Stroller + Ergo carrier + car seat + booster = Crazy?

[squidward]

In less than 4 weeks I'll be taking my 18-month old son on Celebrity's Equinox for a 10-day cruise.

 

We're taking a car seat, to use on the plane and in the rental car.

 

We're taking a stroller, to get him through the airport and around the ship.

 

We're taking an Ergo baby carrier, for shore excursions.

 

And we have a diaper bag that doubles as a booster seat for feeding him in the stateroom.

 

Am I crazy? Or do I really need all this stuff? What would you take, and what would you leave at home?

[exj132]

I would leave the car seat and the booster seat at home. You can rent a car seat with the rental car (they have to meet the same guidelines you do) and you don't need a car seat on the plane...if you really want the 5 point harness idea, buy or rent the AirCares system (which is absolutely fantastic...we've done 4 flights this way now) to save on lugging it all. There are a ton of areas on the ship that will have booster seats for your child to eat in. I'm not really sure why you would need to feed your child in your stateroom anyway. Get a small stroller for the plane ride and any walking you may do and you'll be all set. Staterooms aren't big enough to store all of that anyway.

[Kerry's Girls]

As someone who has taken a two strollers and two bouncie chairs on a cruise, I have no fear of over-packing (and there was enough storage space in our regular outside cabin). The only thing on your list that I would leave at home is the diaper bag that's a booster chair. If you need to feed him in the cabin, you can use the stroller as his seat.

 

Best,

Mia

[milton333]

I would leave the car seat and the booster seat at home. You can rent a car seat with the rental car (they have to meet the same guidelines you do) and you don't need a car seat on the plane...if you really want the 5 point harness idea, buy or rent the AirCares system (which is absolutely fantastic...we've done 4 flights this way now) to save on lugging it all. There are a ton of areas on the ship that will have booster seats for your child to eat in. I'm not really sure why you would need to feed your child in your stateroom anyway. Get a small stroller for the plane ride and any walking you may do and you'll be all set. Staterooms aren't big enough to store all of that anyway.

 

I have to disagree. If you rent a car, the rental car company may supply a carseat, but you have absolutely no idea what the history of that seat is. A carseat is supposed to be replaced after even a minor collision - has the rental car company done this? The harnesses must not be immersed in water, or they can be unsafe in an impact - can you be sure the rental company has not soaked them in water? Are you sure that the seat is not expired (the plastic in car seats gets brittle with heat and sun exposure and will fail over time). The seat must be installed 100% correctly, with the harnesses adjusted properly for your child - can you be sure that you're using an unfamiliar carseat correctly, that it is installed correctly, and that the harness is threaded to the right position? Your child's life depends on it.

 

This is setting aside the need to have an 18-month old properly restrained in the event of turbulence in the plane. The CARES harness is only useable on an airplane, your child must be between 22 and 44 pounds, and it costs $65 (plus the cost of renting a carseat from the rental car company). You can buy a Cosco Scenera convertible carseat for $35. It doesn't make sense to buy a specialized piece of equipment like a CARES harness when you know you'll be in a car at your destination and will need a carseat there.

 

For my upcoming cruise with a 20 month-old, I plan to bring a carseat for the plane/rental car, an umbrella stroller (as lightweight as you can find) for airport and on the ship, and a carrier just in case. I don't think you need a booster seat for eating.

 

ETA: You could always put your LO in the stroller to feed him, if you can't find somewhere to put him. There are typically high chairs or boosters available in most eating areas, however.

[rin1]

A car seat would also be useful in port. For a child that age I would definitely bring it for the plane, as the other poster wrote.

 

I'd skip the booster seat, too and bring a smaller diaper bag.

 

We brought the Ergo+Stroller+Car Seat and, aside from changing planes at the airport (now THAT we regret) we didn't regret any of it. Our travel stroller fit under the bed and the car seat fit in the closet. Have fun!

[Iggipolka]

On our last cruise, our daughter was 11 months and we brought a small umbrella stroller+ergo+car seat. We skipped the car seat for the airplane, but we did use it in the rental car to get to the port. We didn't do any excursions that involved taxi travel while on the cruise, so we didn't need it at ports.

 

On our upcoming cruise, our DD will be 22 months and we're again bringing the Stroller+Ergo combo and will be skipping the car seat completely. We're using a town car service this time and are just going to trust that the car seat hasn't been in an accident and that we won't get into an accident.

 

I've given up on the over packing and have just come to accept that I"m going to pack too much for my daughter. However, I would much rather over pack for her, than to not have something that she needs.

[Mom2B&Z]

When DS2 was 25 mos we travelled with his car seat (Britax Marathon), umbrella stroller and Ergo. You should always bring your own car seat, the previous poster is absolutely right in their logic. Plus there is also the possibility that they "forget" or don't have a seat for you to use - I've seen it happen, and I wouldn't let it happen to me. The other thing is can you ensure a seat that you don't know from the rental company is installed properly, and you may or may not have the manual? In Canada (I'm a Canadian car seat tech, so bear with me :)) up to 90% of car seats are installed incorrectly. I've only ever seen one seat installed correctly at the clinics that I volunteer at, and I've installed over 200 seats...not including my own, of course!

I would definitely bring the Ergo, I love using it to board aircraft and to keep DS2 contained while one of us installs his car seat and gets our family organized. It was also very handy to bring in ports where he could walk on bumpy or uneven ground, but then whip out the Ergo if he was tired. I would not bring a good stroller, we have a BOB revolution and I would never consider trusting it to the airlines! You can likely use the stroller to transport the car seat through the airport, carrying your child in the Ergo.

 

I have to disagree. If you rent a car, the rental car company may supply a carseat, but you have absolutely no idea what the history of that seat is. A carseat is supposed to be replaced after even a minor collision - has the rental car company done this? The harnesses must not be immersed in water, or they can be unsafe in an impact - can you be sure the rental company has not soaked them in water? Are you sure that the seat is not expired (the plastic in car seats gets brittle with heat and sun exposure and will fail over time). The seat must be installed 100% correctly, with the harnesses adjusted properly for your child - can you be sure that you're using an unfamiliar carseat correctly, that it is installed correctly, and that the harness is threaded to the right position? Your child's life depends on it.

 

This is setting aside the need to have an 18-month old properly restrained in the event of turbulence in the plane. The CARES harness is only useable on an airplane, your child must be between 22 and 44 pounds, and it costs $65 (plus the cost of renting a carseat from the rental car company). You can buy a Cosco Scenera convertible carseat for $35. It doesn't make sense to buy a specialized piece of equipment like a CARES harness when you know you'll be in a car at your destination and will need a carseat there.

 

For my upcoming cruise with a 20 month-old, I plan to bring a carseat for the plane/rental car, an umbrella stroller (as lightweight as you can find) for airport and on the ship, and a carrier just in case. I don't think you need a booster seat for eating.

 

ETA: You could always put your LO in the stroller to feed him, if you can't find somewhere to put him. There are typically high chairs or boosters available in most eating areas, however.

[Punchie]

I just got off a cruise w/a 9 mos old. I skipped the stroller and used my ergo to carry her around - on ship and off. I didn't bring a car seat obd as any excursion we did was strictly walking.

[zstell]

I am bringing my 3 year old granddaughter in April for 7 nights. I am more than sure I will overpack for her, but can't imagine anything worse than being unprepared with a small child. I am bringing her carseat (we do NOT EVER ride in a vehicle without one) and a cheap umbrella stroller. I debated which stroller to bring, and decided the lightweight option is the best choice for me. I and my husband will use backpacks in port freeing up our hands to hold on to her or push a stroller. I always bought the packback style diaper bags, just easier to remain handsfree.

 

I agree that the booster seat could be left behind.

[Mack2]

When we took out youngest on her first cruise, she was 18months old. We were going on a Disney cruise, and were trying to figure out what to pack.

 

We had actually decided against bringing the car seat. And it was an uncomfortable decision... but we looked at it realistically.

If we were visiting my brother-in-law in the city, and took the subway... she wouldn't be in a car seat. And a public bus in Manhattan doesn't accomodate a car seat.... so we took that into account.

 

Then looking at our itinerary:

Orlando to Port Canaveral - excursion bus, like a bus in Manhattan. No car seat.

Key West: walk around, see the Butterfly Conservatory.

Rental car in Grand Cayman? Maybe a car seat from the rental company. Cabs don't accomodate car seats.

Excursion Bus to Tulum after a high speed water ferry from Cozumel? No car seat.

Jamaica? No car seat, heck, where you gonna go? Dunn's River Falls with a baby?

 

 

So... we would have needed to lug the car seat around for one day of the whole week... in Grand Cayman... just to leave it in the car while we stayed at 7-mile beach. We did lug the car booster for one of the older kids, but ended up not using it. After planning the trip, we decided to leave the car seat in the car at home.

 

One stroller has always been sufficient. But we used to use a MacLaren umbrella stroller that reclined, so it served a double duty, and was relatively light weight and convenient.

 

 

 

For the airplane trip, I'm not even sure the airlines allow you to hook up your car seat in the chair... I can't remember, it's been a number of years.

[milton333]

For the airplane trip, I'm not even sure the airlines allow you to hook up your car seat in the chair... I can't remember, it's been a number of years.

 

Yes, they do. They strongly encourage you to buy a seat and have your child secured in a carseat, due to turbulence.

[Mack2]

Found it!

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/baby-on-board-pol.html

Child Restraint Systems

 

Proper use of a Child Restraint Systems (CRS) enhances child safety onboard the aircraft. For this reason, Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend that infants and small children who weigh under 40 pounds be secured in an appropriate CRS when traveling by air.

Be sure to check the width of your CRS. Although the width of aircraft seats varies, a safety seat wider than 16 inches is unlikely to fit, even if the armrests of the aircraft seats are moved out of the way. An ill-fitting safety seat will not provide adequate protection for your child.

The FAA has banned the use on board aircraft of certain types of CRSs that may be harmful to a child in the event of an aviation emergency. These include backless booster seats, safety belt extensions (commonly referred to as "belly belts"), and vest or harness devices that attach to an adult. Although some that were manufactured before the FAA's ban may carry an insignia and/or language indicating they are approved for aircraft use, please understand that they are no longer permitted.

 

• Approved Child Restraint Systems
  
  • Many of these carry the FMVSS.213 insignia and/or language indicating that they are "approved for use in motor vehicles and on aircraft."
    
  • Any CRS manufactured between January 1, 1961 and February 25, 1985, must have the following label: "This child restraint device conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards."
    
  • Any CRS manufactured since February 26, 1985, must have both of the following labels: "This child restraint device conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards" and "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft."
    

   

  [*]Harness-type devices approved by the FAA:

  • At this time, the FAA has approved only the AmSafe Aviation CARES, which is appropriate for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds.
    
  • The AmSafe Aviation CARES must have a label indicating "FAA Approved in Accordance with 14CFR 21.305(d), Approved for Aircraft Use Only."

So it looks like car seats are approved for use, but backless booster seats aren't.

[B_Mc]

Stroller and car seat is all I'd bring!

[SusieV]

We took our 14 month old on Equinox in December- there's a review in my siggy. Say hi from Matthew to Jose and everyone at Cafe al Bacio!

 

We did not bring a carseat- we rented from Avis and it was just fine. They installed it properly and I checked to see it was not expired. Think of the liability issues for them if they provided unsafe carseats! He was a lap baby so nothing was needed in the airport.

 

I brought my Manduca carrier and a cheap umbrella stroller for getting around- that's it. There's not a lot of space to store this stuff so I wouldn't bring it if you don't really need it.

[Lessum]

We just cruised 2 weeks ago with our 15mo old. We drove to the port, but did not bring the car seat on the cruise. We did bring a stroller and a small backpack for a diaper bag. We had intended to bring the backpack carrier for the baby - but left it at home by accident. However, I am so glad we did. I saw NO need for the carrier at all. We used the stroller the WHOLE time. She loved it! And she slept in it. It was a Baby Trend Trendsport. So it has all the features of a full size stroller and reclines fully, but is only about 13lbs. It is compact and lightweight! We also had a combi stroller for our 4 yo but only used that in ports for her. She likes to ride and I felt safer having her strapped in that walking trying to keep her holding one of our hands in the busy port streets. We did take one taxi ride (about 10minutes or so) to the beach in Cozumel and DH held the baby on his lap (she fell asleep). Say what you may...but I am one of those parents who is fine with a short ride like that - would I do it at home...NO, but I wasn't dragging the HUGE carseat on a 7 day cruise for a 10 minute cab ride!

 

We used the stroller in the room for feeding snack time and for the one morning we had room service breakfast - no need for a booster seat.

 

PACK LESS....the rooms are small! So glad I didn't have the backpack carrier...don't know where we would have stored it.