Gadgets for traveling with car seat

[niccig]

I know that the Gogo Kidz with have a universal model out soon, but I've also seen these 2 straps that attach a car seat to a rolling carry bag.

http://www.toteatot.com/

http://www.travelingtoddler.com/

Has anyone used them? Can you leave DC in the seat without it tipping? - I'm thinking when you're at the gate and they've fallen asleep. Can you do that with the Gogo Kidz? I'm also concerned about the carry bag tipping if you take a corner too sharp/fast - mmm maybe you just have to go slower if you're pulling the kid.

These straps could be useful to just carry the carseat. I'm thinking when DH is with me and DS is in the stroller, save trying to bungee the carseat to the stroller.

For most of our travel, we'll gatecheck the stroller, but for our yearly trek to Australia, we can't do that. We take our Mountain Buggy, which is too big for QANTAS, Air NZ gatecheck. Either the gogokidz or this would be perfect for getting DS through the airport and hopefully somewhere to sleep for the long layovers.

Nicci

[momtoB]

I've seen a couple of good reviews of the traveling toddler but no personal experience to endorse it with. I've never seen the toteatot, but it looks very similar.

This is another option:
"My Car seat/Luggage Roller combo - photos"
http://bbs.babycenter.com/board/baby/babysafety/9421/thread/2913982?i=0#go

[gcampbell72]

We used the Traveling Toddler on our last trip and we found it very very useful. Here are my rather long-winded thoughts.....

We used it with a Cosco Regal Ride seat and overall it worked really well. We were traveling with our 2.5 year old and 7 week old with a stroller and 2 carseats. I would say that the Traveling Toddler really saved us!

Once attached to the bag, I felt that the carseat was very secure. One thing that is a bit inconvenient is that you need to push down on the luggage handle in order to counter the weight of the carseat/child. I wished our luggage handle was just a bit longer as I felt like I ended up having to bend down a bit to do this (I'm 5'8"). I really don't think it could tip to the side when turning corners - although you really can't pull it super-fast anyway since you are pushing down on the handle. It's not that hard to maneuver - I pulled my toddler while pushing my stroller with my other hand.

It did not tip over when I stopped and let go of the handle. However our seat was very upright when attached so I'm not sure if it would be super comfy for sleeping. I remember thinking that the Regal Ride was the ideal height for this strap because it was almost the same height as the bag. A carseat that was taller would likely not work as well because the top strap connects to the tether strap on the carseat. I'm not sure if that makes sense....

Overall, we found the Traveling Toddler to be a huge help. It was so convenient to strap the seat on to the luggage and pull through the airport. Once we got to the door of the plane, we simply unhooked the strap and slipped it into the small zippered "ticket" compartment on our bag.

I think one of the biggest factors to consider in deciding on this versus another products is whether you want to - or are willing to - have a carry-on piece of luggage with you. We usually don't have a rolling carry-on since we travel with a backpack, DVD player, cooler bag, etc... When we used the Traveling Toddler, we opted to fill the carry-on suitcase with all of our smaller carryon bags and then just pulled out what we needed at the gate or when we got to our seats.

We purchased our strap from Traveling with Kidz and I highly recommend them. The strap was shipped a bit late and they sent a second one via priority overnight mail to us to make sure we had it for our trip.

Cathy

[niccig]

Cathy, thanks for the review of the travelling toddler strap. I talked to DH about it, and he reminded me that we couldn't take our carry on roller bag on the QANTAS domestic flight as it was too big. It was fine for the international leg, but not the domestic. We would have to carry the car seat from the transfer area in the international terminal to the domestic terminal - not fun. So, the gogo Kidz is probably our best option.

I'm sure the travelling toddler will work for other people so I'm glad you posted the review.

Nicci

[cbm]

Nicci, just wanted to say the gogo kidz will make your life at the airport much easier. I bought it last year before going to Europe and it really took a lot of pressure off me. I used it with the Britax Boulevard. DS was intrigued by the orange tires :-).

Claudia
DS 12/18/04

[niccig]

Yeah, I think it will make travel easier for us. I'm going to wait until they bring out their new model. I want it to work with our Touriva - it's our travel seat - and the BV for when he's out of the Touriva. I'm hoping the new model works with all car seats as it implies rather than the current situation where there's one for the MA/RA, and one for the BV/WZ etc. I'll have to wait and see.

[emschwar]

bump! Any other opinions? We're travelling by train in august, just me and DS, which means I'll need to get him and the car seat and the luggage through the station. We're not bringing the stroller, so I've got to strap him in somehow! :)

I love the idea of the gogokidz, but not the price.

The suitcase things are intruiging, but how much weight can they carry? And is too much weight going to hurt my suitcase? (A gogokidz is cheaper than a new suitcase :) )

[luluc]

Thanks for your review of the Travelling Toddler. We are flying to NY in August w/ our 3 year old and 15 month old and I'm trying to decide between this and the gogoz. What do you do at security? Do you have to take the seat off of the carry on suitcase to get it through the conveyor? Obviously you need to take the child out. Atlanta airport security is always rude with us when we need them to make exceptions so I am a little warry of these contraptions.

[gcampbell72]

Can you carry your DS in a sling or backpack? If so, for train travel, I would just bring a rolling suitcase and use bungees to strap the carseat upside down on it. On Amtrak, someone should be able to help you get your suitcase on to the train and on local trains you should be able to just roll the suitcase/carseat combo aboard.

Good luck!

[emschwar]

I have a mei tai for him, but haven't used it since he started walking (at 19 months). I'm not sure if he'd tolerate it now.

We will be able to check the luggage, it's just getting to the baggage counter that will be tough. We may take Metro down to the train station, so I need some way to contain him for a while.

[emschwar]

We ended up flying for our trip in August, and I got the toteatot for it.

I wasn't too impressed. It worked great - it was easy enough to get the thing on the suitcase and to attach the car seat. A little tough to get the straps tight, but not a huge PITA. Security was fun, since I had to take the seat off the suitcase and put them both through separately. Fortunately the TSA guys amused Noah while I got the seat back on the suitcase.

We had one tip - I was pulling the suitcase/seat at an angle down a ramped pathway and it tipped over. I was freaked, Noah was fine. Picked everything back up and we got back on our merry way - no tears at all.

The suitcase was actually pretty handy. Allowed me to take all our carry on stuff in one bag, rather than the usual diaper bag + another bag for entertainment. I just left Noah in the car seat while we waited for boarding - he had the dvd player and was happy as a clam.

We flew southwest and the flight attendant didn't think the suitcase + car seat would fit down the aisle. So I took the seat off the suitcase (with Noah still in it!) and the (super nice!) flight attendant (a guy) carried the seat and Noah to our seat and put it in the seat so I could buckle it in. That was a breeze. He did the same when we left the plane too (we were the last ones off - I purposely waited so I could get his help).

The only thing I didn't like about the toteatot is that it was made very flimsily. One trip (one way!) and it was falling apart. The straps were still intact, so it could still hold the seat on, no problems, but the little fabric "backpack" thing had big holes in it from dragging while I pulled the suitcase. I emailed them and they refunded my money but said they were working on an improved version, so maybe it's better now.

The other downside was that you have to take the seat off to open the suitcase. So if you need to get something from the suitcase, it's a bit of a pain. The pockets on the toteatot were very handy for that reason; too bad they fell apart.

To me, the gogokidz still seems like the best option, I just don't like the price tag!

[debsten]

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that I have the GoGoKidz and also do the Qantas Australia trip at least once a year. It was a life saver last year, and in the 747 it fits fine (I had it with the Britax Advantage which is the same size as the Roundabout) down the aisle, my son was asleep when we landed and I just un strapped it and lifted it with him in it into the aisle and wheeled him out of the plane.

HTH
Debbie

[niccig]

Thanks for your review. I think I'll get a gogo kidz. I don't like the price either, but I think travel with a child is definitely one of those times when it's worth it to pay for convenience. I'll find something else to cut back on.
Nicci