Carseat travel bag

[Belle's Castle]

I am looking for carseat travel bag for our upcoming DW vacation. My DH and I are going to check DD carseat and was to keep it clean and safe. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good bag?? Also can I pack other stuff (i.e. shoes) in this bag with the carseat???

THANKS

 

[laughinplace199]

You can buy car seat travel bags at Babies R Us and One Step Ahead.

Are you talking about checking the carseat with luggage or gate checking it on the plane? I've never checked carseats with luggage for fear of damage that might be done as the luggage is tossed around. Also, I'd be concerned about the airline losing the carseat since we've all heard of or had luggage lost at some point in our travels.

I don't know much about gate checking carseats as we've always used the carseats on the plane, but I've read that gate checking is safer for the seat.

Good luck and have a fun trip!

 

[mmcphee]

Aren't you going to use the car seat on the plane? Why would you check it?

 

[fredflintstone]

babies r us has a few different ones, so i would go there to check them out. I don't know what kind of carseat you have, so I don't know what else you could fit in there with it! They have a rolling bag cover which would be good if you do a gate check in...which would probably be good. I wouldn't want them to lose my carseat, especially since I have Britax carseats and pay alot for them! haha


Not all carseats are able to be used on airplanes, so you have to be careful with that one!

 

[zendisney]

When we fly Southwest we always check the car seat with the sky cab, they are really good about wrapping it in a nice plastic bag. We have had no problems... add in a little extra tip and they are happy campers. I tip for bags anyway... but I think throwing in an extra few bucks always helps

 

[tinkmom2]

For our trip we rented C.A.R.E.S.. It's a FAA approved child restraint for the plain. I rented it off ebay. Let me tell you it was the best thing I ever did. I didn't have to lug the car seat through the air port. If you are renting a car at MCO most car companies will let you use a car seat or rent one. Just an idea

 

[Bren's Mom]

I am looking for carseat travel bag for our upcoming DW vacation. My DH and I are going to check DD carseat and was to keep it clean and safe. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good bag?? Also can I pack other stuff (i.e. shoes) in this bag with the carseat???

THANKS

Checking a car seat isn't the best idea as they can get damaged enroute. I'm curious, though, why you wouldn't bring it on the plane if you're bringing it with you anyway??

 

[dhardawa]

While the car seat bag might keep the seat cleaner, it will not keep it from being damaged structurally. After watching a luggage truck drive over a car seat, stop, toss it back on the truck, and drive off, I can't recommend checking a car seat under any circumstances.

Also, do not rent a car seat from a rental place. You don't know the history of the seat so you don't know if it has been crashed, you have no guarantee they will even have a seat available for you (I have heard many stories of people who had a reservation, but no seat was there), the seat may be completely inappropriate for your child's age/weight/height, and it also may be filthy/expired/damaged.

If you need a seat on your trip, plan to use it on the plane or purchase something like the Safeguard Go that you can easily take with you on the plane.

 

[My2DisneyBoyz]

We have this carseat bag and have used it a couple of times with no problems at all. The carseat has always been just fine. The material is sturdy and good. There was extra space for items in the little pockets and in the actual carseat. It has a great strap to help with carrying until checked.
I cannot post the link yet but search for Eddie Bauer Car Seat Travel bag on amazon.

We used this to check the carseat because at the time our child was under 2 and considered a lap child but we needed a carseat on the other end.

 

[Lstar311]

We have the Safety First car seat bag that is sold at BRU for $29.99. We have used it twice w/ our Graco carseat. The bag is ripped at the bottom and the carseat barely fits in it. The only way you'd be able to pack anything else in the bag is if you put it on the seat. I wish I would have sprung and got the wheel attachment for the carseat. We used out carseat on the plane but I can't imagine how damaged the bag and seat would have gotten had we checked it. Considering it ripped so easily just from pulling it through the airport.

 

[kristenrice]

We use this...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698052

It is very lightweight, despite its size. It is so convenient because you wear it like a backpack and it frees up your hands. We were able to fit our car seat and a backless booster in the bag together. We used the carseat on the plane and gate checked the bag and booster.

 

[sharibrat]

I second CARES!

 

[amberdansmom]

I am looking for carseat travel bag for our upcoming DW vacation. My DH and I are going to check DD carseat and was to keep it clean and safe. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good bag?? Also can I pack other stuff (i.e. shoes) in this bag with the carseat???

THANKS

when we flew from Louisiana to FL we couldn't find one to save our lives! I was worried because I had just bought the carseat! When checking in bags at the airport they put a large heavy plastic bag over the car seat for us and secured it. When we got to FL it was perfect! Not a scratch or stain anywhere! Now that I am here in FL I have found them at Babies R US and they aren't expensive!

 

[Erica09M]

Assuming your seat is FAA approved, because there aren't many seats in the US that are not, you should just use it on the plane instead of checking it. Much safer for your little one, and a better way to insure that it doesn't get lost or damaged.

We bought a $50 Cosco Scenera that is extremely light weight for our traveling so we don't have to lug our huge EFTA around.

 

[thepeach80]

Yup, we never check ours either, no way I'd risk that if I didn't have to. We won't even need them on our next trip as we're just doing Disney transportation so we'll just take the baby's on the plane and do CARES for our then 3yo and probably nothing for the boys, or maybe CARES for Evan too. It's safer to have them in seats on the plane anyways.

 

[momto3cboys]

We have a huge duffel bag that we use for our carseat. It works great. We have checked it several times and never had any problem.

 

[Belle's Castle]

Thanks for all the responses...it has been very helpful!!!!

 

[LoveKermit]

DD was on 3 flights before she was one. We had a Graco seat/base. We threw the whole thing in a carseat bag and checked it through. I would also take a bag (Target bag) of various toys for the hotel room. This odd shaped thing fit right in "the bucket" as we called it--then all inside the bag. Then if we bought anything on the trip--like stuffed animals or something, that would go in the bag on the way home too.

One trip we had a last minute connection, but no problem. And coming home from MCO, we had a MAJOR delay, so we kept it and checked our luggage. We rented a one-day car (what do you do with a 7 mo in an airport for 5 hours?) and went to the mall. When we returned to MCO, I think we checked it in, maybe not, don't remember.

Now that she's two, we use the Britax on the plane. It keeps her restrained and me sane. Otherwise she'd entertain the whole plane.

It's your choice. Oh, and we bought our bag at BRU. It's probably the Eddie Bauer and since we recently moved I think it has other duffles inside it (so it's useful at home too!).

 

[AmyBWV99]

We cannot take DS#1's high back 5 point booster on the flight with us I'm not sure any boosters are FAA approved, the Britax Frontier may be. So we bought a car seat bag and it's always come thru fine, not even a mark on the bag. Because it's considered baby gear it is free to check thru and as long as it is under 50lbs it's FREE!!!! So I always put all our running gear and other bulky things like extra shoes in a zip top bag and strap that bag into the booster.

So it's like a free suitcase. It's flown many times no trouble so far. He's 4 and does fine jsut int he seat. We take a carseat onboard for DS#2 he's not yet 2.

 

[NotUrsula]

We cannot take DS#1's high back 5 point booster on the flight with us. I'm not sure any boosters are FAA approved,

NOT TRUE!! Regardless of what the mfr. calls it, by the FAA's definition a carseat is only a "booster" when it lacks an integral upper-body harness. Most high-backs that can be used with or without the 5 point harness will have a label that shows qualified approval: they CAN be used on board aircraft *if* the 5-point harness is in place and in use.

Here's the info from my Cosco:

This restraint is certified for aircraft use only when used with the internal harness. Do not use as a belt-positioning seat because aircraft seats do not have shoulder belts. Use on forward-facing aircraft seats only and in a position where the lap belt can be tightened securely.This child restraint is installed in an aircraft seat the same way it is installed in the vehicle.​

The FAA's blanket ban on "booster seats" ONLY applies to those that lack 5 point harnesses. However, there are some particular high-back harnessed "booster seats" (mfr. terminology) that are not approved for other reasons.