Airport Car Seat Hauling Tips

[kalishea]

(So I'm not sure where to put this because it doesn't really pertain to using a carseat but more towards tips on hauling one so I understand if it gets moved!) We are taking our toddler on our first trip and I need some tips and advice on hauling a carseat, several carry-ons and a 2.5 year old through 3 airports!! DH will be with me, but... any tips will be greatly appreciated!

 

[wendytthomas]

I use a Traveling Toddler, and often put my 28 month old on my back in either a sling or my Deuter KangaKid (child carrier/frameless backpack all in one).

You can also get a GoGo Kidz. Or a cheap luggage cart and a bungee cord.

There's our setup. You can see my backpack, then our suitcase and the carseat. My nine year old may have had her backpack as well on that trip, then a backless booster (actually, on that particular trip, I had two backlesses with me. One is in my suitcase). Since I don't check luggage, the Traveling Toddler is perfect for me. If I did, I'd go for the GoGo Kidz, or more likely, the luggage cart (which we did before the GoGo Kidz and Traveling Toddler were out).

Wendy

 

[krasota]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndale/5866284785/in/photostream/

Luggage cart, Scenera. He can ride it in if he wishes. His laptop lunch is sitting in there. Large cooler bag full of food, which is a must for us due to multiple severe food allergies. So glad we had it that day--we can't eat anything at the airport. (Okay, my camera bag is also in the cooler bag for the flight itself).

Noodle stowed beneath Scenera in case we wanted to RF in our rental car.

Overstuffed laptop bag with coloring books, triangular crayons, ipod, laptop, change of clothes for kiddo, potette for kiddo, small toys, meds for both of us.

I recommend carrying on as little as possible. It's hard, though, for us because our food needs require a substantial amount of carried-on food in case of emergencies.

The carry-ons either get slipped on over the carseat or kiddo rides in the carseat and I toss the laptop bag across my body and carry the cooler bag in one hand. Extra wipes go on the very top of it all so that I can wipe down handles, seats, trays, etc, as I go.

Kiddo has the iPod Touch plugged into a USB charging station.

 

[kalishea]

Great, helpful replies! Thank you! (the pictures help a lot!)

Couple questions... we don't travel by air much... what do you do with the luggage cart on the plane? Does it go in an overhead bin? Also, where did you get them?

 

[wendytthomas]

Right.

You can get them anywhere. Walmart, amazon, Target, etc. https://www.google.com/search?q=lug....,cf.osb&fp=f4dc0cf63bb93168&biw=1440&bih=716

Wendy

 

[krasota]

The luggage cart I use is collapsible/folding. I like one with a bottom which flips out to the sides for more stability. I slide it under the seat in front of me, and then put a carry-on over it. I've heard many times that one shouldn't put them in the overhead bin because they're harder to see and tend to come out with other bags, hitting folks on the head. I see folks stow them up there all the time, but as the bins *are* over my head, I try to keep the cart down low.

It's also easier to get to when disembarking. I can pull it out, unfold it into my seat, and work on uninstalling the carseat and getting it strapped in while DS peeks out the window and other folks leave the plane.

I bought my cart at a luggage store. Or maybe it was Amazon. I think it was a Samsonite from Amazon. Showed up online with bungie straps (which are nice), but arrived with an adjustable clip strap. I bought an extra bungie from a luggage shop, but ended up liking the adjustable strap with the clip.

 

[mrosehughes]

We put our radian in our maclaren umbrella stroller, then gate check the stroller. That way we have the stroller for use at our destination (although DS usually walks these days).

 

[jjordan]

We put our radian in our maclaren umbrella stroller, then gate check the stroller. That way we have the stroller for use at our destination (although DS usually walks these days).

This is what we've done. If you think you're going to want a stroller at your destination, then skip the luggage cart. Load up the stroller with all your carry-ons and the car seat (bring bungee cords to help keep the stuff on there, if necessary), and then one parent pushes the stroller and the other corrals the kid. (Since it's just one kid and two parents, I'd definitely let the kid walk in the airport since he'll be forced to sit a lot during the day!) Then, gate-check the stroller.

 

[Eclipsepearl]

Many succeed with this. I think it depends on both the car seat and the stroller. If they fit together, great. If not, get the luggage cart. Please skip the overpriced GogoKidz. It's really just an expensive luggage cart!

Another tip I've heard but not seen is to bungee cord the car seat to the back of the stroller. I can only imagine this if you have a very light car seat and a very solid stroller. Careful of tipping. Just throwing it out there as yet-another option!

Get a cart with a metal, not plastic, base. I also like telescoping handles but that's not a deal-breaker. Both airlines I worked for didn't allow them in overhead bins. They were also likely to get lost (or stolen) up there.

If you have two parents, one can push the stroller and the other can pull the car seat. Carry-on's can be loaded into your car seat which gives your backs a break.

Slightly OT but remember that AA has a 20lbs stroller limit and from what I'm seeing on the net, they're pretty strict about it. I'm mentioning this in case you decide to use the stroller. Make sure they don't have an excuse to take it from you and if you're flying AA, you might want to count on just using a cart for the car seat.