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Working Moms
financialdiva
member
NWMR: Travel with 2 kids
financialdiva
member
in Working Moms
Flying with the kids this summer- short flight- 2.5hrs. DS1 will be 3, DS2 6 months. DS2 will be in my lap. Need advice on 2 things.
Car seats- I'd like to bring them instead of renting. I rented a car seat once from the Enterprise with DS1 and not only was it filthy, it was actually broken and they didn't have another one! My dad had to drive to BRU while we waited at the airport to buy a car seat for DS1. Question- I heard car seats aren't okay to check? Flying with them is the equivalent to being in an accident or is that some crazy bump rumor? So what do I do? Do I gate check them or check them in with luggage? (will definitely be getting a cover for them) I know I could bring DS1's car seat on the plane bc he has a seat, but I do not want to b/c he will end up kicking the seat in front of him.
Strollers- 3 options- which would you bring: Note: Even though DS1 is 3 he still loves to ride in the stroller.
1) Double Mini GT- pro- seat for both kids, or an extra place to put bags, etc. con- big, would need to buy travel bag
2) Single BJ Elite with Ergo- pro- DS2 prefers Ergo anyway, have a travel bag already, con- DS1 thinks it's HIS stroller- meltdown if I put DS2 in it while he walks (not really an issue, just something we are dealing with now that is annoying!)
3) Chico Liteway with Ergo or DS1 walks- (Umbrella Stroller)- Pro- small, Con- Small! Hard to steer with 35lb toddler in it, would probably be more for DS2, won't be able to hang bags from it (Yes, I know, not supposed to do this anyway)
I have flown twice with DS1, but any and all travel advice is welcomed. TIA!
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Re: NWMR: Travel with 2 kids
I would personally want the single stroller for the three year old and he ergo for the baby. Wouldn't want to deal with the double.
But how long is your trip and how much time will you spend walking? At 6 months old, I couldn't carry DS for more then 15 minutes before my back was breaking, but I was OK for a bit longer when DD was 6 months old. Still, I would not have wanted to have either of them in there for hours at a time!
Also, are you traveling alone or will someone be around to help you push or carry? Makes a big difference...
We always check the car seats because you can check them for free and stuff the bags with all manner of things (blankets, pack n play sheets, jackets, stuffed animals, etc.). Those bags hold a ton of stuff, BTW. I get that some are not comfortable with checking them but we live on the edge like that, I guess.
For the stroller question, I guess it depends on the kid. At 6 months DS would rather be in the Ergo so I would have taken that plus a single stroller (or no stroller at all, because DD is not a big stroller fan in the first place). When we traveled last month we took the sit and stand stroller because DS likes that better than the Ergo now and it was helpful to be able to get them both on there for going around the airport, zoo, etc.
We checked our carseat, but I requested they walk it down to the baggage area. They walked it down and it was in a different area for pickup after our flight. We did get a back pack style bag for it, makes it super easy to carry around airport.
I would probably bring one umbrella type stroller and a carrier. I wouldn't want to deal with a super large and bulky stroller, and the kids would be able to make do.
Personally, I would gate check the carseats and take the umbrella stroller and ergo. But I like to travel as light as possible.
We flew in Feb with both girls and just took the Ergo. D1 either walked, rode on Dh's shoulders or I carried her some. MIL had a stroller at her house, it was a pain to use because the handles weren't long enough but we made due.
Thanks everyone for your advice!
I am not traveling alone- yikes! You really think I'm that brave??? ;-) LOL
I don't think we'll be using a stroller a lot while we are at our destination. I like the idea of bringing just the Liteway since it's so small and easy to fold. I could borrow a bag from my friend to put it in- versus having to break down the elite to get it into the travel bag, but like PP mentioned, I also like the idea of being able to load the elite up with stuff if I need to.
Lots to think about. Thanks again!
I know i'm a little late to respond but I leave on Saturday to Puerto Rico with a 2.5 yr old and a 15 month old. First, here was my plan:
1. Take both car seats, check them like normal (we've done this before), and just hope they don't get too beaten up.
2. Take our double stroller (joovy side by side) since both girls love the stroller and can take long naps in them since the seats recline all the way- we would gate check this.
THEN I stopped and thought about this. Last time we traveled to just Florida and we did this it was awful. Even checking the car seats in initially was awful because we had to stand in line for over 1/2 an hr at the ticket counter with 2 squirmy children, that was bad enough. Then the car seat covers we bought were so flimsy they ripped and the seats were dirty. Who know how badly they were handled.
Also the stroller was nice to have but big and bulky to carry around. And since DD is 15 months old she's getting way too big to carry around in my ergo for long periods of time without killing my back.
So this time we're going to rent the car seats from Hertz. I realize that the seats could be crappy but I'm fully prepared to put up a stink if the seats are not in good shape and/or rent them from somewhere else OR buy them or something. I will just take that chance. The fee is $12.50 per day per seat so it is expensive but oh well.
And we'll be taking 2 simple umbrella strollers.
I would much rather travel light this time to focus on the kids.
http://balletandbabies.blogspot.com
I've traveled several times with my older 2 (now 7 1/2 and 4), and I've both taken the car seat on the plane and checked. Both times used are less expensive car seat for travel (e.g. the $40 vs the britax or graco natalus). Good enough but not a huge loss if damaged. Personally, I found that actually NOT doing a car seat on the plane is better - why? Because sometimes if the person in front leans their seat back, then you can put the tray down b/c the side of the car seat block it from sitting flat! Talk about a PITA if you can even put a DVD on the tray in front of them.
I purchased the CARES harness and use that instead. Look for one online. I got mine from a guy in Houston and he shipped it to Dallas. For 2 and under, we always go with lap riding.
In regards to stroller, I'm not clear what your travel purpose is. We've done nicer umbella (chicco), sit and stand, and a double city mini in addition to a mai tai carrier. If you are going somewhere like Disney, I would say bring a double. If not, then I would do the single umbrella with a carrier. Also, I have always gate checked my strollers. We get zip ties from home depot to zip tie them closed and bring nail clippers so we can remove after the flights. I have found the typical stroller closure lock to not be sufficient.