flying with a convertible

So the one time I've flown with my daughter, she was 2 months old, and I was using a Graco travel system so it made it all streamline with her in the infant bucket/stroller until I gate checked them (though on the flight one way I was allowed to have her in it in an extra seat, which was nice. I didn't get to do that on the way back home).

Now that she's 7 months old, she's in a convertible seat (Chicco Nextfit). I need advice on what kind of bag to buy to gate check that seat in (I do not want it scuffed or damaged). I also would like advice on reserving a rental car, knowing I'll need to install my seat when we get to our destination. I'd like to leave my huge honking stroller here at home (since I'm going to be lugging her convertible car seat, I do not want to also be lugging the Graco travel system stroller) and buy an umbrella stroller when I get there. This would also allow me to get a compact size car. How can I be sure I'll be getting a car that her Chicco seat will fit in? Am I going to regret reserving a compact size car?

It is recommended that you buy your daughter a seat in case of turbulence that's where she would be safest. Now I understand that can't always happen because of finances but you should consider it, especially if it would be possible to get a cheap ticket. Do a little google research and you can see the risks and better educate yourself on the pros and cons.

I would suggest you strap the car seat to your luggage and strap your daughter into it in order to get through the airport, kind of like this. But you don't need to buy their specific straps, many people have made one themselves.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS"]Amazon.com: Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory: Baby[/ame]

Then use a bag like this to gate check it if their are no seats available.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Childress-Ultimate-Seat-Travel-Black/dp/B0009RNXNA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/192-4962427-3017732"]Amazon.com: JL Childress Ultimate Car Seat Travel Bag, Black: Baby[/ame]
Also even with the bag please look over your seat carefully for any sign of damage before you put your daughter in it, as luggage handlers are not known for being gentle.

The good news is that the nextfit is known for fitting in small cars and being easy to install, the bad news is that seat is heavy! I don't think you will have much trouble installing in your rental car, especially if it is just the two of you you can push the front passenger seat up as far as possible to install her seat behind it.

Is there any chance you still have your infant bucket & that your daughter still fits? I ask only because it is soooo much easier & lighter to travel with! I stuffed my 16 month old into her KeyFit 30 (still fit, but barely) in order to travel to Europe for 2 weeks because it was so much easier to deal with!

As for gate checking the seat, I would 1) try to buy a seat for her to use it on board or 2) see if the gate agent will seat you next to an empty seat to use her seat on board. If neither of those are options, I don't know that gate checking in a bag will reduce actual possible damage to your seat.

SuzaBanana said:

Is there any chance you still have your infant bucket & that your daughter still fits? I ask only because it is soooo much easier & lighter to travel with! I stuffed my 16 month old into her KeyFit 30 (still fit, but barely) in order to travel to Europe for 2 weeks because it was so much easier to deal with!

As for gate checking the seat, I would 1) try to buy a seat for her to use it on board or 2) see if the gate agent will seat you next to an empty seat to use her seat on board. If neither of those are options, I don't know that gate checking in a bag will reduce actual possible damage to your seat.

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Hmm, good thought. I'll have to measure her and see if she still fits her infant seat by length. She's so much more comfortable in her convertible though. Thanks for the idea.

As for buying a bag to put the seat in...I don't know which one to buy!?! All of them get mixed reviews.

Angie said:

Hmm, good thought. I'll have to measure her and see if she still fits her infant seat by length. She's so much more comfortable in her convertible though. Thanks for the idea.

As for buying a bag to put the seat in...I don't know which one to buy!?! All of them get mixed reviews.

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As far as bags I think one is as good as another as long as it will fit your seat in it. No bag can really give you that much protection and if you aren't planning on using it too often you don't really need to worry about how long it will last. The only concern I would have in your situation is if it would fit.

Honestly, a large black contractor bag will work as well as any other bag. The bags isn't going to provide much protection from baggage handlers throwing/dragging/rolling your seat around. This is why I suggest the bucket (& on board if at all possible)! Also, you can install your bucket baseless which makes it even lighter to travel with

Also, regarding your daughter fitting by length...most techs on here will go by the 1 inch rule rather than the manufacturers stated height limit. This is because in testing, manufacturers use a crash test dummy & therefore must state the limits of the seat based on the size of the dummy. This doesn't take into account whether your child's height is mostly in her legs or torso, which makes a HUGE difference in how they fit in the seat. If your daughter's head is more than 1 inch from the top shell of the bucket, you should be ok. For kicks, here's my (then) 15 month old in her KeyFit 30:

The NextFit is expensive to replace if they damage or lose it. And dealing with airlines to get a replacement is always a chore and not always successful. So I'd personally pick up a cheap seat to use for travel if she doesn't still fit in the infant bucket.

As for height limits, I personally go by the overall height limits. Dorel had said awhile back with one of their seats (Complete Air?) that the overall height was strict as their testing showed it mattered. Something about longer legs being able to cause the seat to over rotate the same as a taller torso? Maybe someone else remembers it better or has a link to the thread.

So if that's true, other seats wouldn't be immune to that either.

TechnoGranola said:

The NextFit is expensive to replace if they damage or lose it. And dealing with airlines to get a replacement is always a chore and not always successful. So I'd personally pick up a cheap seat to use for travel if she doesn't still fit in the infant bucket.

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:yeahthatlove:

There is absolutely no circumstance under which I would be willing to check (gate check or otherwise) a car seat as large and expensive as the Nextfit.

The $39 Cosco Scenera would be a lot easier to drag through the airport and if it gets crushed by the baggage handlers, well, it was $39. Plus, it comes with its own bag (it ships in a bag instead of a box from the manufacturer).

Brigala said:

:yeahthatlove:

There is absolutely no circumstance under which I would be willing to check (gate check or otherwise) a car seat as large and expensive as the Nextfit.

The $39 Cosco Scenera would be a lot easier to drag through the airport and if it gets crushed by the baggage handlers, well, it was $39. Plus, it comes with its own bag (it ships in a bag instead of a box from the manufacturer).

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First, I'll check into whether she still fits in the infant bucket.

Second, if she does not, I'll look into this seat. THANKS. Is it easy to install??

Not super easy, you'll probably need a rolled up towel (which you can shove in the bag with the seat if you do check it) or a chunk of pool noodle. If you do get one, I would definitely practice installing it, preferably in different cars so you can get an idea of how it installs.

Unregistered said:

First, I'll check into whether she still fits in the infant bucket.

Second, if she does not, I'll look into this seat. THANKS. Is it easy to install??

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Good plan.

It does take a little practice to install. The ease-of-install is a lot of what you give up when you move from a $300 car seat to a $39 car seat.

I could probably do it with one hand tied behind my back, literally (Ok, it would be difficult but I still think I could do it). But that's because it's such a common car seat especially at car seat clinic events and I have installed more of them than I can count. Definitely practice at home and ask questions as they arise so you're not stuck trying to figure it out for the first time in the parking lot of a car rental agency.

Unregistered said:

First, I'll check into whether she still fits in the infant bucket.

Second, if she does not, I'll look into this seat. THANKS. Is it easy to install??

Click to expand...

I hate installing it so much that after a few trips I replaced it with a Coccoro. We travel very light and sometimes use a seat in taxis so a noodle or rolled receiving blanket is too time consuming and I found the LATCH strap pretty tough to tighten. But I'm not a tech and I don't install this seat daily, I just found it by far the hardest and most frustrating of all five convertibles we've been through.