Category: Car Seats

Flying With a 2 Year Old

9/12/2015

Flying is nothing new for our son.. He's been on five trips that required us to get on a plane and go! We have plenty of experience with a few different airlines. Our most recent flight was from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas (and back, of course!). We opted for JetBlue because of their family friendly reputation, past positive experience, and the option of a direct flight. We brought my mom along for the trip, so it was four of us traveling together. We used the Eddie Bauer XRS seat again. I love this for our travel purposes. It's lightweight and easy to install in any plane or rental car.

Almost ready to jet off to Vegas!

FLL -> LAS

Our flight was at dinner hour, around 6:30pm. We chose this so my husband could work a half day before leaving town. We were, after all, headed to his convention. Why else would we bring a 2.5 year old to Vegas?!? This flight went without a hitch. We boarded with family boarding time, which gave me a few extra minutes to install the car seat before the plane got crowded. The flight was uneventful. We chose to forward face our son for this leg because it was not a nap/sleep time. We had tons of snacks to keep him busy because JetBlue will give you as a many snacks as you want, the iPad, and the JetBlue tvs. Although at this hour, all that was on the kid channels was Sponge Bob. We opted to turn his TV off and let him watch Elmo & Curious George on the iPad. He got a little restless, so I let him get out of the seat and play on the floor for a few minutes when the fasten seat belt sign was off.

LAS -> FLL

This flight did not go as smoothly. We decided to take a red-eye home so we could get the most out of our last day in Vegas. That part worked perfectly. We tired our son out in the airport after eating a nice meal in one of the restaurants. He behaved fairly well. At one point I changed him in to his jammies so he would sleep on the ride home. Ha... ha... ha...

We boarded the plane. I installed his car seat rearfacing. That way it would be reclined and he could sleep for the ride home. Once the seat was properly secured and my son was comfortably inside, I noticed one flight attendant look down at his seat and run to the head FA. They both came over and told me that his seat could not face the back of the plane. I calmly corrected them and explained that FAA regulations allow car seats to rear face on airplanes. They argued with me and then had the gate agent board the plane and tell me that his seat had to forward face. I was trying to pull up the FAA regulations on my cell phone but then they threatened to call airport security on me and have me escorted off of the airplane if I did not turn him around immediately. Rather than spend an entire evening in an airport and have to arrange a new flight home I turned his seat forward.

He did not sleep more than 30 minutes. He cried. Disrupted people around us. Thankfully the lady in our row but across the aisle leaned forward and said "Mom, you're doing a good job. You're just looking out for your son's best interest. We've flown with our kids before, we know how it goes!" The guy in the row behind us, sitting with my mom offered to switch seats because the middle seat was empty. We appreciated the support of our "plane neighbors." Some people are not as understanding.

As soon as we got home I shot off an email to jetBlue corporate explaining the situation. I have attached an image of their email response. I knew I was right. Don't mess with a momma bear!

Next Flight

We are flying to California next month, again on Jet Blue. I plan to bring a pre printed copy of the FAA regulation as well as this email. JUST IN CASE I have another uninformed Flight Attendant.

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Flying Solo Part 2

3/28/2014

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Well, I am back! Thankfully in one piece. The first thing I have to say- traveling alone with a toddler is something that should only be done by the brave!!

Refresher- I flew direct to Dallas (DFW) from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) on a 6am flight on American Airlines on March 22rd. I flew home on March 26th in the afternoon/evening. We went to visit my dad who now lives in Arlington, Texas. A separate blog will be written about the places we visited while there is coming soon. I checked a mid-sized suit case and his Chicco Liteway Stroller at the desk. The stroller was free to check. So here is the run-down on traveling with a toddler.

*** Remember that you can click on any of the photos below to enlarge them.

American Airlines- Not friendly for a woman traveling with a toddler on her own. They do not allow for family pre-boarding. When I asked I was told "Do you see everyone here? They are all part of someone's family, so no- we don't let families pre-board." They do not help you with the items you need to carry. Thankfully I encountered 4 tremendously helpful men who offered to help me with the car seat on the plane. I'll explain more below when I talk about the Gogo Baby Travelmate. They give you an attitude when you ask for a seat belt extender. I had to wait until the pilot said "Cross check, flight attendants prepare for departure" on the second flight before she decided to bring it to me. They give you an attitude when you ask for water to put in a baby bottle. I was told that they are only supposed to provide drinks to paying customers. I then informed her that I paid for my son's seat on the plane.

Gogo Baby Travelmate- This device worked great for the purpose it is supposed to serve. With a couple practice rounds at home I perfected the install and breakdown of it to a matter of seconds. I did use the Britax seat because of it's ease of putting my son in and out of the seat. My son was very comfortable rolling around the airport in it. It made transporting him, the carseat, and personal belongings a cinch. I had to take my son out of the seat when going through security, but they allowed me to keep the Travelmate attached to the carseat and did a swipe and pat down of the seat rather than putting them through xray. I was able to use it all the way up until the cabin door of the plane where I quickly un-did the clip and removed it from the car seat. Here is where is gets tricky. I had to then carry the Travelmate, carseat, and my son down the aisle of a plane. I quickly found out that the aisle in airplanes are not wide enough for me to drag the seat. So the man behind me saw this and picked it up, hoisted it over his head and above the airplane seats. He brought it back to my row for me. Without his help I would not have made it to my seat. Car seats are very heavy, my son is 20 pounds, and well I only have two arms! When getting off the plane I also had help from another passenger. I was able to pop my son in the seat as soon we we got off the plane and on to the jetway. I quickly attached his seat to the Travelmate and we were off!

Fort Lauderdale to Dallas- Because this was a 6am flight my son was great. I had downloaded a couple of Fisher Price apps for the iPad incase he needed a distraction. He had no interest in them, but we didn't really need them after all. He fell asleep a couple minutes before we went down the runway. He woke up just as we were approaching DFW airport. He watched the landing out the window and was smiling as he saw what was going on. There was no turbulence. He was excellent on this flight! Connor was not thrilled that I attempted a selfie!

Dallas to Fort Lauderdale- My flight was originally supposed to leave at 1:45pm. It was delayed because the previous flight landed late. Then once we were loaded on the plane and the cabin door was closed, we were notified that the plane needed mechanical work. Oh Joy. The cargo door would not close. So a crew came out to fix it. We left and hour and a half late. The pilot made up some time and we laded only an hour late! This, however, was a recipe for disaster! My son screamed a majority of the time. He slept for about an hour, and that was it. Nothing would calm him down. No bottle, no iPad, nothing except for a napkin. So what did I do? I let him have it. He tore it to shreds and laughed the whole time. Notice in the photo below on the right, the pieces of napkin in his lap. It didn't help that the meany in front of my son reclined his seat and pushed the carseat in a very upright position, waking Connor up and causing his head to flop forward. I actually held my son's head so it wouldn't fall forward while a slept. The guy then continued to slam in to the seat, turn around to look at me and laugh. I finally said "If you stop purposely slamming in to the seat, my son just MIGHT stop crying."

Chicco Liteway Stroller- Last time we traveled we had brought along The First Years Ignite umbrella-style stroller. We have since upgraded to the Chicco Liteway. I wanted something that would recline being that we do travel more often than most families. It is a bit heavier than the Ignite. it does not have cup storage that is convenient, so I did buy a Diono caddy for it. The Chicco stroller feels more substantial and more luxurious than the Ignite. My son sat in the Liteway just fine when we were going around town. Below is a side by side of the Ignite and Liteway. Dimension wise, they are nearly the same. Liteway is heavier, but has a MUCH smoother ride and reclines. That was a major point for me to switch over.

The First Years Ignite

Chicco Liteway

I don't have future plans to fly with just my son again. Next time we're scheduled to fly is in October when we go to Boston. My husband will be with me and that will make it a hundred times easier! Having a second set of hands will lower my stress levels. Don't let my experience discourage you from flying with a little one though. Every baby is different and it IS doable. I survived and nothing was broken in the process!

Feel free to ask me any questions about the experience. I'm here to help.

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Flying Solo Part 1

3/10/2014

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In less than two weeks I will embark on my most daring adventure yet. I will be flying with just my toddler. Who, by the way, has been walking for over 2 months now! Matt is staying home because it's busy season for work. I am headed out to visit my dad out in Arlington, Texas. I'm pretty nervous about flying with my son without the help of my husband. I am not known as a light packer, but this time I have to be!

In preparation for this trip I invested in a new travel toy: GoGo Kidz Travelmate. This device attaches to your convertible car seat so you can easily roll your child through the airport. I spent some time today practicing the process of attaching the gadget to the car seat.

Why did I choose this?
I chose to buy this gadget because I purchased an airplane seat for Connor to ride in. Our last plane ride didn't go so well with him as a lap infant, screaming for 3 hours on the way home from Chicago. Plus it is significantly safer for a child to be strapped in to their own car seat on a plane ride. Being in his own seat will make him feel more comfortable and in a familiar place. Knowing that I have to lug his car seat on to the plane I needed something to make this easier on me. I decided that my plan was as follows:
1. Buy the Travelmate for the car seat.
2. Check the umbrella stroller with the suitcase at check in, versus using it in the airport.
3. Check one mid-sized suitcase rather than a large (for various reasons).
4. Bring a giant hiking backpack with my carry-ons and diaper changing accessories for the kid!

So I didn't see any other option for getting the car seat on the plane, as anyone with a baby or toddler knows, convertible seats are not light!

Here it is, without a car seat attached of course! A very simple device with a ratchet clip to ensure the seat is attached tight and secure. Below I will show you the photos of what I did. I tried it with both of our car seats. We have a Britax Marathon G70 and a Graco Size4Me 70. I love my Britax. It's easy to get my son in and out of the car quickly. I hate the Graco. We keep that one in my husband's car. The straps are a pain to tighten, my son seems to whine more in it, and I feel like it is "cheaper." That being said, the Britax is a much harder install in both cars and on the Travelmate. The Graco seat is easy to install quickly in a car and it was a breeze to attach to the Travelmate. So each has it's pros and cons. Yes, the Britax was well over $100 more, but in the long run I think it's worth it.

**Please don't take my car seat advice as an expert opinion. I did consult with a Certified Car Seat Tech when purchasing both of my seats. Every child/car combination is different.

My son, although he is over one year old, is still rear facing. He will continue to be rear facing in his car seat until he outgrows it's maximum limits. He's on the small side, so I am guessing that will be around 4 for him. When a child's car seat is rearfacing, it must be reclined fully based on the seat and it's directions for use. The photo below shows both seats reclined as they would be within our cars.

I had to put both seats in the fully upright position in order to attach the Travelmate. If you click on the photos, you can view the entire seat without parts being cropped off. Here are the seats fully upright.

As I explained before, the Britax is more difficult to work with when installing in both a car and on the Travelmate. It took me a couple of minutes to get the base of the seat to line up with the bottom lip of the Travelmate. I had a hard time getting the Travelmate strap to reach through the back bars of the seat and around to the other side. Once it reached, tightening it was no problem. However, the seat was slightly lopsided once installed. I could probably have avoided that had I worked slower, but I wanted to attempt to do it quickly because I will be attaching and detaching in the middle of an airport. The Graco installed on the Travelmate in less than 30 seconds! I'm not exaggerating. It was quick and painless, but as I said, I hate the actual seat for everyday use! Again, if you click on the individual photos you can view the full install.

Below is a photo of the ratchet clip for tightening and the box. When I return from my trip I will write a follow up to how this device worked in the real world and if I think it's wroth purchasing!

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Flying With a 2 Year Old

FLL -> LAS

LAS -> FLL

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Flying Solo Part 2

Flying Solo Part 1

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