Flying pregnant with toddler

My husband and I will soon take our 30-pound 18-month-old on a 5-hour flight. We have done this a few times with the Evenflo Tribute, mostly RF, once FF on a tiny plane, with no problems.

Our original plan was for me to fly back alone with our toddler at the end of the trip so that my husband could go visit family elsewhere. We have flown together enough times that I feel ready to handle the car seat and toddler on my own, but now it turns out I may be 3 months pregnant during this trip, which makes me think schlepping everything through the airport and installing the car seat on the plane while watching my toddler on my own could be tricky.

Any advice on whether it would be reasonable for me to take this on or whether my husband should just come back with us? If I do it on my own, is the Tribute our best bet, or would anything else be easier (considering it may be ok to buy another car seat since we may get future use out of it anyway)?

I've looked up the CARES harness in the past, and it sounds like it's not so good for an 18-month-old, correct? At what age do you think it would be useful for a 5-hour flight?

Thank you!

I think the major issue is you'll be tired. If you are having a normal pregnancy, I think you should be fine with the physical demands. I would consider checking a bag and taking the tribute on a luggage cart. Your kid can sit in the seat (sorta like a stroller) or walk with you. I would bring only one backpack with snacks, entertainment, and an extra change of clothes.

I traveled with my toddler when I was pg. The key to traveling alone with toddlers in my experience is to minimize carry-ons as much as possible and bring lots of snacks & entertainment (I think that's about the age that we got the DVD player for traveling).

Definitely take the carseat with on the plane (the cares harness is handy for bigger kids if you have a carseat waiting at your destination or have a seat like the Go or travel vest which can be stowed in the overhead bin but not used on the plane, both for FF kids). I would either strap the carseat on a stroller or a luggage cart and have your LO ride in it that way to the plane. The tribute is a nice lightweight seat that will work great for traveling. The trickest part is actually getting on the plane and down the aisle to your seat. It's possible the carseat will need to be lifted above the seats to fit down the aisle, and trying to get a toddler to walk down the aisle while you carry the 'stuff' is sometimes tricky. I'd limit additional carry-ons to a backpack to make it easier and if you have a sling or carrier like an ergo that you could use with a backpack or other bag that might come in handy also (I'm pretty sure I've managed a kid in the ergo with a large cross carry bag carrying a carseat onto a plane once or twice). For getting off just wait until everyone else is off and then deal with it, by then the flight attendants may even help you (I've had them help me carry a child or carseat to the plane door when dealing with 2 small kids on my own).

Definitely practice a few scenarios at home to see if you're comfortable with it and what seems to be easiest, and give yourself plenty of time.

Make sure to bring your stroller to the gate, preferably the the car seat attached to it with bungee cords (either your kid sitting in the car seat if that's feasible, or canopy extended and lightweight seat on top of it). When it's time to fold up the stroller, put the toddler on your front in an Ergo (or similar), but you backpack on your back and huff and puff your way through priority boarding Even at 3mo you can still comfortably/safely use the carrier assuming a normal and healthy pregnancy. I'd just try to minimize if possible since it will be exhausting! If it's a single aisle plane you might be able to let your kid walk, but better to contain if you can.

I'd try to check everything except the car seat, stroller and one backpack. But I guess it sort of also depends on how you handle pregnancy. Like, I probably wouldn't try it if I suffered HG or even severe MS. I have severe SPD when pregnant and sometimes cannot walk so I wouldn't have planned your trip myself but if you're pretty complication free, it should be fine.

Practice everything beforehand. I flew at 16wks with a 2yr old, 4yr old and 6yr old alone. I should have practiced folding the stroller and reattaching the car seat. We ended up with a 3hr flight delay, I was not prepared and spent a small fortune in the airport keeping the kids happy lol

Thank you all for the advice.

My first pregnancy was normal with lots of morning sickness the first trimester. We flew around the same time, and I was very thirsty, so I'm picturing some interesting bathroom visits with the toddler on the plane.

We are visiting my parents, and I think eventually they will want a backup car seat for grandkids, so they could easily buy one ahead of time if we needed one at our destination (if the CARES worked for an 18-month-old on the plane). I am sure they would also accompany me in the airport until security.

In the past my husband has just carried the car seat by hand while I carried or wore my son because we found a stroller to be just one more thing to deal with, but a small foldable luggage cart sounds like a good idea. I'm thinking of wearing my son and dragging the car seat and small diaper bag on the cart. Doesn't sound so bad.

Thank you all and basking in admiration of the poster who has traveled with 3 little ones

I would definitely not use the Cares harness for an 18 month old. It's not going to contain them or be comfortable for them. My kids at that age were all about playing with the buckle on the plane seatbelt so they would not stay strapped in at all if not in a carseat. I'd say once your oldest is bigger and FF (age 3-4) then a carseat at Gma & Gpa's house with a Cares harness on the plane would be a good option.

I also found it easier to deal with the luggage cart with the carseat strapped to it than the carseat in the stroller. You can most likely leave the carseat strapped on the luggage cart (carry it like that if it doesn't fit to roll down the plane aisle) which is so much easier than unpacking and folding a stroller at the end of the jetway.

I flew between Europe and California pregnant with a 2 year old, and then again pregnant with a 2 year old, and a 4 year old.

I did the luggage cart thing, without a stroller. Worked great.

I was careful since I get sciatica but I was fine. The secret is to carry everything.

Taking the car seat was actually better for my back. I chucked the carry-on backpack inside it so I didn't have to walk with it. I also had a baby carrier. Luckily, mine liked to walk from very early on and weren't phased by big airports and crowds.