Ryanair car seat allowance for a four-year-old on holiday flights

[Farmama]

Really hoping someone can help me. We are travelling with Ryanair with my 4 year old and I’m struggling to make sense of the car seat baggage allowance. Ryanair’s website says free car seat could come with a ‘child’ (child defined as 2-12 in a separate Ryanair video) in the hold but doesn’t specify age limit to whom this applies to (but also calls it baby luggage?) a quick search in the search engine gives a limit of 23 months but I can’t see this anywhere on their website.

Anyone travelled recently (rules change quickly with these chaps!) with Ryanair with a child that’s clearly not a baby and got the car seat allowance for free?

I’ve been with Ryanair recently, and took a buggy in the hold - which technically went under my 7 year old’s name not the toddler who it’s actually for! Just because they needed a boarding pass and that was the first one I reached for, you don’t need to book it in advance.

So I suspect you’ll be fine.

I never took a car seat, but did occasionally take a pushchair and they were fine with us taking that even once the youngest had reached the age of 2. I don't see that a car seat would be any different.

I flew yesterday with an 8 and 10 year old, with Ryanair, and took two high back booster seats!

You can take a car seat or pushchair for free up to age 12. When you check in your child’s boarding pass will have a buggy auto allocated to their luggage allowance but it can be a car seat instead.

Ok wonderful. Thank you all so much. Really appreciate your reassurance.

Something about flying with Ryanair always makes you anxious you’ll need to pay extra for nothing!

Have also taken a high back booster on a Ryanair flight with an older child, IIRC he was about 6 at the time. They did break it though just to warn you, so make sure it's packed well.

Eeekk!! Thanks for mentioning that @BertieBotts! Was that on your outward flight? Did they offer any compensation? Xx

We didn't ask TBH. It was the end of a stressful day and even though it was a Britax, the seat had only cost £30 - this was about 12 years ago. We didn't want to risk another getting broken, so used it about twice on our trip and on the way home with the broken headrest facing away from the door, and then we bought a new one.

DH still won't fly with car seats in the hold due to this, though in hindsight - it was not packaged at all, I literally sent it through loose. No idea why I thought that was a good idea!

Please make this your last flight with Ryanair. As you point out, they change rules far too often. You are also supporting a bully boss by travelling with them.

@BertieBottsgosh! I’m not surprised your husband won’t do it again. What an ordeal! All the little tips (like packing it!) help. Thank you for popping by X

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