Tips needed: Getting through the airport with kids and all the stuff???

[Mickey'n'Me]

If you need the car seat or booster seat because you are renting a car at your destination why not rent a car seat when you rent the car?? Most car rental places also rent car seats. I have a 4 year old daughter and I recently bought the new shoulder harness belt that works with the airplane seat and seatbelt to create a car seat type harness. I think the child can be as young a 1 year old. It is the size of a seatbelt and takes up very little room. You can order it at http://kidsflysafe.com We used it on our last trip and it worked GREAT!! Easy to use too. It freaks me out a little to not have a shoulder harness on my child in an airplane. No it is not required but it would not take a whole lot of turbulance to pull that child out of the lap belt. Just my 2 cents!!

 

[mom2meiko]

we are getting the CARES harness for the flight but we will be checking dd's carseat as well for getting to and from the airport on the home end as well as a side trip to sea world. we'll just stick the carseat in the closet or corner (dd likes to sit in it if it's up against a wall) when not in use.

we debated renting a carseat for the car service portions of the trip but honestly, i don't trust them to have safe carseats that have not been overused or in an accident. i'd rather deal with the hassle of bringing dd's carseat along than risk her safety by relying on someone else's judgment.

 

[Mickey'n'Me]

we are getting the CARES harness for the flight but we will be checking dd's carseat as well for getting to and from the airport on the home end as well as a side trip to sea world. we'll just stick the carseat in the closet or corner (dd likes to sit in it if it's up against a wall) when not in use.

we debated renting a carseat for the car service portions of the trip but honestly, i don't trust them to have safe carseats that have not been overused or in an accident. i'd rather deal with the hassle of bringing dd's carseat along than risk her safety by relying on someone else's judgment.

That is a good point about renting the car seat!! Well at least you don't have to haul that car seat throught the airport!! Have a GREAT trip!!

 

[BarbWB]

we debated renting a carseat for the car service portions of the trip but honestly, i don't trust them to have safe carseats that have not been overused or in an accident. i'd rather deal with the hassle of bringing dd's carseat along than risk her safety by relying on someone else's judgment.

Also, the rental car companies will not guarantee that they will have a carseat available for you. We always check ours. One time, coming home from Europe, they lost our booster seat. The airline checked to see if they had a loaner. They didn't, so they gave us a Visa gift card and we went to the nearest Walmart to buy one. Our seat showed up a few days later and we didn't have to repay them for the seat (I think they gave us $50, so it wasn't a lot).

 

[nonzerosum]

I haven't read all the posts, so excuse me if this has already been said. My biggest piece of advice is to try and relax. I say this because I'm high strung and the times when I've calmed myself have been MUCH smoother. On our last trip to WDW, I flew home with 2 kids (<2 and 4) as DH stayed behind for work. Also it was an international flight, therefore customs etc... I have to say it was very smoothly, but I did prep my 4 year old in advance. She knew that she needed to listen carefully, keep up, stay velcroed to me, put her own shoes in the bin etc... We talked about this well in advance and "practiced" playing passport control and security screening (I know, strange, but it worked). You kids are probably old enough to help out alot, and in ways that aren't normally expected in day to day life. My DH always bugs me that I pick a fight with him within a couple of hours of leaving for the airport. If I'm calm and relaxed, it all goes much better. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be great!

 

[erddig]

Make sure you bring lots of activities/games/coloring books, etc. to entertain the kids while you wait for the flight. I also try to make sure that I have at least one change of clothes per child with our carry on in case someone spills something or gets sick.

QUOTE]

don't forget a change of clothes for the grown-ups, kids don't often spill or get sick without Mommy being in the line of fire

 

[DWFan4Life]

Make sure you bring lots of activities/games/coloring books, etc. to entertain the kids while you wait for the flight. I also try to make sure that I have at least one change of clothes per child with our carry on in case someone spills something or gets sick.

QUOTE]

don't forget a change of clothes for the grown-ups, kids don't often spill or get sick without Mommy being in the line of fire

Yes, I agree. Bring something for them is a great idea, so that they won't get bored while waiting for the flight.

Have a safe trip.

 

[wdbean]

We just got back from our first airplane trip with our ds-4 and dd-almost 2. We used a double stroller and it was a life saver. My ds is still cooperative about sitting in it when we really need him to....through airport and up to security (i had their shoes off and in a carry-on, after security I put the kids back in stroller and left their shoes off until we got to the gate...one less thing to worry about); we had to fold up the stroller but it wasn't a big deal; I was able to carry dd and my ds walked ahead of me, dh behind us; my ds had a backpack with new surprise toys they hadn't seen and little candy treats (smarties, lollipops, fruit snacks); I also bought Disney stickers/notepads from the dollar store as a surprise; Leapster 2 was a huge distraction for ds with a new surprise game. We flew AirTran and they looked at both birth certificates-I don't know if I necessarily needed them but I wasn't taking any chances!!! One carry-on (dh) had a change of clothing/bathing suits/Pjs for all 4 of us/blankies/lovies for kids in case luggage got lost (we spent 4 days out of 7 in Dominican Republic without luggage after USAir lost our bags!!). My carry-on had snacks, DVD player and 2 movies (just in case), diapers/wipes, empty sippy cups (I bought drinks after security...my dd needs her milk!!) and a quick change of clothing for kids only. This fit over the handle of our stroller. My small backpack purse had travel documents, wallet, sunglasses, lip stuff.
My one mistake which wasn't that big of a deal was both of my kids and myself had zip-up hoodies on which we had to take off to go through security. Had I rememebered/realized, I would have had on crewneck pullover sweats so we could leave them on.
We left extra time so we weren't rushed in case of long check-in/security lines and it gave our kids a chance to move around before getting on the plane. Relax...once you are through security, it's a breeze!!

 

[Sillyminny40]

After many family holidays we have one rule: Pack then take half of the stuff out!
If you need diapers, formula etc, have most delivered to your resort, hotel or house. Well worth it.
try
gardengrocer.com
wegoshop.com

 

[lnh'smom]

Never flown before where we have needed to take a stroller and now we do.

Once we arrive at the gate, first priority is to get a gate check tag for the stroller.

What does that mean????

 

[IntercomGroupPage]

The CARES harness is the BEST thing we ever bought. No bulky carseat, sits in a small pocket on the carry-on... My 19 month old son sat nicely in it for most of the flight and he couldn't wander or slip out.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

What exactly is curb side check-in? We've never used it before but this time will have 3 big suitcases, a stroller and a car seat among other carry-ons, I'm willing to try anything that will minimize the struggle. Do they take your bags to your airline counter for you and then you meet them there? What is the standard tip per bag?

Curb side check-in is great. It's just like check-in, only right at the drop-off curb. They take your checked baggage, and you don't see it until your destination. They'll also give you your boarding pass so you completely skip the long line at the check-in counter and go right to the gate. Tips are usually $1-2 per bag. Some airlines now charge a couple of bucks per bag for the service. I don't know how much of that goes to the sky cap, so we still tip in addition. More expensive than it used to be, but worth it for the convenience (IMO), especially when you have lots of stuff, or kids with you. You still have to handle your own carry-ons, though.

Never flown before where we have needed to take a stroller and now we do.

Once we arrive at the gate, first priority is to get a gate check tag for the stroller.

What does that mean????

Gate check is often used for strollers, because you can use your stroller in the airport, rolling it right down the jetway to the door of the plane, then leave it there. Airline personnel will then take it and put it below with checked luggage, then take it back out again at your destination and have it at the arrival gate so you can roll your child to baggage claim.

Just tell the gate agent you want to gate check your stroller and they'll give you a tag to put on it so your stroller can be identified.

 

[lnh'smom]

Oh perfect! Thanks so much. I've often seen people using strollers in the airports but knew they wouldn't possibly fit in the overhead compartments!

 

[Erin1700]

We have flown many times with our children ages almost 2 and 8, and thought we prepared them for the airport. When DD now 8 was 2, she carried a stuffed minnie mouse with her everywhere and we didn't realize that she did not know Minnie had to go through xray. She flipped out when we put Minnie in the gray bin and she was headed down the conveyor! The airport people were GREAT and calmed her.
Then when her brother was 1o months we were going and she grabbed a bin and said "This is for the baby mom!" She thought he had to ride through there too!
Lesson learned....be very specific about what goes through xray and what does not!