Checking a carseat on an airplane

[cookiemonster80]

I'm going to need to check our infant seat on a short flight in a couple of months. Is there some kind of bag that will help protect it? What have you used?

TIA

[candaceb]

JL Childress red gate check bag - about $14 on amazon or more at babies r us.

[rin]

A clear heavy-duty garbage bag. They usually have them at the airport, but if not you could bring your own. IME the JL Childress bags quickly get pretty torn up, so I've just started doing garbage bags and tossing them after a few flights.

[jjordan]

A bag won't actually protect your seat if the baggage handlers throw it around (as they often do). If you have its original box, pack it in that. Otherwise, gate checking is slightly better than checking with baggage. But the best option of all is to bring the seat on board with you, install it in the plane, and use it for your child. I understand that it can be cost-prohibitive to buy an extra seat for an infant, but if that is not an option, then most airlines will let you use your car seat even for a lap baby if there is room on the flight.

Another option to avoid checking your seat, if there is no extra room on the flight for your lap baby to have a seat, is to have a car seat waiting for you at your destination. If you're meeting someone at the airport, have them pick up an inexpensive seat (cosco scenera or evenflo tribute are good choices) and use that when you get there.

[amldaley]

I just got home yesterday from our first trip with the girls and I checked both a convertible seat and an infant seat with base.

I used the big blue bags from Walmart's laundry section (as recommended to me here). The were $5 each. The infant seat fit great but the convertible (Britax BLVD) was a stretch to say the least.

The bags took some beatings...black smudges and a couple of tears but the seats are perfect.

I also had to buy a clear plastic bag from Delta at the counter in order to check my stroller. It was $5.00 and I really wish my brother had not destroyed it getting the stroller out of it so I could have resused it. Quite a good deal.

[mackmama]

We have used the padded Childress bag and really like it.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/4698052?adid=22222222227001154795&wmlspartner=wlpa&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=13682761870&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem