two.sweetk
I'm going to be traveling with my 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son in three weeks. My husband cannot come. We are flying across the country to visit my brother and his wife and kids. I'm freaking out! I've been really busy up until now with other things, and now that I have time to focus on this trip I realize that this is going to be extremely difficult. =(
I'm not going to bring a carseat for my 4 year old because my brother's son just moved up to a booster and so they have a carseat in good condition that has not expired or anything. They are installing that for us, and their car is the only one we will drive around in, so we are all set. Unfortunately they do not have a seat for my baby, so I'm going to have to bring his. He is 18 months old and forward facing in a Britax Marathon. I'm planning on bringing our cheap umbrella stroller for my son to sit it. My daughter will walk. I will only have a large backback with all of our carry-on things in it, and I'll check
Our one suitcase with our clothes, shoes, etc in it. My questions (sorry that this is so long!) are: How am I supposed to get the carseat thru the airport?? What are good ways to entertain my kids on the flight? I'm so nervous. I have always had my husband to help me before this trip, and I don't know what I'm going to do!! I wish he could come! Please help!! Any advice would be great. :)
Answer
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three children. We usually fly between Europe and California about twice a year, plus other shorter flights. My husband can *never* come. Even when he does, he flies in later and leaves earlier.
We also always have a car seat with us.
There are several solutions.
One is to skip the umbrella stroller and see if you can wedge your Marathon into your more solid car seat. There is not advantage to taking an umbrella stroller since you have to gate check it anyway (never bring any stroller on board an aircraft, no place to stow and dangerous in overhead bins). Use a bungee cord to anchor it together. At the gate, bring the car seat on board and gate check the stroller.
You can also try bungee cording your Marathon to the back of the stroller, depending on the model. Works for some parents.
Another option is to either check or leave the stroller and strap your car seat either on to a GogoKidz (a product specific to getting car seats through air ports);
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
OR save $90 and do what I do with my Radian and strap it to a small all-metal luggage cart. I use an extra bungee cord. I skip the stroller and my child can actually ride in it.
There are some other products sold. These are just examples;
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/363756.html
Just go to a travel website or look on Amazon and check out all the travel options they have.
If you think you can't handle the Marathon, you can get a cheaper, lighter seat for travel. I used to use an old version of this seat;
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4083774
Sometimes it's on sale for as little as $40. It gets good reviews from car seat techs and you can then use it as a second seat.
For your 4 year old, this is a good product, although expensive;
http://kidsflysafe.com/
They are being rented on Ebay and Craigslist, as well as having good resale potiential.
Try to use the car seat on board. The marginal inconvenience of taking it to the gate is well offset but making life easier on board. Children are quieter and calmer in their familiar seats and technically, lap children are not safe in an emergency. It's so nice to have mine sleeping safely in their seats and I could get some rest too.
Car seats should never be checked in with luggage. They can easily be lost and/or broken en route. If you can't use it on board, it will then be gate-checked which is gentlier than checking it in at the desk. If you have booked a seat for your son, it's your legal right to use the Marathon on board.
If you haven't booked a seat for him, find out if there are any empty seats and ask if you can "block" a seat next to you. They often do this for families and only use the seat if absolutely necessary. Keep your seat till you get to the gate to find out if you can manage this.
Try to sit in the "bulkhead" seats. These are the ones with a wall in front, located in different places depending on the aircraft. With no one in front, it's easier with children.
I also recommend a really good baby carrier. No way can he go in one of those awful Bjorns but a sling, Becco, Ergo or wrap is fine for him. This really made transatlantic travel with three small closely spaced children much, much easier. I'm not sure how I would have managed without my sling. Magic for calming babies on board and saved my back!
For more information and tips, I wrote an entirely non-commercial article based on both my practical and personal experience. I go more into details on packing, security, etc.
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com...
My contact details are at the end if you have further questions.
Good luck and have a great flight!
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three children. We usually fly between Europe and California about twice a year, plus other shorter flights. My husband can *never* come. Even when he does, he flies in later and leaves earlier.
We also always have a car seat with us.
There are several solutions.
One is to skip the umbrella stroller and see if you can wedge your Marathon into your more solid car seat. There is not advantage to taking an umbrella stroller since you have to gate check it anyway (never bring any stroller on board an aircraft, no place to stow and dangerous in overhead bins). Use a bungee cord to anchor it together. At the gate, bring the car seat on board and gate check the stroller.
You can also try bungee cording your Marathon to the back of the stroller, depending on the model. Works for some parents.
Another option is to either check or leave the stroller and strap your car seat either on to a GogoKidz (a product specific to getting car seats through air ports);
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
OR save $90 and do what I do with my Radian and strap it to a small all-metal luggage cart. I use an extra bungee cord. I skip the stroller and my child can actually ride in it.
There are some other products sold. These are just examples;
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/363756.html
Just go to a travel website or look on Amazon and check out all the travel options they have.
If you think you can't handle the Marathon, you can get a cheaper, lighter seat for travel. I used to use an old version of this seat;
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4083774
Sometimes it's on sale for as little as $40. It gets good reviews from car seat techs and you can then use it as a second seat.
For your 4 year old, this is a good product, although expensive;
http://kidsflysafe.com/
They are being rented on Ebay and Craigslist, as well as having good resale potiential.
Try to use the car seat on board. The marginal inconvenience of taking it to the gate is well offset but making life easier on board. Children are quieter and calmer in their familiar seats and technically, lap children are not safe in an emergency. It's so nice to have mine sleeping safely in their seats and I could get some rest too.
Car seats should never be checked in with luggage. They can easily be lost and/or broken en route. If you can't use it on board, it will then be gate-checked which is gentlier than checking it in at the desk. If you have booked a seat for your son, it's your legal right to use the Marathon on board.
If you haven't booked a seat for him, find out if there are any empty seats and ask if you can "block" a seat next to you. They often do this for families and only use the seat if absolutely necessary. Keep your seat till you get to the gate to find out if you can manage this.
Try to sit in the "bulkhead" seats. These are the ones with a wall in front, located in different places depending on the aircraft. With no one in front, it's easier with children.
I also recommend a really good baby carrier. No way can he go in one of those awful Bjorns but a sling, Becco, Ergo or wrap is fine for him. This really made transatlantic travel with three small closely spaced children much, much easier. I'm not sure how I would have managed without my sling. Magic for calming babies on board and saved my back!
For more information and tips, I wrote an entirely non-commercial article based on both my practical and personal experience. I go more into details on packing, security, etc.
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com...
My contact details are at the end if you have further questions.
Good luck and have a great flight!
Have you traveled by plane with a baby before?
Riyen's
Just wondering your expierences, I will be taking my son to Morocco next week and he'll be sitting on my lap. It will be a 9 hour flight and i want to make him as comfortable as possible, any advice would be great. Also, do you know if I can bring snakcs on the plane for him?
Answer
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three children. In fact, two years ago we took them to Morocco and had a great time (I wish I could go back!)
You can bring snacks on the plane. It's not a problem with security. Usually, there are exemptions for children with liquids (and if worse, they'll simply take it away). As far as regulations entering Morocco, I would not bring any pork products into a Moslem country. You'll be informed if you can't take anything into Morocco. Anything not allowed can simply be left on board the aircraft when you leave.
Find out if your airline provides *wall mounted* bassinets. These are useful if you don't have a seat for your son. Not all airlines have them, or they have bassinets which simply are placed on the floor. These aren't nearly as useful!
I do really recommend bringing a car seat and using it onboard. This is safer than having the baby in your lap. Even with a bassinet, it has to be stowed for landing and take-off. Having the car seat is also more comfortable than the bassinet since it's familiar to the child and protects him from turbulence at all times (some airlines make you remove children from bassinets if you are going through rough air).
Make sure your car seat is approved for use on your airline. Search with the name of your airline, followed by "children" or "car seat" to get to the right page.
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three children. In fact, two years ago we took them to Morocco and had a great time (I wish I could go back!)
You can bring snacks on the plane. It's not a problem with security. Usually, there are exemptions for children with liquids (and if worse, they'll simply take it away). As far as regulations entering Morocco, I would not bring any pork products into a Moslem country. You'll be informed if you can't take anything into Morocco. Anything not allowed can simply be left on board the aircraft when you leave.
Find out if your airline provides *wall mounted* bassinets. These are useful if you don't have a seat for your son. Not all airlines have them, or they have bassinets which simply are placed on the floor. These aren't nearly as useful!
I do really recommend bringing a car seat and using it onboard. This is safer than having the baby in your lap. Even with a bassinet, it has to be stowed for landing and take-off. Having the car seat is also more comfortable than the bassinet since it's familiar to the child and protects him from turbulence at all times (some airlines make you remove children from bassinets if you are going through rough air).
Make sure your car seat is approved for use on your airline. Search with the name of your airline, followed by "children" or "car seat" to get to the right page.
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