Travel to Ireland with 4 mo and 2 yo

[brigeet]

OK so we have to go to my brother-in-law's wedding which happens to be in Ireland. This will be in late July/early August. My husband and I are trying to figure out how we're going to navigate LAX, London Heathrow and Belfast airports with our 2 y.o. DS and 4.5 m.o. DD. I know it's been done before, so how do you do it?

The best I can think is (once luggage is checked) to use a compact double umbrella stroller to keep em both strapped in to get from here to there (I'm most worried about transferring planes at LHR, that airport is MASSIVE!). DH wears the Britax Blvd on his back while rolling the carry-on suitcase full of books, toys, snacks etc. I push the double stroller and carry our backpack which we use as a diaper bag. Check stroller at gate and take carseat (Britax Blvd) on for DS's seat on plane.
We'll have to rent a car and a carseat for DD when we get there.

Can I put a 4.5 m.o. in an umbrella stroller? I have a Sit-n-Stand BUT that thing is huge and heavy and it won't fit in our car along with our luggage. I thought a double umbrella stroller would fit in the backseat foot area since both our kids are in carseats.

What do you guys think? What works? What have you done? DS has been on an airplane a few times before and that was quite a production. Currently, whenever I see an airplane in the air my heart starts pounding thinking about getting to Ireland (not to mention staying at the in-laws tiny un-kid friendly house). I'll appreciate any feedback!

p.s. Door to door it should be over 20 hours of travel time! Yikes!!!

[LMPC]

I have traveled to Ireland many times, but never to Northern Ireland, so I don't know much about Belfast's airport. I have, however, traveled through LHR many many times...and each time I have left swearing I will never ever fly through that airport again. Check your arrival and departure gates -- fingers crossed they are in the same terminal. If not, things could get ugly as it is typical that you will have to transfer using a bus...this is where LHR becomes a royal PITA. The good thing is that LHR has lots of things to look at if you have a longish layover...it will keep the kids busy!

I don't know how big the stroller is when folded, but please keep in mind that the car you will be renting will probably be very small...could you do DS in a stroller and DD in a carrier?

You will have a great time once you are there! Take it slow and try not to get frustrated -- just my .02!

[SunshineWedding]

Have you thought about flying LAX, Dub and driving to Belfast? I'm sure Aer Lingus is probably pricier but it may be worth the expense. Good luck!

[tiapam]

Did you buy the tix yet? If not, any reason you can't make a domestic stop and fly directly to Belfast from the US?

Also, I think 4.5 months is a bit on the young side for an umbrella stroller, IIRC. You might want to ask in the Stroller forum, they really know their stuff. Also, will you have an infant seat for your DD and why wouldn't you just bring that rather than rent?

[LBW]

I've done trips to Ireland by myself with two small kids when I was 20 weeks pregnant, so I think you'll be fine. :) It was easier for me to use a single umbrella stroller and a baby carrier - in my case a Kozy mei tai. The carrier was super lightweight, kept the baby very secure, and allowed me to have my hands free. I had one carry on bag, my older son (4 y.o.) had a small backpack, and we had two carseats - one was strapped to my back and the other rode in the stroller. I'm tired just remembering that trip.

Honestly the hardest part was dealing with the lousy, mean Continental employees at Newark airport who wouldn't let me pre-board, and then also made me get in the *back* of the line when I lined up with the wrong rows (totally by accident). The airport employees in Ireland were lovely and offered up all kinds of assistance once they saw I was traveling with two little guys.

[nfowife]

I just returned from Ireland with my 2 and it was a great trip!! Anyhow, one thing I would consider is not bringing the britax and getting a scenara instead. It's only about $40 and so much lighter than the britax. It will be much easier to lug around. Also not sure what airline you are flying but it seems that most European airlines do not allow kids to be strapped into their carseats for take off or landing. Not sure why they have this dumb rule but there it is.

I would just bring a single stroller and a carrier for your youngest for the airports personally. I think your littlest might be too young for an umbrella and it would be too slouchy for her.

Good luck! It won't be as bad as you are thinking it will be!

[brigeet]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!

A couple of answers to your questions:

We used to fly from LAX direct to DUB and drive to Antrim but Aer Lingus discontinued that direct flight. This time we have to stay with the in-laws in the North and go to a wedding in Dublin during the middle of the visit, so we would rather fly into Belfast and only have to make that round trip drive once.

I was thinking that if we had a twin umbrella stroller, we'd get one that reclines bc of our 4.5 mo old. I don't know if that's best though, that's why I'm asking :)

We'll be going from terminal 1 to 3 which are connected by an underground walking conveyor belt. I'm so glad we don't have to deal with more than that! Phew! We're flying Virgin and BMI.

Thanks for the lighter carseat tip. And I didn't know we couldn't use one during takeoff or landing. Seems strange!

If anyone else has any tips, I'll take whatever you have!!!

[LMPC]

I would call/email Virgin and ask them about their carseat policy. American let me use mine for DD (at 14 mo) for an international flight. It might be nice to know the policy before you get there.

Have a great time!! And glad to hear that you don't have to get on one of those horrid LHR buses!!! :)

[vonfirmath]

When we were kids, my parents had us in umbrella strollers from birth, bsaically. So yes, if you had to, a 4.5 mo old could go in an umbrella. I'd be prepared to keep a close eye on them.

[longtallsally05]

My husband and I are trying to figure out how we're going to navigate LAX, London Heathrow and Belfast airports with our 2 y.o. DS and 4.5 m.o. DD. I know it's been done before, so how do you do it?

The best I can think is (once luggage is checked) to use a compact double umbrella stroller to keep em both strapped in to get from here to there (I'm most worried about transferring planes at LHR, that airport is MASSIVE!). DH wears the Britax Blvd on his back while rolling the carry-on suitcase full of books, toys, snacks etc. I push the double stroller and carry our backpack which we use as a diaper bag. Check stroller at gate and take carseat (Britax Blvd) on for DS's seat on plane.
We'll have to rent a car and a carseat for DD when we get there.

Can I put a 4.5 m.o. in an umbrella stroller? I have a Sit-n-Stand BUT that thing is huge and heavy and it won't fit in our car along with our luggage. I thought a double umbrella stroller would fit in the backseat foot area since both our kids are in carseats.

What do you guys think? What works? What have you done? DS has been on an airplane a few times before and that was quite a production. Currently, whenever I see an airplane in the air my heart starts pounding thinking about getting to Ireland (not to mention staying at the in-laws tiny un-kid friendly house). I'll appreciate any feedback!

p.s. Door to door it should be over 20 hours of travel time! Yikes!!!

You can do it! I've travelled internationally solo with DD multiple times, and have also taken a Japan & Korea trip (involving airplanes, trains, buses, streetcars, taxis, elevators and escalators) with DH, our 3 yo, and our 3 mo. FWIW, here are my suggestions based on my own experience taking 20+ hr trips with kids:

Don't lap-sit, get your DD her own seat. Believe me, it will be worth the $$$. I wouldn't rent a car seat; you never know what you are going to get re: cleanliness, age of the seat, appropriate fit for your child etc.

Forget about taking the Boulevard; get a Cosco Scenera instead! Sceneras are only about $40 at Wal-Mart, and are SO worth the $. Even if you have a go-go kidz contraption (the ggk attaches to the Blvd so you can wheel it around), the Blvd is a BEAR to travel with; it's way too heavy and large. After one trip with our Blvd, I ditched it (left it in storage) in favor of a Scenera, which I bungee corded to the back of an umbrella stroller. Much easier to deal with a Scenera than a Blvd while travelling b/c the Scenera is so lightweight you can lift it easily with one hand, plus you can plop it on top of a luggage cart and it stays there instead of crashing to the ground (as the big, heavy, $$$ Blvd would do). Use a single umbrella stroller that you can steer one-handed for your DS.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and get a Maclaren Easy Traveller stroller frame (approx. $100) and just snap your DD's infant seat into it. Your DD is too young for an umbrella stroller; she'd be slumped over and you'd both feel terrible about it. The Easy Traveller has a one-hand fold/unfold process that you can do in seconds. No, I'm not kidding. You don't even need to bend over to fold/unfold it, you just hold onto the carrying strap, push the lever with your foot & voila! The Easy Traveller only weighs 11 lbs, folds very compactly, it has a large basket and it steers easily with one hand (YAY!).

I'm know we weren't supposed to pile a bunch of stuff onto the Easy Traveller, but we used ours to schlep ALL of the following items: the infant seat (with DS in it), two rolling carry-ons, two small backpacks (older child's carry-ons), a laptop, the diaper bag (attached to the handles), a folded up umbrella stroller for DD, plus drinks and snacks. We had so much stuff on that stroller frame (carefully arranged, of course) that you could barely see the baby (we have photos to prove it)! I pushed the Easy Traveller with one hand and pulled a rolling suitcase behind me. DD walked beside me, holding onto the frame (she was three), and DH dealt with our other luggage. Just so you know, we aren't completely crazy. The only reason we travelled with so much stuff because we were moving and DH needed all his professional gear and clothing so he could start working immediately upon arrival @ our destination. We lived for two months in hotels having only what we carried with us.

Your DS is too young to be counted on to walk, so one of you will have to push him in an umbrella stroller w/ car seat bungeed to the back of it. If you get a stroller you can push one-handed, then you and your DH can check two rolling bags (he handles one and pushes DS, you handle the other and push DD). Gate check your umbrella stroller & the Easy Traveller; attach the bungee cords to make sure the stroller & Easy Traveller stay folded up which I believe helps prevent damage. Your DS is old enough to handle his own rolling mini backpack as carry-on for his special toys, blanket/lovey etc. Take backpacks as your carry-ons (LL Bean Turbo Packs work well for us b/c they have drop-bottoms perfect for holding emergency diapers, wipes, and clothes). Don't go without bringing twice as many diapers & wipes as you think you will need (you never know) and you absolutely must have a complete change of clothes for both kids (two for the baby) plus undies, socks and fresh tee shirts for you & your DH (in case somebody hurls or gets peed on). Skip Hop makes great diaper bags that have convertible straps you can attach to stroller handles. Just FYI, the iPod video is much smaller and easier to deal with than a portable DVD player. Fold up a sling and put it in your diaper bag so you can wear your DD as an alternative to the infant seat/stroller frame set-up. You might consider skipping a carseat for your DS altogether and using a CARES harness for him on the plane, but only if you have somebody coming to pick you up @ the airport with a car seat already installed.

I hope I've given you some food for thought. Best wishes for a smooth trip and a great visit!

[brigeet]

Thanks, longtallsally! That is so much thoughtful information. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. We're on a tight budget because my dh was laid off work so we can't buy much, but the #1 thing seems to be to get a cheaper, light-weight carseat for ds. I'm going to share what you wrote with dh and reevaluate our game plan :).

[Sophie1&2]

I have the Costco Scenara carseat and also agree that it is the lightweight go-to travel stroller.

We have recently been traveling with the CARES harnesses instead. Since we have twins, they are too pricey to buy, but you can rent them for $13 each for about 10 days. (You can rent them on EBAY). The rentals are in great shape and come with a little travel bag and DVD instruction/and card and are easy to use. I HIGHLY reccommend these, it is a harness, so extremely easy to travel with. You could use this for your 2 YO and then you would only have to carry one car seat.

We have used these 2X and two BIG thumbs up on the rental process and use!!! (BTW- I know that they are approved for use with British carriers as well as that was our last trip and checked before we left).

[Sophie1&2]

Oops! Scenara= lightweight car seat, not stroller!!!