Tote N Go Car Seat?

mom2boys

New member
While I was researching how to transport 2 car seats, 2 strollers, carry on bags, and a 1 year old and a 5 year old through the airport for vacation to Disney World, I came across the tote n go car seats. Safety 1st makes one, and it is actually given a good rating on the NHTSA website. I look at it, and I wonder if it can really be that safe, but then I read the ratings on this site and it says it is good. We only need a car seat for our 1 hour ride to the airport and 1 hour ride back, so I am wondering if this is an option for us- leaning towards the no side, but am curious about everyone's thoughts on this?
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
The ratings here were good? First, the NHTSA ratings are ease of use ratings, not safety ratings. And from what I've heard the tote'n'gos are impossible to get a secure installation with and hard to get them on the child properly. I think they fall solidly in the "better than nothing" category. Certainly nothing I'd choose to use unless I had no other options.

What do you need two strollers for? Just looking at your list of things to take through the airport. Two strollers, two carseats, and a carry on. Let's see if we can knock that down a bit.

Say, get a luggage trolley for one of the carseats, then a Traveling Toddler for the second. Skip the strollers. Put the one year old in the carseat on the luggage trolley, the five year old walks. The other carseat is on the carryon.

When you get to Disney if you need a stroller that reclines see if you can rent one, or just pick up a $15 umbrella stroller at Walmart when you get down there. Or just use a rental stroller in Disney. I think they have rental doubles. They don't recline, though, so no napping in them. I would just hit walmart, they do have a $15 reclining stroller listed online. (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5031422) Then the five year old can walk, or you can rent a single for him. You can then donate the bought stroller to someone down there. Leave it in the hotel room with a note for housekeeping to take it home or give it to someone.

But that will leave you with one carseat on a luggage trolley (again you can get one for $15 at Walmart, and it can be used later for other things as well as the carseat), the other carseat using the Traveling Toddler ($20), and your diaper bag to carry. Hmmm, I was assuming through all of this that the carryon was wheeled luggage. Well, if it's not pick up a second luggage trolley. hehe Or don't check luggage.

HTH!

Wendy
 

minismom

Well-known member
Wendy, what do you do when you have to go through security if you got the travellng toddler? Is it hard to undo the whole thing? I was just wondering that about the gogokids. I have to say, going through security is BY FAR the worst part of the whole process. They should just make a giant x-ray machine that could take all your stuff without taking it apart, except maybe taking the baby out of it lol!
 

minismom

Well-known member
check out this review of the tote n go on amazon. Ouch!

" We bought this car seat for my husband's small truck because it would not fit two standard car seats for our toddlers (it seats only three - driver included). It was a pain to install, and like other reviews, we discovered it moved a lot more than we felt was safe. But out of necessity, we found a way for it to work (we had to make this work or purchase another car: the seat fit our budget, a new car did not!). In addition to the lap belt, I took two small bungee cords and crossed them so that they wouldn't slip over the truck seat in the event of an accident, and joined all four ends in the back to secure the seat (it's not going anywhere now). I wouldn't use it for travel, because once I finally got it secured tightly in the truck, I wouldn't dare take it out. However, like the ad says, it's great for a second car (or truck) that is only used for the occasional transport. "
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I don't have a Traveling Toddler. I used a luggage trolley, and now we use a Radian. You would have to remove them, though. From a friend of mine who used one (taking her two kids aged four and two to Japan by herself) she said it was really easy and she loved it. With the luggage trolley I had to remove it as well, but with practice it takes no time to get back together on the other side. I *think* the GoGo Kidz can stay on, but I'm not positive on that.

I've said for years now they should have family security rooms. Yes, it may take longer for us families, but businessmen wouldn't be inconvenienced, and we wouldn't have to worry about our children running off, or not being allowed to sit on the tables (where do they want me to put her in those days before she knew to stay with me and yet could run at full speed?), or someone pulling our stuff out of the x-ray machine and misplacing it because they're in a hurry. Plus if that way the mom or dad has to be searched the baby doesn't have to be separated.

Wendy
 

CandCfam

New member
check out this review of the tote n go on amazon. Ouch!

" We bought this car seat for my husband's small truck because it would not fit two standard car seats for our toddlers (it seats only three - driver included). It was a pain to install, and like other reviews, we discovered it moved a lot more than we felt was safe. But out of necessity, we found a way for it to work (we had to make this work or purchase another car: the seat fit our budget, a new car did not!). In addition to the lap belt, I took two small bungee cords and crossed them so that they wouldn't slip over the truck seat in the event of an accident, and joined all four ends in the back to secure the seat (it's not going anywhere now). I wouldn't use it for travel, because once I finally got it secured tightly in the truck, I wouldn't dare take it out. However, like the ad says, it's great for a second car (or truck) that is only used for the occasional transport. "

:eek::eek:
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

keri1292

Well-known member
We just did this in October...I carried my 3 year old in a sling, my 4 year old held the stroller, I wore a backpack as a carry on, my dd wore her own backpack as a carryon and dh pushed the double stroller with two MA's bungied to it. It was a piece of cake, much to our surprise! I left the 3 kids with him to board last, gate checked the stroller and installed the car seats before the kids boarded. I could have done it solo, but shhh! Don't tell my dh I said that! ;)
 

vamom

New member
Had one - hated it, tried and tried to get it to work, never understood how they thought this product would ever work.

Have done disney solo with a special needs child. The airport is rough, but we survived. Trip before last, I had a stroller, stroller bag, 2 backpacks, two carryons, plus three pieces of lugguge to check. It was not pretty.

I think we will try the ride safer travel vest for next trip.

Good luck and have fun.


Can you attach the carseat to the stroller (my radian will just sit inside my mac stroller)? Do you have help?
 

minismom

Well-known member
We just did this in October...I carried my 3 year old in a sling, my 4 year old held the stroller, I wore a backpack as a carry on, my dd wore her own backpack as a carryon and dh pushed the double stroller with two MA's bungied to it. It was a piece of cake, much to our surprise! I left the 3 kids with him to board last, gate checked the stroller and installed the car seats before the kids boarded. I could have done it solo, but shhh! Don't tell my dh I said that! ;)

How well do you have to tie the MA to the stroller? is it hard to undo to go through security and then do it over again? I have to say, with one kid is annoying but doable, but I'm not looking forward to flying solo with two kids. Hopefully dh will always be there...
 

mom2boys

New member
Thanks everyone! I thought I would get responses that it was not good, and the more I thought about it I thought there was no way I would try it. I am going to go to WalMart as soon as DS gets up and we are going to check out the luggage area for luggage carts and see if they have the Nautilus.

My hubby will be with me in the airport, and I think I will buy the Traveling Toddler.

Oh, I didn't see good reviews here on the Tote N Go. I read a bunch of reviews on line and it seemed to have ok reviews. I was just shocked at the government site that gave it good reviews. I thought that was a good site, but now I don't think so as much- safety wise that is.
 

kimogilvie

New member
Mom2Boys - are you going by yourself or with someone else? I just traveled with two young children. We had a Radian (DH wore on his back), a Boulevard (I got a gray car seat bag with straps and wheels on it - best 20 dollars I ever spent) that I wheeled in the bag, a double stroller with the two kids in it, DH had the carry on and laptop bag ontop of that - stroller was packed with carry ons. Prior to checking, I was able to carry the Boulevard on my back, push kids in a stroller, wheel one piece of luggage, and DH had the other piece with the radian, carry on, and laptop bag.

So in short - if DH is with you, it's definitely doable...I'd even say pretty easy - especially if you get wheeled/backpack bags for the car seats. If you're by yourself....that's a very different story.
 

mom2boys

New member
So in short - if DH is with you, it's definitely doable...I'd even say pretty easy - especially if you get wheeled/backpack bags for the car seats. If you're by yourself....that's a very different story.

DH will be with me. Where did you get a car seat wheeled bag for $20? I am going to WalMart soon and hoping to find something in the luggage area.
 

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