Flying with a Baby - Car Seats

Many first-time parents have concerns about traveling with car seats. Let us address some of these with you:

Bringing Car Seats on the Flight

Do not attempt to bring your car seat on the plane. Most likely you would be stopped by a flight attendant and your seat will be sent to cargo.

Remember if you are booking an infant on lap seat, your baby does not have a plane seat. As the name implies, the baby has to be on your lap.

Human beings have trouble fitting into plane seats now so your car seat will not fit on the seat either. Airlines know this and will not allow you to strap down your car seat even if you bought an adult ticket for your child. I have heard that some airlines do allow car seats in first class (if you bought an adult ticket for your child) but do you really want to spend all that money?

Checking In a Car Seat

Most airlines will allow you to check-in a car seat for free, even discount airlines like Spirit and Frontier who want to charge you for everything. Every airline I have flown on has offered this but to be sure check with your specific airline before arriving.

Be sure to buy a car seat bag for it though so all of the seat’s pieces stay together. For example, I have had cup holders fall off during the trip but since it was in a bag I just reattached it when I landed.

Checking in a car seat with a car seat bag also allows for a little extra storage space. I like to get a small bag, pack it with extra baby stuff (diapers, a blanket, clothes, etc.), and buckle the bag in the seat of the car seat.

Renting a Car Seat

Another option is to rent a car seat from a rental car company after you arrive. In doing so you avoid any possible damage from baggage handlers and having to carry the cat seat in and out of the airport. 

Some people raise concerns regarding the cleanliness of renting a car seat so for those people I recommend having Lysol spray and wipes handy.

I also recommend signing up for AAA. Not just for their automotive services but Hertz also offers a free car seat rental to AAA members. Normally they charge ~$20 per day per seat so after a few days you already recoup your yearly AAA membership fee.