The RideSafer travel vest

The RideSafer travel vest for use in cars and taxis

The Baby B’Air flight harness for lap-held babies and toddlers

CARES flight harness

You can also click here to read more about these and other recommended Car Seat Alternatives for travel.
 

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011

The post Easy alternatives to car seats for travel? Three favorites on sale now with FREE shipping! appeared first on Travels With Baby.

Will you be visiting a destination where having specialty outdoor gear that may be expensive to purchase and awkward to travel with would enable you to see and do more activities during your stay? Renting a rugged, all-terrain stroller (especially a twin if you’re packing two little ones) or perhaps a large, framed backpack carrier at your destination may be well worth it if it gets you closer to the canyon or farther up the mountain.

Would having a parenting “luxury” item such as a baby swing to soothe your infant’s evening fussies allow you to actually sit through the holiday meal with your extended family?

Could renting a full-size crib make all the difference in your child—and you by extension—getting good rest during your vacation? Baby gear agencies around the world offer full-size cribs with linens delivered to your accommodations (plus more compact models and/or Pack ‘N Plays). 

If you decide you want to rent gear for an upcoming trip with your child—or if you just want to browse to see what’s available at your destination, you can now find baby gear rental agencies in all of these regions in the Worldwide Directory of Baby Gear Rental Agencies:

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011

The post Should you rent baby gear for your family’s next vacation? appeared first on Travels With Baby.

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011

The post Last chance to enter to win the Brica Fold ‘N Go travel bassinet for yourself or a friend! appeared first on Travels With Baby.

Don’t miss Sydney: 5 Best with Kids Under 5

One common misconception among the American parents I hear from is that our car seats and our car seat laws in the U.S. are the toughest anywhere. Not so. In fact, the European branded car seats you may purchase here are manufactured to meet our FMV standards only–not those of Europe or the U.K., which are different and some would argue more rigorous.

If you are planning to spend time in Sydney, don’t miss the new Sydney: 5 Best with Kids Under 5 recommendations contributed by Danni, which include the best restaurant with kids, wildlife viewing, safest beach and more for your family’s Sydney vacation.

Related posts and pages:
Sydney: 5 Best with Kids Under 5
Moms Around the World: Cairns, Australia
Ask Shelly: Would you take the Sit N Stroll on my Air New Zealand Flight?

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/   Travels with Baby on Facebook

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

The post Important tips for using child safety seats during travel in Australia appeared first on Travels With Baby.

If you’re preparing to fly with a baby or toddler this summer, particularly on American Airlines, the news that “you’ll no longer be able to gate check your large stroller” may have you wondering what that means exactly—and how you should plan on getting your family through the airports and between terminals (AA stroller disclaimer here).

In a nutshell, this news is no news for those of you already traveling with a compact-folding travel stroller (often called an umbrella stroller) or lightweight stroller frame you use with your infant car seat. However:

• If you travel with a compact-folding twin travel stroller, however, even the weight of the compact folding Maclaren Twin Triumph is technically just over the official limit of 20 lbs., weighing in at 21.6 lbs. without accessories.
• If you’ve been traveling with a jogging stroller, even one that folds to fit through the X-ray scanner at security or releases wheels to fit into its own travel bag at the gate such as the classic Phil & Ted buggy, it’s time to make a new plan for that next flight. Even the B.O.B. Summit single jogger weighs in at 23 lbs. and the Classic Phil & Ted (without doubles kit) weighs 25 lbs.

What’s a parent to do—especially one with two tots to get to the gate? Here are five tips for getting your little one(s) to the gate without that large stroller from home:

Stroller connectors

1. The obvious: Get a lightweight travel stroller if you don’t already have one (my recommendations here). Your back and your relatives greeting you at baggage claim will thank you. And if you’re renting a car on the other end, you’ll thank yourself when you see the tiny trunk of that rental car (especially overseas!).

2. If you’ll be traveling with twins or two young children close in age, consider getting two lightweight travel strollers—and a set of stroller connectors like these from Prince Lionheart or Munchkin “stroller links.” Some parents actually prefer having the option of splitting apart the strollers when needed, and sightseeing with only one stroller (or narrow clearance) at times during their vacations.

GoGo Kidz Travelmate

3. Get a set of wheels for your car seat and check that stroller you can’t part with in a sturdy travel bag or simply rent the jogging stroller or twin you want at your destination and don’t risk damage to your own stroller. If you’re already taking your toddler car seat onboard for your flight, you can simply wheel your child to the gate in it with the addition of a GoGo Kidz TravelMate handcart or budget-savvy Traveling Toddler strap that attaches your forward-facing car seat to your rolling carry-on and quickly separates when needed at security.

KangaKid backpack carrier

4. Wear your child in a child carrier or “baby backpack.” Once your child tips the scales at 20 lbs or more, it may no longer seem the obvious (or preferable) choice. Especially if you’ll be spending long periods standing in long lines. If your child is 20 lbs. + and you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet, make sure you use a carrier rated for your child’s weight with extra support such as a chest strap and padded hip belt, such as the Ergo, or take advantage of the 2-in-1 benefits of a combination daypack carry-on and child carrier as with the Kanga Kid or Kelty Transit.

SafeFit backpack harness

5. Use a safety harness and “leash.” If your child is old enough to walk it, but still too young to be trusted to stay by your side when a world of excitement beckons beyond the sea of rolling suitcases, or when you’ve already been standing in the same line for 20 minutes, don’t take chances on losing him—or your place in line. The SafeFit backpack harness looks like a mini daypack two of my kids have no been quite proud to wear during travel, and I love that you can fit a few diapers, travel pack of wipes, and board book in it for convenience. (I use a carabiner clip to hook it to my belt loop at times and keep both my hands free.)

For more help planning your airport strategy, see chapters 16 and 17 in Travels with Baby, and for help passing the hours at the airport and on the plane see the Air Travel and Entertainment to Go sections of Take-Along Travels with Baby. Additional tips and resources below. Good luck!

Related posts and pages:
Best Lightweight Travel Strollers and Accessories
Stroller accessories and travel bags
Car Seat Travel Bags and Carriers 
How to keep your toddler or preschooler entertained at the airport – while you enjoy a cup of coffee
Cost-saving tips for families packing checked baggage
Tip #47: Baggage fees and babies
Ask Shelly: Advice for flying to India with a 2-year-old
Ask Shelly: Which car seat compatible stroller for travel to Paris?
See more Air Travel FAQs and Popular Topics 

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/   Travels with Baby on Facebook

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

The post Five ways to get your toddler to your (American Airlines) flight without the giant stroller appeared first on Travels With Baby.

Hi Shelly,

I am a mother of 15-month-old twin boys. I am from India and I want to take the kids home to meet their family. Have I signed myself a death sentence? What options do I have? I will be traveling with them and my mom who is a handicapped….can I even do it?

Specifically, we are considering how to take kids on the flight. We did get them their own seats, but I’m not sure if we really needed to?? How can they travel, realistically? We are looking at these three options:

1) The CARES harness – seems like a good convenient idea and light to carry also, but our kids are about 23 pounds and 15 months old – is this product going to contain them specially as it does not have a 5-point harness? We are reading mixed reviews about this product. Your advice

2) The Sit N Stroll car seat – seems like another good option, but we are increasing the number of items we have to take with us – also the reviews again are mixed and major concern is safety – also it is more expensive. Your advice?

3) Go kart seats we have used these before, but are too cumbersome to use and our Britax will not fit through the aisles as I am traveling without my hubbs I am not 100% confident that I will be able to handle this. Your advice?

Need your help SOS.

Thanks.

Shuchi

Before I get to the gear advice, I want to say your seats on the airplanes may greatly impact your sanity (and survival) on the long flight(s). While it is always tempting to book the bulkhead row to take advantage of infant sky cots (bassinets) when available, you need to be aware of two important things: there is usually a limit to how many young children may be seated on the entire bulkhead row, whether in their own seats and/or on laps. (Our family just had to sit on separate rows because of this ourselves.) And also, it can be very difficult to get children to sleep well in these areas of the airplane due to activity and distractions from the adjacent lavatories and galley.

Since you have purchased seats for the twins (hopefully with an infant seat discount — call the airline ASAP if not and ask), it might be best to request seats farther back in the aircraft where, with any luck, there will still be some additional seats open, giving you even more space as the children sleep and a quieter atmosphere. See if you can get a row in the center section of the aircraft all to yourselves, and start with the twins seated in the middle, an adult on each side to tend to each one, and the boys can share toys and snacks and help keep each other entertained while awake. Now for gear…

The Sit N Stroll – Yes, the Sit N Stroll offers the practical advantage of 5-point safety harness you can use in the airplane, which can be very helpful in keeping 15-month-old children in their seats, and also in a car—provided that the car has seatbelts for installing it as a car seat. However, in your case I think it would be too difficult to “drive” two different Sit N Stroll strollers through the airport by yourself, and of course you will need to be available to assist your mother… and I’d imagine carry-on baggage for all, which will be important on such long flights with your group! Also, once in India, you would probably not find the Sit N Stroll a desirable stroller option on the ground as it’s very delicate and would be very hot – not to mention it would be tough pushing two of them at a time! (More about the Sit N Stroll here.)

The GoGo Kidz Travelmate – It would be equally challenging trying to drive two separate car seats on their own GoGo Kidz Travelmates (the hand carts for car seats) by yourself. I am not sure of your car travel arrangements in India, but you may or may not have any practical use for car seats on the other end as well. And yes, bulky car seats are the last thing you’ll need to add to your juggling act on this trip. (More about the GoGo Kidz Travelmate here.)

Twin Travel Stroller + CARES – If it were me, I would bring a Maclaren twin stroller to check at the gate(either the Twin Techno or even lighter weight Twin Triumph)  for similar reasons as I described in this post (and you can read how it went for the mom in her reply), plus two CARES harnesses to use on the airplane. As I point out in my review of CARES, the harness partially uses the airplane lap belt which is easy for children to lift and open, but if you don’t make this obvious to your 15-month-olds, it may not be an issue. Also, you can twist the lap belt so that the buckle faces in toward the child and is not easily experimented with.

Car seats, as I’m sure you know, are quite rare in India, and many vehicles are simply not equipped for them or would be large enough for two plus an adult in the backseat. If you are sure you will be able to use car seats while in India, and will have a newer equipped vehicle for these, you could consider the Safety 1st portable Go Hybrid car seat / booster, which folds up in its own carrying case and is much safer to check through the airport’s baggage system than plastic-shell car seats, so you can simply check it on arrival. The Go Hybrid requires a top tether, however, so be sure you would have this in the vehicle(s). They are not cheap car seats, and cannot be used in airplanes, but you can use them from 22 lbs. up through school age when it converts to a backless booster, so they may help on trips to come as well as get use at home (more about the Go Hybrid in my review. Renting CARES for your trip (as opposed to buying) could help curb your costs for this investment.

Finally, by all means, contact the airline about your situation to make sure they’re fully aware and ready for you, and request airport assistance in getting your mother to the gate. Hopefully they will take your whole party together on an electric cart. It is a massive undertaking, and you are very brave to even consider it. I applaud you for honoring your extended family with this journey and sincerely wish you safe, smooth flights, and many helpful hands along the way. I am sending you a copy of each of my books in the hope that they may also help. Please let us know how it goes!

Related posts and pages:
Ask Shelly: Advice for flying to India with a 2-year-old?
Moms Around the World: Bangalore, India
Ask Shelly: Which twin stroller for travel to Europe?
Flying with twins on separate rows (and why you might want to)
Best twin or double strollers for travel
Tip #6: Flying with twins on laps

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
and the NEW Take-Along Travels with Baby pocket guide
https://travelswithbaby.com/

The post Ask Shelly: Advice for flying to India with twins and handicapped mother? appeared first on Travels With Baby.