Flying with infants and toddlers can be stressful. You might be tempted to have your child sit on your lap during your flights, but we want to share why your child should ride in a car seat for every flight. I've partnered with Diono to share this information with you, but all opinions are my own.
We recently went on a family trip with our children and the flight went a lot better than I expected. The kids sat well on the airplane, they played quietly and watched shows, and they weren't scared at all. I attribute our overall experience partly to them riding in their car seats for the flights, and I've decided I'll never fly without their car seats until they've outgrown them. I think all children who ride in car seats should use them for flights, and I've got a few reasons below to share with you. Plus, you'll get a look at the best car seat for flying, too!
When we were planning for our recent vacation, I wasn't sure if we should bring the kids' car seats on the plane. I heard from various people that we could just rent car seats when we arrived, we could check the car seats as luggage, and from a few people I heard, we could bring the seats onto the plane. After doing a bit of research, I decided it would be best to bring our car seats onto the plane, and I'm glad we decided to do that!
Why Should Children Ride in Car Seats on Flights?
So, why did we choose to bring our own car seats on the plane? And why do I think all children should ride in car seats when flying? Here are a few reasons:
- I knew our four-year-old was capable of sitting for a three-and-a-half-hour flight, but our two-year-old? Not so much. He's SO busy and I knew if he was only buckled into a plane seat, he'd spend 99% of the flight trying to escape. Using our car seats on the flight ensured that the kids were buckled in and weren't going anywhere. They know the standard of not getting out of their car seats in the vehicle, and that carried over to the plane.
- In the event of bad turbulence or (heaven forbid) a crash at takeoff or landing, our kids are much safer buckled into their five-point harnesses than just riding in a plane seat. Did you know that the FAA strongly suggests children ride in a child safety restraint system because riding in parent's laps isn't considered safe enough? In the event of strong turbulence, a child can come loose from their parent's arms and fly through the aircraft cabin. I feel much safer knowing my kids are secure in their car seats.
- You never know what happens to your car seats when they get stowed under the plane. How much jostling and slamming around does a stowed car seat experience? This will affect the car seat's ability to protect your child in a crash later. There are reasons car seats must be replaced after an accident. The materials in the seats can break down. You can read more about that in our post about replacing your car seat after a crash. I know from experience that things under the plane aren't always secured tightly, as we got our stroller back with two straps completely missing and part of the cover was wet and full of ice build-up that stained the fabric.
- Once you reach your destination, you'll need car seats. By bringing our own, we avoided the cost of renting car seats on our trip. Also, you never know the history of the car seats you're renting and from other friends' experiences, I've heard they're often very dirty. We just recently had friends who were assured the rental car company would have car seats for their three children, but upon arrival, they only had booster seats available. Our friends had to go buy new seats for their kids, just for their vacation. We didn't have to deal with any of this because we brought our own seats and were able to use them for our flights and in our rental vehicles!
What is the Best Car Seat for Flying?
While there are quite a few FAA-approved car seats, we think one of them tops the list. Our pick is the Diono Radian RXT (please note, this review covered the older version of the new Diono Radian 3RXT,) for a few reasons. Most importantly, this seat has an extremely narrow profile. You've probably heard that Radians can fit three-across in most vehicles, and that makes them perfect for flying.
With a base that's just 15" wide, it easily fits in standard airline seats without hanging over the edge. Plane seats are narrow as it is, so this is a huge benefit. Plus, the seat can be used rear-facing or forward-facing which makes it perfect for kids of any age.
As you can see, our son still rides rear-facing in our vehicle. On the plane we chose to forward-face him for a few reasons. The first was that I didn't want to keep the passenger ahead of him from reclining if they wanted. Diono Radian RXTs do have a tendency to take up space when rear-facing so purchasing the angle adjuster can be super helpful.
Since our son is over two years old and 30 pounds, I felt comfortable having him forward-facing for the flight. In the vehicle, we will keep him rear-facing as long as possible, though!
Diono car seats are well known in the industry for their high safety standards. Unlike other car seats, Diono Radian RXTs have a full steel frame. Encasing the steel frame is thick, engineered plastic and EPS foam to keep your kiddo safe. I knew that in the event of turbulence on the plane, our kids would be safe in their car seats.
Now you may be thinking, "With a full steel frame, isn't that car seat heavy to lug through the airport?" And yes, at 25 pounds, the Diono Radian RXT is a bit heavier than some seats. I did consider whether this would be a problem as we hauled the car seats with us. However, Diono graciously sent us two of their Car Seat Travel Bags which made things a breeze!
With two carry options (backpack or duffel), the Travel Bags make it so easy to bring Diono car seats anywhere. These bags are great for the airport, and even for getting the car seats onto the plane. Using the Travel Bags really minimizes the weight of the car seat since it's distributed so evenly.
These Travel Bags are waterproof to protect the car seats against the elements, too! There's a zippered pocket to store other small items and an identification tag. I feel like the Diono Travel Bags are something I didn't know I needed until I had them. Now I can't imagine hauling the car seats without them!
Another great feature of the Radian RXT is that it folds flat for travel. Obviously this makes carrying it in the Travel Bag just that much easier. Getting it into the narrow airplane seats is simplified, too.
Both of our kids comfortably ride in Diono Radian RXTs in our vehicle. We definitely plan to bring them both on our next vacation and flight, too! I wouldn't travel without our own seats now that we know the benefits of bringing them along.
You can purchase the Diono Radian RXT in seven different colors (we have Black Mist and Black Plum) from Diono's website or from Amazon!
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Disclaimer: I received this car seat and two travel bags at no cost to discuss the importance of flying with a car seat, as well as provide an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Mary Hudson says
We have a Diono car seat, but have never flown with it. Were your kids able to use the tray tables for eating/coloring when in the seats?
Thank you.
Amber says
Yes! Our son was a little far back from his tray table but he could still reach it if he wanted to. Our daughter had no problem reaching hers!
Alyson says
Hey, thanks for the information. When folded up, would this fit in an overhead bin?
Amber says
Hi Alyson,
Thanks for reading! When folded, it would probably fit but I think in the bag it would still exceed most airline's requirements for size. We've used it on the plane before (had our little guy buckled in) and that worked great. Now that he's older, if we're bringing the car seats with, we check them at the gate so they don't have to go through as much trauma as dropping them off with our checked bags.
Hope that helps!