Travel with Convertible Car Seat

I would never check a car seat, nor would I gate check a car seat. Bring it on the flight and strap your kid in just like in the car.
When a car seat is checked, it is thrown right in with the general baggage, meaning other bags are thrown on top of it and it gets shifted around during flight. The damage that can be caused by checking a car seat is similar to a car accident! Its not worth it, to damage your car seat. Bring it on the flight.

If you want to purchase a seat and ship it to Grandpa, get a higher harenss weight one that will last your child for years. A great one is the Evenflo Generations 65. It will harness to 65lbs, fits most kids to age 6 in the harness, and then becomes a booster. your son will be able to fit in it for yeras, and its only $99, and you can get free shipping online.

2 moms found this helpful

Hello, not sure how old your child is, but the safety belts on the plane are not made for children and should anything happen, your child would not be protected. If you don't want to lug your carseat onboard (I've done it, and was very glad that I did although it was a pain in the butt) consider the CARES child harness system created specifically for flying. We purchased one for a big trip we took to Costa Rica and it was absolutely wonderful. I see that now you can actually rent them and they will be delivered to your door right before your trip. http://travelswithbaby.blogspot.com/2008/11/rent-cares-fo...

Have a fun trip!

1 mom found this helpful

Amy is right. They are free and should be put in a bag if gate checked. Don't check it at the ticket counter, though. It will end up on the bottom and thrown around a lot more than at the gate.

One thing we learned was to place the car seat upside down facing our carry-on luggage bag (with wheels) and bungy cord it to the luggage. It stayed in place and was a breeze to pull around the airport.

Having an extra seat at Grandpa's house is always a good idea, too! You can buy it online and possibly ship it for free or buy one at Walmart and have Grandpa pick it up there.

If you will make this trip a few times though and your child becomes older than 2, you will want the seat on the plane with you.

Sounds like it's a better long-term situation for the grandparents to buy a seat locally and then to have it for this and future grandkids. For the airport, just take a little umbrella stroller and carry it on collapsed. Put all your purse stuff in the diaper bag.

I have not seen a single airline that charges to check carseats or strollers. Once on Alaska Airlines I checked one carseat and two strollers for one kid and there was still no charge!

I use a carseat that converts to a stroller, it's called Sit 'n Stroll. It is awesome!

J.,
It all depends on what airline. My suggest would be buy a car seat. If it is baggage it could cost anywhere from $25 to $50 one way. Have your parents go to Walmart or you do ship to store.

Thanks
N. Cox
WE ALL NEED VACATIONS
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The airlines will not charge you for the car seat.
Just check it curb side and you will be fine.

Typically airlines do not charge for carseats to be checked with baggage. You can normally find the information under the FAQ on the airline website. I would recommend buying on a website like walmart.com and do site to store shipping which is free and have grandpa pick it up or find a website with free shipping. Some web based stores you might not also have to pay tax!

I got an extra car seat from a friend in Denver and left it with my parents so it is there when we arrive each trip. MUCH easier than having to deal with an extra anything when traveling with a child.

I flew American Airlines last summer and they do not charge you for a car seat and you can check it with your luggage. They also do not charge you to have a stroller and a diaper bag. One suggestion I have is that you are going to check the stroller as you board the plane. If you ask for the tag while you are waiting it will save you a little time and give you a chance to fill it out. Also be prepared for them to check your diaper bag thoroughly at security. They will test sippy cups and anything else liquid. We used the small 8oz water bottles and kept them sealed and they were fine with those. But pack so that you can get to these items easily it will save you and them a little time. We also bought a very inexpensive cover for our car seat. It kept it from getting so beat up on the plane.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip.

The last time I flew (2008) with my son, they didn't charge for any of his things. We checked a pack-n-play and it was free. Guy said they don't charge for "kids stuff".

I've traveled a lot over the years with my three boys, I keep a full set of car seats at grandma house, she bought them at on of her local kid to kid stores, so much easier then having to install them when you get there. I also had a set of traveling car seats they were the size of a coffee table book and weighed about 2lbs, I carried them both in one small book bag and they were great for traveling also.

I believe most airlines check a car seat and stroller for free. I did it free with US Airways and Northwest. I chose to bring the stroller all the way to the gate though and then they checked it as I entered the plane. My 1 year old was on my lap. If you buy a ticket for your child and they have a seat, they are safer in a car seat in the airplane. But if you do check, definitely put the car seat in a bag though as they can get grease from the belts on them.

never never never never baggage check a carseat. there are many reasons, the main two being: #1 your seat is likely to be thrown around and handled roughly, this could cause invisible damage to the frame that could potentially cause it to not perform properly later in an accident, again, this is damage you wouldn't necessarily see #2 if your baggage is delayed/lost, well, you're stuck at the airport... i ALWAYS either gate check or bring onboard carseats for my kids. yes, it is a ROYAL pain in the behind, i have done it pregnant and travelling alone with 2 small kids, and we only use britax carseats, and they are heavy - still, i would never baggage check a seat.

They tried to charge me for a stroller once, I got angry and told the guy I would just leave it then, at which point he let me carry it on. I think the best idea is to buy one from Target.com or somewhere and have them ship it right to Grandpa? If it's going to be another piece of luggage on several trips, it could really add up to be more than the $25 there and $25 back on this one trip. Even if you call the airline and they tell you they waive the fee, they might change their policy before the next time. Good Luck!

That's exactly what we did. "Mimi" has a car seat at her house. It's worked especially well since we've had a second child - more than paid for itself. Happy travels!

If your flying SW, they do not. But all other airlines do. My parents did this and it awesome not having to mess with transporting the car seats.