I like your idea of bringing what you need with you, even the DVD.
It is a challenge on a flight to manage the bags as a solo adult but it is worth it to know you have what you need when your child needs it.
Traveling with a sturdy stroller, one that can help with lugging luggage is a blessing.
This next trip will be our first since he out grew the stoller, I miss it already. So far the key has been luggage with wheels and small ones that can stack on bigger pieces. The bags with a reinforced bottom and a full strap that I can put across my torso (leaving my hands free for little fingers) are a favorite.

As long as the carseat is airline approved, it can be used. My daughter had a Britax, I did lug it through all of those points - along with the stroller, diaper bag, snack sack...etc! It is a bit of a pain, especially if you are travelling alone!

I also travel with a portable DVD player and some full size head phone and a few of their favorite videos - awesome for short flights! ESPECIALLY if they are squirmers!!l

Good Luck
Lynne

mbright, that luggage allowance is going to become more and more valuable as prices increase. I've purchased seats for my daughter since she was six weeks old, and I'd never consider otherwise.

Now if I can just keep the person in front of me from reclining so far I can see where they part their hair....

I believe the regulations chanaged recently on many if not most airlines and you are required to buy a ticket.
the carseat still does not count toward the carry on minimum.

I flew to London England before our son was born the famly of three children opted not to buy a seat for their pre schooler. with no where to sit he stood behind me seat and kicked. and kicked. I felt sorry for the child. and I vowed I would not be that parent.

My child has a ticket. Besides then you can have 2 carry on bags for that ticket.

I purchased the CARES harness for this trip- it looked like such an amazing solution to lugging the car seat through the airport. We decided we'd try the CARES harness one way and if it didn't work, we'd use the car seat on the way home. Well, I hate to say it, but it just didn't work well for us. This could very well be because my daughter is still too young and too small. It's made for use with children 22- 40 pounds and she's just 26 pounds. She didn't sleep AT ALL on the flight in. In fact she was the screaming baby on the plane. We ended up using the car seat on the way home and after about a half hour of fussing, she slept the entire plane ride. Prior to this trip I was really dreading carrying the car seat through the airport but I learned that it is a necessity for us, at least while she's still so little and squirmy.

Thanks for your response. It's great to hear from someone who uses the gogo kidz that it works well. My husband and I spent a good 45 minutes agonizing over that as well as smaller car seats and umbrella strollers in Babies R Us on Sunday. We ended up getting nothing!

It's funny- I've traveled with toddlers a bunch- but it always stresses me out way more than it should.

Thanks everyone for your advice! :-)

Hi, I have traveled with my 2 1/2 year old and my 1 year old both with Britax carseats. When we went to CA this year from NC, I let my 21/2 year old sit like a big girl w/o the seat. But...we got a Gogo Kidz Travelmate. We put the carseat on there and wheeled her through the airport and then checked both at the gate. We also bought the cover and all we had to do was zip it up. It was GREAT! (We just kept the cover around the gogo kidz.) For the 1 year old...he was younger then...we used the seat on the plane. I just feel like the Britax is the safest carseat and wouldn't want my kids in any other seat. Hope this helps.

I have been traveling inter/nationally with my daughter since she was 18mo old, and as a result of the multitude of issues I encountered (a child terrified of walking through security, very active in her seat) actually started a business around the subject ( www.goodlittletraveler.com/TravelTips.html ). Her preschool taught me that when children understand what to expect and what is expected of them, they are always much better behaved. If parents are prepared, and don't miss the step of preparing their children as well, travel with little ones can - and should - be an absolute joy.

For safety's sake - get your child their own seat. (why? See www.jetwithkids.com/book_freeChapter.html) As to carseats - check them and get the CARES Harness. The harness is lightweight, easy to pack and FAA Approved.

I have been traveling with my son since he was 6 months old. He is now 3 and I now have a daughter who is 1. The most I've traveled was from New York to Florida and I have never brought my car seat on the airplane. It is not the law to have the car seat on the airplane and since i bring toys and games and the kids movies on the plane with us, they never jump out of the seat. They feel like their one of the big people in their seat belts. If you need to bring a car seat to the airport with you, as i do, you can check it when you check your bags. Most airlines don't count car seats as checked luggage because it is for the safety of the child when you get to your destination.

When we went on our trip just last week, I saw a mom with one of those kidz travelmate. It looked like it worked really well, she did not need to have a stroller with her in the airport. While I had to umbrella strollers hooked together plus my son's carseat. When you go through security you have to put everything through the x-ray thing. Including the stroller your kid(s) are in--they can not go through the metal dector in the stroller, or at least the airports I went through, they could not. So since you travel a lot, it might be a good investment..just from seeing it used. I did not use it myself, so I can't really say.

I was looking at the Kidz Travelmate and wondering if it worked well. We travel from SF to New York at least once a year and also to Mexico once a year, so if it works well, it might be a good investment.

I fly internationally with my two children (now 5 and 2 years) every 4 to 6 months. We started traveling back-and-forth before my youngest was born and my daughter was only 2-years-old. We take 2 flights, the shortest is 2 1/2 hours and the long flight is 9 hours.

When they are a very squirmy 18-months old, I would definitely recommend a car seat for the flight-part of the travel. They understand when you buckle them into that seat that they are going to stay there & must be strapped in for awhile because they're used to it in the car. We only ran into one instance where they told us our car seat was not airline standard, but let us on anyway.

On the other hand, if you are flying with someone who can share in the responsibility of entertaining your toddler, I would bypass the carseat and just realize that you're going to need to have extra patience, snacks and maybe a new toy. They are a HUGE pain to lug around the airport, take forever to get fitted into the plane seats just right, and it's just one more thing you have to carry. We did buy a gogo Kidz Travelmate which is basically like a dolly (you know - the kind with wheels for lifting boxes) that hooks onto your carseat and turns it into a stroller. But they are expensive and if you think you'll only use it once, it might not be worth it. And if you do go that route - practice attaching & detaching it before hand. You don't want to hold people up at the gate.

Good luck!

I've flown many times with my son who is now 6 months. We fly from Phoenix to Ft. LAuderdale often. It's a long flight!! I have to say that having an extra seat really helps when they are squirmy. I only brought the carseat on once and he wanted nothing to do with it. i think they do sell a special seatbelt for flights for children.
Good Luck!

I've been wanting to get an extra car seat for when my daughter goes with her grandparents or one of my sisters. This gives me even more of an excuse. Thanks for your input everybody. It was really helpful.

I just took a trip with my 3 year old and 18 month old. For my 18 month old we took a normal car seat that is rated safe for the plane (it should say some where on the seat and in the insruction manuel) they will check it at the airport. We happen to have two different carseats plus my 3 year olds booster seat. We took the smaller car seat, becuase the seats on the plane are only so big. I'm not sure if everyone would be comfortable with the big carseat. The car seat we took was not as wide as our bigger one that we use all the time in the car. So it was earier to carry and to get on the plane. I hope this was helpful!

Speaking as a mom who paid for a seat for a 10-week-old baby (short flight, cheap flight, hello luggage allowance!), I appreciate what you're doing. As the potential seatmate with you, I completely appreciate what you're doing!

My daughter's been flying since then, and we take her seat since we travel by car a lot (and while the car rental places have them, the daily rental fee is ridiculous). Some of her seats were airline rated, and those could go on the plane, and the times it was not, we checked the car seat and enjoyed the extra space.

The trick is will you need the car seat when you arrive where you're going or not and are you willing to either leave the cheap seat at the airport, or will you want to spend enough to have it as an extra for surprise occasions.

Our son has a booster toodler car seat which is very light and compact but I do not know if it is airplane rated. If it is I would go with that option. They are inexpensive and lightweight. I think Graco makes one so does Eddie Bauer.