Carrying Carseats to the Airplane

[fraggle]

For those of you who have travelled with little ones, how do you carry your carseat(s) through the airport. We plan on carrying two carseats (one for a 15 month old and one for a 3 year old). I was considering just leaving the 3 year olds carseat at home and renting one for the car but she is very tiny and I don't feel that the seatbelt on the plane would hold her in securely. Thanks for your ideas!
-Meredith

 

[Mish]

We gate checked our stroller so we just sat our car seat in the stoller until it was time to get on the plane. My ds was 3 when we flew last year and it was great to have his car seat. He slept in it on the plane. We will be doing the same thing this year. Hope this helped. Michelle

 

[melk]

We did the same thing, opened the canopy of the stroller and laid it on top. But most airports also have carts you can rent for about $2.00 or so and you can stack up the car seats and any other carry ons and bring it down to the gate. They have return carousels around, and I believe when you return it there, you get some money back(fifty cents or something).

 

[pajamommy]

We bought carseat bags from the One Step Ahead catalog. You put the seat in, zip it up, and it has a sholder strap for carrying it. Of course, we always end up getting one of those carts, but it does make it easier for any carrying you have to do.

 

[Barb D]

I used the stroller as a carry-all for the carry ons and the car seat, and kept DD either in her sling or on her safety strap (harness/leash thingy) so she couldn't get away from me.

And let me tell you, it was a REAL PAIN getting the carseat down the narrow aisle of the plane. I had to carry it over seat level. It's tricky getting it buckled in, too. But it was worth it having it when she was able to sleep in her own familiar seat.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

We bought a luggage carrier for the carseats for this trip- last year the girls were in carriers so we just carried them into the plane in those but this year they have carsetats. We bought them each their own seat so their carseat has to fit into the plane seat - so I figure the carrier can have both of them strapped to it for luggin through the airport.

 

[travelitis]

Don't count on the cart rental, because some airports don't allow those past security.

 

[tlens]

We use a collapsable rolling luggage cart. We strap a seat onto it, put a carry-on into the seat, daughter in the stroller and away we go! At the gate, my husband goes on with the seat first to strap it in and then we get on. Works great.

 

[HannahG]

not all airlines allow just any car seat. . .they need to have a sticker that says faa approved to be used on the airplane. look into a 2in 1 carseat/stroller. we used this last time and got so many inquiries as to were to buy one. best thing for traveling families. by the way, this is faa approved