You don't need all the gear out there, but there are some things that will make your journey safer and easier if you can borrow or buy them. In particular, I recommend you have at least one safety restraint for during the flight and, if you are traveling with a toddler, a set of reins (or a harness) for walking around the airport. In this blog post, I talk about these five safety accessories:
1. CARES child aviation restraint: essential if your child is the right size
If you are flying with a child sitting in their own seat and who weights 22-44lb, this one is a no-brainer. You won't have to carry your car seat through the airport (you can check it as hold luggage) but your child will still be safely seated on the airplane.
2. Traveling Toddler Car Seat Accessory: very useful if you are taking your car seat on board
If however, you prefer your child to fly in their own FAA approved car seat (look for the sticker on the base) because they are too small for CARES or you prefer them to sleep in their familiar seat, a traveling toddler car seat accessory is an ingenious way to attach your car seat (with seated child) to your trundle bag. Wow, what an easy way to get around the airport with really minimal expenditure on gear!
3. Baby B'Air flight vest: the restraint I use for a lap-held child
Though the FAA recommends infants travel in an FAA approved restraint (car seat or CARES harness) many people choose to fly with infants on their lap. Cost is a big consideration here as most airlines charge at least 66% of the full adult fare for a child to have their own seat. When cost constraints have forced me to do this, I've always used a Baby B'Air flight vest. And I love it. You simply pass your lap belt though the webbing loop on the back on the vest and your child is secure and safer from turbulence.
4. Sit n Stroll car seat, flight seat, stroller combo: recommended if you think you and baby will fly together a great deal
This amazing (but relatively expensive) device transforms from car seat, to FAA approved flight seat, to stroller with a little jiggery-pockery. Some people find it easier to convert than others --- so only buy if you know you have that kind of brain! If you know you're likely to travel a lot with baby, for example if you're an expat family likely to relocate often and travel to visit family often, then this is a sensible purchase as a stroller for you. Best of all, you don't have to wake baby to move them from the plane to stroll down the airplane aisle and off to customs, immigration and baggage collection. It's a breeze with this clever stroller.
5. Safety harness/reins: essential if you have a toddler who likes to roam around
My kids absolutely would not wear a set of reins, but they adored wearing a fanny pack with their own bits n bobs inside --- even though it was attached to me by a rein. Transit terminals and the walk from check-in to airplane gate/airplane gate to arrivals are great spaces to let your toddler run off some energy and explore a little, but only if you can have peace of mind at the same time! The fanny pack harness below is the closest thing I can find to the fanny pack harnesses I used when my toddlers were small. The other tethering technique I've used successfully is to tie some thick elastic to the back of my toddler's Baby B'Air flight vest, with the other end tied to my belt --- inexpensive and effective!
Want to find out more or buy?
Here are hot links to buy any of these products via Amazon.com in the USA:
- CARES child aviation restraint
- Traveling Toddler car seat accessory
- Baby B'air flight vest
- Sit n Stroll car seat combo
- Safety reins
1. CARES child aviation restraint: essential if your child is the right size
If you are flying with a child sitting in their own seat and who weights 22-44lb, this one is a no-brainer. You won't have to carry your car seat through the airport (you can check it as hold luggage) but your child will still be safely seated on the airplane.
2. Traveling Toddler Car Seat Accessory: very useful if you are taking your car seat on board
If however, you prefer your child to fly in their own FAA approved car seat (look for the sticker on the base) because they are too small for CARES or you prefer them to sleep in their familiar seat, a traveling toddler car seat accessory is an ingenious way to attach your car seat (with seated child) to your trundle bag. Wow, what an easy way to get around the airport with really minimal expenditure on gear!
3. Baby B'Air flight vest: the restraint I use for a lap-held child
Though the FAA recommends infants travel in an FAA approved restraint (car seat or CARES harness) many people choose to fly with infants on their lap. Cost is a big consideration here as most airlines charge at least 66% of the full adult fare for a child to have their own seat. When cost constraints have forced me to do this, I've always used a Baby B'Air flight vest. And I love it. You simply pass your lap belt though the webbing loop on the back on the vest and your child is secure and safer from turbulence.
4. Sit n Stroll car seat, flight seat, stroller combo: recommended if you think you and baby will fly together a great deal
This amazing (but relatively expensive) device transforms from car seat, to FAA approved flight seat, to stroller with a little jiggery-pockery. Some people find it easier to convert than others --- so only buy if you know you have that kind of brain! If you know you're likely to travel a lot with baby, for example if you're an expat family likely to relocate often and travel to visit family often, then this is a sensible purchase as a stroller for you. Best of all, you don't have to wake baby to move them from the plane to stroll down the airplane aisle and off to customs, immigration and baggage collection. It's a breeze with this clever stroller.
5. Safety harness/reins: essential if you have a toddler who likes to roam around
My kids absolutely would not wear a set of reins, but they adored wearing a fanny pack with their own bits n bobs inside --- even though it was attached to me by a rein. Transit terminals and the walk from check-in to airplane gate/airplane gate to arrivals are great spaces to let your toddler run off some energy and explore a little, but only if you can have peace of mind at the same time! The fanny pack harness below is the closest thing I can find to the fanny pack harnesses I used when my toddlers were small. The other tethering technique I've used successfully is to tie some thick elastic to the back of my toddler's Baby B'Air flight vest, with the other end tied to my belt --- inexpensive and effective!
Want to find out more or buy?
Here are hot links to buy any of these products via Amazon.com in the USA:
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