Air Travel - Bellmore,NY

My suggestion is if you can use the seat on the plane (not all car seats are plane approved) to use it. One it will be familiar and comforting and two you can strap him in for a while to keep him in one place easier. As for the note you said you were married so it shouldn't be a problem. Some parents have to get permission if there is a custody issue but that doesn't sound like a factor for you plus it isn't an international flight. ENJOY!!!! A.

I don't know about the carseat thing because my daughter is only 6 months but you only have to have a note when flying out of the country. Within the US, they don't even ask.

M.,

I didn't even know about needing a note from my husband to fly out of the country with our child, so thanks. I have never needed one to travel within the US with our child without my husband.

As far as the carseat, I didn't use one on the plane with my 3 1/2 year old. He is average size and the seatbelt worked fine. Even at 2 1/2, when he was in a carseat on the plane, I had issues with him kicking the seat in front of him, but he was smaller and I had safety concerns. It also isn't always easy to lug the car seat on the plane and strap it in the seatbelt, especially if you are traveling alone with him.

You can easily check the carseat and I purchased a car seat travel case with wheels which has extra room for other items as well. If you travel on an airline that does charge per bag, as some of them are starting to do, they should not charge you extra for any of your baby/child gear (car seat, bedrail, stroller - which can be checked at the gate, etc.).

I agree that if you do decide to bring the carseat on the plane, ensure it is FAA approved. I read below about the booster seat option and I didn't think they were FAA approved for air travel. But if you are planning to purchase one anyway, a booster seat is lighter to bring along and check - ensure that your child meets the size requirements for either the backed or backless booster seat.

Also, some folks have recommended this: http://www.kidsflysafe.com, but I have heard some airlines may not approve (although the website says they should) and I thought it was expensive given the limited time I could use it for my three year old - but someone mentioned you can rent it from ebay.

Good luck!

I just flew back from Spain (8-hour flight) with my 3.5 year old. I didn't take a carseat this time because I left one there(a $10 garage sale bargain)2 years ago to ride on cars. 2 years ago I checked in the carseat as luggage because I knew there was no way he was going to sleep or be happy sitting up like that for 8 hours -besides he would have kicked non-stop the seat in front of him since the space is so reduced.
This time again he slept almost half the trip, lying on my lap, and it was very easy to keep him distracted with stickers and some new "Hotwheels" the rest of the time. It's so much roomier without the carseat! But that's my personal experience and opinion. The flight back was VERY bouncy and in one of our 4 trips to the bathroom we almost had a serious accident when the car trolley almost fell on us so, by his own request,my son was strapped to the seat whenever he was on it. He loved it!

As for the consent, traveling within the US shouldn't pose a problem at all, mostly if you both share the same last name. You could carry a copy of his birth certificate as ID, though.

I did carry a consent form and birth certificate but they never asked a thing when we left the country even though our last names and the passports are issued in different countries. Of course my husband was there to help us check in the luggage but they never asked for his ID -since he wasn't flying with us. For all they knew my husband could have been just a friend and me a runaway Mom taking my son away from his real Dad!

The funny thing is that they DID ask me when we returned and had to show every paper I had and they even asked my son who was I. I wanted to shout: "Hello! I'm RETURNING, not leaving!"

Anyway. Better safe than sorry. Always have some papers, I say.

L.

HI M.

I just flew in February with a 2 1/2 old and a 6 month old. I checked the car seat b/c I just had too much stuff with me (even though the 6 month old is small they require the most stuff!!) Anyway, my 2 1/2 old loved sitting in the seat like a big girl. She buckled up and had a lot of room to play with her toys and lay down and sleep as well. (So easy to have her sprawl out across the seats!) I like the idea of the booster seat that someone suggested to you. I didnt think of that but I also think my 2 1/2 old would not have sat in it. Good luck and Happy travels!

Definately bring the car seat but check it onto the plane at the gate and use when you land. The car seat is not necessary for the plane. Your son is too big. His legs will hit the back of the seat and he will not be able to put the tray down (the car seat blocks the tray from coming down level) so he won't be able to drawer or eat. I just went through this with my 2.5 year old and had him in the car seat going and not coming home and he liked it much better with no car seat. He had more freedom to move, he had fun playing with the tray and no nasty people complaining that he is kicking the seat. Also it is roomier for you without the car seat! You do not need any paperwork when you travel in the US, but would need a passport for him if you left the country.

I have traveled a lot with my girls and I have never used their carseat on the plane. I either put it in the cabin or checked it on. At that age it makes them feel like a big kid sitting in the seat next to you. Just have stuff to keep hime busy. Introduce some new small toys to him on the plane or give him crayons and paper (my girls love that on the plane)
I have never had a problem or needed a note to fly with my girls out of state.
Best of luck!

Use the car seat on the plane - it puts a child up a little higher, kids are used to sitting in it and will be more comfortable. Therefore it is more likely the child will fall asleep and be less restless. I used a car seat going to CA when my son was 2 and it made the trip much easier.

I travel a lot with my 3 kids ages 5, 2.5, and 18 months. You should have no problem flying within the states without their father. I recently flew to the Cayman Islands to meet my husband who was on business. I did have a letter prepared but no one asked for it. As for the car seat I would check it. Most of the car seats are big and therefore it limits your child's leg room. My 18 month old was touching the seat in front of him when he was in his car seat on our last flight. I found that the seatbelts on the plane where fine for the kids. My 2.5 old has been riding in the plane seat since she was 2 and she is on the little side. Good luck.

Hi M.- I recently travelled to North Carolina with my three children w/o my husband and did not need written consent from him. I also have friends/family that do it all the time to various places and none have ever needed consent. It doesn't hurt to check w/ your airline on this. As for the car seat, I would avoid bringing it altogether as I found kids usually will not sit restrained for the duration of the trip. If your sister can borrow one from someone & have it in her car, it would be so much easier. They are just so clumsy and awkward. However, if you have to bring it, you might as well use it b/c if you don't they will probably make you check it w/ your baggage. Have a nice trip!

It wouldn't hurt to put him in his carseat on the plane. Given that he is the size of an average 3 1/2 year old, you can really go either way. But, if you are planning on bringing the carseat down the Virginia with you anyways, you might as well use it on the plane with him. Otherwise, there is a chance that you will have to check it with the rest of your luggage. Plus, he's used to traveling in a car in his carseat, so traveling on the plane in it may provide a sense of comfort and familiarity for him.

As for having a note from one parent saying it is okay to take the child out of state, I'm not too sure. If you are married to the child's father, I would not see any reason as to why you would need a note. Come to think of it, I flew from NY to Florida with my little girl and did not need a note of consent from her father (whom I am not with). So, it shouldn't be a big deal.

Good luck and have a great trip!

I would take the car seat if I had a choice it will make the two of you more comfortable and yes it is safer. You should call your airline and ask them both of your questions because for some airlines you must have your child in car seat when traveling and they would also know if you need a letter to travel to Mexico with your child, I think you do need a notarized letter but I am not sure.

Hi M..
I've flown with my children a lot with car seats and without. My oldest is now 5 and he did fine on short flights without a car seat at 2 and 3 years old. The only time I missed the carseat and then used it and was happier was on LONG flights like to Europe or something. In that case it was just a break for me not to have to keep his head on my lap and he was more comfortable sleeping.

I also flew without my husband and did not need any kind of consent.

M.,

In my opinion, if he will sit in the regular plane seat, the forgo the car seat. They are bulky and hard to manage on the plane. I find my daughter is better without the car seat than with it on the plane!

While traveling with my baby, I never needed a note (she's 1), but I DID need her birth certificate to board the plane, plus my ID - to prove she's mine.

The carseat is probably safer, depending on his size. It basically just makes sure he doesn't fly out of his seatbelt should there be any trouble in the cabin. They make little airplane seatbelt converter kits for toddlers - you might want to look into that.

I just flew with my 2 boys ( almost 4 & almost 2) and I did not need a letter. Bring his birth certificate just in case but thats it. As for the car seat, check it. Its too much to deal with getting on and off the plane. My son is a thin 4 year old and he was fine with just the seat belt. Have a great time!

You do not need a note to travel alone with your child in the US.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using the carseat on the plane, but before you decide to do it, make sure it is approved for air travel. I have flown with and without the seat with my daughter (almost 5yo) and the one time that she really wanted to sit in her seat the flight attendant wouldn't let us use it because it was not approved. (Usually they don't notice, and I was sure I had bought one that was approved, but he showed me the sticker on the bottom that said it wasn't.)
I'd say, if your son is comfortable in his seat and used to being in it, you might as well bring it on. Whatever will make your travel the easiest, and have him sitting comfortably (instead of fidgeting and wanting to run around) will be the safest.

I just flew with my 2 1/2 year old daughter and there was no way she would sit in a car seat on the plane - but I did get an inexpensive (KMART) cosco backless booster seat ($19 on sale) and she loved sitting on this on the plane, it gave her a little boost to sit nicely at the fold down tray to eat and play with stickers etc....then it worked great in the car ride to my parents home....I just would thinnk a BIG car seat on the plane would be so cumbersome and hard to get in and out - by daughter uses the potty so she had to get up a few times and also liked justto take a strol down the aisle , so in a nd out of a car seat would have been a pain......good luck

Hi M., I just posted this same question and got a ton of responses. I just came back from Florida on Sunday flying with my 2 1/2 yr old son for the first time. We did not bring he car seat on the plane and he did great, if your going to bring it for when you get to your destination just check with your bags, its one less thing you have to carry. My son is very hyper and i was worried but we just strapped him in and he was fine. Good luck and have fun! B.

Hi M.
We have travelled a lot with our first son. (Our second son is only 7 months now and the older one is 4) When he turned 3 my mom got him this very cool seat belt contraption designed for kids to wear in airplanes instead of a car seat. It acts like a 5-point harness so they're totally safe - but they're actually sitting in the seat. It's called CARES/Kids Fly Safe - here's the website
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/index.php
Our son loved it - especially after having flown with the carseat. We think it's great too. And it works from 22 lbs up to 44 lbs!
Good luck.
P.

You only need a letter of consent from the child's other parent when you are leaving the country.....you also need documentation giving permission from the other parent to obtain a passport before the child is 18. It must be notarized or else the parent must also be there in person. I say get your kids passports while in a relationship because if it goes bad the father can stop you from getting the passport. get it and tuck it away with you own. by the way, the Carribean islands and Puerto Rico can be traveled to with your kids without the other parent's consent.but places like Europe or Africa you need the letter. You can take your children anywhere to visit in the US, but if you want to live in another state you need written consent, I know because i was stopped from moving out of NJ two times with two different fathers. to get my second son's passport I lied and said the father was a Jordanian national(he was) and that he left the country and had no contact with his son. I got the passport right away(it was shortly after 911 and the government had issues with the middle east, so i got the passport right away.And I must say my son and I have gone some pretty wonderful places over the years with that passport which the father would have prevented me from getting if he had known!prepare ahead of time, you never know anything is for sure, /now my son will turn 18 next year and we are going to Japan and Australia and then he wont be able to do anything about it!

I have traveled with my daughter without my husbands consent many times, it was always domestic, (Orlando, Tennessee) I cant say for sure about internationally.

As for car seats, you have to make sure it says it on the car seat " approved for plane/flight" something like that... there would be sticker on one side... my car seat in the is not approved for air, only the car... my sister purchased a specific one that is for both... they are usually smaller at the base... which is an option.

In the past I have used a system approved for airplanes (not cars) called 'CARES' I tell everyone about it cause it weighs a pound, its easy to use and you dont have to carry a bulky car seat around the airport with a toddler... you can find it online at http://kidsflysafe.com/ = but it cost like $80 - what I have did was rent it which you can find on ebay for just $15...

Hope that helps...
Good Luck
W.

Hi M., you do NOT need the carseat on the plane. Take as little with you as possible on the plane and check everything elese in. You dont want to worry about having too much stuff with you and not being able to fit it under seat or have to struggle with the compartment on top of the seats. Take some things with you to keep your son busy like hand held games a special book he likes, some of his fav snacks/drink (easy to carry things). I travel with my children all the time out of the state to visit family and my husband is not always able to go with us - you do not need consent from him. Have a good trip!!!