What are some tips to help me install my child safety seat on an airplane?

What are some tips to help me install my child safety seat on an airplane?

Stephanie Tombrello (Child Passenger Safety Educator & Executive Director, SafetyBeltSafe USA) gives expert video advice on: Is it safe to hold my baby in my arms while flying on an airplane?; Can my child use his car safety seat in an airplane?; Where is the safest place to seat my child on an airplane? and more...

If you have purchased a ticket for your child, the flight attendant is not supposed to tell you that you can't use the safety seat, or that you must use the safety seat in a way that is incorrect for the product. A child who is rear-facing, and is of the right age to be rear-facing, particularly who is in an infant-only seat, cannot lie forward-facing just because the child's on an aeroplane. When you are travelling on an aeroplane with a safety seat, be sure you have the full instructions, that the sticker on your safety seat says it's certified for use on an aircraft, and also be sure that you show them how the safety seat is to be used so that they don't ask you to put it on the seat side-facing, to turn a seat that can only be rear-facing forward-facing, or to turn an infant (who must be rear-facing for a minimum of the first year to avoid spinal torque damage). Do not permit them to ask you to misuse your product. Another clue is to recline your aircraft seat while you're installing the safety seat with a belt and then put it upright. You'll usually find you get a better fit, and it's a lot easier to work on a safety seat.