Car Seat/Booster seat gate check or baggage check

[JenLanDisney]

We are purchasing a CARES harness so my 34# son can ride safely and comfortably on the plane without kicking the seat in front of him.

How do folks like to transport their car seat? Gate or Baggage check? Also, any ideas for keeping them clean while checked?

I was looking at booster seats with a 30# lower limit; he's 40 inches tall. Maybe we could purchase and pack in our luggage? It was only 8 pounds heavy.

 

[amyj1024]

We check with the baggage, especially if you do not use it on the plane. We purchased a car seat travel bag (which is really for a convertible, or high back booster) that we use to check it. The only things is now they charge for extra baggage, but if you need it as soon as you land, I would want it in a seperate bag so it is easily accessible.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I assume you are renting a car? If not and you have the Cares harness, I'd leave the carseat at home. If you are renting a car or are planning on use taxi's, I'd bring the car seat. The safest way to transport the car seat is to gate check it. This is the only way (other than using the seat on the plane) to guarantee that it will make it to your final destination.

I have gate checked and checked with our baggage. Even in a carseat bag my dd's carseat was damaged. In addition, one time we checked it and it did not make it to our final destination.

 

[puffkin]

We have a travel bag for our car seat and we check it. It is place to pack extra stuff on the way home when you have tons of souvenirs. We usually shove shoes and a duffle of dirty laundry in with the carseat to free up room in our suitcase.

 

[all4fun]

We are purchasing a CARES harness so my 34# son can ride safely and comfortably on the plane without kicking the seat in front of him.

How do folks like to transport their car seat? Gate or Baggage check? Also, any ideas for keeping them clean while checked?

I was looking at booster seats with a 30# lower limit; he's 40 inches tall. Maybe we could purchase and pack in our luggage? It was only 8 pounds heavy.

We checked a car seat once. I was nervous about doing so because I was a little worried it might get damaged and I have read it's a nightmare to get an airline to replace a broken car seat. I found on the airline site that they do consider car seats to be fragile. If you gate check a seat, it's less likely to be lost. I've heard that things get tossed from the jetway down to the tarmac for loading - we have been lucky that this has never happened to anything that we have gate checked. We did baggage check our car seat in a car seat bag one time. I decided to do that to make getting through the airport easier, however we did not need the car seat to get from the airport to the hotel at our destination, since we were using DME to transport us. Those are Mears busses and do not have seatbelts. We needed the car seat since we were renting a car (the Dolphin hotel has a rental car desk) for a few days during our stay. If something had happened to the car seat in transit, one of us could have run to the store to pick up a replacement. Once, we didn't bring a booster or car seat at all because we used Disney transport the whole time. Our flight home was canceled (after we had checked our baggage which we didn't get back until 5 days later) and we had to spend the night in a hotel near the airport. The van that picked us up wasn't equipped with a child restraint so my ds had to ride in just the seat belt, which wasn't at all safe. It worked out ok, but the whole ride to and from the airport, I really wished we had brought a seat for him.

About the booster that is rated from 30#. The labeling on those are so deceptive. They lead people to believe that this is actually a safe option, but putting a child that is barely 30lbs is not that safe. it's better than nothing, but children under 4yrs old cannot handle staying seated properly in just a booster seat. I could go on for a while about this but I don't want to sound preachy. OK, too late! LOL If you do some searching on child passenger safety and 'extended harnessing' you will find some interesting and pertinent info.
hth

 

[bumbershoot]

I would gate check. Even if the baggage handlers take care with the carseat behind the scenes, just watch the things come slamming down onto the carousel. I watched that once (twice, actually, I'm a really slow learner apparently) and never again.

Hauled our Nautilus (excellent 5 point harness to 65 lbs, then it turns into a booster, carseat once they are forward facing!) all the way to the gate to gate check it, definitely worth it to NOT see it come crashing down and smash into the "fence" at the bottom of the chute onto the carousel.

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

They sell red gate check bags at BRU.

 

[dhardawa]

Absolutely gate check the seat. It is much less likely to get lost or damaged than if you baggage check it. That said, it isn't a guranatee that it won't get damaged or lost. I had my stroller that I gate checked lost by the airline for about a day.

At 34 lbs, I would not be comfortable at all using a booster. He is simply too small to be adequately protected. Yes, the seats meet the minimum crash test standards, but those standards in the US are pitiful. The US doesn't even require side impact or roll over tests which is where I'd worry most about having a small child ejected from a booster.

I'm not sure what seat you're using now, but you might consider picking up something like a Cosco Scenera for traveling. The seat is cheap (about $45), but has reasonably high harness slots, a 40 lb weight limit, and is lightweight. Plus, if the airline destroys it, you are only out $45.

Oh, just wanted to add, I'm a certified child passenger safety technician so I'm not just babbling about something I know nothing about. (Not saying others in this thread who aren't CPST's are. I was actually pretty impressed with the advice given.)

 

[JenLanDisney]

Thanks for all the responses.
Here is the seat we are considering:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5430281

It has been side impact tested.

We'll try it out before the trip. If it doesn't meet our needs (ie, a good fit), we'll haul the regular car seat.

 

[all4fun]

Thanks for all the responses.
Here is the seat we are considering:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5430281

It has been side impact tested.

We'll try it out before the trip. If it doesn't meet our needs (ie, a good fit), we'll haul the regular car seat.

The compass is a good booster. I still wouldn't use it for a child under 40lbs. jmo.

What about this one? http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm It's on the expensive side, but it is very light and it folds for travel, the newer models have taller top harness position (over 17"), it should work in most rental cars, which are typically newer vehicles (requires top tether use in car seat mode). What is your regular car seat?

 

[tanyaandallie]

HOw old is he? If he were 34 lbs and 5+ I might consider using a booster seat. But, under 5, nope. He is very small and likely too young for a booster. Have you seen this site? Good info on why a 5 pt harness is best, esp for kids under 40 lbs.

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm


If you don't want to haul your harnessed seat with you, I'd look at the Evenflo Chase. It's cheap. Only around $60. Has a nice tall 5 pt harness, 40 lb harnessed weight limit and is very light weight. Would be super easy to travel with. It converts to a booster seat after the harness is outgrown.

You can find it at both Target and Walmart. The Safeguard Go would work really well also and would last longer since it has a higher weight limit and is taller. But, if you want cheap, the Chase won't last you forever but would work great as a travel seat.