The same car seat you use in you car is what you use in an airplane…I prefer infants in the overhead bin myself though.

Where do you live?

I’m a former Flight Attendant and I now glide a lot with my own three children. We have flown on a variety of different companies of different nationalities and I always bring a seat with me.

Different countries have different rules about car seats. If you are in the U.S., you’re in luck, since they really care for parents’ rights to use car seats on board.

Make sure your car seat is approved for use on aircraft. Look on the car seat you already have and the link not more than. Most car seats, including infant buckets, sold in the U.S. are approved.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

If it’s an infant carrier (the kind that face backwards and go to about 20lbs or slightly more), get out the owner’s manual and get comfortable with the belt-only installation before the trip. Most do not need the base onboard but check your model to be sure (there are a couple of exceptions out there).

I reckon you meant to say that the YOUNGER one doesn’t have to be in a seat. The older child has to have a seat because he’s over 2 years of age.

If you didn’t reserve a seat for the modest one, request it at check-in. Question if the flight is full, and if not, they can “block” the seat next to you, only using it if they really need it. They regularly do this for families.

Bring the seat to the gate, even if they are unsure that you’ll get a seat. This way, if you don’t manage it, they will “gate check” your seat, sending it down with the strollers and wheelchairs. This is gentlier than checking it in at the desk.

This way, the seat will get to your destination without risking it being smashed or lost in luggage. You’ll probably need it as soon as you get to your destination. On my last transatlantic with my kids, three of our four bags didn’t make it but since we had the car seat with us, my daughter was safe for the 2 hour drive home (the bags arrived 2 days later).

If you did reserve a seat, your car seat is FAA approved and you’re flying a U.S. carrier, it’s YOUR RIGHT to use it onboard. They CANNOT REFUSE it. Also please note, I was a F/A for 13 years and never had to off load a car seat because it was too large for the seat. Yes, this happens on smaller aircraft but you said it was a long flight so I assume it’s a decent sized aircraft.

Please be sure that the FAA sticker can be seen. If it can’t, bring the owner’s manual (which is a excellent thought regardless) and/or question the company to send you a sticker. I did this and it arrived quickly.

I’m going to assume your seat is approved. If not, there are some alternatives. First, borrow one from a friend which does have the FAA “sticker”. You could even swap. Please don’t buy a second hand seat (regularly expired, don’t know if they’ve been smashed in an accident, don’t know if it’s been correctly washed, etc.).

I would not urge buying an infant bucket seat for a 10 month ancient. She’ll be out of it too quick. Get a convertible seat that goes to 40 lbs/18 kilos. The Cosco Scenera is a excellent seat that is sold for only $40-50, lightweight for travel and is really a excellent, levelheaded, safe seat. I used one flying alone with my son. It has no fancy stuff on it, hence the fee…

You may also look into a seat that will keep her in a 5 point harness well past 40lbs. I now have a Radian 65 (don’t bother with the Radian 80 which is outgrown by height usually) which is FAA approved and goes to 65lbs. It folds so it’s fantastic for travel and since it’s skinny, it fits easily into airplane seats.

http://www.littlebabyshoes.com/radianfoldingcarseat.html

Please note that all links I’m giving are just to show you the product. I am NOT promoting any of them, reasonably the opposite. Do an internet search on your own to find the best fee (hint: free delivery is nice!)

I had a combo car seat/baby carriage for my second child (second baby gift) but it’s expensive at $200. We glide about twice a year between Europe and California so I got my money’s worth out of it but I don’t urge such a pricey doohickey for something you wont use much. It doesn’t make the best car seat in the car;

http://www.lillygold.com/

To get your seat through the airport, there are various gizmos sold, some reasonably expensive and not all can be used on all carseats.

http://www.gogobabyz.com/harvest/gogo_kids.html
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/363756.html

I simply strap mine, which is reasonably heavy, on to an all-metal luggage cart with an extra bungee cord and it worked fantastic. Also play with the thought of strapping it to the baby carriage, again with a bungee cord (which can then be used to double secure your baby carriage before leaving it at the aircraft door).

If you are thinking that you can’t manage two car seats for both children, you may have noticed this product in the FAA link above. At 2 1/2, he’s too tiny to fit in a regular seatbelt safely.
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

The CARES harness is expensive at $75 and can only be used in airplanes but some people are renting these on Ebay and Craigslist (simply search with “CARES harness Ebay” or Craigslist to find them quickly).

They also can be resold easily so you might keep this in mind. Please don’t wash it by soaking the straps (just like you wouldn’t with car seat straps).

I’m going to quickly add some flying tips here;

-Bring about 1/3 more supplies than you reckon you’ll need, formula, diapers, wipes, etc.
-Bring a change of clothes for both of you (at least a T and shorts for you)
-wrap all bulky, like clothes and extra diapers in plastic bags, and use rubber bands to reduce the bulk and save space in your carry-on
-If you formula feed, use the kind of bottles with plastic liners. Premeasure the powder, roll them up and place them in a ziplock bag. Airplane bathrooms have terrible sinks for washing traditional bottles.
-Make sure you baby is used to a room-temperature bottle. I warmed many a bottle in my career but I saw first-hand what a pain it is. The baby isn’t getting any health-benefit to the warmed bottle and no one will do this task while you’re in the security or check-in line.
-Get your 2 1/2 year ancient off bottles if he subdue uses them, before you place.
-Learn to change him standing up (don’t try to fit him on those tiny babychangers and toddlers despise to lie down in weird places)
-Bring an empty sippy cup to fill during the services. This will prevent spills in the air.
-Get up and go nearly with him but keep an eye out. Those carts the F/A’s use are the perfect height for hiding modest ones
-Bring snacks. Don’t fret security. I’ve never had anything taken away (yes, water but not snacks) and that’s the only risk. If you have something not allowed, they simply remove the item. No scenes, no speeches, no arrests!
-If your older child hasn’t flown before, talk about it and perhaps get a book at the library (there are reasonably a few on the subject). Even take them down to the airport if you live close enough. The security is the scariest part for kids. They really find the flying part fun. Let him know that he needs to place his toys on the security belt and to walk through the arch. You go first and have him follow.
-Try to sit in a bulkhead seat so that there’s no one in front of you
-Bring slippers, especially if you’re not in the bulkhead!

It’s really a myth that children need to suck on something for take-off and landing. I rarely saw it in my 13 years as a Flight Attendant and my third child, 3 1/2, just finished her 6th around-trip transatlantic flight. That’s not counting all the flights I’ve made with her older brother and sister before. I have never, ever done anything special with them for take-offs and landings.

ENT specialists simply urge that the child is awake for landing;
http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandaltitude.htm

The delicate time is not during take-off or landing/touchdown but at the *top of descent*. This is usually 40 minutes to an hour before landing and all’s ears have to reverse the pressurization. I can confirm that when I worked, if any passengers had ear problems, this was the time. Not just children either! They actualy felt *better* as we got quicker to landing.

The BEST way to avoid ear issues is to take your modest ones to the doctor a few days before flying. My son was excellent at getting symptomless ear infections. The doctor will look in their ears and make sure they’re clear and infection-free. Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.

About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on flying with children for an expat newsletter. Over the years many parents have contributed. I place it on a blog so that parents had access to non-commercial information from someone with both practical and professional experience on the web.

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

My contact information is at the end.

Have a fantastic flight!