BABY PRODUCTS & GEAR

Tips for flying with a carseat?

I’m about to go on a trip with my son. He won’t be needing his carseat on the airplane, but we’ll need it for the rental car once we arrive in Seattle. Any tips on flying with a carseat and what to do to make sure it doesn’t get too scratched up?

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JU

Jenny posted September 6, 2019

Checking the car seat as a baggage item isn’t too difficult. They give you a bag to place it in so that it hopefully doesn’t get too scratched up. You could probably even put some extra lightweight things in the bag with the carseat, too. Like diapers or blankets or clothes! 0 Likes
HT

Heather posted September 6, 2019

I’ve never had much of a problem with checking our carseat and having it get scratched up, BUT what I have had happen have been two worse things! One time we had the carseat get lost with the rest of our luggage. If you think losing your luggage sucks, losing your little one’s carseat for a few days is way worse. THEN we also had another family take our carseat at the luggage carousel one time because they thought it was theirs! Luckily my husband was able to catch up with them and let them know they had taken the wrong one, but I’d recommend doing something to the bag to set it apart from others and then also having a backup plan just in case the carseat is lost luggage for a few days. 0 Likes
JR

Jill posted September 9, 2019

A perk about traveling with a car seat is that the airlines don't count children’s car seat and strollers as part of the standard baggage allowance. So if you have more than one car seat to travel with you are in luck! I also much prefer to gate check my car seat - this means we do take it through security, but are not actually using it on the plane. When you gate check your car seat, you carry it on the jet bridge all the way to the entrance of the plane. From there, the gate agent will carry your car seat from the bridge, right down to the airplane baggage compartment. When you land at your destination and you deplane, it will be available for pick up in the same place where you left it on the bridge prior to take off. I recommend this because the car seat is less likely to get damaged! 0 Likes
BV

Brooke posted September 12, 2019

It can be a bit of a hassle traveling with a car seat in hand through the entire airport security check process, so you definitely don't want to take it on the plane with you as your little one can be comfortable in your arms. Try using a luggage cover as they are large enough to fit a car seat and work great protecting your travel luggage. The are also really cute and make it easier to identify your items. 0 Likes
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