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View Full Version : flying w/ 4 + 2 yr old / car seat ?



dbianca23
06-09-2008, 07:01 PM
do i still bring a carseat on the plane for my 4 yr old? i figured i would because i need to bring it anyways. i need to get 2 go go kidz for both of their marathons. can the seats be installed with the go go kidz attached to the car seat?

gatorsmom
06-11-2008, 12:14 AM
do i still bring a carseat on the plane for my 4 yr old? i figured i would because i need to bring it anyways.

Have you heard of this? http://www.elitecarseats.com/Safe-Traffic-Systems-Ride-Safer-Travel-Vest.pro

It's a vest that positions the seatbelts onto your toddler (or any child weighing more than 35lbs).

We have a 4 and 2yo and I HATE traveling with those dang Marathons. We have one for each of our kids. hate, hate, hate traveling with them. We just tried out this vest for traveling a month ago and LOVED IT. We stick it in the front zippered pocket (it's a big pocket) of our suitcase, check it, and when we landed we took the vest out of the suitcase just before we all got into the rental car, put it on him and strapped him right it. Absolutely wonderful invention. It was a CPS tech on this message board who recommended it. Thanks Bubbaray!!!!

JdrKuhnert
06-11-2008, 11:38 AM
I bought a gogo kidz for my 2 year old's car seat and hated it!. You have to take it off of the car seat before installing the seat on the plane. There's just not enough room to maneuver on the plane. I also did not like the angle that he was in while I pushed him around in it. I ended up sticking his car seat on the stroller and pushing that through the airport. I wish that I had saved the money and just purchased a luggage carrier to transport the car seat. I saw another person do just that in the airport and it seemed to work great.

If you don't want to bring both seats on the airplane, you could look into gate checking the seats. I bought a bag specifically for that purpose. It's a big red bag that says "gate check" on it and has a strap to carry. It folds up into a small pouch to stash away when not in use. I'm glad that I had this bag because it was stained with oil after one leg of our journey. Better the bag, than the car seat. I picked it up at target.com.

dbianca23
06-11-2008, 04:01 PM
oh man! i so thought the go go kidz would be easy to deal with. the vest thing -- i'll look closer at it, but my dd is only 30 lbs. one of the reasons why i like bringing the marathons on the plane is because they can comfortably sleep in them.

hillview
06-11-2008, 08:09 PM
I am a big fan of carseats in planes for a number of reasons. Mainly it keeps them in their seat and they can sleep in it. Good luck!
/hillary

mom2binsd
06-12-2008, 05:26 PM
If you read the specifics about the vest...it says it needs head rests in a car and I don't think that your child meets the criteria....personally I'd bring the Marathons...can you put one on a stroller with the child in it...my friend does this all the time..it fits great on her inexpensive Graco/very secure...maybe put the other seat in a wheeled bag..I use this method and it's easy and cheap....with two kids I say you want both in carseats on the plane...they're safe and confined and you'll have your seats at your destination...at the least..and if you're going to lug the seats to the gate you might as well bring them onboard...some nice person will hopefully help you out..I've always managed to get assistance..I would not check as luggage...with the huge numbers of overbooked flights, busy summer season...you just never know where your luggage will end up!

mom2binsd
06-12-2008, 05:27 PM
Maybe post this on the carseat board too! Lots of experienced travelers!

hlphillips2
07-03-2008, 02:07 PM
I personally love the go go kidz. We fly about three times a year with DD who is now 2.5 years. Only twice have I had a problem installing it on the plane and needed to detach the go go kidz. Both times the plane was very small (one seat, aisle, two seats). For me it's worth the slight hassle of having to take it apart on occasion as long as I can wheel DD through the airport quickly while making a connection. I also travel alone for at least one of those trips each year, so that probably makes a difference too. On the plane it does make the carseat stick out a bit, so now that DD's legs are longer she can kick the seat in front of her on most flights. But she was able to do that without the go go kidz too.

It does need to be disassembled for use in a car, but by the time I take it apart DH or whomever picks us up has loaded our bags.

One nice thing about it - they seem to hold their value a good bit. So if you don't like it you can resell on ebay or craigs list.

That vest looks really neat, but is it FAA approved? I flew next to a woman once who was using that other kind of safety vest for lap kids and was not allowed to use it during take off and landing - kind of defeats the purpose.