STMs: What do you do for carseats when you travel?

kristine618 · September 2014

My husband is flying home in a few months to see his family, and we've decided that I should stay at home with our newborn, and he should take our toddler, because otherwise it's too much hassle and work to deal with the carseats (his family would have to take 2 cars to pick us up and drop us at the airport because with 2 carseats in the back seat, the other middle seat is unusable). Also, installing the carseats is a pain in the butt, not to mention nursing while traveling and pack n' plays, etc. His mom pointed out that this car seat issue is an ongoing issue, and is concerned that we will never visit them if this is deterring us from coming together this time. There has to be a better solution. What do people do? Do you just rent a minivan and rent carseats? Do you bring and check your own carseats? We have the Foonf for our toddler and it weighs a ton. Ugh. So many things to bring when traveling with the kiddos.

LittleFish1 · September 2014

Never rent a car seat. You don't know the history of thr seat & if it was in accident or not & theyay mot even have an appropriate seat for your child. Have you looked at the reccomendations from Car Seats for the Littles? Depending on your toddler's height/weight, there are a number of inexpensive car seats that people get as a backup seat & use for traveling because is lighter weight & more compact. They all pass the same safety requirements, just les padding/features and may require a pool noodle to get a good install. They'll attach to a stroller or luggage cart or backpack carry it. Have heard about different people doing different things. Here is a link to their tips... sodastreamusa.com.gotlocations.com/wap.php

Nursing while traveling is easier than dealing with bottles & needing to clean them. Just have to get over the concerns over whiping out the boob (easier said than done). Pack n plays are relatively easy to borrow or buy and have delivered (i.e. get a less expensive one and keep it at Grandmas). Yes, know peole who rent vechicle at destination (or two cars come to airport for pick up).

All that being said, do you want to go? if not, relax this time (well, not relax because you'll be going it solo with baby while the others are away). If so, find a way to make it happen & get past the hurdles because there will always be something. The youngest will be easier to travel with in someways now compared to when is crawling/ running around. You'll only have the older one to run after at this stage. In a year, the two will go off in opposite directions.

LittleFish1 · September 2014

eerk bad typing... they might not have appropriate type of carseat.

Beth.1212 · September 2014

DH and I will be traveling next month and we will be using our carseat on the plane for our LO, who has his own seat. At our destination, we'll be renting a car.

I agree with pretty much everything LittleFish said!

LittleFish1 · September 2014

oops! link was wrong (must have hit wrong key!) .... csftl.org/leaving-on-a-jet-plane-the-csftl-guide-to-safe-air-travel-with-children/

And agree with Beth.1212 about getting eah child own plane seat, and using carseat on the fight. Everyone deserves to have the safety & comfort afforded with their own seat on an airplane. Plus then there is no need to check the carsests at the gate (if checked, can get thrown aroumd by the ground crew, dropped etc.) Raises the price of the trip considerably, but the peace of mind & safety of the children during potential turbulane is important.

jac409 · September 2014

We have this problem as well. All of our family is a plane ride away. This summer I found this car seat at walmart..https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-Convertible-Car-Seat-Renaissance/16932760. We had each of our parents (they live in different states) get one to keep at their house so we don't have to haul ours when we fly to visit them. It is only 40 bucks, so not a large investment. It isn't a seat I would use everyday, but it will do for travel. If I take DD on a trip by myself, which I often do, I can't carry our big heavy Evenflow seat through the airport. This was a good compromise.

Jackiemxoxo · September 2014

Traveling with LO's is difficult but I think it tends to work out better than you think, most of the time that is. We use a cheaper carseat for traveling like pp. Also, dh brings bungee cords and hooks the seat to the luggage and that way it can just be pulled along. Nursing while traveling has also worked out well for us when dd was younger. I thought they'd give me a hassle for bringing frozen BM in a cooler but most airlines were really accommodating. We also try and rent SUV's now as rentals to fit everything.

valeriegp · September 2014

We also have a different seat that we used for travelling. We were able to have it do double duty, though, as it is the one my parents use in their car (they live within driving distance) when they have him. When we had to travel by plane, we used it instead of our Graco. We intentionally got a seat that is lightweight and fairly short front to back for the plane. I think it is the Safety1st Guide 65.

apritch88 · September 2014

We've taken a little different approach that the previous posters.

We take our big heavy Diono Radian with us when we travel. We purchased the travel backpack bag for it- and check it (they do this free of charge). We also pack into one (of sometimes two) large suitcases and then check it (them), rather than trying to carry on any luggage.

This way, by the time you get checked in, all we have left is the kid in the stroller(gate check), a diaper bag, and a backpack full of toys/snacks and my purse- no worse than a standard day trip to anywhere else.

Our thought is that if the carseat can't withstand a little wear and tear from the luggage handlers than how is it supposed to help in a car crash?

We also always rent a car- usually one big enough for everyone- so we don't have to take two cars everywhere our whole trip. This also gives us peace of mind if something happens- the car with the carseat is always wherever the kiddo is.

I know it's not the most cost efficient way to go, but it has definitely made travel a less intimidating possibility for us.

mylittleladies1229 · September 2014

I have twins and one on the way so carrying our huge dionos through the airport for my kids to sit on the plane is not an option for us. Plus, I'm a cheapass and don't want the price of airfare to double until it has to!

We just travelled this weekend and we ended up renting a car and car seats once we got there. The car seats were totally sketchy and unsafe. The people had no idea how to install them and neither did we bc it was a different car and forward facing (we still rear face). If I had to do it again (it would have to be an emergency to travel with two under two and one on the way again) I would either check our car seats or buy cheaper ones for traveling. Or maybe use the grandparents, since theirs are cheaper anyway.

jsoubel · October 2014

I understand that traveling with two under two can be so overwhelming that you don't attempt it. If it's not for you, that's ok! It'll only be a couple years and then you'll be off on adventures again.

Like PP said, I asked my mom to buy a second car seat. She found one on sale at Kmart for $30-$40. She already had one. If they don't mind driving two cars, try not to mind either:). If you can afford it, it's always nice to have your own ride.

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STMs: What do you do for carseats when you travel?

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