Babys in planes- car seats, strollers, etc

cowman

cowman

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Cowman
We've got a baby on the way, due date in Dec. We know nothing.

We're currently deciding what goes on the baby shower registry. Since eventually this kid is probably going to travel on a light aircraft what sorts of things should we be considering in stuff like strollers, car seats, etc that will be GA compatible?
 
As far as I know any car seat that fits in a car will fit in a GA seat? Ours did but you may want to research before you buy. I don't think we ever flew the stroller. I carried them in a front carrier when they were tiny and Dad carried them in a backpack type carrier when they were older.
 
cowman said:
We've got a baby on the way, due date in Dec. We know nothing.

We're currently deciding what goes on the baby shower registry. Since eventually this kid is probably going to travel on a light aircraft what sorts of things should we be considering in stuff like strollers, car seats, etc that will be GA compatible?
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Number 1: nanny. Number 2: Au Pair After that, you're on your own. You got yourself into this mess. Or, the two of you... someone... anyway, good luck, and congrats!
 
Rushie said:
As far as I know any car seat that fits in a car will fit in a GA seat? Ours did but you may want to research before you buy. I don't think we ever flew the stroller. I carried them in a front carrier when they were tiny and Dad carried them in a backpack type carrier when they were older.
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I've also got a couple of older cars that have lap belts only in the rear. I imagine if I can use it in those we can use it in the plane. I just didn't know if that kind of anchoring was being phased out with all the new vehicles coming out with purpose built car seat anchors and lap belt only cars being an old novelty at this point. Everyone has been talking it up like putting one in is rocket science or something and something about the hospital having to do it for me when we take him home? IDK we baby sat for a 2 year old recently and I just eyeballed the thing where it plugged into the car seat anchors in our Subaru. I didn't have the manual but it looked pretty secure to me.

Van Johnston said:
You'll need two Caravans. One Dodge, One Cessna.

And congratulations!
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Thanks, and I'm working on upgrading to a Lance, that should work right?


Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I am even more clueless than most men when it comes to anything baby. But I'm a pilot and we can do anything so I'm sure it will be fine.:D
 
cowman said:
Everyone has been talking it up like putting one in is rocket science or something and something about the hospital having to do it for me when we take him home? IDK we baby sat for a 2 year old recently and I just eyeballed the thing where it plugged into the car seat anchors in our Subaru. I didn't have the manual but it looked pretty secure to me.
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As a long-time bachelor, I was almost invariably amazed at the number of parents who brought a child seat onto the airplane and had no clue how to secure it. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me, and I don't consider myself to be extremely mechanical. I guess making enough money to have me fly them prevented any mechanical aptitude from developing.
 
Typically people don’t get the seat installed correctly or the belts tight enough the first time. Hospitals usually have someone help new parents get it in the first time.
I put ours in, then put my knee in it with my full weight on it and then tightened the belts.
When we flew commercially, I ran a cargo strap over the seat belt and cinched that down to the seat frame. Can’t do that anymore tho, as I carried a shroud knive to cut the strap and belt if we had to evacuate in a hurry.
 
My wife scored this thing. We are on a 767 right now...used it to trapse France in a rental car and have used it the Matrix.

It has detachable wheels. Pretty handy.20180723_112808.jpg
 
cowman said:
I've also got a couple of older cars that have lap belts only in the rear. I imagine if I can use it in those we can use it in the plane. I just didn't know if that kind of anchoring was being phased out with all the new vehicles coming out with purpose built car seat anchors and lap belt only cars being an old novelty at this point. Everyone has been talking it up like putting one in is rocket science or something and something about the hospital having to do it for me when we take him home? IDK we baby sat for a 2 year old recently and I just eyeballed the thing where it plugged into the car seat anchors in our Subaru. I didn't have the manual but it looked pretty secure to me.


Thanks, and I'm working on upgrading to a Lance, that should work right?

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I am even more clueless than most men when it comes to anything baby. But I'm a pilot and we can do anything so I'm sure it will be fine.:D
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I would not transport a young child in a car that has lap belts only. Infants and toddlers are very subject to injury in motor vehicle accidents, and most of the cars around you will be much stronger than will be your old car. If you get in a crash with another car, you're likely to get the worst of it.

In the airplane I don't think it matters as much that you don't have a shoulder harness in the back seat. I don't think that many of the airplanes we fly have much in the was of crashworthiness built into them, and if you're in a sever enough crash to where the lap belt only won't hold the child seat in place, it's probably not survivable anyway.
 
FormerHangie said:
I would not transport a young child in a car that has lap belts only. Infants and toddlers are very subject to injury in motor vehicle accidents, and most of the cars around you will be much stronger than will be your old car. If you get in a crash with another car, you're likely to get the worst of it.
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Until the kid is about 18 months and is big enough to reverse the child seat to forward facing, it doesn't matter one bit. Once you move to forward facing, all the child seats these days have 5 point harnesses in them. The belt issue shows up once the child is larger enough to move from a safety seat to a booster.
 
In the aircraft, I'd just have them forward-facing. Shoulder or lap-belts makes no difference as the modern child seats will have accommodations for either type of safety restraint. In vehicles, most states have laws about it, but here in OK the child has to be rear-facing until 2yrs old or 30lbs. Daughter just turned 2 today, and she'll stay rear-facing in the car/truck for the time being, as it's the safest position for them. We have a Graco 4-in-1 convertible (infant/rear-facing/forward-facing/booster seat) which should serve all the way until she's big enough to sit in the seat uninhibited. For infants, we had a Chicco infant carrier that snapped in/out of the car seat base and also worked with the Chicco stroller.
 
Craig said:
Until the kid is about 18 months and is big enough to reverse the child seat to forward facing...
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It's 2 years now...
 
My youngest turns 12 in October, so I'm not current on all the data...:cool:
 
We got the Chicco Keyfit30 car seat because it's suppose to be the easiest one to install. The problem with using that car seat in a rental plane is that the car seat can only be used without the base if the seat it's installed in has a shoulder harness that can be manually locked from extending or only has a lap-belt. If the seat has a regular shoulder belt that only locks when it's yanked quickly, then you need to install the car seat base. The base is easy to install but it's one extra thing you'll have to bring. If you own the plane and the baby will be riding in it regularly, you could buy an extra base and leave it installed.
 
MassPilot said:
We got the Chicco Keyfit30 car seat because it's suppose to be the easiest one to install. The problem with using that car seat in a rental plane is that the car seat can only be used without the base if the seat it's installed in has a shoulder harness that can be manually locked from extending or only has a lap-belt. If the seat has a regular shoulder belt that only locks when it's yanked quickly, then you need to install the car seat base. The base is easy to install but it's one extra thing you'll have to bring. If you own the plane and the baby will be riding in it regularly, you could buy an extra base and leave it installed.
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We have 3 of the KeyFit30 bases so we didn't have to transfer bases all of the time when we switch cars. Very simple to install and release.
 
SoonerAviator said:
We have 3 of the KeyFit30 bases so we didn't have to transfer bases all of the time when we switch cars. Very simple to install and release.
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I have 2, one for each car. They are definitely easy to install, especially with LATCH (which I don't think you'll find in any plane) but it's still pretty easy with a seat belt. I haven't flown with my daughter yet (she's only 8 weeks), but when I do I'll need to install the base in the back of the rental C172 since every seat has a shoulder harness that can't be manually locked.
 
cowman said:
We've got a baby on the way, due date in Dec. We know nothing.

We're currently deciding what goes on the baby shower registry. Since eventually this kid is probably going to travel on a light aircraft what sorts of things should we be considering in stuff like strollers, car seats, etc that will be GA compatible?
Click to expand...

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Seriously, you do need a car seat, something that belts in is good; consider getting out quickly, you don't want to have fuss with anything. You don't need a monster stroller that takes a college degree to operate. A chest carrier is fine for 75% of the times that you need to cart the kid around and an umbrella stroller is good for the rest (when you get tired of carrying). Small diaper bag with the basics and a change of clothes. All GA friendly.

Parents, did I miss anything?
 
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