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| First Time Moms |
| Public online group |
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Hi everyone,
My husband and I are going to be taking our 3 month old down to FL to see the family. I have heard that it is safest to fly with the baby in her car seat in the seat next to you which we are going to attempt to do. We have to rent a car so my question becomes we have the car seat and stroller but not the base to the car seat. What is the best way to approach? I am thinking about checking it as a piece of luggage but what a waste of space. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks!!! |
| Posted by Therese on 02/15/2009 05:21 PM
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| Depending on what kind of car seat you are using, often, you are able to use the car seat carrier without the base. If there are two hook type areas just below where the handle is, then you should be able to. Those are for the seat belt to go across. I would recommend checking the user manual for your seat to make sure you can use it safetly without the base. If you do use it like that, make sure that both straps on the seat belt are through those hooks. If your seat is designed to be used like that, it is completely safe to do so. You still use it rear facing when using it that way. |
| posted by Casey on 02/15/2009 05:50 PM
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Hi Therese, I flew when my daughter was about 9 months old and I just held her on my lap so that I wouldn't have to buy another ticket and that worked okay. As far as the carseat goes when I flew they let me check it and it didn't count against my lugage count. So if you buy another seat for your baby and take your carseat with you on the plane they might not count the bottom if you check it because it is part of the seat.
Good luck and I hope it works out for you. |
| posted by Anne on 02/15/2009 05:50 PM
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| Whenever we have flown with our daughter under the age of 2, we just flew with her on our laps. We checked her car seat with the base attached and I don't think they counted it as one of our luggage. Make sure you place it in a car seat travel cover to protect it though.. Another option to consider is that most rental car agencies offer car seats for an extra small charge. This keeps you from having to drag your car seat through the airports, etc. Good Luck! |
| posted by kim on 02/15/2009 06:48 PM
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| I flew with my little one at 6 months old and I took the car seat and attached it to the base with black electical tape and zip ties and put the whole thing in a really big trach bag and checked it in with my bag, they labeled it like luggage then I held her in my lap the whole time and that worked good, I would take her stroller off and on the plane during lay overs and all was fine, hope that helps you. |
| posted by Angie on 02/15/2009 08:52 PM
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| I will also be flying with my little one he will be 4 months when we travel. We chose to just have him sit in our laps though we figured he will be there anyways needing feed and comforted due to the pressure on the ears, As for the car seat most car seats are able to be installed without the base you can find directions on the car seat most of the time or the cars manual. we are traveling with our own car seat and will have it checked as we board the plane along with the stroller. You can call the airline to see what their policy is. South west is great you can substitute one adult checked bag for 2 babie items. |
| posted by mags on 02/16/2009 08:58 AM
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one other thing that I am sure you probably know but make sure your little one is sucking on something during take offs and landings, this will help with the pressure on their ears with the altitude change. I just took a passie with me so that when my daughter wouldn't nurse she would suck on that and it worked good, never had a problem with her whinning cause her ears hurt. She only whinned because she had to stay in one place so long.
Good luck and have a safe trip. |
| posted by Anne on 02/16/2009 06:08 PM
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I am a flight attendant and travel with my daughter about once a month. You are correct. The safest way for your baby to travel is in their car seat. You do not need the base, so long as your car seat is approved for use in the car without it. There should be a label on the side or bottom of the carseat saying that is it FAA approved. If your car seat does not have this label, you may wish to contact the maker, as the car seats with these labels are the only ones approved for use in flight. I have had other flight attendants tell me that my car seat was not approved because I didn't have the base. So long as your child is strapped into the car seat with the provided seatbelts, and not held into the car seat with only the seat belt on the plane, it should be good.
If you choose, you can check both the car seat and the stroller at the gate, and it should be brought back up plane side (in the jetway when you get off the plane).
don't forget diapers and food for your child. You'd be surprised how many people don't bring these items or bring enough of these items.
Hope this helps. |
| posted by Cypress on 02/16/2009 07:04 PM
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| Thank you to everyone for the responses. I really appreciate the advice. Cypress, can I take the base through security for use on the plane or check it at the gate with the car seat & stroller? |
| posted by Therese on 02/16/2009 07:26 PM
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