How do you transport everything around? HELP!

[ShanteS]

I'm a single mommy taking my toddler on her first cruise and while we'll be traveling with some family I still have to be able to keep track of and transport our things myself:First Years Ignite Stroller, two suitcases, and carseat. Everyone else will have their own bags to lug around so I don't want to have to rely on them.

 

Originally I thought we'd have my aunt drop us off and pick us up from the airport so I had no intention on bringing the carseat (Graco MyRide 65) and planned to rent a CARES harness. Well she cant do it so we need to book shuttle service and I assumed they all provided carseats for toddlers, not the case. So now I'm wondering how I'm going to transport everything: stroller, two suitcases, and the carseat (that's almost as big as me).

 

How will I get through the airport with the stroller and the carseat? :confused: This is my first time traveling as a mom and I'm a little clueless but I like to be prepared and informed. Any help and tips are much appreciated. TIA

[Kerry's Girls]

The airport with the car seat is actually easy - there are car seat cases with backpack straps. It sounds like you may want to try to borrow a smaller car seat if possible though. So, kid in stroller, diaper bag hanging over stroller, car seat on your back. If you're using the CARES on the plane though, you can check your car seat with the luggage.

 

As for luggage - you want to seriously try to do it with one large rolling and one small so you can bungee cord the smaller suitcase to the top of the large and roll them as one unit. It's even better if the suitcase has 4 wheels so can be rolled without tilting, but it's not necessary. Thankfully this part is only long enough to get the bags checked in at the counter.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. There are at least a few of us who have done it alone with two car seats (I had covers that had wheels in addition to straps, so I hooked one of them to the stroller and rolled it along), so you'll be fine!

 

Best,

Mia

[KJENN]

Struggling with this myself w/2 kids and 2 carseats!

 

For one kid we loved the travelling toddler strap- its a strap in the shape of a T that hooks right over a rolling suitcase so that you can roll the carseat to the gate. What kind of stroller do you have? Is the MyRide heavy? I've also sat the Cosco Scenera into our Maclaren Volo stroller and sat my son inside of that (strapping the carseat to the stroller, then belting DS into the carseat). Its a well rated carseat and you can get one for usually $35-40. OUrs is just for travelling.

[Mom2B&Z]

Kerry has great suggestions. Here's what we find works for us. First, whatever your strategy, practice at home! That way you'll know how to arrange everything when you get to the airport. I agree to carry the car seat on your back, consider having a carry on backpack on your front to balance yourself and free up hands, or carry your 2yo on your back in a carrier so you can bungee cord the stroller to a suitcase. Then you can have a piece of luggage in each hand. If child must go in stroller, then I'd make sure you can drive the stroller with one hand and go with only one piece of large luggage, unless you can roll the two pieces together. You don't have to deal with the large luggage for long, so it can be a bit awkward but still manageable.

Fwiw I've had a 4 yo on my back in a structured carrier (ergo), back pack on my front and three pieces of rolling luggage in my hands, one of which had a car seat attached to it. It wasn't pretty, but we did it!

[jamminlion]

Hook your suit cases together. Then bungee cord the car seat to that. One hand on luggage/seat and one on the stroller. That is how we've always done it.

[lrowe70]

We use Go Go Babyz carseat stroller. It turns your carseat into a stroller, depending on the size of the carseat you can even wheel it right onto the plane without unstrapping your child.

 

It looks like this http://www.gogobabyz.com/upload/cservice.jpg

 

Any chance you could pack all your things into 1 suitcase? That would be another thing to make things easier. They say when packing for travel to take half the stuff and twice the money!

[ShanteS]

Thanks for the replies everyone but we've (my grandmother and I) have convinced my grandfather to just drive to the airport and park there. I found a $7/day parking coupon so I'll be able to leave the carseat and use the CARES harness.

[nmmickeymom]

I know you have a solution for your immediate concern but I can't help but share the solution we found a few years back. We purchased an inexpensive car seat bag. It had a nice long shoulder strap making it easy to schlep through airports. The deal sealer for us was being able to stash diapers and jackets in the bag as well. You can usually bag check a carseat without extra cost at the ticket counter. The bag also protects your seat from some of the abuse luggage often gets. Easy Peasy.