It did not work with out Roundabout. She was sitting up too high for the tray to work. I imagine the same will be true with the marathon. We just brought toys and food that did not require a plat surface.

 

HOW did that get you banned? Wow!

We use a Marathon and a Boulevard, also by Britax. Neither would work with a plane's tray table. As Yooper says, it sits too high for the table to work.

 

Thanks so much for the fast replies. Maybe I'll buy one of those add on trays they sell to use for in the car (I know they shouldn't be used in the car though but I'm thinking they might work for the plane).

It got me banned because someone said that car seats aren't allowed rfing on a plane and why would you want to anyways? So I replied with a link that talks about kids being safest in a car seat on the plane, etc, etc. Somehow that got everyone riled up and they accused me of just starting the thread to tell them I am superior for still having my kid rfing in the car. I got mad and told them that actually I am superior to them

Of course I'm not but I'd had enough and I was really angry and sick of the years of people just doing whatever they want and not what's safest/best for their kids despite having the information available. I guess it all kind of finally boiled up....I definitely stirred the pot. I shouldn't have and am embarrassed that I did. But it was just silly how the whole thing got out of hand. That's why I love

MDC, that kind of stuff just doesn't happen here.

 

check out the parenting issues (general) forum for more carseat guidelines.

if you can fit the seat rear facing on the plane, by all means do it. i couldn't get our marathon to fit properly so i put him forward facing even though he was just under a year old and probably not 20lbs the first time i did that. the tray never flipped down fully, although our son loved for us to play with it and "clip" and "unclip" it.

welcome to mdc and join in the fun! we have a may 2004 mamas thread here in the toddler forum, too, if you want to join in.

~claudia

 

We have a roundabout which we've flown quite a bit with. My son can't reach the tray at all unless I unbuckle him (ruins the point). The good thing is.... it's super comfy, familiar for him... which means he's more likely to sleep.

We travelled without it on a plane a few months ago.... and he seemed to like the freedom of no carseat. He could play with the shade, play with the tray, etc... but it wasn't as safe.

You could try and get a travel desk that you could attach to the carseat. I think One Step Ahead has them... or you could improvise with a big board book or something.

We love the Color Wonderful markers for planes... as well as Aquadoodles and MagnaDoodles (travel size).

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shelsi I got mad and told them that actually I am superior to them Of course I'm not but I'd had enough and I was really angry and sick of the years of people just doing whatever they want and not what's safest/best for their kids despite having the information available. I guess it all kind of finally boiled up....I definitely stirred the pot. I shouldn't have and am embarrassed that I did. But it was just silly how the whole thing got out of hand. That's why I love MDC, that kind of stuff just doesn't happen here.

:

I feel like you were just channeling me there.

 

Just wanted to say...if you put him ffing in the marathon, make sure you ask for a seatbelt extension from an attendant before you install it. Oh man, I thought I was going to have to cut the seatbelt to get my seat out!!!! When you have it installed tightly the buckle is behind the seat...and well there is not really room to get it opened and released! That was kinda scary LOL. I have a feeling DS could not really use the tray when he was in his MA on the plane (though I must admit last time I travelled I did not use carseats on the plane...I was all alone and could not manage kids and carseats in the airports and planes!!!

).

 

One flight attendant told me DS couldn't be RF in a Cosco Touriva (our traveling car seat) and that he was too big, I said, no, it's safer to be RF and it's rear facing up to 35# and pointed to the sticker on the side that said so. He didn't pick a fight and left us be, but I think that he just hadn't seen anyone with a RF seat with a kid so big (2yo and about 28#). We ended up turning him around during the flight since that plane had screens in the seat backs and we were needing some help with in the entertaining department

I am AMAZED that people are shocked that DS is still RF.

 

Quote:

When you have it installed tightly the buckle is behind the seat...and well there is not really room to get it opened and released!

Oh! There's a trick for this- it's OK to twist the belt a half turn- just as safe, all fine- you twist the female half (with the lift-up) half a turn, so the lift-up bit lifts away from the back of the seat. Tighten it up and you're good to go, easy to undo.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eris Oh! There's a trick for this- it's OK to twist the belt a half turn- just as safe, all fine- you twist the female half (with the lift-up) half a turn, so the lift-up bit lifts away from the back of the seat. Tighten it up and you're good to go, easy to undo.

but the marathon has the plastic piece across the back of the slot that would still get in the way... no?

 

I found out about the 'stuck' seatbelt the hard way. I had Jett's Marathon installed in a corporate jet and right there, in front of DH's boss, I couldn't get it out. I did manage to get it out eventually, but for those first 30 seconds or so, I was embarrassed. Anyway....I will TRY to explain what I did.

I reached in and pulled at the female end...not the buckle part. Let me say it this way...you know how you lengthen the belt when it's unbuckled, by tilting the metal end and running it out to the edge of the webbing? Well, do that, in teeny, tiny, microscopic increments. It feels like you aren't getting anywhere, but you are. Then, as you get a little bit of free room, if the buckles gets near the Marathon's vertical 'struts' and won't move anymore, grab the webbing of the male end, outside the Marathon and pull it 'tight' again. This moves the buckle back into the center where you can continue your microscopic loosening. You'll get there. For me, turning the belt a half turn wouldn't work because of the plastic piece that Claudia mentions.

Clear as mud...I know.

 

We have a marathon too. At Christmas the flight attendant made us have ds's seat forward facing, said it wasn't safe rear facing. He was 8 mo old. Do you mean she was wrong? I hadn't heard that before but after arguing with her awhile I gave in.
Links anyone?
Allie

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AladdinsLamp We have a marathon too. At Christmas the flight attendant made us have ds's seat forward facing, said it wasn't safe rear facing. He was 8 mo old. Do you mean she was wrong? I hadn't heard that before but after arguing with her awhile I gave in. Links anyone? Allie

Yes she was totally and completely wrong. Here's a good link: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplaneRF.aspx

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shelsi It got me banned because someone said that car seats aren't allowed rfing on a plane and why would you want to anyways? So I replied with a link that talks about kids being safest in a car seat on the plane, etc, etc. Somehow that got everyone riled up and they accused me of just starting the thread to tell them I am superior for still having my kid rfing in the car. I got mad and told them that actually I am superior to them Of course I'm not but I'd had enough and I was really angry and sick of the years of people just doing whatever they want and not what's safest/best for their kids despite having the information available. I guess it all kind of finally boiled up....I definitely stirred the pot. I shouldn't have and am embarrassed that I did. But it was just silly how the whole thing got out of hand. That's why I love MDC, that kind of stuff just doesn't happen here.

Hey, congrats to you, Shelsi, for sticking to your guns. My just-turning three year old is still rearfacing at least 75% of the time. My ds is around 31-32 pounds, so I don't force the issue of RF with him. He actually requests quite clearly when he wants to ride "backwads, Mama!". When he occassionally wants to FF, I really don't mind, and allow him to. At this point with him, I don't want to make it into a battle, esp. since he seems to really prefer Rf. It's rare to hear of other mom's keeping their kids RF for so long, and it's even rarer to hear of another mom bring their Britax on a plane with them. You rock!

 

I haven't had a chance to read the whole thread, but you can RF just about any seat in a plane, and you will likely piss off the person in front of you because their seat won't recline

Anyhow, I'd rather po them because of no recline than have my toddler FF and kickign the back of the seat for 8 hrs. And Yes, a toddler with really really short legs will be able to reach the seat in front of them when FF in a car seat.

ALSO, to the OP, YOU ROCK for getting banned on the other board, I'm a RF NUT too, and I preach all day. As for the drawing stuff, why not get one of those bean bag bottom lap desks? It would fit on your dc lap and it's lightweight, although a bit bulky to put in a bag... youcould just leave it on the car seat (get a car seat bag maybe?) and stuff it in the bag/on the seat when you are going through the airport.

 

I actually have the car seat desk from One Step Ahead (that we don't use in the car, but got just for this purpose). It worked well, but it's a bit difficult to attach it to the seat once the seat is tightly in place, and many flights are too long to leave the desk attached for the whole plane ride. We just kind of fudged it, loosened the seatbelt, threaded the belt for the lap tray and re-tightened the lap belt. I now can use it as a larger tray for my dd's booster seat at the table when she needs a bigger surface than what's on the tray for the booster seat.

Hpe this helps at least some!

 

LOL PastVNE on the getting it undone...I did something like that to finally get the darn seat out. BUT if you ask the attendent for an extender next time (they have them for large passengers) then you can have the buckle part out from the back of the seat and pop it off like nothing.

Trust me, it is much easier!!!!

 

posting to say that our marathon wouldn't even fit on our jetblue flight! the carseat was wedged between the two airplane seats. my mom was with me and we were flabbergasted that a seat approved for airplane travel wouldn't fit!

anyway, also wanted to ask where do dc's feet go when they are RF in the car? Wouldn't their knees be up in their chest? I'm just curious (not starting a debate, just an honest question!). I turned ds' seat around to RF yesterday, but he has yet to try it out.

 

I'll see if there's an extra seatbelt extender around at work, True Blue...that way I'll always have one available.

I airline about once every two months, but travel corporate or private more often....no seatbelt extenders there.

Thanks for the tip!!!!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajsgirl anyway, also wanted to ask where do dc's feet go when they are RF in the car? Wouldn't their knees be up in their chest? I'm just curious (not starting a debate, just an honest question!). I turned ds' seat around to RF yesterday, but he has yet to try it out.

They generally cross their legs 'indian style' or prop them up on the seat back, or sometimes splay them out at wild angles.

As a passenger, I often sit with one or both legs tucked up, cross-legged, too. Not the safest for a front seat passenger, but it's different, rear-facing.

 

We fit our Marathon on a Jetblue flight no problem...we put it in the window seat. That's strange you couldn't get it to fit???

 

Car seats HAVE to be in the window seat position. They are not allowed to impede the travel-path of another passenger (related to you or complete stranger.) FAA Regulation, not the airlines' fault.

14 CFR 121.311

They don't technically call it the window seat, but that is the practical application. Another practical place would be the center seat of a larger airliner with the sections layed out like this:

window *-- aisle --**-- aisle --* window

In that situation, the asterisk seats would be allowed to have a child safety seat. The not child-approved seats are the dashes.

 

yeah, I really don't know why it wouldn't fit. we even showed it to the attendant. maybe our row was short... like the one behind us was the exit or something? it was really frustrating!

 

At 2 I just used the seatbelts on the plane and stowed the carseat.

 

Pics of kids rearfacing with their legs tucked up

http://cpsafety.com/articles/RFalbum.aspx