Toddlers and Planes

I've been asked countless times by friends and family this one particular question: What's the easiest way to travel on an airplane with my toddler's gear? I thought I'd share my recommendations based on my own experiences and those of my customers. I'll give you a few options for getting to your destination depending on your situation.

• Travel with CARES and rent when you get there.  

My first recommendation would be to use the CARES harness and rent a car seat, stroller, or any other gear at your destination if the budget allows and there's a rental company that meets your needs.  Your child must be flying in their own seat (which they must if they are 2+) to use the CARES harness.  We rent CARES harnesses and ship them nationwide for a very reasonable rate too. If your child isn't old enough to walk through the airport, use a cheap umbrella stroller.  Your stroller WILL get dirty at the least or broken at the worst, even if you gate check it. 

• Travel with CARES and check other items

If there are no rental options at your destination, I'd recommend checking the car seat and stroller as luggage, but make sure it's well protected to minimize damage.  You may prefer to gate check these items, which you may also do with most airlines, however that's two more bulky items you have to take with you through security, along with your carry on, diaper bag, purse, and child.  If it's in the budget, check into purchasing a Cosco Scenera car seat (~$50 but still highly rated) and a cheap umbrella stroller if you can make do with that.  That way, you won't be seeking reimbursement for $500+ for a broken car seat and stroller that are now useless at your destination. Car seats and strollers are still free to check (verify with your airline, especially American Airlines and their new stroller policy), but other gear will be charged per normal baggage policies with your airline.

• Take your car seat on board and use a Go Go Kidz Travelmate

If you feel your toddler would be happier/more secure/sleep better in their car seat, then take your seat on board and use a Go Go Kidz Travelmate to turn your car seat into a stroller for the ride through the terminal.  This is a little more work as you will have to detach the Travelmate and send the car seat through the x-ray machine or have it hand checked if it doesn't fit.  Installing the seat on the plane isn't always the easiest task either.  Check the plane seat width and your car seat's width beforehand to be sure it will fit. If you are a Phoenix local, we rent the Go Go Kidz Travelmate too. Once you get to your destination, rent a stroller and other gear as necessary.

• Carry your infant in a soft carrier and rent at your destination

If you are traveling with a lap child, carry them in a soft carrier or cheap umbrella stroller and rent when you get to your destination.  Again, if this isn't an option for you, check your car seat and stroller as luggage but make sure it's well protected.  You will have to take your baby out of the carrier for security so be prepared for that. Another useful onboard item for infants is the FlyeBaby portable seat. Unlike CARES, it is NOT approve for taxi, take off, and landing, however it can give you two free hands to play with baby while you are in flight.  We also rent the FlyeBaby seat and ship them nationwide.

Visit us online to check out all of our air travel rentals or all of our premium baby equipment and gear rentals available for delivery in the Phoenix and Scottsdale-metro areas!

Updated Compliance Date to 2011 Crib Standards

Our trade association of baby gear rental companies, Baby Travel Pros, recently had a meeting with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, where our representative asked for a change in the compliance date to the 2011 crib standards, as they affect our businesses.  The change was granted and extended to December 28, 2012 to be consistent with the date given to hotels, child care centers, and other places of public accommodation. The ruling can be read here.




What does this mean for you as a renter of baby gear?   Rest assured that our crib inventory will be just as safe as it is today, right up until new cribs are obtained.  As the Associations current president and co-founder, I along with my colleagues requested this extension to allow us time to obtain the commercial inventory that is so scarce in the marketplace right now.   As of this post, most of our 68 members have been unable to find any cribs that meet our needs.

What does this mean for you as a consumer?  You can still use your non-compliant crib in your own home as long as you want to, however it will be illegal to sell, resell, or donate (unless out of the country) a non-compliant crib after June 28, 2011.  This includes manufacturers, retailers, consignment stores, and individuals.  Again, hotels, child care facilities, and rental companies have until December 28, 2012 to update their inventory.  The main changes made to the previous 40 year old standard were to the integrity of the crib slats, types of hardware, banning of drop-sides, integrity of mattress supports, and requiring more rigorous testing that a crib must pass.  Here is a Q&A put together by the CPSC explaining the 2011 crib safety standards.

I'd like to explain why I choose to use "commercial" crib inventory instead of purchasing from the many manufacturers that sell cribs at Babies R Us and the like.  The crib is the single most popular item in most rental companies inventories.  In one year, a single crib can go in and out of our delivery van about 80 times (two trips for each rental), and set up and used about 40 times.  Of course they are safety checked between each rental and to date I have NEVER had a safety issue while a crib has been out on a rental.  I currently use Foundations folding full sized cribs because they are extremely sturdy, never been recalled, do not require assembly which limits wear on the hardware, and they look nice to boot.  Many commercial cribs were already made to the voluntary ASTM standard that the new CPSC crib standard was modeled after, however most manufacturers are choosing not to retest or retrofit current models, but rather come out with a whole new line.  Our current cribs may actually pass these new standards, but we will never know because they will never be tested.

We are currently working with several commercial manufacturers to obtain new inventory and as soon as it's available, we will begin replacing our fleet of cribs.  Unfortunately this is no small investment, and one that I will make for the third time in 4 years due to the ever-changing environment of crib safety and recalls that's been going on for the last 2 years.  However, as a parent of two small daughters myself, there's no price you can put on a child's safety.