard). My uncle is coming with us, so it wouldn't be a huge hassel since he could help with lifting it, installing it, etc.
I would hate for mom to spend the money and then DS be upset that he couldn't get out and be in our laps the whole time anyway, but the idea of him being strapped into a seat and not in my lap is comforting. He might even fall asleep, but I'm not counting on that. He does very well in the car going to Houston and back, 2.5 hours.
I'm not even sure how this works, so if anyone could tell me that'd be awesome.
We wouldn't be using the seat for anything else, just the plane ride.
So if it were you and money was no factor, would you buy your 19mo a seat on the plane and just deal with the car seat? Or just deal with him in your lap for 2.5 hours?
(I'm posting on the Austin board and here for more feedback) 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: buy baby a plane seat? with car seat?
If money were no option, then definitely. What will you be doing for a carseat when you get there? We just bought a cosco scenera on overstock.com for $40 (although it is pink with flowers...you can find a non-girly one for about $50 online.
It was great to not have to take our carseat out of the car to travel, and now we have a travel carseat for when we go somewhere other than our families (they have seats for us to use). The cosco is also lightweight and narrow, making it great for planes.
Get the seat. Our carseat docks on the stroller base, so it is easy to take through the airport.
Not positive about your particular seat, but page 5 shows the labels you should look for on your seat to see if it will work on the plane.
https://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/60d70126cf679d5a8625723b007841e7/$FILE/AC%20120-87A.pdf
FWIW, my parents bought the Cosco Scenera as well for about $45 on amazon (my dad refused the pink
So Tasty, So Yummy
definitely. even when $ is a factor, i buy a seat when i can. just b/c you have the seat doesn't mean you can't let DS out. it's not like a car in that regard, but it really does help. also, you have an allowance for a bag with a purchased seat. bonus!
as far as how it works, have your DH or uncle get on with early boarding and install the seat but you and DS board as late as possible. this is less time he is confined and makes it easier on everyone, imo.
An extra seat would be nice, holding a child on your lap isn't the funnest thing in the world. I would probably accept the extra seat but I wouldn't bring a car seat if I didn't need it while at my destination or if I needed it at my destination, I would check it at the gate and not use it on the plane.
I would probably look into buying something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/CARES-Child-Aviation-Restraint-System/dp/B0012E4FV8
Buying a plane seat does not mean that you have to use a carseat in it.
I really would not want to haul a large seat onto a plane. I did it once, and after that I gate checked it. I flew to Spokane when DD was 14mo and she stayed in my lap a lot. It was very very nice when I had an extra seat for her, but not 100% necessary. She HATED being in the carseat because it was FFing and the sides of the carseat prevented her from being able to see me. And the sides of the carseat cut into my shoulder space making me even more cramped.
I don't know if the boulevard is FAA approved but even if it is that doesn't mean it will actually fit in the seat on the plane. Keep that in mind.
I was going to suggest this, too. I wasn't sure how young you can use it. Even if he isn't "confined" to the seat the whole ride, it would be nice to have the extra seat for him to lay across (if he sleeps) and put his head in your lap, etc. We don't buy the extra seat b/c of $$!
Last night I was trying to find out if there were any laws mandating it or not. I couldn't find anything and figured there weren't. I wouldn't ever drag my car seat on a plane because it just sounds like a PITA. However, the more I think about it, just the thought of being in any type of plane wreck, one that all or some people could walk away okay, and having to try to get my child out of a car seat just freaks me out...I want easy access to get him out as quick as possible! Thankfully we don't fly very often and I hope I never get in a crash when we do...I'm just overthinking it!