URGENT: Flying with car seat and stroller

[Anonymous]

I'm flying to Boston this weekend with 4-month-old DS and my mom in tow. I'll have to bring the car seat but it's a Chicco and doesn't fit any of the snap'n go contraptions. Which means, I'll have to bring the Chicco stroller as well. I will in all likelihood, have one checked bag. If I check/gate-check the stroller and car seat, would they count against my checked bag allowance? Also, can I check them as is? Will they show up beat up at the other end? We're flying US Air.

First time mom and first time traveler with baby. Please help!!!!

[Anonymous]

You might want to check the USairways website. With Delta, we checked the stroller and carseat at the gate and they were not counted against our checked bag allowance. They did not arrive to us beat up becasue someone hand carries the gate checked items to the plane and then hand carries them back up to the plane so they are available when you exit the plane.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PP. The US Air website doesn't have this info on it, and when I called them, they were exceedingly vague. I'll keep calling until I can get some baseline consistency.

[Anonymous]

If you gate-check the stroller and carseat, it shouldn't count against your luggage allowance - now that some airlines are charging for luggage I suppose that could change, but I strongly doubt it. You don't really need special bags for your gear, although some use them particularly with the convertible car seats , but be aware that you'll have to get the stroller and car seat down to the end of the ramp (just before you enter the plane) and fold it up, etc. on your own, which can be tricky if you've got a kid to handle as well. Most of the time, the gate attendant will give you the tags for these while you are waiting ... sometimes they won't do it until it's actually time to board, which only holds everyone up.

One last thing to be aware of -- if you're flying to Boston on the USAir shuttle, they typically don't let parents with small children board early. If you get a nice agent who's sympathetic, maybe, but it's not their standard procedure. It's actually less of a problem with a small baby, but when I was flying regularly to Boston with my toddler (who was a runner) to visit my dying mother, it made me crazy that they wouldn't allow this simple courtesy.

[Anonymous]

OP here, again. Thank you. If anyone has tips re going through security with all of this stuff, I'd appreciate those, too!

[Anonymous]

You should have no problems in security, esp. since your mom is with you. You need to put the stroller and car seat on the belt to be scanned. You can walk through security holding your child. That's it.

[Anonymous]

We took our 5 mo. DD (and mom in tow too) on a trip recently. We rolled right up to the gate with the stroller and left it right when you board the plane. The baggage crew usually put "slender" lightweight (relatively speaking" items on top of the all luggage and since it is the last item going on it doesn't get damaged (at least ours didn't).

We left DD in the carrier since she was asleep. We bought a seat for since it was a long flight and there was no way we could've held her the entire time.

You also may want to do a search on this topic since this has been addressed many times.

Happy travels.

[Anonymous]

I have flown many times on US Air with my infant son. The stroller and car seat did NOT count against checked luggage. If you are able to borrow a cover for the car seat, do it. One issue I have had in the past is if it is raining outside, the car seat comes back extremely wet. Also, if your stroller doesn't "snap" shut very well, consider getting a luggage strap to keep it secure. Finally, do not expect any help whatsoever at security. Luckily, you will have your mom with you. A few times, I was travelling solo with my son and it was extremely challenging to juggle him and put the stroller and car seat on the conveyor belt.

[Anonymous]

We went on USAIR with our then 7 month old-we got a seat for him so we rolled up to the plane and then left the snap and go (just leave your stroller-they will give you a tag for it-it will not count against you) and then we seatbelted his car seat to the plane seat-I can't remember if you said you got him/her a seat or not. IT wasn't bad-

[Anonymous]

I have not bought a seat for my DD for an upcoming Delta shuttle flight. A friend suggested I carry her in the Bjorn in order to better fold up stroller and put it on security belt. I am aware that I can't wear it for takeoff and landing. Anyone else recommend this strategy?

[Anonymous]

Make sure to get there well in advance so that you have plenty of time to go through security. If you tell the TSA screener that this is your first time traveling with your child, they will be sure to help. Just make sure that you are nice - they have a hard job.

Here is some info from TSA:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm#2

Take a close look at your diaper bag ahead of time. Make sure the stuff you need is at the top. If you can check your bag, it will be a lot easier. Pack as light as possible!

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thank you all. DS will be traveling as a "lap child" so I will need to deposit the car seat AND the stroller at the gate. Thanks to the PP about the rain tip. Also, following up on the Bjorn suggestion, does anyone know if you can go through security with your baby in a sling/Bjorn-type jobbie? I've run searches on DCUM to find other threads but at this point I am so freaked out I could use all the info I can get. Thank you all for your patience.

[Anonymous]

I've been able to go through security with the bjorn on, and other times have been asked to take it off. I think the secret is to go with the flow, and give yourself enough time so you don't get flustered. My best piece of advice...if you are planning to feed/nurse on take off and landing (which is recommended), DON'T START until you know the plane is actually going to take off. This might mean waiting till the plane is on the runway and next for takeoff. If you start too early, your little one might be finished before you actually hit the point of air pressure. Nursing is a little easier becuase they can continue to suck (lucky you ), but once a bottle is dry they have little interest. With airports as backed up as they are these days...planes are famous for pushing back from the gate on time (for their stats), only to sit on the runway for a while till its their turn. Tough weather only makes it more challenging.

Have a wonderful trip.

[Anonymous]

One more idea - I'm not sure which Chicco carseat you have? I have the Chicco Keyfit 30-lb carseat and I know it supposedly doesn't fit the Snap-n-go-type things, but mine DOES fit just fine into the 3-year old Kolcraft stroller frame a friend gave me. It may be worth seeing if anyone has an older frame kicking around you could borrow...

[Anonymous]

OP here: To the 14:19 PP, I have the Chicco 30lb Keyfit seat. I called Chicco and they said they hadn't tested it with any stroller frames and weren't going to say anything about it. I know Kolcraft has a "universal" frame and I wonder if that would work, although I have read that Chicco doesn't 'snap' into it. Ai yai yai!!