Travels with Baby Tips

Congratulations to Jen, winner of the Travels with Baby gift book giveaway. Jen, I see that you are in Vienna this morning, so please have a little sachre torte for me and contact me with the details of where and to whom you would like you book sent per the original post went you get a chance.

For those of you still packing up and preparing to travel with your children this week, here's a roundup of some recent tips that may be helpful:

You might also want to revisit these sections of Travels with Baby: "Tools for Happy Travels" in Part 2 particularly for help preparing for changes in routines during your trip, "Staying Safe (and Sane) with Friends and Family" in Chapter 2, and also whichever sections on traveling by car, plane, or train are appropriate to your holiday travels with your child.

For those who missed the earlier post, we're looking at "Best holiday travel moments with children" this week. Post your comment to the previous post to share your own moment and possibly win a signed (and gift-wrapped if you like) copy of Travels with Baby. Details in the last post.

This snapshot is from one of my favorite holiday travel moments as a parent, when we very brilliantly took the train with our baby daughter, rather than flying or driving to visit relatives for the holidays. (This photo is part of Photo Friday over at DeliciousBaby.com, check it out!)

Here we are a few Christmases ago, riding Amtrak's Coast Starlight Express in our "Roomette," on our way from Willamette Valley Oregon to the Bay Area. The Amtrak Roomette is the least expensive sleeper option available on Amtrak, and two adults are allowed to share the accommodations with an infant. More than one child, however... and you'll have to either upgrade to the much more expensive family sleeper or go coach.

After watching a lovely sunset over farm fields, we realized--we thought--the folly of our plans. Here we had spent the money for this scenic overnight adventure, most of which would take place in the dark of night. How scenic is that? We did enjoy some passing Christmas lights as we ate dinner in the diner (included with Amtrak's sleeper accommodations, but no filet mignon for infants riding free), but it was after dessert that the real magic began.

A full moon rose above us as we chugged through snowy mountains, illuminating the snow and flocked forests for miles on end. It was spectacular to say the least. Our baby daughter snoozed at one end of our lower bunk, but we couldn't stop watching and enjoying the snow globe view view out our window.

For tips and advice on planning family train trips by day or overnight, in the U.S. or abroad, check out Part 6 of Travels with Baby. I've included recommendations for scenic day trips by train, all about sleepers and family arrangements, best discounts and rail passes available for families and children, baggage details and advice, and more.

Tip #65: Favorite Holiday Travel Moments with Children: Win a Gift-Wrapped, Signed Book to be Mailed Next Week

This time of year, the word "travel" is usually synonymous with long lines, heavy bags, slow traffic, and high-stress hightailing it from point A to B to get there before the tender timer pops.

Traveling with children during the holidays can add a few challenges of its own, but it can also be a great joy... when you stop to recognize your good fortune in being able to travel with your child, in having extended family and friends to call upon, and how you're undergoing a trip that can simply never be repeated. After all, your child will never be this same age or stage at the holidays again.

I'm giving away a gift-wrapped, signed copy of Travels with Baby, ready to send via Priority Mail (to Canada or U.S.) as your gift to a friend next week. To enter to win the gift book, please comment at the original blogspot post (go here if you are reading this in syndication) before midnight PST on Sunday, December 21st. Share one of your favorite holiday travel moments with your child (at any age or stage). You needn't have traveled far, and perhaps the moment was quite simple--sometimes the best ones are. You might consider what made the moment special to you? What did you learn or appreciate in that moment? Was it something your child taught you?

The winner will be picked at random and announced Monday morning, December 22, SO PLEASE SET A REMINDER TO CHECK HERE THEN or follow on Twitter: @travelswithbaby. Sorry to shout, but it will be very important so that you can email me your gift note information and the address where you would like your gift mailed--I will mail your book as soon as I've heard from you. If you'll be traveling or unable to check, please send me an email in advance at contact (at) travelswithbaby (dot) com with your entry name so I can follow up with you if you win.

Also, if you haven't checked out my new column at Examiner.com yet, head over there to see my latest holiday travel tips, including:

Passports with Purpose update: Thanks to those of you who have already purchased raffle tickets for the Passports with Purpose fundraiser! There is still time to enter to win the $100 gift certificate to Babies Travel Lite, the Sit 'n' Stroll travel car seat/stroller, and CARES child aviation restraint--each with a signed copy of Travels with Baby. To see all the great prizes for travel enthusiasts, head over to the Passports with Purpose prize directory and purchase your $10 tax-deductible raffle tickets at FirstGiving.com.

Obviously, I love traveling with my children. But even I will admit that one of the greatest challenges in traveling with a toddler can be managing the logistics, and bulk, of a toddler-sized car seat on top of any other travel gear, diaper bag, free-range Travel Teddy, and toddler. Fortunately, there are many ways to help ease travels with car seats. One of the newest products for families traveling by airplane is CARES, which stands for “Child Aviation Restraint System.”

Sweet Pea Baby Rentals, which rents CARES by mail to families anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, recently helped us test out CARES for ourselves with each of our daughters. Both girls are within the range of using CARES, and it was helpful to see the differences in using the product with each of them at 2 years apart.

Before I get into the details of our experience, here’s a quick overview of CARES for those who aren’t yet familiar with it:

CARES is an additional set of straps that fits over an airplane seat back and attaches to the standard seat belt. It converts the airplane’s lap belt into a 4-point harness securing the child against the airplane seat back, and is FAA-approved as an in-flight alternative to car seats. It weighs only 1 lb, and packs into a 6” stuff sack. CARES can be used in airplanes only, not in automobiles.

CARES is approved for use by children who are at least one year old and weigh a minimum of 22 lbs. It can be used for children weighing up to 44 lbs. Children using CARES must have their own assigned seats on the aircraft.

The FAA has approved CARES for use during all phases of flying, including taxiing, take-off, and landing.

Since CARES does not block the passage of others onboard the aircraft any more than an airplane seatbelt, CARES can be used in center and aisle seats, unlike car seats which can only be installed in window seats or the centermost seats of jumbo jets with two aisles.

Lower the tray table on the back side of the seat where you want to use CARES (explain to your rear neighbor if he’s already seated), and slip the red cinch strap around the seat back with the black straps hanging down, buckles facing outward. Slide the red strap down to where it is at or just above your child’s shoulders (or higher if necessary for the seat shape) and tighten this strap. Feed the airplane seatbelt through the loops at the lower ends of the two black CARES straps, and adjust their length as appropriate for your child. Fasten, and tighten the airplane’s safety belt around your child—and don’t forget to raise your neighbor’s tray table back into place!

I’ve flown with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in many different situations, and I’ve tried a lot of specialty gear first hand. That said, I know no single product out there will make travel hands-down easier for every family traveling with small children. Every family and child is different, and every trip can be just as different.

Traveling at 7 months pregnant this time around, with two children under the age of 5 years, I have to say that CARES was a tremendous help and convenience to us all. With each CARES harness stored in its small stuff sack and placed in each of our carry-ons (a diaper bag and a daypack), we were able to simply place our bags on the X-ray belt and proceed through security and the entire airport without any special effort.

On the first flight, we avoided preboarding, but then had to ask our neighbors behind us to let their trays down while we installed the main strap that goes around the seat. It wasn’t a big deal, but it’s easier to keep track of the toddler before the plane is crowded with passengers shuffling carry-on bags into the overhead bins. On the return flight, we took advantage of family preboarding and had a much more pleasant time getting the CARES harnesses and girls in their places before the rest of the overbooked flight boarded.

It’s not hard to install a CARES harness, and it really does only take a few minutes, but we found that the specific shape and even upholstery of the airplane seat can present some challenges (and it was different for us on each flight). For example, with an airplane seat that has sides curving forward from the back, it was easiest to install the main strap higher on the seat than at or just above the shoulders, as recommended. When it was placed lower and closer to the shoulders, the seat’s shape worked against it the red CARES strap would actually stick out from the seat center and kept sliding down. Moving it up higher did the trick and didn’t seem to be a problem for our 2-year-old. Leather (or faux…) is more slippery, so we needed to adjust the main belt much more snugly around the seat back than we did when flying with a fuzzy, upholstered seat.

The main drawbacks we found were that neither girl could see out of her airplane window when seated on the grown-up airplane seat, as they might have been sitting in a car seat. This would have been a non-issue if they weren’t seated in window seats, hoping to look out. Also, when both girls were very tired and I hoped at least one would snooze, the straps did little to comfort or support them in that respect, whereas a car seat with deep sides might have aided in the nodding off.

The real moment of truth came when we discovered our gate had changed to an entirely different wing of the Phoenix airport—and was supposedly already boarding. Countless people-movers later, exasperated from prodding on the two little girls and Traveling Teddy at a pregnant-lady and preschool pace, I was ever so thankful to have a 1 lb. CARES harness tucked in my diaper bag rather than the weight and bulk of a car seat.

Families traveling with twins & multiples may not only enjoy the substantial lightening of their loads (flying minus two or more car seats), but they may also appreciate the greater flexibility in seating options onboard aircraft.

Pregnant travelers who have enough of a load as it is. Interestingly enough, Louise Stoll, the creator of CARES, first conceived the idea as she met her own daughter at the airport… who was traveling at 7 months pregnant and juggling a toddler and car seat. (Thanks Louise! You certainly had the right idea!)

Families renting or borrowing a car seat at their destination. It was quite liberating to travel so light and know our “vacation car seats” would be meeting us on the other end. And sure enough, we arrived at the airport’s rental car counter to find Sarah from Sweet Pea Baby Rentals standing by with the exact car seats I’d requested (on a luggage cart for us, no less!).

Families traveling by train and using public transportation during their vacations (traveling around Europe by train, etc.) who won’t otherwise need a car seat but would like the added safety in flight.

Families that must travel very light and may wish to also use the RideSafer Vest for their children in cars instead of a car seat.

If your child is an escape artist, understand that even with CARES he’ll have still have the airplane’s own easy-lift seat belt latch right in the middle of his lap. While the chest clip may still slow him down, the temptation to slip out (no crotch belt, remember) beneath it may become problematic with some children.

If you need your child to sleep very well and very long during the flight, you might consider your own comfort in the adult-size airplane seat, then look at his small body. His car seat may provide more comfort and support for the long haul.

If your child is already 40 lbs or more, and large enough to use a backless safety booster in cars, keep in mind that children who meet the 40 lbs. + and 40” + tall and no longer need standard car seats are considered by the FAA to be safe in airplane lap seat belts alone.

Rent CARES – Wherever you live in the U.S. or Canada, you can also rent CARES by mail from Sweet Pea Baby Rentals if you’d like to try it out. If you are flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), you can event rent it for free with their current special (see details). In Canada, you can also rent CARES by mail from Wee Travel.

Buy CARES - You can purchase CARES directly from Kids fly Safe, at Amazon.com , or dozens of other sites online as well.

Win CARES - You can also enter to win CARES (plus a signed copy of Travels with Baby) in the Passports with Purpose fundraiser I’m participating in this month. Click here for details.

I was recently back on ABC's The View from the Bay to discuss the tricky subject of childproofing somebody else's home during the holidays. Click here to watch.

If you're gearing up to spend the holidays with your baby or toddler in someone else's home, just remember, a little preparation can go a long way toward allowing you to relax and enjoy the visit.

While you can't exactly show up and rearrange your hosts' furniture (okay, I admit I've done this), undecorate their Christmas tree (only the lower 1/3), or expect them to use paper plates for the big holiday meal instead of Grandma's china (just bring a few for the toddler and trust me, no one will complain), there are some ways you can help ensure that everyone gets to sit down and relax at least a little while, and enjoy the holiday together:

Bring temporary childproofing items to help eliminate risks without imposing on your hosts. Garden training wire, door knob covers, door finger guards, stove knob guards, and other gadgets take up little space in the suitcase. See more ideas for temporary childproofing and travel safety here.

Appoint one person (perhaps you or your spouse) to be in charge of the holiday wrappings as gifts are opened. Not only might your hosts appreciate your tidy sorting of the recyclables, but you'll also make sure your child doesn't get tangled in the ribbons, eat the "batteries included," or happen upon unsuitable packing materials such as flavorless Styrofoam peanuts, toy display wires, desiccant packets in boxes of new shoes and slippers, and other surprises.

Rent helpful baby and safety gear to avoid spending the better part of your visit chasing after your child or hovering to keep her out of harm's way. Consider a play yard to keep early risers and nappers from roaming unattended, pressure-mounted safety gates to bar off a flight of stairs, an exersaucer for amusement-and-containment-in-one, or even a Superyard XT to fence off the fireplace or Christmas tree (not all, but some agencies are offering these). Find a baby gear rental agency near your destination in the worldwide directory of baby gear rental agencies.

Also, consider bringing a helpful hostess gift--from your baby or toddler. I've got some fun and practical suggestions over at my new column at Examiner.com, where I'll be doing a series on more unexpected holiday travel tips for travelers with babies and small children. Check it out.

Passports with Purpose update: Still want your $10 tax-deductible shot at the Sit 'n' Stroll combination car seat/ stroller, the CARES aviation harness, or $100 gift certificate to Babies Travel Lite--each with a signed copy of Travels with Baby? The Passports with Purpose Fundraiser is in full swing with these and other great prizes, all to benefit Heifer International. Thanks to everyone who's already purchased their raffle tickets! Click here for more info.

Tip #62: Announcing Travels with Baby's Three Prizes for Passports with Purpose!

I'm so excited to announce the three prizes that Travels with Baby is contributing to the Passports with Purpose travel blogger fundraiser that kicks off today! Proceeds benefit Heifer International's charitable programs in the U.S. and around the world. Click here to find out more about why I support Heifer International. - Shelly

You can use your gift certificate for Babies Travel Lite's worldwide delivery of baby and toddler supplies (diapers, formula, shelf-stable milk, sun block, snacks), or spend it on their great travel gear like the Gogo Kidz Travelmate and Peapod Plus travel bed. Read more here. Sponsored by Babies Travel Lite www.babiestravellite.com. $100 value + a signed copy of Travels with Baby. Buy a $10 raffle ticket!

CARES (a.k.a. the flight safety harness) converts the airplane seatbelt into a 4-point harness for children 1 year (22 lbs.) and older. Winner of the 2008 Good Housekeeping Good Buy Awards. Read more here. Sponsored by Kids fly Safe www.kidsflysafe.com.$75 retail value + a signed copy of Travels with Baby. Buy a $10 raffle ticket!

Known as the ultimate traveler's car seat, the Sit 'n' Stroll converts from stroller to car seat at the curb, ready to strap into the taxi without even removing your child from the 5-point harness. The sunshade is included (not shown). Read more here. Sponsored by Lilly Gold www.lillygold.com. $250 retail value + a signed copy of Travels with Baby.

Thank you so much to my generous sponsors, and to those of you who participate in this fundraiser. There are also many more great prizes up for grabs as part of Passports with Purpose, check them out!

Here's a snapshot of us in Sleepy Hollow, New York, kicking of the holiday season on our first cross-country trip with a baby. It wasn't Thanksgiving just yet, which made it a little less crazy, a little less expensive, a lot better weather-wise than it might have been otherwise, and it was worth the journey simply for the spectacular autumn color we Californians soaked up while riding the Metro-North along the Hudson River.

But this was a particularly special occasion for us. We were introducing our Baby Angelina to "the relatives back east," including her 92-year-old great grandmother who's own mother's name had been Angelina--the first to travel overseas from Italy by way of Ellis Island. I will always be thankful we were able to make that trip, and did. Just four years later, we are minus two of the generations from this picture taken during that visit: Nanny and our dear Poppa Ray (Tim's dad).

At a time when travel is increasingly expensive and budgets are tighter than ever, those of us setting out on the highways, sitting out on the tarmacs, or riding along on the rails should embrace the privilege of holiday travel and visits with extended family more than ever as well.

Wherever your family celebrates today, give a few extra hugs, take more pictures than you might have, and help teach your kids how very special those grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles really are to you—and what a lucky thing it is be able to spend some time together.

Be sure to check back Monday when I’ll be announcing the three * very cool * prizes I’m contributing to the Passports with Purpose travel blogger fundraiser. At $10 per tax-deductible raffle ticket, these are incredible bargains that I happen to know traveling parents can appreciate!