I will be flying with my 2 year old in a few weeks and have a question: I have purchased her her own seat and do not want to take our car seat with us (as we will have one the other end).....if she's not in a car seat, does she just have to wear the regular lap belt?
Any advice welcome - thanks :)
Thanks for all the advice and tips :)
A child that small should not use the adult restraint system. It can cause injuries and they will not be secure.
I flew with my granddaughter last spring when she was 2. I just buckled her in the seat with their lap belt and it worked fine.
I don't know how long your flight is but I took a portable dvd player for her and a color book/colors and a few reading books and it went very well. We even had a 2 hr layover in Chicago.
It went so good that I am thinking of flying with her again this coming spring and maybe take my grandson too (same age).
Good luck,
Nee
They can just wear the regular seatbelt but it is definitely not as safe as being in their car seat if you hit turbulence or have an emergency landing (just like being in a car isn't as safe without a car seat). I also found that having the car seat that my son normally uses made the trip a lot easier at that age for 2 reasons: he was comfortable in it and used to being strapped in, and secondly he could not wiggle out if he got impatient.
As far as other hints...I always get to the airport earlier than normal because everything with a young kid takes longer and then I run him around a lot before we get on the plane. I bring plenty of snacks (be sure to review the TSA website for what you can and can't bring) and small toys/books. I have never brought a DVD player but some people like them. I always buy a couple new toys/books and wrap them to pull out at critical moments when entertainment is needed. Note: since liquids/water bottles are not allowed going thru security, I always stop and buy a bottle of water after we've gone thru security. I've heard too many horror stories of planes stuck on the tarmac and the attendants running out of water for people plus then you aren't dependent on the attendants when your child is thirsty.
Have a great trip.
They do just wear the regular seat belt, I am not sure how soon you will be leaving but look online at www.onestepahead.com I know they had an item you could use for a seat blet on an airplane for young children. I saw it in their catolog this summer. I hope that helps.
My daughter is 6 and has flown 12x! We don't and haven't used carseats---pain in the butt I'm very religous about carseats in a car but feel it's pointless on a airplane. If you crash that carseat really isn't going to do much... I've never ever had turbulence so bad a carseat was necessary and flying is safer than any other form of transportation. YES they do have to have the lapbelt on prior to take off the flight attendant will make you. Or you can hold a infant/toddler on your lap during takeoff/landing.
Yes, she will have to wear her lap belt.
I am assuming you are talking about taking her on an airplane?
I have traveled on planes with and without car seats.....
I will never take a child under 5 and over 1 without a car seat again not for safety reasons but because of sanity. Take a car seat so you can restrain her if need be. When my oldest was 2 a long wait on the tarmac resulted in a major 2 year old fit that resulted in me showing up on the other end with 2 nasty bleeding scratches on my face and a bite on my arm from trying to hold her and keep her still for take off
Good luck
