How do you pull this off? Flying+Rental Car

[Mrs. Charming]

Hubby and I are toying with the idea of getting a rental car for the next trip. DH is concerned with needing to bring two car seats through the airport (gate checked). Once you get to the airport, how do you pull it off? Do you rent one of the carts? Luckily at PHL we have the curbside check-in, so that gets rid of the checked baggage, but then we'll be lugging a double stroller, a 3 year old, and a 3 month old and our carry-ons (we use backpacks for the most part.)

What's the trick to doing this? I know there has to be one!

Thank you!

 

[DbleTheFun]

We have done this MANY times... it is do-able! We also use our car seats (Britax Marathons... so BIG carseats) on the plane, so we end up lugging them through the airport too!

We use the stroller and gate check it, keeping the kids contained helps make it easier!

We defintely rent a cart thing... stack the bags, and then put the two car seats on top of the bags. (Carry on get slung over a shoulder or over the stroller bar.

If you end up taking the car seats right up to the gate (Either gate checked or onto the plane), then fasten them up as if the kids are in them, and then hold them by the 5 point harness, one in each hand (After checking all your bags), and then the other parent pushes the stroller.

With twins, we have gotten quite good at this juggle! Others tend to see us and push elevator buttons etc.... it's not nearly as hard as it sounds! Plus it's much better to do this than use the rental car supplied car seats. I dont trust those at all!

 

[quentina]

buy a car seat bag......one of them will hold both plus extra items. It has built in straps that you carry like a purse or hang on the cart etc. I bought mine off of ebay for 15$ or so.

Google car seat luggage and you will see them. Mine is made by sunshine kids.

 

[staley7580]

I bought my own little cart thing. I traveled a ton just me and my older kids.. With one still using a car seat. I found it at Target I think, super cheap, less then $20. It is just a metal folding little thing, but it helps TONS getting through the airport. I would strap a carseat to it, and pile bags on top. It folds up plenty small to shove under a seat in front.

 

[DbleTheFun]

As an FYI... we bought those car seat bags for a recent trip.... and we needed two, as our Britax car seats barely fit in one (They were the sunshine kids bags)... and then on the way to the gate, one ripped, not being able to close anymore (It ripped at the zipper.) It was only then, that we discovered you could hold them by the 5point harness just as easily. Since we use them on the plane, we didnt need to worry about bagging them, however friends have taken the airline supplied bag, and done so right at the gate before heading on the plane.

 

[deva]

We check them with the luggage so we don't have to haul them through the airport. The airlines (both curbside check-in and inside check-in) have always placed them in a big clear plasitc bag for protection. We do still rent a Smart Cart to get them from the luggage return to the rental car.

 

[Fall1]

We did it in October and we are doing it again this year. We propped the car seats on top of the stroller bar while pushing DS and DD in the stroller through the airport. It worked great. Once we got to Orlando airport we got a cart and a helper to the rental counter!

 

[teacups]

buy a car seat bag......one of them will hold both plus extra items. It has built in straps that you carry like a purse or hang on the cart etc. I bought mine off of ebay for 15$ or so.

Google car seat luggage and you will see them. Mine is made by sunshine kids.

This is what we did, too.

 

[r&kmommy]

We went thru 2 different car seat bags before we found this one, and it's great!

http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Bauer-Car-Seat-Travel/dp/B00005YXVW

I know it's unavailable on Amazon, but maybe you can google. Anyway. We checked it (checked baggage - not gate checked) and it held SO MUCH stuff! My son's high back booster, my dd's infant bucket, and we also put our sweatshirts, a big pack of diapers and ds's pillow all fit in it!!

In all honesty, if your kids are in regular car seats (not boosters) then you should just use them on the plane. the kids will sit much better in their seats knowing that they can't get up - just like in the car. Dd is more than old/big enough to sit in just the plane seat, but we're going to bring her car seat on the plane (britax marathon).

You or your dh can go on first, let the other stay with the kids in the terminal, running around blowing off steam. You will be able to ask a flight attendant to help you get the seats into the plane/down the walkway to the door of the plane.

We rented a car once because we had a bunch of off-disney stuff we had to do that trip, and can't imagine going there with kids, without a rental, ever again!

 

[scarlet_ibis]

I would NEVER check my carseats. Never, ever. If my kids are small enough to need a carseat in a car, they also need them to be safe in an airplane. In turbulence, children who are not properly restrained become projectiles. On a lighter note, they are also much more comfortable in their own seats and, further, I am not willing to risk the seats getting damaged or lost by checking them.

That said, we take our carseats on planes all of the time. TO get them through the airport, we either loosen then top harness and wear them like backpacks or plop one of the carryon duffels onto an umbrella stroller and prop the carseat over it (upside down).

Oh, we have Britax marathons.

 

[adisneymama]

We did this too. We had two kids, a double stroller, 2 large suitcases, 2 carseats and 2 carryons plus we all had 1 "personal item". We did not need the cart thing etc. What I did was buy a set of luggage straps and strapped one car seat to each of the large suitcases. The carry on bags linked to the suitcases already. Kids sat in the stroller with their personal items and dh and I both had backpacks. I pushed the stroller and dh pulled the two suitcases with the carseats and carry ons. It worked great and was easy to remove when we got to the counter. We checked the luggage but carried the car seats to the gate and gate checked them with the stroller. We got a lot of compliments on our "ingenuity".

 

[snoopy5386]

FYI, it is NOT safe to carry a carseat by the harness straps, it causes stress on the straps that could cause them to fail in an accident. We have a carseat bag, we can fit DD's convertible (we have a scenera for traveling) in there and could easily fit a bucket seat as well. In your situation I would leave the infant bucket clicked into the stroller and either get a bag or a luggage cart to strap your son's seat to. Each of you wear a backpack, one pushes the stroller and one pulls the carseat. Get a porter to help you at the other end at baggage claim. Well worth the $5-10 bucks.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Thank you all for your ideas! We already have our own luggage cart thingie, I keep forgetting that. We're going to have two Britax Marathons with us. We have one car sear bag, that was a dream on the last trip, maybe we'll pick up another. Maybe a few more luggage straps, too, they always come in handy for some reason or another.


THANK YOU!

 

[jessica52877]

I have always put the carseats in the stroller and then the kids walk/or are carried. Much easier. Usually our carry ons and carseat can both be stacked on the stroller.

I also have the EB cover and it has held up great. I no longer need a stroller and had taken it with me the past few trips for just lugging the carseat but now I use the bag to lug it (or maybe even drag here and there).

 

[Mrs. Charming]

There's a small catch with the stroller, its a Mac Twin Techno... so, I can't put a carseat on it.

 

[E&K's Dad]

I am a big fan of leaving as much home as possible! Consider renting or purchasing a CARES system (http://www.kidsflysafe.com/) for your 3 year old and just carrying the seat for your infant. The CARES system is a harness which will fit into a small bag and is approved by the FAA for child safety. If you are a AAA member and rent from Hertz they will provide you one free car seat for the length of your rental.

 

[jessica52877]

There's a small catch with the stroller, its a Mac Twin Techno... so, I can't put a carseat on it.

Hmm, not very easily done then! I do use my Mac Quest but put it in crooked (recaro and nautilus seats), wrap the tether strap around the handle to keep them from falling out.

 

[Goofy_Dad_24]

I always just get a car seat from the rental car place. Sure they aren't as "pretty" as the one we have at home, but they are required to meet all of the same safety standards. Also, some people claim that they are really dirty, but we have not had a problem with them at all.

 

[adisneymama]

FYI, it is NOT safe to carry a carseat by the harness straps, it causes stress on the straps that could cause them to fail in an accident. We have a carseat bag, we can fit DD's convertible (we have a scenera for traveling) in there and could easily fit a bucket seat as well. In your situation I would leave the infant bucket clicked into the stroller and either get a bag or a luggage cart to strap your son's seat to. Each of you wear a backpack, one pushes the stroller and one pulls the carseat. Get a porter to help you at the other end at baggage claim. Well worth the $5-10 bucks.

I never said we put anything thru or carried the seats by the straps. The luggage straps simply rest on the outer shell of the car seat. Then when dh carried them to the gate they were just carried normally. The same as when you carry them from one car to the other...

 

[dis-happy]

I've only done this with one baby at a time so you'll have to see if it works with double seats/double stroller.

Carry 3 month old in sling through airport.
Place car seat on open stroller.

That way you are wheeling the stroller and car seats through the airport, carrying the baby, and having the 3 year old hold your hand. You could even bring a bungie cord to better keep the carseats with the stroller (I just kind of wedged my carseat in to the seat area of the stroller IYKWIM).