Flying with Car Seats

Why should children fly with car seats?

Recent news this week has struck about a flight to Bangkok in which severe turbulence caused at least 22 injuries including 3 babies who broke their spines.  Babies under the age of two are allowed to be "lap babies" and children of any age are not currently required to use any type of child passenger restraint on airplanes like they are in cars. Some airlines have stated their protocol in an emergency is to have the mother place the baby on the floor of the plane. Most encourage parents to buy a seat for their baby but don't require it. However, air travel is quite safe so rarely do we hear about the dangers. Before I heard about them, I flew with my son on my lap.

According to the FAA, in nonfatal accidents, in-flight turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to airline passengers and flight attendants. Each year approximately 58 people are injured by turbulence when not wearing their seatbelts. Generally, two-thirds of turbulence-related accidents occur at or above 30,000 feet.

Many people fly every day and are perfectly fine. Air travel is generally very safe, but I am a mother that worries about the "what-ifs" What if we were on a plane with horrible turbulence? What if I couldn't protect my child? The fastened seatbelt sign is there for a reason. Unless a child has a car seat, they aren't properly restrained. Most children under the age of 5 do not fit correctly in a lap belt, leaving them still vulnerable to injuries.

The truth is simple, the safest place for a child during a flight is in their car seat. Most of the time you will need a car seat at your final destination anyway, so please don't check the seat..... use it.

Now you may be thinking: "But that car seat is WAY too heavy" and I am with you on this one. Which is why I purchased our Cosco Scenera Next. This seat is a simple install, airplane approved & very lightweight.

"But how will I get it to the gate?" I usually just toss the car seat into the stroller(with the carry-ons) and then put PJ on my back. But you may not like that idea, so there is an awesome car seat travel accessory. It is a very simple tool that hooks your car seat to your wheeled carry-on & the child can even ride in it! Another awesome tool is the Car Seat Travel Cart which is a set of wheels you can attach to your car seat .

"But they won't be comfortable" Now that's just silly. We don't use that excuse when we are driving in the car, do we? If anything, parents report children feel safe and protected in their familiar car seat.

Now, I understand there are many parents who travel with lap babies and make the informed decision to travel as such. That is their decision and I am not here to judge anyone's situation. If you didn't buy a seat for your lap baby, I encourage you to still bring that car seat to the gate & ask if there is an extra seat so you can bring your car seat aboard & strap your baby in safely. Southwest Airlines and their "open seating" is amazing for this benefit. They are well known to allow parents to bring their seat on board if there is an open seat. However, once your child is old enough that they have their own seat, please bring that car seat on board!

Review #27: Mifold

The Mifold backless booster is truly a one of a kind product! This backless booster is so compact that it folds up and can fit in the front pocket of a backpack. This makes it perfect for a child to bring to school if they are going on a play date or getting picked up by a family member. It is also AMAZING for traveling! No checking booster seats or lugging them through the airport. The general idea with this seat is to bring the seat belt down to the child instead of bringing the child up to the car seat. The use is very different from other seats, but once you figure it out, its wonderful!

Review #24: Graco Nautilus

Dawn loves her Graco Nautilus and so do I! This seat is wonderfully spacious, has two cubies for toys and a built in cup holder. It is a forward facing only seat for children 20-100lbs. It has 3 modes; Forward Facing Harness(20-65lbs, no younger than 2 years old). High Back Booster (30-100lbs), and Backless Booster (40-100lbs). Most currently on the market for sale have a no-rethread harness. And although there are not many recline options, there is a recline foot that helps get that perfect level installation. Since 2011 this seat has been made with a 10 year expiration too! Dawn will be using her Nautilus until she outgrows car seats!

Review #23: Graco 4ever

When PJ was 6 months old we switched him from an infant car seat to the Graco 4ever. The 4ever is an “all-in-one” car seat. This means it can fit a child from 4-120lbs. It works in 4 modes; Rear facing (4-40lbs), Forward Facing Harness (20-65lbs, no younger than 2 years old), High Back Booster (30-100lbs) and Backless Booster (40-120lbs). It has a no-rethread harness with a handle to adjust the should strap height with 10 options. There are 6 different recline options for the seat, which means options in both rear and forward facing. It also has infant inserts, strap covers and two built in cup holders. Best of all, it has a 10 year expiration. It is an amazing seat with LOTS of room. I look forward to PJ using this seat for a very very long time!

Top Ten “Must Have” Registry Items

Top Ten “Must Have” Registry Items

So I have been asked a few times to make this list. I am going to highlight them by “what they are” and then I'll suggest one(or a few) of my favorite brands/models. Please realize every baby is different & every family is different so obviously what you need & want will be a bit different than what I want. As always, these are my favorite items that I have(or wish I had)

#1: Infant Car Seat: You can purchase these either as part of a travel system or on their own. Personally, I am a huge fan of the Graco Snugride 35, I used these for both my kids. They are sturdy infant seats, easy to carry & fairly easy to adjust. I also LOVE that they can snap into Graco strollers so easily.

PJ coming home from the hospital in a Graco Snugride 35

#2 Full size stroller: Many people prefer jogging strollers, if you like to run, that’s probably a very important thing for you! I however, despise running and am a member of the “I don’t run unless someone is chasing me” club. So I went with a cheaper model to save money. I've used a few different Graco strollers. None of which were over the moon amazing, but they worked & I don’t have any huge complaints about them. My “dream” stroller to be compatible with the Graco Snugride 35 would be the Graco FastAction Fold Sport. -

PJ enjoying Thomasland at Edaville USA his Graco LiteRider Stroller

#3 Lightweight stroller: These are much smaller and perfect for traveling or when you need to just toss it into a friend’s car. I own the Summer Infant 3D Lite and it is a wonderful and affordable little stroller. After over a year, the wheels are starting to squeak a bit and the fold occasionally catches but it’s doing pretty great considering it's been checked on quite a few flights and tossed around a bit! If I had all the money in the world, I would buy the GB Pockit, which folds up to fit into a 12 x 7 box and weighs less than 11lbs!

Summer Infant 3D Lite

#4 Convertible Car Seat: Most babies switch to a convertible car seat between 6 months and 18 months old. Current safety reports suggest that children stay rear facing until they are AT LEAST 2 years old, however, the longer they remain rear facing, the safer they are. I suggest purchasing a convertible car seat that will rear face until 40-50lbs which will get most children until 3-6 years old. We own a Graco 4ever for PJ and I don’t think I've ever been in love with a piece of baby gear so much in my entire life. It is a super easy install, has a 10-year expiration and can fit a child from 4lbs to 120lbs. It works as a convertible seat, a high-back booster and a backless booster. There’s also this wonderful thing called a “no rethred harness” which means it is incredibly easy to change the strap height when the child grows!

Graco 4Ever

#5 Feeding Equipment:  I personally cannot speak to breastfeeding gear(I hope to bring in a guest blogger to talk about breastfeeding gear) However I can talk about bottles. We finally found the perfect bottle (for us) with the Phillips Avent Bottles. Beware of any bottles that have vents in the bottom. They have a tendency to leak if you wash in the dishwasher, and my laptop almost was victim to being filled by formula on various occasions.

#6 Baby Carrier: I am a huge believer in baby wearing. It is an amazing thing, baby stays close, mom gets to use her hands & everyone is very very happy! I am a tula-fanatic so I am obviously going to suggest a Tula. If you plan on wearing the baby before they are 3 months old, I suggest also getting an infant insert.  PJ is currently 2 years old & we are still using our Tulas!

The first day we got our first Tula. The name of this print is Spotted Love

#7 Co-sleeper: It is natural for a mother and baby to want to be near each other after birth. There are many options for cosleeping/bedsharing/roomsharing depending on your wants. We used an old fashion cradle for Dawn. She was completely in her own cradle next to me.  When PJ was born, I wanted us to be closer to each other. We used an ArmsReach CoSleeper. I LOVED this. It was easy to soothe him at night & I felt very close to him, but he was safely on his own surface. There is now a wonderful third option if you want to go for safe bed-sharing, the Dock-a-tot. You need to have at least a queen sized bed for this one. Baby is in the bed with you but has a safe surrounding. I highly suggest researching safe-sleep, benefits of bed sharing and making the best decision for your family before making this decision!

About a month old in his ArmsReach CoSleeper

#8 Swing/Vibrating Seat/etc: I typically went with a more inexpensive choice for these. PJ actually LOVED his Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker. This is one that I say, go with your gut! Choose what you like, what fits into your budget, etc.

All smiles in the Infant to Toddler Rocker

#9 High Chair: We had a huge high chair with Dawn. It was always in the way & honestly, it was very annoying. When I was pregnant with PJ I researched everywhere & decided on the Fisher Price Space Saver seat. This seat attaches to your own chair & can work as a booster as the child gets old. PJ is 2 and still loves his seat.

Space Saver High Chair

#10 Diaper Bag: Until recently, I didn’t understand why there was such a HUGE price difference with diaper bags. Then I purchased my first “Designer diaper bag” The Jujube Be Right Back. I don’t know how I survived without it. This style is a backpack, amazingly designed with mom pockets and insulated bottle pockets. It has lots of space and BEAUTIFUL designs!

Wearing my JuJuBe Be Right Back Diaper Bag on my back & PJ is napping in another one of our Tulas!

Other necessary items that I don’t want you to forget but I don’t have specific recommendations on are:
Crib
Changing Table
Pack & Play
Baby Bath
Clothes
Diapers
Bibs
Pacifiers
Receiving Blankets

Also, Check Out My List of 10 Things To Have Ready When You Have a Baby!


5 Things I thought were a waste of money!
#1 Expensive baby baths
#2 Bottle Warmer
#3 Bottle Sanitizer
#4 Baby Timer
#5 Expensive Baby Bedding
#6 Extra Infant Car Seat Bases- Infant seats can be installed very easily with a seatbelt & it is EQUALLY as safe!