Double Stroller, 2 car seats in airport

[KteaRN]

We will have our Double jogging Stroller, and 2 car seats for ds2.5 and DD 17mths, to tote around the airports.
a)how do I do this? I was thinking of trying to sit one of the car seats in the stroller in a way that 1 child would still fit, and then putting DD in my ergo carrier on my back. We will have 4 able-bodied people 14 & up, so someone can carry the other car seat? We will also of course have all of our carry-on stuff as well.

b)can I check the car seats with Disney's Magical express when I get to Orlando? We are not renting a car.

 

[fun4disney]

there is no easy way to carry car seats through the airport....sorry. We've done a few things.....buckle the seats up, and loosen the belt the best you can (hopefully it's easy to tighten back up!) and then you can put it over your shoulder....not fun, but it frees up a hand if you need to hold a little ones hand.

Get a stroller bag. Ours is a right start one, don't know if they still make them, but it's HUGE! and you could fit one or two car seats in in until you get on the plane. It has handles and a shoulder strap too.

The only other suggestion I would have would be to do just as you said, put the baby in the snugglie, put the car seats in the stroller and either have the older on walk or sit with 1 car seat next to her. She'll be sitting a long time on the plane, so a little walking wouldn't be a bad idea. Arrive early so you don't need to be rushing around.

 

[thepeach80]

I don't know about the 2nd part, but I'm assuming they'll just put the carseats under the bus w/ the luggage?

If there's 4 people, there shouldn't be a problem carrying anything. We're taking 3 seats, our double stroller, and it's just DH and I. We're insane, I know! I plan on having the youngest 2 in the stroller (her carseat just snaps on), then AJ's seat will have a carry bag, and we'll just have to carry the other seat somehow or hang it off the back of the stroller. There's lots of different bags for carseat and even one that turns it into a back carry type thing.

 

[fun4disney]

oh, I forgot....DME....Yes, they will take them and put them under the bus you are on. Then when you are getting off, you need to get them. If your room isn't ready, then you can leave them with bell services and have them deliever them when your other luggage arrives.

Remember, that when you use DME, your luggage may not arrive for up to 4 hours. Take whatever you might need for yourselfs and kids with you in your carry on.

 

[tanyaandallie]

Are you going to put your little ones in their carseats on the plane? If so, I would buy 2 carseat bags and put the carseats in the bags. Or get 2 luggage carts and some bungie cords and strap the seats to the luggage cart and pull them through the airport. If you will not use them on the plane then don't bother bringing them as you will not need them if you are not renting a car.

My oldest is older than yours so she is able to walk through the airport. We check the stroller with our luggage, my dd walks, I carry ds in my Beco (similar to the Beco) and we pull the carseats in their bags. We take minimal carry one baggage b/c I hate to carry too much stuff. I have also checked our carseats many times. Obviously not an option if you will put your little ones in them on the plane. Checking them is not always recommended but we have not had any problems checking them.

 

[KteaRN]

Thanks so much for your replies! I've been doing some researching about this.

Instead of taking the two car seats, I'll just take DD's. She would benefit more from having her "own" comfortable seat to hopefully sleep in. I actually found a woman on ebay who RENTS the CARES harness, which is FAA aproved, and turns the airplane seat into a car seat, instead of having to buy it. (She rents it for $15, instead of the $70 to buy it) Hers is not available to rent for my travel dates, so I'm just going to put DS (3 the day after we fly home) in the regular airline seat and bring a little pillow for him.

In the airport I will have DD's seat and DS next to each other in the double stroller, and DD in the Ergo carrier on my front and probably a back pack on my back!

thepeach80 - you guys ARE crazy - I don't know how you do that! You must be renting a car . .

Oh, if anyone wants to rent the CARES harness, do an ebay search for CARES harness, and It'll take you right to her, but make sure you email her to make sure she has your dates available before you buy (mine were taken!)

 

[thepeach80]

My parents are meeting us in FL (they live in GA) so we're using their car (they just bought a brand new car for our trip, they're the crazy ones). I wanted to warn you about your 3yo though, depending on how big he is he might not fit well in the seatbelt. If the seatbelt doesn't get tight enough on him, it won't hold him in right.

 

[KteaRN]

"If the seatbelt doesn't get tight enough on him, it won't hold him in right."

Yeah, I was all set on my plan, and then I couldn't sleep last night thinking about the airline seatbelt not being enough. Mommy guilt. I'll have to talk to DH today, maybe put the carseat on a wheeled thing for luggage like a PP said. Then my older DS can pull it along behind him.

Or, I could bungee cord it right to the carry-on rolling luggage. Hmmm. That might be a good idea!

Thanks everyone, I'm obviously thinking out loud.

 

[stacy6552]

Just run out and buy a couple of carseat duffle bags. They are worth every penny that you pay. Sling one around your back so the bend in the seat is cradling your back and, if you have to, sling the other they other way. The other thing to consider is that plane seats are more shallow than car seats, so the toddler may not need one. Since you cant use the seats on DME, it might be just as well to leave the older child's seat at hhome. If its just you, I might recommend that you consider a stroller with a pivoting front wheel, because those joggers with a locked front wheel can be a massive pain to steer in crowds.

 

[Schmeck]

Also, WDW has restrictions on the size of the stroller - I cut/pasted this from their FAQ section on their website: (It's a list of banned items - I couldn't copy the whole thing!)

Items with wheels, such as wagons, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, shoes with built-in wheels, two-wheeled or three-wheeled conveyances, strollers larger than 36" x 52", suitcases, coolers, or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high (coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations), and any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV wheelchair or stroller
Alcoholic beverages
Weapons of any kind
Folding chairs
Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)
Pets (unless they are service animals)
In Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park (for the safety of the wildlife), balloons, straws and drink lids are not permitted.

So, check the size of your double jogging stroller, and would it be considered a 3-wheeled conveyance?

 

[tiggger1]

Also, WDW has restrictions on the size of the stroller - I cut/pasted this from their FAQ section on their website: (It's a list of banned items - I couldn't copy the whole thing!)

Items with wheels, such as wagons, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, shoes with built-in wheels, two-wheeled or three-wheeled conveyances, strollers larger than 36" x 52", suitcases, coolers, or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high (coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations), and any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV wheelchair or stroller
Alcoholic beverages
Weapons of any kind
Folding chairs
Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)
Pets (unless they are service animals)
In Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park (for the safety of the wildlife), balloons, straws and drink lids are not permitted.

So, check the size of your double jogging stroller, and would it be considered a 3-wheeled conveyance?

I believe the 3 wheel convenances are like the smaller motercycle thingies.. I have seen some huge triple stollers at disneys, so i doubt the double jogger is too big

 

[KteaRN]

Thanks, I do have a swivel wheel, its an InStep Safari TT. It can also be fixed if you want to run with it. It handles like a dream, SOOOO much better than my old Duoglider. The other day I was holding a coke and steering with one hand (with two kids in the stroller), while holding my nephew's hand with the other hand - no problems!

Oh, and its definitely NOT a 3 wheeled conveyance! I'm not sure of the front to back measurement, but it is 31" wide, and fits through almost all doorways.

 

[**eeyore**]

We've flown a couple of times now with our 2 year old twins. It is always just me and my DH - no extra "able-bodies". We had a collapseable luggage cart (actually from my early days in auditing, when I had to carry everything but the kitchen sink to the client's office each day!) - I've seen them sold at places like Walmart and Target in the same aisle in luggage.

We "nestled" the 2 carseats together and attached them to the luggage cart. I pushed our DD's in the stroller, while DH pulled the carseat cart and carried our carry-ons.

We have found this to work like a dream!

BTW, we have the same stroller - I agree it handles great! I don't think you will have any problems with it at WDW - I've seen people there with the exact sames stroller.

 

[Oh Kay!]

I wouldn't take the carseat for your DS unless it's absolutely necessary, i.e. you will be renting a car. The carseats will end up in the cargo of ME bus. Call me a worrywart, but I would get worried the carseats might get damaged--get bumped around the cargo or have other luggages fall on. Even if the carseats don't sustain a visible damage, their viability might still be compromised unbeknownst to me. In your shoes, I would buy a CARES harness. Once your DS grows out of it, your DD can use it.