As the holidays near and you start thinking about family vacation travel or visiting loved ones out of town, child safety can sometimes take a backseat to logistics.  Remember, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatal injury for children and adults between the ages of 1 to 34, and the safest place your child can be during a collision in most cases is a car seat. Car seats and infant carriers have become second nature when traveling by automobile, but these same safety seats approved for use in cars can also be used on other forms of transportation.

Most child safety seats approved for cars are also fine to use on planes. In fact, the FAA encourages the use of child safety seats on all passenger aircraft and has even approved a special single harness-type restraint for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. Domestic airlines do not count a safety seat against your on-board luggage allowance, so if you can manage it in the airport, consider bringing your car seat along for your child to use on the plane and again in the car once you arrive at your destination.

Just as in cars, children under 20 pounds are safest in rear-facing child seats.  Children from 20 to 40 pounds are front-facing. Unlike a car, on airplanes kids over 40 pounds should be buckled in without booster seats. Because of the impact design of airline seats, booster seats are prohibited during taxiing, take-off and landing. You may want to consider simply checking your booster as luggage.

If you are traveling with a lap child under the age of two for whom you did not purchase a seat, you can carry your child restraint onboard. You won’t be able to use it though unless the seat next to you is unoccupied.  In most cases you won’t know if a seat is available until the final boarding process. Installation must wait until the flight attendant approves it, usually right before leaving the gate. With the airlines’ current method of overbooking flights, especially during the busy travel season, the safest bet is to purchase a seat for your child ahead of time.

If you are unable to install the child safety device you’ve just lugged through the airport, don’t worry -- the gate agent will be able to check it through to your destination and, although you won’t be able to use it onboard, the seat will not count against your checked luggage allowance.  Adults traveling with small children may bring along a diaper bag and a small stroller that will not count against any luggage allowances. This is handy when transporting so many items through big airports -- just strap them onto the stroller, wheel right up to the door of the airplane, then let the flight attendants check your stroller to the luggage hold. Your stroller will be waiting for you right at the door once you reach your destination.

Some parents feel very strongly about having a safety seat available to their children while flying. Rules vary according to transportation provider. Call or check the website for specifics after you’ve booked your travel, but these general guidelines apply to most domestic passenger airlines.

Although trains travel at high speeds, they are large and visible, making them less likely to be involved in a crash. For this reason, they do not have seat belts or lower latch anchors, so safety seats are not able to be properly secured to a train seat. If you will require a car seat once you reach your destination, bring it along and stow it in the overhead or lower luggage racks, or ask the conductor to find a spot for it. If you have an infant carrier that straps into a car seat base that you’d like to bring along for your baby to sleep or rest in, Amtrak recommends that you place it on the floor near your feet -- the safest position in case of a sudden stop.

Whether traveling by plane, train, or automobile this holiday season, the safety of your child should ride up front. Don’t be afraid to contact your travel provider to find out specifics on child seats and other information for traveling safely with young children.

Planning to travel for the holidays?  Share your thoughts with other moms below.