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!

New Travel Gear Addition - FlyeBaby

Our newest addition to Sweet Pea Baby Rentals' air travel rental inventory will arrive in just a few days! We're adding the FlyeBaby portable chair to our rental inventory. FlyeBaby provides a hammock style chair for your infant (up to 25 lbs) to rest in while in flight. It attaches to the tray table and has restraint straps to hold your infant safely in place so you have two free hands to play, change diapers, or read a book while she naps. It's a great alternative to holding your baby for an entire flight! It also doubles as a portable restraint that can be attached to a variety of chairs for feeding or playing. Best of all it's lightweight and portable. We are taking orders now and are able to ship rentals nationwide!

CARES Harness Review

We recently had the good fortune of being able to take a 7 night Alaskan cruise with our extended family including our 3 1/2 year old daughter. I knew I'd be bringing along one of our Child Aviation Restraint Systems (CARES) for the 10 hours of plane rides there and back, but I immediately thought, do I need to bring her car seat just to try to find a place to store it in the tiny cabin? The only time we'd be in vehicles other than a boat was our transfer to the hotel for the first night, our transfer to the port the second day, and one tour we'd booked. Since we were on a one-way cruise, renting in Anchorage was not an option (although visit Northern Lights Traveling Tykes if it is for you), so I started researching. I came across the Ride Safer Vest, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly for us. Since this was my first time personally using both of the CARES and the Ride Safer Vest, I thought I'd share my experiences. First I'll review the CARES harness.

CARES Harness Review
We grabbed the 6" stuff sack, threw it in our backpack, and headed out at 4am for our flight. I was VERY happy I didn't have a car seat to haul when we got held up at security alone (yes, at 4am) for a full backpack, stroller, and carry-on search. My daughter and I then ran to the gate to be the last ones on the plane. I had the CARES out of the bag, slipped over the back of the seat and had her strapped down in less than a minute, never having used it before. Of course, I suppose I had a little advantage having been renting and inspecting them for over a year.


The process is easy:

1. Lower the tray of the seat behind you
2. Slip the harness over the back of the seat and tighten
3. Raise the tray back up
4. Strap in your child and adjust the shoulder straps as necessary

The Pros:

• Extremely light weight and small
• Good for kids 22-44 lbs (has also been approved for special needs children and adults)
  
• Easy to install and secure
• Child can't kick the back of the seat in front
• Can be used in any seating position (car seats typically can only be installed at the window seat for evacuation purposes)
• Approved for taxi, take-off, in flight, and landing
• Used on 4 different flights and 4 different aircraft including a small commuter plane with no problems or questions from the flight attendants.
  

The Cons:

• No crotch strap meant my daughter could wiggle down
• Since the airline seats were curved, the back of the strap holding it on tended to hit her at the back of the head. This didn't seem to bother her though, even when I asked.
• No head support when she fell asleep. I just unbuckled her and gave her a blanket to lay her head on.
• This isn't related to the harness but she could unbuckle the airplane seat belt herself, but not the chest clip on the harness.

All in all, I highly recommend this as an alternative to a car seat, especially for older toddlers and preschoolers. If you're flying with a 1-2 year old on a long flight, you may consider the car seat for comfort if you want them to sleep for a long stretch. In those cases, check out the Go Go Kidz Travelmate to turn your car seat into a stroller for the airport.

Heat Wave

To escape the recent record setting heat in Phoenix (and across the northwest too!) we took a nice 5 1/2 hour drive over to Orange County for another little weekend break. We hit the highest average temperature and the highest average lows ever recorded for July. Many, many days of temps over 110 degress also gave us our highest a/c bill ever recorded too!

We stopped by the San Juan Capistrano Mission, pictured below, had lunch at the old train depot then headed down to San Clemente to the beach and watched the passenger trains go by as we played in the waves.

We used the Phil and Ted's Traveller for our almost 3 year old daughter that we just added to our rental inventory at Sweet Pea Baby Rentals. It worked out great and was a good follow up test to our review a few weeks ago. I popped it up in a few minutes and packed it neatly into it's tiny carrying bag when we were all done. I do wish they'd designed some way to put a sheet in the bottom though. Sleeping on the nylon bottom doesn't seem to bother our daughter but it does seem to make her a little hotter than normal. Another good option is the Kidco Pea Pod that we just reviewed too. It is smaller but also does not have a sheet like the Traveller.

Check out more travel pics at Photo Friday over at deliciousbaby.com

Kidco Pea Pod Review

Another one of our unique travel gear rentals is the Kidco Pea Pod. It's about the length of a Pack N Play but no where near the 30 lb weight or odd bulky shape. At just 5 lbs and folded in it's slim round carrying case, it's about the size of a spring-type sunshade for your car (those of us in Phoenix are VERY familiar with them!) It springs open right out of it's case and is ready to use, no assembly required. Blow up the air mattress insert with a provided hand pump, and you're ready to go.

The Pea Pod is a great option for motorhomes and RV's, trailers, or outdoor camping. It zips shut with a mesh flap or can be left open and folded back. The fabric of the Pea Pod is UV protective too. We used one on a camping trip with our then 2 year old and it worked very well. We were able to pop it open when she was ready for bed and still able to maneuver around it inside the RV. It was a fun play tent for her during the day too. We had previously tried using a Pack N Play and it was too big to fit in any of the open floor spaces in the trailer. The narrowness and flexiblity of the Pea Pod made it a much better option for us. She's almost too big for it now so we've moved up to the Phil and Ted's Traveller but Kidco does make a PeaPod Plus that's bigger too.

Phil and Ted's Traveller Review

I just picked up a couple Phil and Ted's Traveller beds today and tested them out with my official product tester, my (almost) 3 year old daughter. I was interested in these for her height, although they do officially say to discontinue use at 35 inches tall. She's been able to climb out of a Pack N Play since she was less than 2 and has been too long to fit in one for some time. The situation was tough because she wasn't ready to move into a toddler bed (ie. not be confined), but when we travelled, she was too big for anything else.

Here's a few snapshots I took of her in it for a size comparison. She is almost 3 years old and is 38.5" tall. It doesn't appear that she can crawl over the top of the railings and the side does zipper open if we wanted her to have free reign to get in and out. She can lay comfortably, completely stretched out with a few inches to spare (and I actually think she is napping in it while I type this!) The side and top panels zipper open/off for easy access for babies or smaller children and there is a self-inflating mattress that goes in a zippered pocket in the bottom.

The specs:
Lightweight travel crib - 5.6 lbs (without mattress)
Open: 51" x 24.8" x 31"
Folded: 24.8" x 8.6" x 8.6"
Lightweight aluminium frame/fabric is washable & waterproof
Self inflating mattress (cushion & insulation)
Not too difficult to put together after you've done it wrong the first time