How do I handle car seat, stroller, toddler in airport by myself?

[WendyinNC]

We are considering taking a trip to WDW this summer. My husband does not want to all fly on the same plane. We have 4 kids who will be 11, 8, 7, and 18 months. I'm sure I will be flying with the 18 month old. I don't mind buying him a ticket but, I'm not sure how I can handle the baby, car seat, stroller, diaper bag, etc. by myself or even with the help of the 11 year old. Any suggestions? Will the airline take the car seat to the plane for me? I want to do the safest thing for the baby and don't mind the money. However, I'm tempted to just let him be a lap baby since his car seat is so big and cumbersome. We will be using Disney transportation for the rest of the trip so I would only need the car seat on the airplane. Does Delta provide car seats?

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I travelled (not to WDW, but Boca Raton) with DD3 and DS2, without my DH. DD didn't need the car seat for the plane, so i checked it with the luggage. I hooked the car seat on the handles of the DS's stroller and just walked slowly to the gate. Once I got to the gate area, the airline employees were very helpful. Its a hassle, but very doable. I put the diaper bag on my shoulder and put my "purse" things in that, so I only had the one bag to carry - the bag was huge, but that helped too.

 

[WendyinNC]

I travelled (not to WDW, but Boca Raton) with DD3 and DS2, with my DH. DD didn't need the car seat for the plane, so i checked it with the luggage. I hooked the car seat on the handles of the DS's stroller and just walked slowly to the gate. Once I got to the gate area, the airline employees were very helpful. Its a hassle, but very doable. I put the diaper bag on my shoulder and put my "purse" things in that, so I only had the one bag to carry - the bag was huge, but that helped too.

How did you hook the car seat on the handles of the stroller?

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I used the tension straps on the back of the seat (the ones that hold the child in the seat). I just put those straps over the handles.

 

[tedhowe]

It's not easy, but it is doable.

There are bags designed to load a car seat into them, and you can find ones that have shoulder straps so you can wear them like a backpack.

This is what we did when we had kids small enough to ride in a carseat on the airplane and it worked pretty well.

Here's the basic method we used whenever one of us would travel alone with one of our daughters.

Car seat for plane into the car seat travel bag. Daughter in the stroller. Our carryon in the basket of the stroller.

The only major challenge was at airport security. You have to put the car seat, the carryon AND the stroller all through the x-ray machine so the child has to come out.

Once that hurdle is negotiated (and we've found people to be very understanding of the circumstances and extra time that you will take), it's pretty easy going. You can generally keep the child in the stroller right down the jetway to the door of the plane. Then its time to fold the stroller and you just have to negotiate your way to the seat.

This takes extra time, but that is why they have pre-boarding for people with children. Take your time and you can do it.

Good luck!

Ted

 

[WendyinNC]

Does Delta allow preboarding for young children? I remember about 10 years ago they didn't allow this. I tried and they said no. It was such a hassle trying to strap an infant carrier into the seat while all the other passengers were boarding. I was so upset I swore I would never fly Delta again. Unfortunately, Delta offers the only nonstop flight.

 

[SaraMc]

Im sorry I have to ask why cant you all fly together? As for the car seat we just attached the tension belts to the handlebars of the stroller we had to take it with us.

 

[WendyinNC]

Im sorry I have to ask why cant you all fly together? As for the car seat we just attached the tension belts to the handlebars of the stroller we had to take it with us.

DH doesn't want us to all go down together. Speading out the chance of family survival. It's just one of his things. We've been married for 18 years and there are certain things I don't understand but try to overlook.

 

[becca011906]

ok you should NOT NOT NOT hang your car seats by the harness straps you shouldn't carry they by the harness straps either, that is NOT recomended at all if you ready the car sat manual. What kinda seat do you have? if it's a big old heavy one then maybe consider getting a nice cheap cosco scenera for travel, it's super light and not so hard to carry, i was able to flip the car seat and put the back side in the strollers basket and then use a bungy cord to hold it up to the handel of the stroller.
Also it's much safer and your child will likely be better behaved in a car seat then as a lap child, i took my dd when she was 18 months as a lap child and that was with dh to help me, i was 4 months pregnant (not big at all yet) and it was awful, and our flight was only 1.5 hours long. I couldn't complain b/c all our seats were paid for by my grandparents and once they heard they didn't need to buy a seat for her they said that we could hold her that long, we almost got an extra seat on the way home but lucklie it was a 2pm flight and she slept vs the 8am flight down there.

 

[Hannathy]

It is your decision but I wouldn't take a car seat just for the plane, I never did and we flew a lot. It is very hard to take a toddler and a car seat yourself and don't expect any help from the airlines, if you do it is a real bonus. If your DH won't fly with you and help I wouldn't take it. I don't know what kind of stroller you are taking but if it can't be balanced on the stroller somehow I would give the 11 yr old the stroller and baby and a backpack and I would carry the carseat, a rolling carry on and the diaper bag. Have fun I am very glad those days are over! I hope he plans on taking the other kids.

Has you DH thought about how terrible it would be for the kids if 1/2 of you go down and the other half don't? I think this would be worse than all of us going together. Morbid I know but you brought it up. Another question, Does he not let you ride in the car together because you have a tremendously greater chance of being in an auto accident than an airplane one. Second thought since this is his idea let him deal with the toddler,stroller, and carseat. You take the middle kids and have an enjoyable flight!-this is what I would do!

 

[ApolloSaturnV]

Originally Posted by SaraMc
Im sorry I have to ask why cant you all fly together? As for the car seat we just attached the tension belts to the handlebars of the stroller we had to take it with us.

DH doesn't want us to all go down together. Speading out the chance of family survival. It's just one of his things. We've been married for 18 years and there are certain things I don't understand but try to overlook.
__________________

My brother has this philosophy, and I don't understand it either. . .

 

[becca011906]

Has you DH thought about how terrible it would be for the kids if 1/2 of you go down and the other half don't? I think this would be worse than all of us going together. Morbid I know but you brought it up. Another question, Does he not let you ride in the car together because you have a tremendously greater chance of being in an auto accident than an airplane one. Second thought since this is his idea let him deal with the toddler,stroller, and carseat. You take the middle kids and have an enjoyable flight!-this is what I would do!

ok she didn't bring it up, it was asked... and it's not anyone eles choice how they choose to fly, i know that i would not let my dh take the youngest, he couldn't hadle it as well and me, and it can be done easily and stress free, single parents fly with kids on seats all the time, a good friend of mine flew with three kids under 3, 2 car seats, a doulbe stroller, and a carry on...

 

[Hannathy]

She did bring it up and I really don't understand why a child's father can't take a child as well as a Mother.

Yes I know a single person can take kids I did it many,many, many times, but why when it is easier with 2 people. Have you ever done it? It is hard and to me the person wanting to make it harder than needed should deal with it.

 

[all4fun]

We usually end up flying Delta and they do not allow pre-boarding. Usually dh will watch ds while I board first to install the car seat (which allows allows ds a little more time to run off energy, plus we are not all blocking the aisle while the car seat is being installed). But of course this will not work for you.

In the past, I've politely asked the gate agent if someone would be willing to just set the car seat on the seat for me. One time, the agent just told me to board with first class.

Another tip I learned here that has been very helpful, is when boarding & deboarding with the car seat to carry the car seat over your arm like an upside down L...really makes getting down the aisle much easier, without holding the thing over your head.

On our last trip all the Delta FA's were extremely helpful and I had multiple FA's offer to help me carry the car seat - so I felt if I had been all alone it wouldn't have been a big problem.

Before ds got too tall for it, we traveled with a $40 Cosco Touriva (now called Scenera) which has a little flip down foot for when you use the seat f/fing. I'd hook that foot on the stroller basket and then run a bungee cord through the f/fing belt path and hook both ends on the sides of the stroller. This way ds could still sit in the stroller and we didn't have to carry the car seat either. I put my carry on stuff in a backpack and one of us wore it.

Hope this helps.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

Why don't you drive? I can't imagine starting a vacation w/o half of my family. Just my two cents.

 

[GEM]

I'm honestly just curious about one thing . . .

How do you explain to the older three kids why you have to travel in two separate groups???

"Well, sweetie, it's so if the plane goes down we don't ALL die."

 

[ColleenS]

Has you DH thought about how terrible it would be for the kids if 1/2 of you go down and the other half don't? I think this would be worse than all of us going together. Morbid I know but you brought it up. Another question, Does he not let you ride in the car together because you have a tremendously greater chance of being in an auto accident than an airplane one. Second thought since this is his idea let him deal with the toddler,stroller, and carseat. You take the middle kids and have an enjoyable flight!-this is what I would do!

I completely agree with this. I'd be much more upset if half my family died then we all died together. But I have plenty of odd habits and preferences, so I respect your DH's thoughts. (Though Hannathy is right, you are MUCH more likey to all die in a car accident than plane, air travel is very safe!)


Since this no flying together is your husbands idea, why can't he take the baby? (I don't mean this in a b*tchy way, just a question. )


Have you considered using something like this to keep him on your lap. It would probably be okay if it was a short flight.
http://www.greatbabyproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BAIR-10000&Click=862226
It's probably not FAA approved.

There is this http://www.flyingwithkids.com/travel_tips.htm which is approved by the FAA. It looks like it would be easy to carry around.

Have the 11 year old come with you. He or she will be able to help you. He could carry the baby or keep an eye on the baby when you check it. Eleven is also old enough to push the stroller and take care of their own bags.

Check out this website for tips on traveling with a baby/toddler
http://www.flyingwithkids.com/
Though I'm not sure if I'd trust a website with this as their first tip for frazzled moms

Take lipstick and a small mirror in your hand luggage - if you're having a bad time, take two minutes to put on some lipstick and give yourself a pep talk in the mirror.

Good luck on your travels and have a safe and magical vacation!

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

I traveled alone with my dd to NYC and had both a stroller and her Marathon carseat.

What I did was buy a gogokidz wheels attachment for the carseat, my only carry on was a backpackl, and had dd in a Maclaren Quest (which is the easiest stroller to push).

I pushed the stroller with one hand (38 lbs dd), pulled the carseat with the other, and had the rest of the stuff on my back, until I had the brilliant idea to put the backpack on the carseat, lol.

This also worked great when the airlines won´t give the stollers at the gate of the plane (flying from Mexico into the US, or when getting a remote gate when you have to be bused to get to the terminal), I then put dd in her carseat and wheeled her just like that.

HTH

Julie

 

[amarberry]

I travelled alone with my 2 yo in December. Here is how I managed everything...I wore my backpack, I put the other carry on on the stroller, then I laid the carseat over the carry on, DD wore a puppy harness and walked. I have a Graco Comfort Sport that was purchased specifically for airline travel and my mom's car. You might want to look into purchasing the Cosco seat that was recommended in this thread or the CARES harness system that was recently approved by the FAA.

Not that it is any of my business, but I don't think that I would every split up my family for a flight. My DH and I get a little freaked out about flying (which I think is unrational on our part), but I think that I would be much more freaked out if half of my children and my spouse were on another flight (how would I go on if their plane crashed or thinking about what I'd be putting the surviving kids through if my plane crashed). I also agree that it might not be the best message to be sending to your kids. If it is this much of an issue for your DH, maybe you guys should drive. Just my 2 cents, unsolicited, sorry.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I put my child in the stroller and attached the car seat by velcro to the handles of the stroller. I made my own velcro handles for the car seat. It was easier to pull on and off the handles of the stroller. I could push the stroller and also pull my luggage.