I have flown quite a few times with my baby in her 9 month life. Most of these flights I have been alone with her and my biggest problem is always my excessive amount of luggage and stuff! I would love it if her big, bulky carseat would just magically appear in the car when we landed, but sadly that won’t happen in my life time. Luging the carseat on trips is one of the biggest pains when traveling with a baby. (especially now that she sits in a bigger, convertible seat instead of the baby carrier)
So I asked my fellow mom friends for some advice and here is what I have decided on. The past few times I have flown, I used my new car seat travel bag by JL Childress which I bought at Amazon.com. (here it is) I’m sure there are many other brands similar to this, but I liked the price of this one and have liked it so far.
This bag fits many popular carseat brands and has nifty straps so you can wear it like a backpack. There is actually one exactly like it that has wheels and a handle. Maybe I should have got that one. It’s only about $4 more.
You might be saying that you don’t feel like you need to spend $34 to cover your carseat. I know its just one more thing in the forever long list of things you need for your kid, but trust me, this thing is worth it! (at least for me).
I think its easiest to zip my carseat up in this and then check it at the baggage check when you first check in. Then I don’t have to worry about my carseat being trashed as it goes through baggage claim and I also don’t have to drag it with me through the airport. (I always have WAY too much stuff with me when I fly and having a baby has made it so much worse) Oh and best of all, the airlines don’t charge you anything to check your carseat. That’s right, it is FREE! Music to my ears.
Finally, I will tell you a secret. I hope I don’t get into trouble telling you this… My good friend shared this with me, so I’m just passing it on. So when you zip up your carseat, depending on the size of the seat, you will probably have some extra room to stuff a coat or shoes or whatever. I have never had an airline worker check inside my carseat bag, nor have they weighed it. I have gotten away with filling my bag with random stuff that doesn’t fit in my carry ons. This has saved me from paying for a checked bag. Hey, a girl will do anything to save $25. Am I right?!
Flying K Travel 