My son is 6 years old and flying with us for the first time-domestic from NY to California. Do I need to purchase a special car seat for him or bring a booster seat? pls advise, those who have flown with a 6 year old before thanks.
Nope.
My son flew for the first time at about age 6.
He behaved like he'd been flying for years.
No problems and he stayed seated the entire flight.
(Sorry Julie S.!)
Not required, the only reason you would do it would be for your own convenience.
I think everyone has flown with a six year old, just maybe not our own. I can assure you on every flight I have been on no one keeps their kids in their seats let alone in a booster seat....
I guess I need to stop flying Southwest! :p
No. I don't believe there are any specific requirements.
We fly a lot and we always bought a seat for our daughter from about 4-6 months on. She's 19 now.
I've never seen a child that age in a booster or car seat on all the flights I've taken.
We fly every year, at least once a year with our kids (now just turned 5, just turned 3, and 11.5 months). We check carseats for our destination, but don't use them on the plane. Our kids stay in their seats for 3-6 hour flights, color, watch movies, play with toys, eat, etc., only getting up for potty trips. Sorry that Julie S. hasn't been on any of our flights, since we only fly Southwest.
Nope, in fact I don't do seats for babies or toddlers either. We check seats. I find little ones in car seats spend the whole flight kicking the seat in front of them and driving other passengers crazy!
Btw, there is this great new product: a blow up booster seat. It has a terrific safety rating, and rolls up and fits in a small bag. I was so excited to see these because I have three kids and we just cannot afford to rent a big truck for two weeks when we go visit my in-laws. Now we can just put the baby in her regular big car seat between these small, very portable blow up ones. And just rent a large car! It will save us thousands! And at 20 bucks, it's cheaper than renting on the other end.
No. We have flown a lot with both our kids. You only need to bring some things to keep him entertained. And some snacks. Oh, and a hoodie if he gets cold in the air conditioning. If we go somewhere where we need a booster/car seat at the destination we pack it in our huge duffel bag and check it. If we are renting a car we just reserve a kid's booster/car seat with the car rental company.
Nope, we didn't even use them for infants! My 8, 6, and 4 year-old have flown many times. Never with seat. We either check it into baggage or have someone picking us up bring one for car at other end.
No. Airplane seatsbelts are lap belts... you don't need (and can't use) a booster seat because there is no shoulder strap that needs to be positioned. He can sit on the regular seat just fine.
5-point harness carseats are usually FAA approved, but at 6, a seat big enough for him will be to big for the seat.
Just buckle him in as you would any other person. He's 6. It's not a big deal. Pack him books, a video game, a book of puzzles whatever it will take to keep him entertained for hours on end. Depending on the airline, he may have his own little tv in the back of the seat in front of him, in which case, the entertainment is handled!
The best answer you will get is from your airline. If you google your airline and booster seat or children safety, you should hit their website with the answer.
We never used a booster for our daughter on the plane.
you won't need it on the plane, but you'll need one at your destination...
You don't need one. You are actually forbidden from using boosters. We flew all the time with DS. We used his car seat every time until he outgrew his original and we switched to a Nautilus that weighed 29 lbs - not lugging that through the airport. Do be sure to bring books and a few quiet toys.
