Safer Airplane Travel with Babies & Toddlers

FACT SHEET © 2006 Safe Ride News Publications, 800-403-1424 • www.saferidenews.com
Not for distribution of any type.

Why use your child’s car seat in flight?

• A child riding on your lap could be torn from your arms in a crash or even in rough air! “Clear air turbulence” (rough air) is common and causes injuries. It can happen without warning. Car seats (child safety seats) are tested to hold a child securely if this happens.
• Many plane crashes are survivable. Buckling up helps you and your child avoid injury so you can escape.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends car seat use in aircraft by all children up to 40 pounds.
• Your child is likely to behave better on the trip if he or she is riding in a familiar, comfortable car seat.
• You will enjoy the trip more without a restless baby in your lap.
• The car seat will be ready to use at the end of the flight. The car seat could be lost or damaged if it is checked.
• A child’s ticket entitles you to two more carry-ons plus the car seat.

Which car seats
can be used on airplanes?

• For infants and children who fit in rear-facing and forward-facing car seats with harnesses: FAA recommends using car seats that have this label: “This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.” For best fit in aircraft seats, use a seat less than 16 inches wide.
• For families traveling from overseas: foreign car seats can be used if they meet the standards of a foreign government or the United Nations. (Check for a label on the seat.)
• Not allowed: booster seats or child vests. Also, NO "belly belts" made to hold a child on an adult’s lap (allowed in some countries).
• For children over age 2 without car seats: seat belts must be used. A snug fit may not be possible for small, thin children.
• For children who no longer fit into car seats with harnesses: lap belts must be used. The aircraft seat belt may fit a child better than a lap belt in a motor vehicle. The lap belt will help restrain a child in turbulance or an air crash.
  

Before you fly...

Buy a ticket for your infant or child and have seats assigned ahead of time.

• The FAA requires airlines to allow the use of a certified car seat if the child has a ticket. The FAA strongly recommends, but does not require, that children under age 2 ride in a car seat. Not all flight attendants are well informed, so take FAA information along (see Resources page 2).
• Use an airline that has discounts for young children.
• Make sure your child’s car seat is allowed (see left).
• Seat assignments: Car seats usually are used in window seats or the center of a wide row between two aisles. Two children and a parent can occupy three seats together. They are not allowed in exit rows or rows behind and in front of exit rows.
• Ask for bulkhead seats if you will be using a rear-facing convertible car seat, which may need extra space.

If you choose not to buy a ticket for your child under 2:

• You are more likely to get a free seat and be able to use a car seat if you fly during times when planes are not full.
• Check with the ticket agent to make sure the airline will allow you to use an empty seat for your young child.

On the plane, use the car seat correctly!

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions as closely as possible. Car seats with tethers can be used without the tether anchored.
• Tighten the lap belt. (See Hints, next col.)
• Keep the harness buckled around your child during flight.

Hints for easier travel with kids in car seats

• If the car seat base is wide, try raising the armrest for more space.
• To install a forward-facing car seat, first recline the aircraft seatback. Then put the belt through the car seat belt path. Turn the belt over so the buckle flap is toward the airplane seatback. (This will make it easier to release later.) Tighten the belt and then raise the seatback.
• If two adults are traveling, one can board early and install the car seat. Allow the child or children to play in the boarding area with the other adult until the last call.
• Bring a pacifier or a bottle filled with water. Sucking helps keep a baby’s ears from hurting during take-off and landing.
• Bring along diapers, wipes, snacks, small picture books, and quiet toys.
• Getting to and from the gate: some infant car seats have a stroller base; the Sit’n’Stroll convertible seat has built-in wheels. You can drag the car seat behind you using the tether strap (not the harness) or put it in a bag with shoulder straps (such as the one from Blue Mountain).
• When making connections, arrange with the airline in advance for help getting your children, car seats, and carry-ons to the next flight.

Why can't boosters and vests be used on board?

Aircraft seats are different from motor vehicle seats, so some auto products work differently and fit differently in them. Harnesses that hold a baby on a parent’s lap are NOT permitted, even if claiming to meet FAA standards.

• Crash tests showed that car safety vests and booster seats with shields may not protect a child in an aircraft seat. Therefore, they are not allowed,even though some very old models came with labels stating they are certified for aircraft use.
• Vests that are attached only with a lap belt allow too muc h forward motion.
• Some aircraft seats have backs that fold forward. In a crash, a child in a shield-booster could be crushed against the shield.
• A booster seat made for use with a lap-shoulder belt cannot be used, because there is no shoulder belt for upper-body restraint. If the booster seat also has a harness for children under 40 pounds and your child is under that weight, you can use it with the harness on aircraft.

How to escape with a small child in an emergency

Emergency information cards do not include tips on escaping with a baby or young child. The FAA has done escape tests with child dummies. The easiest and fastest escape method is:

1) Hug your child to your chest with both arms (see picture). Support your infant’s head in one hand.

2) If escaping with a child through a window exit, hand your child to another person outside before climbing out yourself.

3) Jump into the emergency slide. Sitting could make you lose your grip on your child, or others behind could push and make you lose your balance.

Home

Exiting with a baby: hold your baby against your body, then jump out of the exit
onto the slide

Resources:

Federal Aviation Administration: tips for parents, 800-FAA-SURE (322-7873) or www1.faa.gov (search for "child restraints")

American Academy of Pediatrics: policy statement and recommendations, www.aap.org/family/cps.htm

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.: car seat use information and individual assistance, 800-745-SAFE (7233) or www.carseat.org

Flying with Kids: website with practical travel advice, www.flyingwithkids.com