Daily Peep: Big Ol' Jet Airliner

Peeper has (finally!) outgrown the baby "bucket" carseat (by height, but not by weight - oddly enough) but the convertible seat is sooooo big that I really didn't want to lug it through an airport and on and off a plane.

I was going to check it, and just suck it up for the beginning and end of the journey, but the Anonyparents were generous enough to buy an identical one to live at the

ir house, so we didn't have to bring it at all!

For the flight itself, Peeper sat in her own seat like a big girl (except when she was in my lap) and wore a CARES harness (except when she stood up).

She tolerated it fairly well, but preferred to be in my lap (or standing up).

When it was time to get ready for landing, there was a bit of an issue because she wanted to look out the window, but then I finally got smart and moved myself over to the window seat and held her in my lap there. Then she nursed and fell asleep - for the last 15 - 20 minutes of the flight.

I had a small problem at first with her unbuckling the seatbelt itself (which goes across her lap, and the shoulder straps hook to it) but then I had a brainstorm. When I purchased the harness, it came folded up all neatly and held in place with a heavy rubberband.

I put the rubberband over the seatbelt and when it was buckled, I slid it up over the flip-up-to-open part of the buckle, and she stayed in.

She's actually a bit below the recommended weight (it says 22 - 40 lbs; she is 20 lb 9 oz) and I think if she were any shorter, the shoulder straps would've been too long, but I think it worked pretty well for us.

And not lugging a carseat worked out great!

And how freakin' cute does she look, all strapped in like that?!