We're planing on flying from Louisiana to California in August to take our lo to spend time with my family. She'll turn 8 months during our trip. I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to deal with her car seat.
Rent one with a car. Check it or gate check it? If we're checking it, since it's an infant car seat, do you check the seat and base attached together? Or buy a convert able car seat before the trip so it's only one piece? Basically what have or would you do?
pomegranate / 3045 posts
Following, since we were just asking ourselves this same question!
honeydew / 7463 posts
I can't comment on the base - I have a car seat that doesn't require a base which is amazing for travel!
BUT what I have found to be best for us is to use a snap-n-go through the airport with our car seat. You could potentially put the base in the storage underneath or just regular check it for free.
-Snap-n-go is small and light so not cumbersome to put through security and cheap so not worried about it getting beat up
-eliminated the need to also bring a stroller
-At 8 months LO may be heavy so it's nice to push them through the airport until the plane
-easy to gate check the carsest and snap-n-go at the airplane. When we got close to boarding I just put my son in the bjorn and pushed the empty car seat and SNG to the plane. Then they took the carsest and also collapsed the SNG for me. Get it when you get off the plane, push it empty with baby in bjorn until you're in the airport, then switch baby to car seat/snap-n-go combo. Then they're all strapped in and ready to go when you get to the car!
I travel by myself usually so the above is what I found to be easiest (through much trial and error) when I'm alone. I have a heifer baby so it would break my back to wear him the whole trip (yes, I tried).
Now that he's just about outgrown the infant seat, I'm going to start traveling with the umbrella stroller and rent a carsest with the rental car. But I can't speak to how easy that is since I haven't done it yet!
grapefruit / 4120 posts
All the infant seats I have seen do not require a base when secured with the seat belt. So I'd check on that. Otherwise I would bring it along. On the off chance there's an extra seat on the plane, you can even use it!
apricot / 309 posts
I'm going to follow this as well! We haven't done this yet (baby isn't even born yet) but intend to make almost the same trip at almost the same age. My thought at this point is to buy an inexpensive convertible car seat for travel and gate check it. We have a nice infant car seat, and I don't want to risk having the airline damage it, and I've read some bad things about renting a car seat (they may have prior damage, they aren't always clean, they can be very expensive, they can't guarantee that one will be available when you get there, etc.).
persimmon / 1050 posts
We are on our first trip with our 6 month old right now. We bought him a seat on the plane (highly recommend so we didn't have to try & hold him while he slept) & brought his infant seat minus the base, along with his B-Agile stroller. We just use the seatbelt in the car to secure it. He's about to outgrow the infant seat, so for our next trip, we'll bring his convertible seat that is kind of lightweight for all future plane trips.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
We brought our own without the base-(you can still attach it with seatbelt) and put it in a car seat bag. We checked it for free. Here is an example of a bag although ours was given to us used from a friend.
http://www.amazon.com/Childress-Gate-Check-Bag-Seats/dp/B000RRD7UG/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1433684393&sr=1-1&keywords=Car+seat+bag
nectarine / 2210 posts
@MrsBananaGrabber: I could see that. I know how grody ours is after being pooped on and vomited on so I can only imagine what a rented one would be like. I originally wanted to rent one but this gross factor is why I'm now rethinking it.
pear / 1547 posts
We are leaving on our first trip (of 3 in the next 3 months!) from east to west coast with our 8 mo old and this is our plan. She's actually in a convertible in our car right now because she's too heavy to lug in her infant seat but still fits. We got a car seat bag that rolls and carries like a backpack (this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006P05S2Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) and are going to gate check it because I'm paranoid about what happens to checked luggage. We're then going to bring her infant seat and base (just way easier install with the base, and the seatbelt install without the base goes across the foot part of the seat belt and I know LO will futz with it the entire time and make me nervous about it getting loose) and put it in the bag and gate check it. We'll install it in our rental car once we get there. Hopefully the fancy bag will make hauling it (DH's job!) easier and worth it. We're not bringing a stroller, will be babywearing, and don't even own a snap n go or else that seems like a good idea too.
ETA: She might out grow her infant seat by our 3rd trip so then we'll just buy a super cheap convertible, one of the Cosco ones, to use as a travel seat. Not hauling around our Clek!
eggplant / 11716 posts
I flew a few times with LO when she was in an infant seat. I have a britax B ready stroller so i took that frame and the base, and gate checked it all after taking LO through the airport with it. I just stuffed everything down in the cheap orange gate check bags from Amazon.
Later on i did the seat without the base .
persimmon / 1363 posts
@Miss Ariel: I rent them everywhere - they're super cheap and in much nicer shape than my own carseats.
grapefruit / 4903 posts
I've flown a lot by myself with my kids, and I always bring a car seat. I wear a kid in my Beco, carry a diaper bag, and wheel the seat behind me. For the bucket seat (a Chicco Keyfit and sometimes it's base depending on the trip) I use the JL Childress Wheelie Car Seat Travel Bag. You could bring it on board or gate check. I use a Go Go Babyz Travelmate for our convertible seat (Clek Foonf).
I personally don't feel comfortable checking car seats or renting them. You won't use the base to install an infant seat on the plane, if that helps.
pomegranate / 3375 posts
From a safety standpoint, rented car seats are not recommended. You never know the history (has it ever been involved in a crash? Have the straps been washed improperly? Is it clean? Are you going to be able to install it yourself/know how to install properly? etc.)
We did the lap baby thing twice when my LO was under a year. We bought her a seat when she was 11 months, and it was a game changer. If you have that option, I'd suggest it (but I know financially, it's not always possible).
When she sat on our laps, we checked the seat + the base. We bought an airplane bag (bright red, huge bag that everything fits into). Easy peasy.
I would not buy a convertible for this purpose, as you have no idea what's happening to the seat once it's out of your site. I'd feel more comfortable handing my infant seat over, knowing that I didn't have many more months of use from it.
kiwi / 635 posts
Convertible car seats are much less portable than infant ones - so much easier with infant seat! We used snap and go stroller and gate checked stroller/car seat if needed. If you don't buy a seat on the plane but the flight isn't full you can also being the car seat on and it generally will not fit in the airplane seat with the base (make sure you know how to install without the base!). Keeping the baby in the infant car seat on the plan is truly the easiest and safest option, but if that isn't possible definitely snap and go plus infant seat is next easiest.
eggplant / 11824 posts
I've rented car seats multiple times from National only, and all have been pristine looking. None of them have been sketchy at all, and you can find how to install them on YouTube or other sites
We've also checked seats with no issue, and gate checked with no issue ( except that you have to lug the seat through the airport if you gate check it). I would bring the infant bucket with no base; much easier to travel with than a convertible. We never brought the seat on the plane as 1) I wasn't paying for a 3rd ticket until I had to, and 2) no way in hell my LO would sit in her car seat for the plane ride.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I would probably buy a convertible car seat and have it shipped to my destination and leave it there. This assumes that someone would pick you up in their car, so if this is not an option, then ignore me!
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I just travel with the bucket seat. Not base, and use the seat belt installation. Worked out great. I also gate checked it in a travel bag.
cherry / 181 posts
I'm not saying I did it the "correct" way (not even sure what the "correct" way is), but it's the way that seemed easiest to me. We don't use a stroller and only use the carseat in the car. When my LO was 2 months we traveled across country. We checked the entire infant carseat--base and all--in one piece. The airline had a plastic bag they put over it. We checked it at the same place I checked my luggage. I went through security, etc. with him in my Beco carrier.
nectarine / 2210 posts
@renee: at this point I think that's what we're leaning towards doing. That way were not lugging the car seat through the airport. Hopefully it all works out!
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@Miss Ariel: We only flew with her infant seat once but we checked both the carrier and base (they were connected and we put them in a car seat travel bag). We checked it with our luggage and I wore LO through the airport. It worked out well!
pomelo / 5621 posts
@Miss Ariel: When I've traveled with the car seat I've checked it. Much easier than lugging it through the airport. I didn't have a bag and the airline put it in a plastic bag. One time at about 3 months I wore him but every other time I've used the umbrella stroller, I find that easier.
persimmon / 1345 posts
we traveled at 7 months for the first time and rented a car seat from Enterprise. It wasn't too gross but it wasn't pristine. but they gave us a convertible car seat (she was in an infant seat at the time) and just installed it backwards (husband took forever bc he wasn't used to a convertible seat and it didn't come with a manual). She fell asleep fine and it served its purpose but was a little pricey at like $9 a day.
For our next trip a month later, we just bought an extra convertible seat to use as a travel one and checked it with our luggage (put a plastic bag over it). We used that extra seat in my parents car and get a lot of use out of it bc my mom watches her once a week. Every time we travel, we used it and it has been cheaper than renting one (plus def cleaner and def easier to install)
I ended up buying a cheap carseat bag for it last year instead of using a paper bag 
pomegranate / 3393 posts
I think gate checking works best-when my son was small we could use the carseat/stroller combo right up until the flight, then check them as we were boarding.
bananas / 9229 posts
Trying to figure out the same thing! We'll be traveling when LO is 3 1/2 months and trying to avoid bringing too much. I think we might do car seat and maybe try and avoid base, if that's even an option? Then the stroller that the car seat can clip into?
watermelon / 14467 posts
@LindsayInNY: You can do a baseless install of the carseat. I've done it a few times and it's not very difficult.
bananas / 9229 posts
@avivoca: I think that's what we're hoping to do. That way we only have to travel with the car seat and stroller with attachment (and travel crib, etc...)
cherry / 233 posts
We bought an inexpensive convertible seat just for travel. We checked that and wore the baby in the airport (no stroller). Since our travel seat is cheap and only used occasionally I don't worry quite as much about it getting damaged in transit like I would with a more expensive seat we use every day.
clementine / 806 posts
We traveled at 3, 5, and 8 months with this method:
Wear baby in the ergo through the airport. Bring infant seat and snap and go, use as a make-shift luggage cart for carry-ons and then gate check the SNG. Either buy baby a seat and bring the infant seat on (not the base), or ask at the gate if they have an empty seat for baby to use instead of flying in our lap. We have traveled base-free and just buckled his seat in when we weren't doing much driving, and we brought the base (carry on so it doesn't get damaged!) once for a trip that required more driving. Bringing the base was a bit of a pain en-route, but made all of our driving much easier.
He will be 11 months for our next trip, and we plan to bring an umbrella stroller and convertible seat with us. Our convertible is big and bulky, so Car Seats For The Littles recommended the Cosco Scenera NEXT as a good, cheap travel seat: http://www.walmart.com/ip/41126745?reviews_limit=9&
cherry / 107 posts
so we will be having this issue when LO is 11 months old for our first trip. We are going on a cruise where you can rent a stroller, so I'm thinking I will still need the car seat to get to and from the airports and to the boat, and possible excursions...ughhhh....any thoughts on bringing the convertible seat on a cruise?
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