How to Travel with Car Seat.

I purchased 2 "J.L. Childress Ultimate Car Seat Cover /Booster Seat Carrier" for my boys' Britax car seats. These backpack-style, durable carriers have been great for our family. It is a HUGE backpack and kind of awkward but allows your arms to be free when walking into the airport. We've flown over 10 times with them, and they are still perfect. We've never had to pay to check the carseat. The other nice thing about this bag is that you can stuff a few other things (diapers/wipes/jackets/shoes) onto the seat of the carseat and simply close the bag. Space is always an issue when traveling with a little one, and this extra packing room (free, too!) helps!

Best of luck in your travels!

Since she is over 2 years old, you have to buy a seat for her on the plane so just take the car seat with you on the plain and put her in it.

If you do check it, airlines do not charge for what they call "assist devices" and that includes carseats and strollers.

But, she would be safest in the airplane seat in the carseat.

If you are flying, your child can be placed in a seat of their own in the car seat. Of course you have to purchase a seat for your child. I helped a woman on a flight with twin girls and a 5 year old. The twins were 2 and each sat in their own car seat during the flight.

Put it in the box it came with and tape the box closed.

You have a lot of options...many of which have already been mentioned.

First, there are carseats designed with rollers specifically for plane travel. They act like a stroller and carseat in one, but can be expensive.

Secondly, if you decide to take your own carseat make sure it is rated for airplane travel. If it is not, it may not be accepted on board and worse may be more of a safety concern than help.

Third, buy a protective travel bag for your carseat. Although airlines are liable for damage to your checked items, they do not have to give you full replacement value and can offer you one they have on hand as a replacement. They can even delay replacing it pending an investigation and search system-wide. With that in mind, you can carry your carseat on board or, if necessary, do a gate check which usually offers a better assurety that your carseat is on the actual plane you are traveling. Just make sure to check about claiming it when you deplane.

Finally, if you decided to rent a carseat at your destination, keep in mind that you will not be privy to the history of the carseat and though all attempts are made to ensure that each carseat has not been involved in a crash, there are no guarantees that the information provided to the rental company is the full history.

Best of luck to you and have a wonderful trip!

I also traveled on a airline from California to Texas numerous times with my Britax. I bought my son a seat on the plane and that was placed in his seat.
One time before he turned two and money was tight I didn't buy a seat and he was allowed to sit in my lap, I checked in the Britax,with our luggage,but I purchased a carseat bag cover that had a handle and zipper. It was plastic and kept the seat protected and clean.
My son is now older and we usually rent a car and now I just rent a seat from the car rental place. They are usally the cheap Cosco brand but they do the job. I always traveled with a stroller right up to the gate, they check it in and give it right back at arrival. Have fun!

I'm not sure of the size of your carseat, but when we travel with our youngest we carry his Graco onto the plane with us and he sits in it in his seat on the plane. It makes a much more comfortable place for him to go to sleep since he can rest his head on the side and we don't need to worry about how it was handled during the trip or about it getting lost in baggage.

Good luck,
K.

you can go to websites and order a carseat cover, hard or soft case, that covers the seat/base and has storage for a booster seat if you use one in the car or for eating. many have handles/wheels. i don't know how $$ they are.

we don't have one, but my cousin travels a lot and says it's worth it. WE don't have a "extra" carseat, so we usually have to use the carseat to get to the airport, then take it out of the car and lug it into the airport. ugh. since your shild is 25 mos, s/he does not need to be in a carseat on the plane; in fact, being in one may make his feet too close to the seat in front and s/he will be too high off the seat to use the tray table.

My advice? take your seat out of the car and check it as a piece of luggage. a little extra courtesy will go a LONG way. our seat usually gets bagged in a giant plastic bag and taped really well by the attendant, w/ hubby's help and lots of "thank you so much" along the way. we haven't had any damage problems.
GOOD LUCK!

I travel several times a year with my daughter and her Britax car seat. We went to Toys R Us and purchased a car seat cover. (30-50$$) Most airlines do not charge you to check a car seat. I check it with our regular luggage and it arrives at the regular baggage claim. I would not take the chance on purchasing a cover from the airline as it is likely that they will not always have them. I would also not use a garbage bag as it could be easily torn and your seat could get very dirty. Just think of how some of those suitcases look at baggage claim.

One step ahead has car seat bags and its free to check car seats

Check with the airline to see if they will allow you to take your carseat onboard. Some Britax carseats are allowed. We have traveled and checked our own carseats and they did fine. If it is damaged, then I believe the airline is responsible anyway.

My husband and I went to North Carolina recently. We have a Britax Marathon. We hooked to to the rolling luggage and checked it while boarding the plane. I watched them stow it underneath and hand it right back to us after landing. I would equate that to putting it in your trunk. No biggie. Those Britax carseats are durable.

Margaret

P.S. I will say that I sharpied my last name and cell number on it....just in case!!! AND, if you check it at the baggage check, they charge you. Check it while boarding is free.

Are you flying? If so, use it on the plane. If she is 25 months you will have to purchase a plane ticket for her anyway and you can install the car seat into the seat on the plane. We always do that because I am a car seat freak and I don't trust them to take care of it properly!

Is the car seat more important than the child???? Car seats can be replaced or repaired harder for us with the kids if something should happen to them....

I have twin 18month olds and have traveled a bunch with their Britax car seats....I usually buy the large industrial garbage bags at Lowes. I put the car seats in them prior to checking them and tape a name tag on the bag. They have never been damaged...so far.
Good Luck and safe travels. Babies R Us used to sell travel bags for car seats, but the last time that I checked, they weren't carrying them anymore. You could call and try??

Have you looked into buying or renting a Go Go Kidz? www.gogobabyz.com That's the way I travel. I bought one for $80 at Kids R Us, but if you do a search for baby rental equipment in the area you are flying out of, you'll find one. I know there's a company in San Antonio. Your entitled to your 2 carryons plus a stroller/carseat, etc. per person. Here's an article about it.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/12/go-go-kidz-travelmat...

p.s. My experience with getting a carseat from car rental places has been bad. I did it one time than decided I would never travel without my son's Britax. Good luck!

Not all airlines charge for checking it at check in-delta does not;call and ask. But you need to make sure that it is all contained-no straps hanging out, and in a bag. If you don't have a bag you can buy one from the airline. If it isn't in a bag, and gets damaged, they will not cover repair or replacement. Also in case your seat gets lost they do have ones that they loan until your luggage is found.

Like was said numerous times, if you are flying then she has to have her own seat which means she will be a lot more comfortable in her own carseat. So will you for that matter.

I too have a Britax and have traveled with it several times. The last time we flew we bought a $40 luggage dolly from Target. When we were in the airport or walking around, we used the latch system from the carseat to hook it to the bottom of the dolly and then used the bungee cord to wrap it around (through where the seatbelt goes) and hooked it FIRMLY to the carseat. We then put the kiddo in it and pushed or pulled it like a stroller with him in it. Worked like a charm.

Practice getting it hooked and unhooked so you can do it quickly on the plane and in the line to have it screened because you will have to take the dolly off to run it through the screener.

It worked great for us and was considerably less expensive than the other systems used to transport the carseat that way.

If that isn't going to work for you, you can also get the XXL ziplock bags and put in those - take extra just in case they get torn. Again make sure it fits before you go. Good luck!

1. There are carseat cases you can buy, they might help.
2. You could rent a carseat from a car rental place. But check on the pricing, daily rental can add up.
3. Buy a cheap carseat for travel. I found the Cosco Scenera had a great safty rating but only costs $50. It comes with it's own travel cover too. It is also lightweight. I bought it for my husband's car. we found it online for $45 in many different colors but you can go to Walmart and get a basic black and plaid for $55.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5716972

Have fun on your trip!

They sell a travel bag for the seats. I have one and we have traveled with our Britex many times with no problems.

I am not exactly sure what your plans are, but if you are renting a car you can also (usually) rent a car seat from the rental company. That is what we did on our last vacation to avoid any damage to our nice car seat. It was also really great not having to lug an extra piece of luggage in the airport.
Good luck to you and have fun!