Gate Checking

We just flew last month with our 4 month old son & kept the stroller (snap-n-go) & the carseat to check at the gate. We had no trouble checking any of the things. We did bring large black trash bags to wrap them in so they did not get banged up. We also asked if there were any available seats for our baby & on the one flight there was so we were able to keep our son in the carseat buckled into an airplane seat. When we landed our stroller & carseat were given to us at the airplane door.
Everything went well except we forgot how many delays there are when traveling now, so be prepared for that.
Happy travels!

HI,
I have flown a few times with my children.. I usually take the stroller/carseat to the gate with me, they will put a tag on it and give it to you when you arrive. All three times, I never had a problem.. Good luck.. Another thing my pediatrician told me when I flew with my kids.. Give them a dose (according to their age) of Benadryl about 15 min. before the plane takes off. This is to help them with the popping in their ears, it worked every time. For the baby, give her a pacifier or bottle to suck on. Another perk, they take a nap and when they get up, the flight is almost over. Best advice I was ever given.

Going to California, you should be fine...Just a word of caution if flying internationally or perhaps to a smaller airport in the future. Once, I brought carseat and stroller to the gate and they checked it under the plane. When we landed in Ireland, I realized we were being let out on the tarmak,(down a flight of stairs) and being shuttled via a bus to our gate. My stroller and carseat were no where in sight, but a baggage handler went looking for them for me. Traveling alone w/ baby, I had to manage baby, carseat, stroller, and carry-on in and out of shuttle bus. When we arrived at our gate, we had to go up a long flight of stairs (no ramps)...Luckily some nice people helped us up the stairs, but it was cumbersome for a while.

We always brought our carseat and stroller with us. Once the airlines started charging 1/2 price for kids under 2, we always bought a seat for our kids, but when my daughter was really little, that wasn't an option. We flew at less crowded times of the day, if possible, and were able to get an empty seat between us where we would put the car seat. The 1 and only time we could not do this, the airline took the carseat that we had taken on the flight, and it was wiaitng with our stroller at the gate when we landed.