My DH, DS and I are going to my homeland for the holidays, and I need some help in deciding what to do about the car seat/stroller situation. We have the usage of a car seat, base and stroller when we get to England, so we just need advice on whether to take our Britax Marathon with us to use on the plane, and what is the best way to transport us all from home through the airport onto the plane? Do we get a cheap umbrella stroller plus one of those car seat backpacks????
Any suggestions would be appreciated :) We are travelling on British Airways but it is an American Airlines plane....
Edit - sorry, forgot to add that DS will have his own seat on the plane :) ...we have already checked with BA and they only offer usage of their car seat if you have a bulk head seat and they are already reserved :(
Hi A. -
We are getting ready to take our son on his first flight in January, and I just found out about CARES - it's an FAA-approved harness system for kids on planes so you don't have to take your car seat. I think your son must be 1 to use it, but you said he was close so hopefully this is helpful info for you! (My son is 13 months old.) Here is the website - http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
Happy travels!
C.
Hi...we are 40 yr old expats from NZ and have been travelling back to NZ every couple of months. I have always had an airline seat for my son since he was 5months old, and have never used a carseat on the aircraft - he is now 2 3/4years.
We use a limo or taxi to the airport, I never used a carseat, but the companies do have them to rent if you order it in advance - I don't know the cost. Since you have a carseat organized for the UK it is rather cumbersome to take your Britax when you have all the other "essentials" for entertaining him. Personally I wouldn't take it, because he is going to want to sit/climb/play on you alot of the time. Having the airline seat is great for when they sleep - definitely gives you extra room. I know AA/UA don't offer infant seatbelts as on Qantas/Air NZ, you will probably hold him for take-off as he may not want to sit in the seat alone - apparently you can buy fly-safe seatbelts for infants, I've never used them though - when we travel on the US airlines I generally held him without a belt for take-off.
I always use an umbrella stroller - something you don't mind getting beaten-up abit. They don't always let you take it onboard. When you're tired some of the airports have a long walk - and all of a sudden he's very heavy.
You probably have it worked out...but take enough diapers, and an extra set of clothes for the little guy...spills happen when you least expect it!, and some toys/books and favourite toy!
If you do decide to take the seat...you can buy a trolley which clips on to your carseat - they're about $90 I think. They fit most carseats, this way it is a stroller/carseat too. The Right Start on Clybourn has them, and I'm sure other stores do too.
We have to take two flights to get down to NZ, so have been disrupted a couple of times - thankfully I had extra diapers for the trip!
If you need any other info let me know.
Caroline
you will need the car seat to get to the airport. It also may be much more comfortable to have a stroller for your sweetie to sit in at the airport.
On my first trip home to ireland, i made elaborate plans to have a car seat and everything else at home in ireland and then of course realized that i couldn't get to the airport without the car seat etc. I took my snap and go stroller and it worked out great. The airline will let you keep it all until you get to the plane. Then you check the base and/or car seat. If the flight isn't full or you have bought a seat for your baby, then you can bring on the car seat and let him/her sleep in it. I always get rid of it at the plane door. They have it waiting on the other end. the only way to avoid having to take the car seat with you is to have a friend drop you off and collect you where you can leave the seat with them. But I like to have the carseat/snap and go with me as then when sweet pea is tired or I am tired of carrying, I can put her in the car seat/stroller at the airport. Several of my friends also live in Ireland and they all do the same routine.
I would call BA and ask if they can provide you with the car seat. We flew BA to London in 2005 with my 8 mo and almost 2 yo and we got car seat and basinette.
We got first row so kiddos were in front of us in their seats which was great because of more leg room and our older one could wiggle more.
Just remember to be prepared for anything! LOL Ours were screaming loud as the flight was so late into the night that they were very tired and I guess couldn't just fall asleep.
I had bjorn with me and it was great. If you have a pouch or wrap take it with you.
We just traveled to England for the first time with our 14 month old. We strolled her in an umbrella stroller and wore the car seat like a backpack (fully extend the arm belts and turn it upside down). That worked fine for us, and no extra expense with buying a carrier. Good luck!
When we went back last november to see my dh parents, my ds was about 9 months old. We did not bring a car seat, but BA had these great bassinets to put in him (we did not buy him a seat). All my friends who have travelled internationally usually say they don't bring the car seat. We did find that the umbrella stroller was a must - you can just gate check it. We have a maclaren, so it is a bit more than an umbrella (my DH doesn't like to have to lean in to reach the handle bars so the maclaren has adjustable ones).
Hopefully you won't have a long drive once you arrive! We then had a three hour car trip to his parents home! Good luck.
Although I have never flown out of the country with my DD, I have flown with her here in the States and have always taken the carseat with us..also a Britax Marathon. Like one of the other posters mentioned...I used a stroller attachment piece that connects to the carseat so converted it into a carseat & stroller in one. Was GREAT...I didn't have to have lug an additional stroller around & she thought it was a blast being strapped in her carseat being wheeled all through the airport. Then for my onboard luggage, I took a backpack and it worked out wonderfully. I just threw the backpack on my back and wheeled my DD around in her carseat. I paid $89 for the attachment at Go-Baby.com If your interested, I'd be willing to sell mine for $40..as I don't have much use for it anymore. Here is a link so you can see what it looks like
http://www.go-baby.com/Products/gogokidz.html?gclid=CN2K5...
Hope this helps...Good Luck and Have a safe trip!
If you have a stroller and car seat in England, don't bring yours with you. Use a sling/carrier (I love the Ergo Baby Carriers for kids this age) for the airport and check your big bags. See if you can borrow a kid's seat from the airline (they ALL have them) for the trip itself.
The less you can schlep with you the easier things will be. Good luck on your trip!! We've traveled a bunch with my now 17-month old son. Make sure you bring plenty of books for the airplane. We found that the plastic cups they serve beverages in were a popular baby toy at that age.
