We have just booked our family vacation to see Grandma and Grandpa. My son will be almost 2 years old when we go (35-40 lbs.). We broke down and bought my son a seat, and plan on bringing along his car seat for on the plane. Last year, we attempted just using an extra seat between us, which we were lucky that was available in both directions, and it was a nightmare not having him "restrained". Anyhow, my question is for anyone that has flown with a car seat. How did you maneuver the car seat and all of your other "stuff"? I have been looking online, and I have it narrowed down to two options. The first is a bag for the car seat, either as a back pack or one with wheels? I would then take it out of the bag and install it in the airplane seat. Option two is a strap, that has wonderful online reviews, that you use to strap the car seat to your wheeled carry on bag, making the car seat and suitcase together a stroller. Has anyone use either of these, pros and cons? or any other option that you would recommend?
I would recommend the strap; my sister flew from England by herself with my niece (18 months at the time) and she swears by it. She was impressed with how tightly the strap stayed on her suitcase. Plus having your son in his carseat on the plane will make your life so much easier on the flight! Have a fun trip!
I haven't used either of those options. But having flown with my son a few times since he was 16 months, it is just as easy, if not easier to just carry the carseat alone. With flights being as crowded as they are these days, and the airlines not really giving you much time to get in your seat, the less you have to handle, the better. Strapping the car seat into the airplane seat isn't quite so easy either when you are trying to get it in quickly so you and the rest of your family are not blocking the aisle. If you are flying an airline like Midwest, where there is more room, it's easier. But someone like Southwest, it can get a bit cramped. Make sure you check in early so you can get a pass to "preboard". Hopefully they give you enough time to get settled before the rest of the passengers start coming on.
I just saw anothor option in the One Step Ahead catalog (or onestepahead.com). You can buy a cart that attaches to the car seat and makes it s stroller, so you can use it over and over again (even with different car seats). It's pricey @ $89.95 however if you travel alot and/or have other children it may be worth it. Good luck.
I found this great magazine called OneStepAhead you could check the website www.onestepahead.com thers lots of travel ideas for car seat such as the gogo kidz travelmate. Good luck!
We've flown a lot with my three young boys. Several times we've taken all 3 car seats (but have learned, it's much easier to go without the seats on the plane and just buckle the kids into the seats). I would suggest take your stroller and just put the seat onto the top of it and roll it along. Check the stroller at the gate. We also pay a few dollars to curb check all the luggage. We've also rented those carts to just pile all the stuff on, when curb check is not an option. Carry on as little as possible! You can put a few goodies in a back pack for your son to carry, along with one for you. We've done 12 hours of travel with 3 kids and just 2 small backpacks. The hardest part is through security. After that, it's a breeze. I wouldn't invest in another contraption to carry the seat--just more stuff to keep track of:)) Good luck!
