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(My question is probably not what you're thinking LOL!)

 

In a couple weeks I'll be flying to attend my high school reunion. I'm taking my will-be 11mo. I'll have her stroller and car seat that I'll use to push through the airport, and I'll check those at the gate. I will also have a suitcase for the 2 of us and her pack & play that I will check as baggage (yay Southwest!).

 

I've got all the logistics figured out EXCEPT how to get from my vehicle to the baggage check-in (and when I come home, from baggage pick-up to my vehicle). My stroller and suitcase have wheels, but the pack & play does not.

 

My flight leaves at 6 am, so I'll have to be there at some crazy hour to check-in. Consequently I need to figure this out on my own so my husband doesn't have to bring me (I don't want to ask him since I'm pushing my luck going in the first place....).

 

Suggestions on how I might be able to do this?:confused:

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Is your stroller set up so that you could put it on top of the cover?

 

Can you bungee it to the top of your suitcase?

 

When I flew with dd we left her pack and play at home. Once my mom borrowed one from someone and once in a hotel we made a makeshift sleep area in the "closet section using a suitcase as the door.

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Most hotels/motels have pack-n-plays or cribs you can borrow for free. I've done it a number of times.

 

If you feel you have to bring your pack-n-play, I would load IT on the stroller and carry the 11 month old in a baby carrier (Ergo, Mei Tei, etc.). Rearrange once you have the PNP checked in.

 

Third option - buy a luggage rack/carrier (brain is fried so I can't think of the name right now) and strap the PNP to that with bungee cords. Wheel the luggage thingy.

 

Fourth option - strap the PNP to your luggage. Wheel carefully.

 

I've tried everything but the fourth option. Never had to do that, but it is a possibility if you can work out the physics.

 

Good luck! BTDT, know how you feel. :)

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I had a dedicated airport-travelling stroller, the kind with actual ... well, not sure how to describe but the handles weren't a single bar, they were like rams horns. Separate from one another. This allowed me to extend the rollerboard handle and loop it onto the stroller, so that the stroller was draggin the rollerboard. Mine was sturdier than a standard, inexpensive umbrella stroller but way smaller than the American standard huge buggies.

 

From car to security I balanced the carseat on the top of the rollerboard. It worked fine if I took curbs carefully and kept the contraption at an angle (hello, gravity!) rather than straight up. If you think it'll help, use a bungee cord to attach the carseat to the rollerboard. I had a Britax which I placed upside down, partially atop the rollerboard and partially resting on it's front side. If I had been using an infant carseat, I'd have just slipped the locked handle over the rollerboard handle.

 

Either way it means walking slightly aside center of the stroller, but at least everything's secured LOL. Baby is in stroller, which is pulling the suitcase, which is securing the carseat. All that is left is the pack and play, right? My pack-n-play had a long strap akin to golf bags that could be slung over one shoulder. Have it standing up resting against your car, and once the baby, suitcase, and carseat are in position simply bend down to swing the pack and play over your shoulder. Walk carefully to terminal :lol:.

 

Honestly, though, if I weren't an airline employee who was accustomed to the hassle, I'd have ponied up the few bucks to use the skycaps. You can drive right up to the curb, check your pack-n-play and suitcase, then circle back around to park. It'd be worth the $2-5 and extra 15 minutes LOL. All you'd have to worry about is getting the carseat and stroller to the gate, which is easy.

 

Then at return, I'd go get my car from long-term parking without even bothering to stop by baggage claim. I'd circle back around to the one-hour parking, park, and run in for my bags. Baby can be held or worn for this part. Just go go the baggage counter and they'll have your bags pulled to the side, ready to go for you. Again, easy to roll out the suitcase and pack and play since your carseat and stroller will already be in the car.

 

Have a great time at your reunion!

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This will likely be the least creative suggestion you'll receive, and it may be cost prohibitive, but perhaps check to see how much it would cost to ship the pack & play. Sometimes we'll ship things ahead to our destination and then ship them back prior to our return. As I said, it's not exactly creative. :D

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I had a dedicated airport-travelling stroller, the kind with actual ... well, not sure how to describe but the handles weren't a single bar, they were like rams horns. Separate from one another. This allowed me to extend the rollerboard handle and loop it onto the stroller, so that the stroller was draggin the rollerboard. Mine was sturdier than a standard, inexpensive umbrella stroller but way smaller than the American standard huge buggies.

 

From car to security I balanced the carseat on the top of the rollerboard. It worked fine if I took curbs carefully and kept the contraption at an angle (hello, gravity!) rather than straight up. If you think it'll help, use a bungee cord to attach the carseat to the rollerboard. I had a Britax which I placed upside down, partially atop the rollerboard and partially resting on it's front side. If I had been using an infant carseat, I'd have just slipped the locked handle over the rollerboard handle.

 

Either way it means walking slightly aside center of the stroller, but at least everything's secured LOL. Baby is in stroller, which is pulling the suitcase, which is securing the carseat. All that is left is the pack and play, right? My pack-n-play had a long strap akin to golf bags that could be slung over one shoulder. Have it standing up resting against your car, and once the baby, suitcase, and carseat are in position simply bend down to swing the pack and play over your shoulder. Walk carefully to terminal :lol:.

 

Honestly, though, if I weren't an airline employee who was accustomed to the hassle, I'd have ponied up the few bucks to use the skycaps. You can drive right up to the curb, check your pack-n-play and suitcase, then circle back around to park. It'd be worth the $2-5 and extra 15 minutes LOL. All you'd have to worry about is getting the carseat and stroller to the gate, which is easy.

 

Then at return, I'd go get my car from long-term parking without even bothering to stop by baggage claim. I'd circle back around to the one-hour parking, park, and run in for my bags. Baby can be held or worn for this part. Just go go the baggage counter and they'll have your bags pulled to the side, ready to go for you. Again, easy to roll out the suitcase and pack and play since your carseat and stroller will already be in the car.

 

Have a great time at your reunion!

Wow, great ideas!!!!! I'll play around with my stroller and see if I can hook my suitcase onto the handles - hadn't thought of that! But I like your sky cap idea too!

 

Either take a simple umbrella stroller which you can gate check - or a backpack carried to have the baby on your back (that's what I preferred when flying with little ones.)
I will have to have a carseat on the other end. I'm allowed 2 bags, which are my suitcase and pack & play, so I will have to bring the stroller the car seat goes into, to check at the gate.
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I would definitely wear the baby! I don't know why, but my sister refused to swhen she flew here. I know she had a sling, b/c I gave it to her! And then she whined the whole time she was here about how tough it was to travel alone with a baby.

 

(Not that it isn't tough - it is- but she juat made it tougher, lol.)

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I would definitely lose the stroller. Wear baby, on your back if possible. Borrow a PnP at your destination (or have baby sleep with you). Attach your car seat to your luggage and pull it behind you (assuming you're using a convertible, not an infant seat with a base). We did a trip with two 15mo and a 2.5yo with two suitcases, 3 carseats, and no strollers once. That's how we did it. Borrowed PnPs, wore kids, and attached cars seats to suitcases. I can probably link a pic. Here: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/10218_1228990848656_1047680_n.jpg

 

My engineer husband rigged up this sort of thing for our suitcases, out of some webbing he had in the garage but really, it's a cheap purchase or an easy rig. http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347212882&sr=8-2&keywords=car+seat+stroller

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Forget the pack n play, baby sleeps with you at your destination? This is what we have done if hotels don't have one, or if we can't borrow one.
At night that's what will happen since that's what we do normally (as much as I hate it:glare: ). But naps and stuff will be tricky. It's a slightly possible option though.

 

I would definitely wear the baby! I don't know why, but my sister refused to swhen she flew here. I know she had a sling, b/c I gave it to her! And then she whined the whole time she was here about how tough it was to travel alone with a baby.

 

(Not that it isn't tough - it is- but she juat made it tougher, lol.)

Transporting the baby isn't so much the issue as much as transporting the pack & play and the car seat.

 

I would definitely lose the stroller. Wear baby, on your back if possible. Borrow a PnP at your destination (or have baby sleep with you). Attach your car seat to your luggage and pull it behind you (assuming you're using a convertible, not an infant seat with a base). We did a trip with two 15mo and a 2.5yo with two suitcases, 3 carseats, and no strollers once. That's how we did it. Borrowed PnPs, wore kids, and attached cars seats to suitcases. I can probably link a pic. Here: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/10218_1228990848656_1047680_n.jpg

 

My engineer husband rigged up this sort of thing for our suitcases, out of some webbing he had in the garage but really, it's a cheap purchase or an easy rig. http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347212882&sr=8-2&keywords=car+seat+stroller

Oh, so you're saying to check the car seat as baggage? It's an infant seat.

 

Don't most airports have luggage carts in the parking lots? That would be my first choice. Wear baby and put everything on the cart.
That was my first question for my hubby, and he doesn't think there are. I don't remember seeing any either, but I've never been paying attention or LOOKING for one either.
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Last time I flew, I checked the carseat at the curb, along with a suitcase. I wore DS in an asian style baby carrier. I own neither stroller nor pack and play, but if I did I'd have curb checked the pack and play and gate checked the stroller.

 

For your described situation, I'd check prices for an airport shuttle/taxi from home. It may be cheaper than parking at the airport.

 

Oh, and food DS could eat was counted as "me.dically necessary liquid."

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Can you ship the pack and play by UPS ahead of time? And then ship it back?

 

Some airports, especially larger ones, have trollies or some sort of transportation to and from parking lots. If you get a nice driver, they might help you load and unload. Do you know anyone that flies out of your home airport that could tell you?

 

My next idea is to find a good friend that is willing to take you to the airport in the middle of the night and then to pick you up when ever you return. They could drop you off closer to the counters and help you get inside, at least to check in.

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Last time I flew, I checked the carseat at the curb, along with a suitcase. I wore DS in an asian style baby carrier. I own neither stroller nor pack and play, but if I did I'd have curb checked the pack and play and gate checked the stroller.

 

For your described situation, I'd check prices for an airport shuttle/taxi from home. It may be cheaper than parking at the airport.

 

Oh, and food DS could eat was counted as "me.dically necessary liquid."

Yes, I've already looked up the regulations regarding frozen breastmilk and the ice packs to keep it cold, and I'll be printing off the pages from the TSA website to show any potentially ignorant TSA person.:glare: (I have to bring it with me because my mom will be babysitting my dd during my reunion.)

 

Getting to or through the airport isn't a problem...getting from the vehicle to the check-in desk (and from baggage claim to the vehicle) is the problem. Basically I need 3 arms.:lol:

 

Some airports, especially larger ones, have trollies or some sort of transportation to and from parking lots. If you get a nice driver, they might help you load and unload. Do you know anyone that flies out of your home airport that could tell you?

My husband does, and he says he doesn't think there is anything. I've flown out of there several times, and I've picked him up a few times, and I've never noticed anything either.

 

My next idea is to find a good friend that is willing to take you to the airport in the middle of the night and then to pick you up when ever you return. They could drop you off closer to the counters and help you get inside, at least to check in.
That's a possibility...of course then that would bring up, "Why can't your husband help you?":tongue_smilie:
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Yes, I've already looked up the regulations regarding frozen breastmilk and the ice packs to keep it cold, and I'll be printing off the pages from the TSA website to show any potentially ignorant TSA person.:glare: (I have to bring it with me because my mom will be babysitting my dd during my reunion.)

 

Getting to or through the airport isn't a problem...getting from the vehicle to the check-in desk (and from baggage claim to the vehicle) is the problem. Basically I need 3 arms.:lol:

 

My husband does, and he says he doesn't think there is anything. I've flown out of there several times, and I've picked him up a few times, and I've never noticed anything either.

 

That's a possibility...of course then that would bring up, "Why can't your husband help you?":tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

?????????? *confused* I'll leave it at that.

Edited by Gao Meixue
"don't start no stuff, won't be no stuff"
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I would find a way to leave the p&p home. I've flown with all three of mine as infants and have never brought a P&P. You can rent one if it's a big city, or borrow one (friends with babies, friends who used to have babies, friends who have grandbabies - IME about half the population has one kicking around in their attic) or buy one. They're pretty much everywhere and pretty cheap used. Even new they're not that pricey, and you can sell it when you're done to make back some of the purchase price.

 

Definitely wear baby in the airport, and if you leave the p&p home, the stroller can hold everything else so you just have to push it and walk. Or pull your big suitcase behind while pushing the stroller (a bit more awkward, but it's usually not too far). Once you check your bag, you'll just have a stroller. Security will be a PITA, but you should be able to put all your stuff through the x-ray while baby is on your back, then take baby through for the metal detector, then put baby back on so you can put your stuff back together. This is easier to me than having baby in the stroller, when you have to take the baby out and hold him/her while you detach the carseat, and put that on the belt, fold up the stroller, get that up on the belt, then get the stroller set up again on the other side one-handed.

 

If you bring a backpack as your carryon, you can put your baby in the stroller and the carryon on your back if the baby needs a change of scenery.

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I've got all the logistics figured out EXCEPT how to get from my vehicle to the baggage check-in (and when I come home, from baggage pick-up to my vehicle). My stroller and suitcase have wheels, but the pack & play does not.

 

And balance the pack-and-play on the stroller? I've done similar in airports in the past.

 

Laura

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If you don't want to use a skycap, then I'd go with the "wear the baby, use a cart" option.

 

Most airports I've been to, DO have luggage carts/returns in the parking garage. Admittedly, though, I usually fly out of major airports.

 

If you get there and yours doesn't have them in the parking garage, could you park, wear the baby in, grab a cart, and then take it out to the car to load everything up?

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(My question is probably not what you're thinking LOL!)

 

In a couple weeks I'll be flying to attend my high school reunion. I'm taking my will-be 11mo. I'll have her stroller and car seat that I'll use to push through the airport, and I'll check those at the gate. I will also have a suitcase for the 2 of us and her pack & play that I will check as baggage (yay Southwest!).

 

I've got all the logistics figured out EXCEPT how to get from my vehicle to the baggage check-in (and when I come home, from baggage pick-up to my vehicle). My stroller and suitcase have wheels, but the pack & play does not.

 

My flight leaves at 6 am, so I'll have to be there at some crazy hour to check-in. Consequently I need to figure this out on my own so my husband doesn't have to bring me (I don't want to ask him since I'm pushing my luck going in the first place....).

 

Suggestions on how I might be able to do this?:confused:

 

You're checking the suitcase, yes? And the pack-and play?

 

Do you have a carry-on bag? You should carry on diapers, food for you and baby, entertainment for you and baby. Be prepared for delays/diversions of various kinds.

 

Why aren't you using the car seat on the plane? It's safest for the baby and usually more comfortable too. If you didn't buy baby a seat, sometimes there is a seat available. Let the gate folks know you'd like one if there is one. Be prepared either way.

 

This is a car seat that fits into a stroller base, yes?

 

I would probably strap the P&P to the suitcase. Use bungie cords, or sew a strap to the P&P bag that will go over the handle of the suitcase. Push the stroller with baby in it. Put carryon in stroller or on stroller handles. OR I would wear baby, carry the carry-on as a backpack, pull suitcase, put P&P in stroller.

 

Better would be to find someone to drop you at the airport, so you can do curbside check-in. How far is the airport? Can you take a taxi? How much will it cost you to have the car in long-term parking?

 

HEY WAIT - if you're parking in long-term parking, won't there be a bus to take you from there to curbside checkin? Then you just have to get from your car to the bus.

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We've traveled a lot and it sounds like you're taking way too much stuff for (I'm assuming) is a few days. If it was a few weeks it would make sense but for less than a week here's what I would do: leave the playpen at home and let the baby sleep next to you or in a borrowed crib, pare down what you're taking to fit in a small carryon rolling suitcase, use a light tote as a purse/diaper bag (make sure it can sit on top of the suitcase while it's being pulled), carry the baby in a packable carrier (like a mei tai), forget about the stroller, ask whomever will be picking you up at the airport to get an inexpensive car seat at target or ship a spare carseat ahead.

 

After having suitcases lost, strollers broken, and car seats cracked (even when gate checked) this is what I would do. The last thing you want is to have to lug a broken stroller around along with a playpen. Airlines will reimburse you for things they break but it's a huge hassle and they pay very little. We had a month old $200 stroller broken when gate checked and after over an hour in line and filling out a bunch of forms they mailed us a $35 check weeks later. Oh, bring way more diapers than you think you will need - two days of sleeping on the floor of the detroit airport with a baby and no access to our checked bags proved that to me!

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I will have to have a carseat on the other end. I'm allowed 2 bags, which are my suitcase and pack & play, so I will have to bring the stroller the car seat goes into, to check at the gate.

 

My airline doesn't count carseats or strollers towards the baggage allowance, so in your situation ... at my airline ... you'd be allowed to check EVERYTHING at the ticket counter or skycap, without penalty for going over the limit. I think this is industry standard; it's worth a call to your airline to see.

 

Now, there's debate about checking carseats at the counter (versus the gate) but IME it's a crapshoot either way. The biggest concern people have is the seat being thrown by baggage handlers as they load it onto the cart then again onto the plane. It's a valid concern. The belief is that it could compromise the integrity of the carseat, whether noticeably OR unnoticeably. IME, though, a carseat checked at the gate has a similar likelihood of being so compromised. At my airline, a gate-checked carseat at our hub airports is going to be tossed down a chute (as opposed to a counter-checked carseat that rides down the conveyer). Each is then as likely as the other to be tossed onto the cart/loader, then put into the belly.

 

I usually suggest to gate-check it if possible, so there's a chance of bringing it onboard should the flight have empty seats. But I've traveled many times with five kids close in age and only myself, so there are times it's just easiest for EVERYONE that I check it at the counter/curb. Which I'm embarassed to say that I only learned the hard way LOL.

 

If you wear the baby, be prepared to remove her at security. People always seemed surprised when they're asked to do this.

 

Not sure which airport you're using, but it's hit or miss as far as TSA. Don't engage, just calmly ask for a supervisor if they hassle you about the milk. You know you're right, they just may not be aware (that you can bring throug milk). From speaking to them, the rules change so much they're hard to keep up with. And it's a thankless job so some just always feel on the defensive, without intending to come across that way. Easy to see how and why ...!

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Call the airport and see if they have a curbside check-in. Most do, usually in the location where the taxis drop of passengers. Last time I used one there was no fee, although tips were expected.
Yes, ours does.:001_smile:

 

She has a 15, 14 and 12 year old.... they can't hold down the fort for a bit while dad brings his wife to the airport???

 

I was watching my 2 younger sisters starting when I was in 3rd grade!

Mine can TOTALLY hold down the fort, especially when everyone is sleeping. But suffice to say, my husband will not be willing to take me to the airport at oh-dark-thirty so I can go to this. I'm stunned he's even letting me go. He's even talking about it (usually he's in denial whenever I've done something like this) and asked me if I could get together with his parents so they can see the baby. I figure I need to not rock the boat by asking him to take me to the airport too.;)

 

Those luggage carts have a baby seat in them. You could put all of your luggage on the cart and your daughter can go in the seat and then you can push everything.
Finding the cart is the issue.;)

 

I would find a way to leave the p&p home. I've flown with all three of mine as infants and have never brought a P&P. You can rent one if it's a big city, or borrow one (friends with babies, friends who used to have babies, friends who have grandbabies - IME about half the population has one kicking around in their attic) or buy one. They're pretty much everywhere and pretty cheap used. Even new they're not that pricey, and you can sell it when you're done to make back some of the purchase price.
I've asked my mom to see if some of her friends might have one; she's checking around.

 

If you don't want to use a skycap, then I'd go with the "wear the baby, use a cart" option.

 

Most airports I've been to, DO have luggage carts/returns in the parking garage. Admittedly, though, I usually fly out of major airports.

 

If you get there and yours doesn't have them in the parking garage, could you park, wear the baby in, grab a cart, and then take it out to the car to load everything up?

Ours is a major airport - it's actually a hub. But I've never seen a cart LOL. Running in and back out is definitely an option - one I hadn't considered!

 

Why aren't you using the car seat on the plane? It's safest for the baby and usually more comfortable too. If you didn't buy baby a seat, sometimes there is a seat available. Let the gate folks know you'd like one if there is one. Be prepared either way.
I'm fully intending to use the car seat if there is one available. That is why I'm gate-checking it. If the flight is full I'll check it. If it is not I will try to get an empty seat next to me to put her car seat in.

 

Better would be to find someone to drop you at the airport, so you can do curbside check-in. How far is the airport? Can you take a taxi? How much will it cost you to have the car in long-term parking?

 

HEY WAIT - if you're parking in long-term parking, won't there be a bus to take you from there to curbside checkin? Then you just have to get from your car to the bus.

We live about 30-45 minutes from the airport. Getting back from baggage claim to my vehicle is another issue, not just getting there.

 

We've traveled a lot and it sounds like you're taking way too much stuff for (I'm assuming) is a few days. If it was a few weeks it would make sense but for less than a week here's what I would do: leave the playpen at home and let the baby sleep next to you or in a borrowed crib, pare down what you're taking to fit in a small carryon rolling suitcase, use a light tote as a purse/diaper bag (make sure it can sit on top of the suitcase while it's being pulled), carry the baby in a packable carrier (like a mei tai), forget about the stroller, ask whomever will be picking you up at the airport to get an inexpensive car seat at target or ship a spare carseat ahead.

 

After having suitcases lost, strollers broken, and car seats cracked (even when gate checked) this is what I would do. The last thing you want is to have to lug a broken stroller around along with a playpen. Airlines will reimburse you for things they break but it's a huge hassle and they pay very little. We had a month old $200 stroller broken when gate checked and after over an hour in line and filling out a bunch of forms they mailed us a $35 check weeks later. Oh, bring way more diapers than you think you will need - two days of sleeping on the floor of the detroit airport with a baby and no access to our checked bags proved that to me!

:001_huh:Wow, I've never considered them breaking things! Yikes! I haven't quite figured out what all I'll need to bring, but you're right - I might be able to get away with just one carry-on as my suitcase. I'm used to traveling with 8 kids, so just 1 is throwing me for a loop a bit.:lol:

 

I might ask my mom if she might borrow a car seat from someone, but that's always sort of scary.

 

My airline doesn't count carseats or strollers towards the baggage allowance, so in your situation ... at my airline ... you'd be allowed to check EVERYTHING at the ticket counter or skycap, without penalty for going over the limit. I think this is industry standard; it's worth a call to your airline to see.
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS! THANK YOU! (I'm flying Southwest...that's not your airline, is it?;) )

 

Now, there's debate about checking carseats at the counter (versus the gate) but IME it's a crapshoot either way. The biggest concern people have is the seat being thrown by baggage handlers as they load it onto the cart then again onto the plane. It's a valid concern. The belief is that it could compromise the integrity of the carseat, whether noticeably OR unnoticeably. IME, though, a carseat checked at the gate has a similar likelihood of being so compromised. At my airline, a gate-checked carseat at our hub airports is going to be tossed down a chute (as opposed to a counter-checked carseat that rides down the conveyer). Each is then as likely as the other to be tossed onto the cart/loader, then put into the belly.
This is very good to know (and very enlightening:001_huh:).

 

I usually suggest to gate-check it if possible, so there's a chance of bringing it onboard should the flight have empty seats.
Yes, this is the plan.

 

If you wear the baby, be prepared to remove her at security. People always seemed surprised when they're asked to do this.
Yeah, that's what the TSA site said.

 

Not sure which airport you're using, but it's hit or miss as far as TSA. Don't engage, just calmly ask for a supervisor if they hassle you about the milk. You know you're right, they just may not be aware (that you can bring throug milk). From speaking to them, the rules change so much they're hard to keep up with. And it's a thankless job so some just always feel on the defensive, without intending to come across that way. Easy to see how and why ...!
Yes, definitely. The site said to simply present all my "exempt" items (milk, ice packs) for inspection when I get to the checkpoint, so that is the plan...just gonna lay it all out there LOL. The people behind me are gonna be SO thrilled.:lol:
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it sounds like you're taking way too much stuff.... leave the playpen at home and let the baby sleep next to you or in a borrowed crib, pare down what you're taking to fit in a small carryon rolling suitcase, use a light tote as a purse/diaper bag (make sure it can sit on top of the suitcase while it's being pulled), carry the baby in a packable carrier (like a mei tai), forget about the stroller, ask whomever will be picking you up at the airport to get an inexpensive car seat at target or ship a spare carseat ahead.

 

:iagree: I have travelled internationally from NZ 5 times with an under 2 year old. SIMPLIFY! You're going to have a lot of trouble in the bathroom with all that stuff and a baby! I have seen it and it is not pretty!

 

I used to travel with the baby in a sling and a small carry on roller-type suitcase. On the other side my mom would have a cheap car seat, and then I just stuck the baby in the bed with me. For toddlers, I made a little "pallet" for them on the floor. They thought it was great fun.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited by lewelma
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Too bad driving isnt an option. :( I dont like to fly so that would be my answer. I hope you figure out a solution though!
Yeah, unfortunately I'm not able to get away sooner because of my husband's job. I'm flying out the morning of the reunion. A friend of mine from high school lives near me now, and they had offered to let me ride with them, but they are leaving a couple days ahead (since it's about a 15-hour drive). Can't do that. :(

 

:iagree: I have travelled internationally from NZ 5 times with an under 2 year old. SIMPLIFY! You're going to have a lot of trouble in the bathroom with all that stuff and a baby! I have seen it and it is not pretty!
:confused: I would only have the stroller and my carry-on with me in the terminal...nothing more than when I'm normally bee-bopping around town with the baby. Am I misunderstanding/not realizing something?

 

I used to travel with the baby in a sling and a small carry on roller-type suitcase. On the other side my mom would have a cheap car seat, and then I just stuck the baby in the bed with me.
The car seat is the main issue...we fly there so seldom that it would be kind of dumb for my mom to buy a car seat. (This trip is an extremely rare occurrence...the last time I flew there was 6 years ago.) Borrowing one is sort of nerve-racking since I don't know my mom's friends and whether they have a clue about car seats.:blush:

 

What did you do about naps when you didn't have someplace for the baby to sleep?

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What did you do about naps when you didn't have someplace for the baby to sleep?

 

What I did was put the baby on the bed with pillows and blankets around her as bumpers. You could also do the floor with blankets as a sort of mattress, or depending on her size and the drawer's size, a dresser drawer removed from the dresser and lined with a blanket. Often my only option was a couch, with me right next to her to keep an eye on her. We traveled a lot, internationally, when DD was a baby and had to get creative for napping and sleeping. Sometimes I just held her while she slept and I hung out on the couch, chatting with friends and family.

 

DD was a "flopper" (still is) so she would move around a lot, but the pillows and blankets worked as bumpers to keep her on the bed. She would roll into one and roll back into the nest I'd made for her.

 

Honestly, you really don't need the PNP. It's nice to have if you can carry it, but if you're struggling this much, why not leave it and just improvise.

 

ETA: You can get inexpensive car seats at WalMart for around $40. The Costco Scenera is available online for $39 and is just as good as the expensive brands. They all have to meet the same safety specifications and I know lots of traveling moms that use the Scenera as their "travelling" car seat. Have your family get one and have it installed before they pick you up.

Edited by Hopscotch67
Car seat thoughts
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What I did was put the baby on the bed with pillows and blankets around her as bumpers. You could also do the floor with blankets as a sort of mattress, or depending on her size and the drawer's size, a dresser drawer removed from the dresser and lined with a blanket. Often my only option was a couch, with me right next to her to keep an eye on her. We traveled a lot, internationally, when DD was a baby and had to get creative for napping and sleeping. Sometimes I just held her while she slept and I hung out on the couch, chatting with friends and family.
Holding her may be an option. She is nearly walking, so I'm not comfortable having her on the bed alone. I'm also not comfortable having her on the floor because of my mother's dog.:tongue_smilie: I may sit down and figure out what sort of plans I have for while I'm there...maybe I can time some car travels so they coincide with her usual nap times???

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I bring my stroller that holds my car seat (which really is the plan because I REALLY would prefer to use the car seat on the plane for safety reasons), I can lay her down in the stroller to nap. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK! Pack & Play problem solved! Off to e-mail my mom LOL!

 

ETA: You can get inexpensive car seats at WalMart for around $40. The Costco Scenera is available online for $39 and is just as good as the expensive brands. They all have to meet the same safety specifications and I know lots of traveling moms that use the Scenera as their "travelling" car seat. Have your family get one and have it installed before they pick you up.
Oof. $39 is still expensive to me for a 2-day trip, BUT I also know that I am INCREDIBLY (ridiculously so) cheap.:lol:
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Holding her may be an option. She is nearly walking, so I'm not comfortable having her on the bed alone. I'm also not comfortable having her on the floor because of my mother's dog.:tongue_smilie: I may sit down and figure out what sort of plans I have for while I'm there...maybe I can time some car travels so they coincide with her usual nap times???

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I bring my stroller that holds my car seat (which really is the plan because I REALLY would prefer to use the car seat on the plane for safety reasons), I can lay her down in the stroller to nap. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK! Pack & Play problem solved! Off to e-mail my mom LOL!

 

Awesome! Yes, having the car seat on the plane is much safer and I would carry one when DD was small. As she got older and stopped fitting a car seat on the airplane (her legs were just too long) I went with the car seat at destination route. Glad you figured it out!!

 

Enjoy your trip!

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This will likely be the least creative suggestion you'll receive, and it may be cost prohibitive, but perhaps check to see how much it would cost to ship the pack & play. Sometimes we'll ship things ahead to our destination and then ship them back prior to our return. As I said, it's not exactly creative. :D

 

Pack and plays are cheap. If you are looking at shipping, buy a basic one on Amazon and have it shipped to your parents. Then they have it for future trips as well.

 

(we did this for a Christmas trip at an Aunts and uncles. And left it behind for them to use when they had grandchildren. Pack and plays fold up small so its not like leaving a huge mess behind)

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