travel with toddler - question about pack n play, car seat/stroller - southwest
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Anonymous
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We have an under 2 yr old and this is our first time on the plane. I have been reading about this and called southwest and got two different answers. Will have DH call tomorrow. Also wanted to know how other seasoned travelers do it.
DH and I will be allowed 2 bags each checked in. Would the car seat and stroller have to be gate-checked so as to not incur additional baggage fees? We plan on taking our city gt stroller on the plane with us and just purchased a bag to protect it. I wanted to get a cheaper light weight stroller to prevent damage but DH thinks it's OK. Thoughts? Also did you carry the car seat to the gate or check it in? The hotel has a pack and play but our kiddo a super light sleeper has never slept in one. We were planning on getting a pack and play mattress at Walmart. Any other suggestions? Also we are dismantling and packing our high chair. Any suggestions for a travel friendly high chair and bath-tub? TIA |
Anonymous
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"Car seats fly free! In addition to your first two checked bags under 50 pounds flying free, families can check a car seat and a stroller free of charge."
https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/index-pol.html (it's hard to find. In the left sidebar.) If you bought a seat for your child, bring your car seat to the gate and install the seat on the plane. If you didn't, you should read up on checking car seats. Some folks prefer not to. I have. If you by chance have the original packaging, that's a very safe way to transport it. If the hotel supplies a pack n play, they will also supply the mattress (and sheets). For the high chair, you can buy clip-on portable ones (http://www.target.com/p/chicco-caddy-hook-on-baby-highchair/-/A-10019678?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=10019678&CPNG=Baby&kpid=10019678&LID=9pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10019678&kpid=10019678&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwaqkBRDHx6rzxMqAobgBEiQAxJazJ8CpgNEwLRy8k9fcqEK-kug4XXxTHJ1s-hPcnD0PbjAaAn448P8HAQ) -- but where do you plan to use it? IMO, lots and lots of restaurants will supply them, and if they don't, it's a reasonably decent signal they don't want kids. It's a big item to carry with you. We've traveled a ton and never never used one of these. You do not need a travel bath tub. Fill the hotel tub with a couple of inches of water and wash your kid in it. Or else use the bathroom sink. |
Anonymous
| Car seat and stroller are free and not included. We have brought a big jogger twice without issue. We send it in a duffle bag. I would use the car seat on the plane or gate check. Pnp will probably count as a bag. My son sleeps in a crib or pnp at home but often refused and slept with us traveling. He never has slept with us at home. Forget the high chair. |
Anonymous
| Forget the high chair and bath tub! You don't need those. |
Anonymous
| Oh my god you do not need to pack a bath tub. |
Anonymous
| Thanks, that is all helpful. as it turns out we just booked an apartment so will have to carry the pack and play instead of one piece of luggage. Will have to buy the pnp mattress at the destination, I looked into rental and it would be cheaper or same price to buy. |
Anonymous
Thank you. |
Anonymous
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We brought the pack n play ONCE. What a waste of space! DD would not stay asleep in it.
We ended up cosleeping during trips from that point on. SO much easier, and didn't through DD off her regular routine as much as the PnP did (or DS, later on). We've travelled about 10 times via plane (four times internationally) with the kids as babies. The less stuff you bring, the better, frankly. You can improvise along the way, trust me, OP. There is very little gear you actually NEED to parent an under-2! |
Anonymous
| Thank you. We just don't want to go to bed at 6:30pm and have a light sleeper. I would love to not take the pnp and then worry about getting a mattress there. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
Btw, the pack n play comes with a mattress |
Anonymous
Car seat and stroller don't count against luggage whether you check them or not. Don't worry about your stroller getting damaged - should be fine, esp if you have a bag for it. Not familiar with that stroller model, but if it's not light I recommend getting a lightweight maclaren umbrella stroller for travel. much easier to deal with than a big stroller. If you bought DC a seat, bring the car seat on the plane. If not, check it. (If it gets lost, airline will provider a loaner until they find yours. But ours has only been lost once after many trips.) Either way, I recommend getting a "car seat backpack" to carry it around. You don't need to get the mattress - the hotel pack n play will have one. You may want to get your own sheet for it if the hotel is iffy quality, but not really needed. Don't bring high chair or bath tub. Restaurants have high chairs. If you really need one in the hotel room, you can buy one of those fisher price folding booster chairs that you tie to a regular chair and you can stuff that in the car seat backpack in the open part of the car seat. |
Anonymous
| People travel with bath tubs? |
Anonymous
| The Bjorn pack and play is amazing - very small and light. Not cheap, but worth it for us. |
Anonymous
| Will you be in a major/minor city? What about checking Craigslist and buying a used pack n play there? You're already buying the mattress at your destination ... The $25 or so might be worth the non hassle of dragging it along. |