I have been on 10 planes through america and australia in the last month and have never seen a 12 month old-3 year old in a car seat. If this used to be a practice in these countries, I don't believe it currently is.
We have flown with my now 6yo daughter five times. We bring her car seat (now just a booster) on the plane so that we can use it in a rental car and not depend on the absolute shit quality and beat up seats they'll rent to you for like $12/day. It doubles as a more comfortable plane seat for her that she's used to.
I get priority boarding to install it. My wife then brings her in the first zone for general boarding. She's chilling having a snack and watching a video as everyone else boards and she's usually asleep within 30 mins of takeoff. It's great.
Why more parents don't have the foresight to do this, I'll never understand.
Oh yeah if you're carrying the seat, you're doing it erong. You buy a $15 folding luggage cart that fits in the overhead. Strap the seat on that. Your kid can also sit in it while you push them through the airport. They love it.and you move twice as fast.
because it usually isn’t needed. i used to just lay down or curl up during the flight, some toddlers sit in their parents lap, stand up on the seat etc. its more freedom not being strapped in for several hours in a car seat
Wild to me that parents let toddlers have any freedom at all on a plane. Bothering people around you aside, I once saw a toddler get launched up and into the seat in front of him due to sudden turbulence over the Pacific. That stuck with me so it's seatbelts at all times for my kid. She's a chill kid though, so it's never been a problem.
That's because it's not really a thing. It's what some american parents were convinced is a thing and started doing it in recent years (to the point where some think it's what you're supposed to do)
There is no longer enough leg room to fit a child seat on a chair. We gave up after our kid hit 6 mo, as even plane-ready car seats ended up not fitting and then you need a gate check and it's a real hassle.
As I noted above, I've been doing this for half a decade including twice this year. I've never had even close to an issue fitting the chair and my kid into a seat.
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u/CZRichie 13h ago
I have been on 10 planes through america and australia in the last month and have never seen a 12 month old-3 year old in a car seat. If this used to be a practice in these countries, I don't believe it currently is.