Air Travel overseas with a toddler and a carseat

We will be flying to Japan in mid Jan. We will most likely be flying from Charleston SC, (then probably to ATL to switch flights, then possibly another change somewhere else) and then into either LAX or Seattle and from there we will be flying to Japan. Im not sure if we will have any other stops between the states and Japan or not.

DD will be almost 4 by then so she has to have a ticketed seat. We have a Britax FR85 and from what I have been told it will fit in the seats just fine.

BUT I have NO idea how to lug it around the airports. DH says that we will jsut carry it, but I dont know if we can do that easily.

We will have DD, the stroller, diaperbag, 2 laptops and a rolling carry on and DH will probably have his own backpack full of stuff. That is going to be a TON of stuff to deal with.

DH thought that maybe we could just put her in the plane seat without the carseat and just put the carseat in a travel bag and gate check it with the stroller, but doesnt she have to be in her carseat as a ticketed passenger ??

I thought about getting one of the GoGo Kids travelmates and then just skipping the stroller, but I dont think that the FR85 will even fit on one of those things. It says that the Original Frontier and the Regent will work but nothing about the 85.

I also thought about trying to put the seat in the stroller somehow, but I dont think that will work so well.

Anyone have any ideas ?
Anyone know if it will fit on the Travelmate ?

Having gone to Asia, I really don't know if you need to take that much. First, I'd use a Traveling Toddler to attach the Frontier to the rolling luggage. She can ride in it through the airport, and you can buy an umbrella stroller when in Japan.

Put diapers in your bag, enough for a change an hour or so for while you'll be gone (that should be more than enough), and then buy more diapers there. Just put a few in your backpack for the day and leave the rest in the hotel.

Laptops go in suitcases or backpack.

Should be pretty easy to get two adults and one child through. I went alone with Piper when she was 4.5 (we did Raleigh to Chicago to Shanghai, so maybe one less transfer than you) and it was easy. She rode on the luggage and I wore the Radian and a carryon. No diaper bag needed for us then.

She doesn't need a carseat on the plane, no. But I wouldn't trust one that's been checked. Even gate checked. But I also wouldn't carry it. It's heavy, and you've got some big airports to get through. Atlanta and Seattle have trains between terminals. It could easily be a 25 minute walk between gates. I'd roll the carseat, she can ride in it or walk, and carry a backpack each with the rest of your stuff.

Have a great trip! I'm envious.

Wendy

Definitely skip the rolling suitcase. Those are a pain to stow and awkward to get things out of them.

Skip the overpriced GogoKidz and get a foldable metal luggage cart. You can attach the car seat with an extra bungee. This goes on and comes off more easily than the Gogo (and much less expensive).

Each of you take a backpack and put your laptops in a strapped bag, perhaps one specifically for computers. This can either be placed in the car seat or hung on the stroller, if you decide to take it.

For a 4 year old child, I doubt you need a stroller but it's your call. If you have to get rid of something, it's much more logical, and safer, to get rid of the stroller than the car seat! A lot depends on how big she is and how much she uses the stroller. The car seat on the cart can work as a stroller. I did that until my youngest hit about age 3.

I hope she's out of diapers but if not, please be sure to bring enough! So many parents run out on long haul flights.

But either check or leave the rolling suitcase at home. You wont be sorry!

We are PCSing NOT just traveling.

We CANT leave the rolling suitcase at home. We have to take a couple days worth of clothing for 3 people and 3 coats in it. We can probably get 1 of the laptops in its carrybag in it along with the clothes, but cant get both.

We refuse to put the laptops in the checked baggage because if our luggage gets lost or the laptops get damaged we are screwed and the Airline wont pay for them.

We have to have DD strapped into a stroller. She will be close to 4 at the time but she will NOT stay with us if we let her walk. And when we have to run through the Airport (we lways have to run, especially through ATL) we cant carry her while we run. She is heavy and doesnt like to be carried.

And yes she is potty trained, but she will still have to wear pull ups in case we cant get to the potty and she has an accident.

If the rolling luggage is coming with you, then definitely try a Traveling Toddler. Strap the carseat right to it.



That and a backpack is what I brought with me for two weeks to NY. Then Piper had a small suitcase and her own backpack. I didn't check anything (but I also wasn't moving. We checked tons when we moved here).

So, Frontier on suitcase, one laptop in suitcase, one laptop in backpack. Put diapers in the backpack (put a separate bag in the luggage if you don't want to use your backpack as a diaper bag in Japan). Put four year old in Frontier on the suitcase. Buy a stroller in Japan, or check yours through as luggage.

Wendy

I'd get a RideSafer Travel Vest and skip the Frontier all together. (Have it shipped if you're moving there--I'm not sure if that's what you were saying.)

LISmama810 said:

I'd get a RideSafer Travel Vest and skip the Frontier all together. (Have it shipped if you're moving there--I'm not sure if that's what you were saying.)

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Yes, we are moving there. We have to have the carseat when we get there so my only option for shipping it would be to ship it to our sponsor about 4 weeks before we leave, but we dont have any seat to use here in the rental before we leave.

wendytthomas said:

If the rolling luggage is coming with you, then definitely try a Traveling Toddler. Strap the carseat right to it.

That and a backpack is what I brought with me for two weeks to NY. Then Piper had a small suitcase and her own backpack. I didn't check anything (but I also wasn't moving. We checked tons when we moved here).

So, Frontier on suitcase, one laptop in suitcase, one laptop in backpack. Put diapers in the backpack (put a separate bag in the luggage if you don't want to use your backpack as a diaper bag in Japan). Put four year old in Frontier on the suitcase. Buy a stroller in Japan, or check yours through as luggage.

Wendy

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SIL has a rolling carryon so Im going to order the Travelling Toddler and test it out on hers. Im thinking that this will work, but Im still not sure what to do with the stroller. i wont have the option to buy one when we get there and she is WAY to big for an umbrella stroller.

Ltaylor said:

Yes, we are moving there. We have to have the carseat when we get there so my only option for shipping it would be to ship it to our sponsor about 4 weeks before we leave, but we dont have any seat to use here in the rental before we leave.

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You'd use the RSTV when you get there. It's a carseat that you can pack in your luggage. When we moved from NC to Seattle I shipped out everything except the RSTV. That we took on the plane with us. Then we used it for a week until our car got here (and a week in NC when the car had left with the carseats). It is a good option for you guys.

Ltaylor said:

SIL has a rolling carryon so Im going to order the Travelling Toddler and test it out on hers. Im thinking that this will work, but Im still not sure what to do with the stroller. i wont have the option to buy one when we get there and she is WAY to big for an umbrella stroller.

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Why can you not buy one there? Just curious.

As exciting as a big move is, the logistics around actually doing it are always so mind boggling. In a year I hope you can look back on it as a great story (like we can. Four cats, three humans, and one fetus moving cross country and moving twice more before we finally settled in our house).

Wendy

wendytthomas said:

You'd use the RSTV when you get there. It's a carseat that you can pack in your luggage. When we moved from NC to Seattle I shipped out everything except the RSTV. That we took on the plane with us. Then we used it for a week until our car got here (and a week in NC when the car had left with the carseats). It is a good option for you guys.



Why can you not buy one there? Just curious.

As exciting as a big move is, the logistics around actually doing it are always so mind boggling. In a year I hope you can look back on it as a great story (like we can. Four cats, three humans, and one fetus moving cross country and moving twice more before we finally settled in our house).

Wendy

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There wont be anywhere for us to buy one. We will be stuck on base other than leaving with our sponsor. Im not sure that we will be allowed to use the RSTV on base.
Does that RSTV work with non locking seat belts ? In the Japanese cars, we have to use a locking clip since they dont lock.

The old style RSTV that I have has a locking clip like feature at the shoulder. So you shouldn't need a separately locking clip.

Why couldn't you use the RSTV on base, other than the concern about the belt? It's an American seat and that's American soil, basically. It's perfectly legal.

If you go with the RSTV that means you have a rolling bag, two backpacks, the RSTV tucked into a bag somewhere, and the stroller. If you use the Traveling Toddler you still should have hands free for the stroller. Frontier strapped to the luggage, backpacks on, daughter in stroller.

Wendy

I know you said you may end up having to run from gate to gate in the airport, but won't the Traveling Toddler take the place of the need for a stroller?

As for the ability to purchase a stroller in Japan, do you know anyone there yet? Do you have an address to where you'll be staying so you could purchase one online and have it delivered there?

This is the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Traffic-Systems-GD10101GWB-Travel/dp/B0034CKJZC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1284005599&sr=8-3"]RideSafer Travel Vest[/ame]. It meets the same federal safety standards that any harnessed carseat in the U.S. must meet, though it cannot be used on an airplane. Since it's a vest, you can easily pack it in your carry-on luggage.