Traveling on an Airplane for the First Time with 3 Year Old- Car Seat¿.

I would not bring a car seat on the plane, they are the biggest pain to get in and out. When I have needed mine on the other end I have always checked it, I got a special bag to put it in so I could carry it like a back pack. I flew with it on the plane once, and will never do it again. it is so much easier to just have the kids use the regular seat belts.

I dont haul them period. If your renting a car the rental place has car seats available for rent when you land. Couple extra bucks. They follow all safety guidelines as the car seat you have at home. If you absolutely have to bring them, then check them, and let her sit on her own with out the car seat.

Don't bring the car seat - just check it. A three year old is too big to comfortably sit in it on the plane. She won't be able to use her pull-down tray and she will spend most of her time kicking the seat in front of her. Plus, you'll all have A LOT more space if you don't have the bulk of a car seat.

You can check the seat when you get there. They will give you a heavy duty plastic bag to keep it clean and it does not count as a checked bag that you have to pay for.

We stopped bringing the car seat on the plane when my son was about 18 months and it's so much nicer this way.

I personally would (and have) just checked the carseats, much much easier!!! At this age, they have more fun sitting in their seats w/out the carseats anyway and then as a bonus you don't have to worry about whether or not it is TSA approved.

It depends solely on your 3 year old. If she's mild mannered and will sit still for long periods of time, you don't NEED to bring one on the plane. If she's a little wild child, your husband's sanity will be saved by brining on the plane. Most seats are TSA approved. Booster seats and convertibles (ones that go from a 5 point harness to a booster) are usually not. I would still bring it with you because the rental car seats are pretty gross, sometimes expired, etc. If you check it, just get a padded bag and put it into that. If you're worried about the baggage machines handling your car seat, you can always bring it through the airport and gate check it.

Me: I used to gate check my car seats when my kids hit between 3-4 and no longer needed them on the plane because I was worried about damage caused by the luggage sorters. However, I have gotten over that now and check most of the car seats at the ticket counter because it's less hassle than getting them through the airport. I'm flying with 4 children (7, 5, 3, and 2) by myself tomorrow. And while it would be easier getting them through security and to the plane without a car seat in tow, I'm definitely bringing one one the plane for my 2 year old because it is totally worth the hassle for that ball of energy ;-)

I was a flight attendant for 10 years. For a three year old, you don't need a carseat since airplanes only have lap belts and it will hold your child securely. Since you need the carseat once you arrive, as others said, check it for free. Have fun!

I always take a car seat on the plane for my youngest. It keeps her in her seat, and then I have it for when we get to our destination. You can always check the seat, but I find that they get really dirty and are not treated very carefully.

I'm a strong believer in having them in their car seats on planes! They are use to it and it is more comfortable for them to be in their own seat, and in my opinion it is much safer! You can check it into baggage claim if you do not want to use it on the plane. I always use our car seats on planes because it is much easier!

My husband put the kibbosh on bringing our carseats with us when we fly, after he found out that car rental companies can rent them out to you (I knew that, but wanted our own.) The next time we fly we will only have our 2 yr old's seat with us, because it is also a stroller. Otherwise it is very cumbersome to bring it through the airport and it takes up a lot of room in the seat.

You can get a CARES harness for her to wear on the plane. It is FAA approved and is small--kept in a little pouch you can keep in your purse.

Check with the airlines for their "specific guidelines".

I'd check the car seat and have your 3yo just sit in the seat. The carseat places their little legs very close to the seat in front of them, allowing them to kick or push on the seat.

It's easiest to just check the carseat and let your kiddo sit in the seat. That way there is more room for everyone on the plane and you have your carseat when you arrive. You can check carseats for free, but I also recommend a carseat bag (can find them on amazon, and they aren't expensive). The airlines are not careful with your stuff and a little added protection on the carseat will help and it is useful for putting extra stuff in it. The carseats you can rent at car rentals are usually not maintained well and a lot are expired, so don't trust them.

Ask if you can take it. We were not allowed to bring our airline approved seat on the plane, though they did transport it for free. I would have used a CARES harness if I had a do-over. DD was not quite 3 when we traveled. She had her own seat and slept a good bit of the time. I do suggest a carseat cover for the seat. We used one that was a backpack, but they do make them with wheels, too. I forget how much it cost, but it kept our seat clean and the airline put it in a special bin for fragile items. We were happy to have HER seat while we rented a car. (We also stuffed some extras in the car seat bag when we returned.) You can also either get the wheels for the seat to turn it into a stroller or take an umbrella stroller. We packed the umbrella stroller in it's own little bag and dropped it at the gate. Make use of her luggage allotment and give her a backpack of her own for soft toys and books, etc.

If it's a LONG flight (e.g. over 2 hours is long IMO), you may want the seat on the plane for your husbands sanity. Pick up some new toys/doo-dads at the dollar store for entertainment. If it's shorter, you'll probably do fine (and prefer) gate checking it. If it's not too much hassle, I'd bring it regardless. i.e. vs renting one from a car rental agency. There again, it depends on how long your trip is. Last I checked, they're at least $5/day, which can add up (i.e. vs the slight hassle of carrying one through the airport). I can't speak to their performance/look, since I've never actually used one that I remember (my kids are 7 and 11), although I would imagine it depends on the car company, and where you are going - e.g. Someone like Enterprise or Hertz probably would have nicer/newer seats than Budget or some other "less expensive" brand. If you're flying into say - Orlando - I would bet those car seats get quite a bit of use. :) Have fun!

I think it depends on your 3-year-old. We have a TSA-approved carseat that we take on the plane. We've traveled probably 10 times with that car-seat and it's only been checked by the flight attendants once to make sure it was approved. We use it to keep our rambunctious 3-year-old in her seat. But, she is old enough to sit in the plane seat without the carseat, too, so you could check it, depending on your child. You can check the carseat if you think that your daughter can sit in her seat, not kick the seat in front of her, not stand up to look at everyone, etc.

I wouldn't bring the car seat, she probably won't want to sit in it.

I checked my carseats at the gate and both my baby and 6 year old did fine without them. The baby was a lap passenger and my son sat perfect a d didn't make a peep cause he felt like a big boy

We have done 5 plane trips since my son was born. We have done both.
TSA approved is basically a car seat with a back if memory serves me.

How is your 3 year old.. Active, or calm? Active and does not sit well, you might want to put the car seat on the plane. Calm child, gate check it.

We have a bag that we got with rollers to put the car seat in. It was about $50.00.

My sons first trip, he was on my lap. 2,3 and 1/5/2 of 4th trip (on the way there) we did the car seat, On the way home and this last trip we did no car seat.

It is a pain to bring the seat on and off the plane, but the work is sometimes worth it depending on the kid. For my son it was worth it.

This last trip, we did not bring his seat with us, just my daughters. We did not have a plane ticket for her, so she sat on my lap.

Either way, put it on, or gate check it.. do not put it in as luggage.

Good luck and happy travels.