How to choose the kids airplane seat extender?

As parents, we know how hard to make a child feel comfortable on a long-haul flight. If they can take a nap or have a decent sleep during the journey, it is the dream of all parents!

Thankfully, there are lots of inflight comfort devices on the market offering sleeping solutions for kids, such as “inflatable travel mattresses”, which extend from the seat to the footwell; “inflatable foot rests” which can act like a comfy foot pillow to make sure that your leg has enough spaces to lie down.

These products also called airplane seat extenders; they can transform toddlers’ economy seats close into a lie-flat bed during long-distance flights.

But there are so many different kinds of airplane seat extenders to sell, what are the differences between these inflight sleep products? What kind of kids' airplane seat extenders should we choose?

Don't worry, we have done some research, and analyzed four main types of the product's pros, and cons. All you need is to read this article before your purchase.

 

• Inflatable airplane footrest seat extender

This is the most common product on the market. This type of kids' airplane seat extender is to inflate the air cushion to the same height as the seat, and then fill the gap in front of the seat. This extends the length of the entire seat, thus kids can elevate his legs to the foot rest pillow.

Pros: Lightweigh; Portable, you can pack it small.

Cons: It would be annoying noises when using the pumping; It isn't easy for someone to walk past if the footrest has been installed, you need to take it up. What's more, the inflatable foot rest and the seat cannot be completely overlapped, and there is a gap in the middle, which often makes children uncomfortable.

• Inflatable toddler airplane travel bed

Like an inflatable travel footrest, this type of kids' seat extender also needs to be inflated, but it looks like a mattress, so it has the “bed” function for kids.

Pros: More large sleeping area, more comfort; Portable, you can pack it small.

Cons: The price will be higher than an inflatable travel footrest and since it is large, it will need more time to pump.

• kids' airplane foot hammock

This kind of kids' airplane seat extender is used by relying on the tray table on the front, it is often made of cloth, so compared to the inflatable footrest or travel bed, it has the lightest weight.

Pros: Compact, portable, easy setup, no more need for inflation

Cons: Compared to the inflatable airplane seat extender, it has less comfort.

 

Compare those kids airplane seat extenders

We mainly tested the three products mentioned above in terms of installation, safety, portability, applicability, comfort, etc.

From the perspective of quick use, the cloth type is the easiest to install, it can be set up in less than a minute (quick &quiet) without the embarrassing pumping noises. The other two need to be inflated on the plane, so they need a longer time to install.

From a safety point of view, an inflatable airplane seat extender is less safe, because it is easy to be punctured.

The travel airplane bed type is the most dangerous. If you use the travel mattress bed, you cannot use the airplane seat belt normally. What's worse, since the height of the mattress bed will be higher than the height of the aircraft seat, the handles on both sides of the seat cannot protect the child, and the child may roll out.

From the perspective of portability, they are actually very light,

all can be packed into a small piece, but the cloth type of kids' airplane seat extender is the lightest. (No need to take the air pump, and no need to deflate after use)

From the perspective of applicability, the cloth foot hammock and inflatable footrests can be used in most economy class seats of various types of aircraft, while inflatable air mattresses require a large space in front of the plane seat, otherwise, they cannot be placed.

From the point of view of comfort, the kids airplane travel bed is definitely the most comfortable, the cloth toddler airplane seat extender is second, and the inflatable footrest is the worst because they’re always a gap between the seat and the footrest, which often makes children feel uncomfortable.

For your reference, I also made the following table.

	Type of kids airplane seat extender		kids airplane footrest made of cloth		Inflatable kids airplane foot rest		Inflatable kids airplane travel bed
	Quick use		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐
	Safety		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐
	Portability		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐
	Applicability		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐
	Comfort		⭐⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

In short, child airplane seat extenders made of cloth and while it is not the most comfortable, it is the best value for money. It has many advantages, such as: it is very light, easy to fold and carry, and it is easy to install without inflation. It's not just a kid's airplane seat but it can hold toys that fall from the airplane tray table. I highly recommend it.