United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello everyone. We leave on Sunday for TCH. Emma is having her second and third surgeries on Monday. Do I have to bring her car seat? She is two months shy of 3 years old. I'm not even sure if her arm will fit in it on the way back being straight out to the side. Any advice?

I don't think they require it for the airplane, but you will need it for the car while in TX. Blake's high back booster is perfect for the splints. It is a Century and we used it for SOL and just recently for his caps/bicep which is straight out to the side. On the plane, it is a little uncomfortable for the person sitting next to the child with the airplane splint, but we just made sure I was the one on that side(I'm smaller than my husband). Good luck with surgery.

Kathy,
Car Seats on Airplane are helpful with kids in respect to turbulance. Some kids are also more comfortable in their own car seat since it fits their body. The airplane seat is hard to get used to when kids are usually strapped into seats that are more "form" fitting! Not all seats are able to be used on the plans... usually seats that are strictly booster seats (ones that use the lap & shoulder belt). Are you planning on taking a seat to Texas with you at all?
I am cutting and pasting this info from a post a few months ago in case it may be of help to you:

In terms of safety we always suggest a 5 point harness. Since you may need to be manipulating the straps I would suggest you look for a seat that has it's adjuster in the front. This way you can have the car seat tightened into the car and are able to tighten the straps after getting your daughter in. I have not had to do this as of yet. But from what I have seen of the splint I think I'd use a type seat that is called a High Back Booster Seat. Make sure it is the kind that has the straps still in it. They can later be removed when you child has reach the limit (usually 40lbs check with the instructions of each seat) and then the seat can be used with the regular car seat belt. I also think this seat will work well with the splint since it usually has shallower sides. Again I have not dealt with the splints in person sooooo this is my best recomendation baised on my knowledge. We usually recommend that a Child stay in the convertable seat as long as they fit right so that they have more of the side proctection from the seat but... I am thinking that the sides might be a problem for the position of the arm while in the splint! I am going to try to add a few links to show you what I mean. Please know that I am trying to show you the style I am suggesting. All seats meet the same saftey standards.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/st ... e-pictures

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/st ... e-pictures

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/st ... e-pictures

If these links don't work or you have trouble please e-mail me (rogerskristie@charter.net)

Also here is a link to finding a Car Seat Tech in your area... they might be able to help you more directly since they can do it in person!

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ ... /index.cfm


I hope this is helpful. What kind of seat are you currently using? And how much does your daughter weigh?

Kristie

We were really glad we brought our Car seat on the plan. Bailey did great. She was one month under 3 years old. It was just like being in a car. She didn't even ask to get out except to go potty.
On the way back the plane wasn't full so they gave us an extra seat. So her arm wasn't poking one of us. The car seats have to go in a window seat. One of their policies. Remember to ask for a window seat so that your child's splinted arm is away from the window. For us it was Bailey's left arm that was splinted so she had to sit in a window seat on the right side of the plane.
I don't know which airport you are flying into but we have flown into both. One is about 45 minutes from the TCH and the other is about an hour and a half if I remember right. Traffic is kind of crazy there. There is a lot of construction. I definatly wanted a carseat for my kids. We had to take two carseats. It wasn't that bad. I took my 3 month old too. We just rented a cart and loaded it up. I had Bailey in a stroller and the baby in a front pack. My husband had the cart.
If you haven't already bought a booster seat, look for one with a 5 point belt but make sure it has a tether. The one we used for Bailey after the Quad didn't have one it was a pain. For the Caps we bought a new one with a tether. It was worth the $69. It was much easier.
Hope this helps.
Jodi

I forgot to post that Bailey was also in the Airplane splint straight out to the side.
Jodi

I just got a new One Step Ahead Catalog yesterday and they have a soft 4lb folding 5 point harness travel car seat that doesn't have any sides. My thoughts when I saw it were that it would be great for travel if we needed another surgery. The link is www.onestepahead.com
Cindy

I had a thought while reading all this...You may want to check and see if your local fire dept or hospital has a loaner you could borrow....It sure would be a pain to have to go spend another 70 bucks for a special shaped seat....I know so many last minute expenses show up at the last.
T.

I got the information on the car seats. It's called the tote n go item# 08107 and the cost is $29.95. Also your local Highway Safety Department may be able to loan you a booster seat.
Cindy

At 6 months old we took the car seat on the plane, at 2 years old we did not. We used the lap belt and tightened it across her lap and she sat well in the seat. While in Texas, if you are renting a car, most places will also rent car seats. Dollar rental, rents a new minivan with a built-in harness carseat. This was especially easy to use and to adjust the straps.