Carring Car Seat in Airport

[mcgrawfan]

Does anyone not purchase a bag to carry your carseat through the airport? Also we will be using Magical Express. I know we wont be using the car seat on the bus, but will we be able to carry it onto the bus. It will not have a ME tag since it isn't a checked piece of luggage. I didn't know if the put it under the bus if we could get it off or if only checked luggage went under the bus. Hope I am making sense.

 

[Colinsmom]

We don't use a carry bag through the airport. DH either carries it on his shoulder, or we put it in the stroller while DS walks. When I traveled alone, I wedged the car seat into the stroller and strapped DS into the car seat. Less than ideal, I know, but we had a lot of walking to do to get to our luggage!

 

[Kae]

I have a carrybag & I check mine.

Kae

 

[Msslaydbug]

We now have a carrying bag but before we would get a luggage strao and put it through the back of the car seat and either hook it onto the back of the stroller or our shoulder. It always seemed to work pretty well.

I have been told before though that checking your car seat is not the most ideal. They said with all the throwing and bumping around they do it couls "injure" your car seat. Not sure if this is a true statement or not though

 

[utahkennedys]

My car seat bag for $20 was a great investment. I never take it on the plane anymore. We check it and it is so easy. All we have is our Maclaren Volo which is so lightweight, easy to maneuver, and easy to fold when it's time to board. I love my car seat bag b/c it has a great carrying strap to throw on your shoulder. I think it is by Century?

 

[mcgrawfan]

Why do you check your carseat if you need it on the airplane??

 

[all4fun]

Why do you check your carseat if you need it on the airplane??

I think I know the answer to that question - older children that are 40lbs or more do not need a carseat on the plane. Also kids that use belt positioning booster seats would need to have their seats checked since those aren't allowed on airplanes.

 

[justhat]

Also, some people don't use a carseat for their child on a plane anyway. Many people don't buy their under 2s a seat, so therefore they don't need the carseat. We have a bag to carry our carseat and I can't tell you how much easier it is than no bag.

 

[Kae]

We have not put our children in a car on the plane since they were over 1. Once they could sit up we just put them in the airplane seat.

Kae

 

[Aanna]

I would definitely worry about checking my daughter's car seat. I've read never to buy a second hand car seat. You can't know if it has been in an accident -- anything that deploys the airbags in the car is cause to trash the car seat, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Geeeez the way I've seen baggage handled is worse than the bumping a seat would get in your average car accident!!

Maybe the AAP is overly cautious, but I don't trust baggage handlers

 

[HappyMommy2]

I bought a carseat bag and used it quite a few times for lugging the seat through the airport. Worked pretty well, except when you get on the plane it is a hassle to unzip the bag and get the seat out in such tight quarters. So now when we take the carseat through the airport (we still use it on the plane for DS 3) I just pull the straps out to their full length and wear the carseat as a backpack--easier than using the bag.

 

[Aanna]

I just pull the straps out to their full length and wear the carseat as a backpack--easier than using the bag.

Oooooh excellent idea!

 

[tjmw2727]

I bought a carseat bag and used it quite a few times for lugging the seat through the airport. Worked pretty well, except when you get on the plane it is a hassle to unzip the bag and get the seat out in such tight quarters. So now when we take the carseat through the airport (we still use it on the plane for DS 3) I just pull the straps out to their full length and wear the carseat as a backpack--easier than using the bag.

Actually pulling the straps out and using them for anything other than the intended use could render the seat unsafe. Most, if not all manuals, do address this situation. IMHO I would rather spend $20.00 on a bag then take a chance my dd's CRS will fail when I need it.

For the OP, we always used a bag, it was just easier for us. My sil recently bought a great carseat bag that can be used as a backpack and or a wheeled bag, IIRC it was about $30.00 at babies r us. If you have enough hands or a big enough stroller you could get by without a bag but if you plan to travel again it could be worth the investment.

For ME you can load the CRS under the bus with the strollers and other luggage as you can't take it on the bus.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

We have not put our children in a car on the plane since they were over 1. Once they could sit up we just put them in the airplane seat.

Kae

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be restrained in an aircraft under the same guidelines as in an automobile. For more information:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/5/1218

TJ

 

[Aanna]

<sigh> So many car seat rules.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

We've never used a car seat carry bag. We just put it in the stroller, since the kids usually want to walk after the long flight/drive to the airport. Roll up to the gate, gate check the stroller and carry the car seat onto the plane.

We always feel a little rushed belting the car seat into the airplane seat while keeping the kids out of the way of other passengers walking by, putting their stuff in the overhead bins, etc. We'd probably get flustered by the extra steps of unzipping the car seat bag, pulling the seat out and then folding up the bag and stashing it somewhere.

We do check our older dd's backless booster seat for use at our destination, since she doesn't need to use it on the plane, but we just use one of those big plastic bags the sky cap gives you.

 

[wfloyd]

We bought a bag for DS carseat and it was so easy to carry around the airport. We just treated it as a duffle bag and didn't have any problems with it. Now if we can just find it again for the trip this Christmas...

 

[Kae]

So it is ok to put a child under 2 on my lap but, I should put my 4 yrs in a car seat on the plane? And why don't you have to put your child in a car seat on a bus? I wish Airlines & busses would have a better/safer way for children. Someone is hopefully working on this.

Kae

 

[Zoesmama03]

One of my carry on is rolling and has a strap at top and I will strap her seat onto it since he has a cutout handle at top of it. I've heard of people bungee cording it on to some rolling carryon luggage.

 

[CleveRocks]

Does anyone not purchase a bag to carry your carseat through the airport? Also we will be using Magical Express. I know we wont be using the car seat on the bus, but will we be able to carry it onto the bus. It will not have a ME tag since it isn't a checked piece of luggage. I didn't know if the put it under the bus if we could get it off or if only checked luggage went under the bus. Hope I am making sense.

For your DME bus ride from MCO to your resort, there will be VERY FEW pieces of checked luggage. The checked luggage goes by separate truck to your resort. There may be a few people who will choose not to DME-tag their luggage, wait for it in baggage claim, and then take it to the DME bus themselves, where the driver will put it under the bus.

Normally, the only stuff in the DME bus cargo hold (going from MCO to the resorts) is carry-ons that people didn't want to hold with them inside the bus, or carry-ons that would not fit under the seat or on the overhead shelf. When you get to your resort, the driver will unload your carry-ons for you and you will then take them with you before you go inside the resort to check in. So yes, your carseat can go under the bus, and no, it probably won't be thrown around and mangled because the driver will be the only person handling it, and the driver would surely appreciate a tip for good service, KWIM?

On the way back to the airport from your resort, most people will have their checked luggage in the cargo hold of the bus, since most people using DME do not use the few "participating" airlines. Again, your driver will be the only person loading and unloading ANYTHING on the bus, so your carseat should be in good hands.

I hope this long-winded answer makes sense and helps you.

-- Eric