Flying with kid age 2+

[hensmum]

Wondering if anyone has flown with their non-lap-sitting toddler?

I know it's recommended to use a carseat, but Hen and I are going to be traveling alone, and I'd prefer not to have to lug it. I saw the CARES harness, which looks cool, but I read some flight attendants/airlines won't allow it, even though it's FAA approved (I guess I could bring the documentation with us).

I'll call our airline of course. But wanted to see if any of you have been there - what you did and how it went.

[hensmum]

Back story: we are going to VA for Thanksgiving. C wants to visit her bff in Philly on the way. I am just not up to a weeklong trip with Henry of that nature. Drive all day to Harrisburg, where her bff could meet us. Stay there with ILs a couple nights, thn drive another couple hours to VA for Thanksgiving, stay there a couple nights, and THEN at the end of the week, when Henry and I are both run ragged, have to spend a whole day in the car getting home. Uh, no thank you. So C is going to drive to PA, spend a couple days with her bff/parents, and then Hen and I will fly to DC and she'll pick us up on the way to VA. This way,we only have to do the long drive with Henry once, and it's MUCH cheaper than all of us flying and renting a car.

[2brides]

Yep, we did. In many ways it was easier since in the car seat, they were perfect distance from kicking the seat in front of them the entire way and we spent the entire flight holding their legs down. LOL. But on the flip side, if he is a squirmer, it is hard to keep them in their seat and not on the floor, standing, etc (we solved this with electronics. )

[twotrue]

Blue painters tape. I will write more later :-)

posted from phone

[hensmum]

Two, I am intrigued! lol

[2brides]

Sept 20, 2012 10:41:08 GMT -5 hensmum said:

Two, I am intrigued! lol

me too.

[ct]

me three!

The CARES harnesses are recommended a lot on my local board. apparently you can rent them from ebay?

[kershnic]

Hm, interesting. My nephews just sit in the seats with no special safety equipment. I am intrigued to learn more.

[twotrue]

As you know I've flown a lot with Jelly Bean, but her last flight was at 18 months old. Wait? Did we go home last Christmas? I guess we did. Okay, so her last flight was at 20 months. Anyway.....

I have never taken a seat on the plane. Even as an infant. I always traveling alone with her and for me it wasn't best. Instead I used the carseat and the snap-n-go to get through the airport and then I gate checked everything. And as a toddler I just used the city mini w/o a car seat to get through the airport.

I've never used a harness because she was a lap child but even if she had her own seat, she would have wanted to be buckled up just like me. I would have run the risk of a fit if I had tried and for me that wasn't worth the stress level.

So now, the magical blue painters tape. It's like an unlimited supply of stickers! I tear of pieces and she can stick them on everything because it doesn't hurt the surfaces. She plasters the window, seat, tray table, me, herself, etc, with little blue pieces of tape. Then when she is bored of that she can take all the pieces off, make a ball, and see if she can get the ball to stick to things.

You're talking about a pretty short flight. If you play this right, the blue tape fun can last you the entire time. Plus, when JB was smaller I could then use the blue tape to baby proof we we arrived at our destination (tape cupboards shut, etc).

Pipe cleaners. They are light weight to carry but can do a million things. Make animals, bracelets, twist them, wrap them, throw them away, it doesn't matter.

Oh and small boxes. I usually take a few empty makeup boxes (think the boxes that MAC makeup comes in). I fold them flat for easy carry and then put them together later for fun. She can stack them, tape them, hide crackers in them, put springy pipe cleaners in them. Doesn't matter. But the boxes don't matter either, so if you toss them you're fine.

Add in a few books, some snacks, and a drink and you are good to go!

[hensmum]

Two - I am def going to do the tape idea! Thank you!

I am going to go with the CARES harness. I just don't want to bring the carseat, and I KNOW Henry will fight sitting in it. He's flown several times as a lap infant, but now I have to buy him a seat, and they are going to make me buckle him in somehow. I did some more research and found that a carseat is definitely not required. And it seems that as long as I have the packaging with me for the CARES harness, which shows it is FAA approved, I should be all set. So that's what we're going to do.

Maybe I'll do tiny boxes for the car ride back home