Every time that you go to get into the car with your babies or young children, you go through the routine of putting them into their car seats. It’s not something that you even think twice about; it’s just what you do. It’s the law, and it’s the law because it’s what keeps kids safe in the car. So, have you ever thought about the fact that this routine, which is so second nature to you, isn’t something that you do when engaging in other kinds of travel besides car travel? Don’t you think it’s just a little bit odd? More and more parents are realizing the oddity of this and taking action, making sure to bring airplane-compatible car seats with them on their flights.
For many, strapping their children into car seats on the plane has become as routine as strapping the kids into their car seats before getting in to the car. For others, use of car seats on the plane is a new thing. If you fall in to the latter category, you might have some questions about using car seats on the plane. Here are some of the basics things that you need to know about car seat use for your flights:
- Neither airlines nor the law require parents to use car seats during plane travel. However, use of them has been recommended by child safety experts.
- Children weighing forty pounds or more can safely use plane seatbelts. Children under forty pounds are much safer if they are in a car seat. As with your car seat in your car, you can choose to use a rear-facing car seat or forward-facing car seat, with the latter being better for kids who weigh under twenty pounds.
- There are car seats which are made specifically to be used in both cars and on planes. These are called airplane-compatible and should be something that you look for when purchasing your normal car seats if you think that you will be doing any plane travel with your children.
- Most airlines will let an adult board the airplane at the start of boarding in order to secure the car seat in place before the plane begins to get filled up. You should ask about this when you are waiting for boarding to begin. Note that car seats should be placed in the seat closest to the window.
- The purpose of car seat use in planes is safety for your child. Some parents worry that trying to get a child out of a car seat in the rare case of an airline emergency could be problematic. This is an unwarranted fear; removing your child from the car seat is no more dangerous in a plane than in a car and keeping your children appropriately strapped in during flight could help save them if there are problems in the air.
It may not be the most common thing in the world to see parents strapping their children in to car seats on the plane. And you might think that it’s not necessary or that the hassles of carrying a car seat on board with you as you travel are not worth the effort. But it really is recommended that you use a car seat on the plane for your children and if you get used to the idea, it will soon just be second nature. Having your child’s safety be second nature is always a good thing!
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