Diaper Bag Folds

I'll be taking my daughter on a plane after her first birthday?

I'm wondering if I will have to pay for her to have her own seat? Will I be able to take her forward-facing car seat on the plane(haven't bought one yet since she's only 11 months)? And if I can take her car seat, do you know of any brands that fold in half or something or are easy to transport when you already have to push an umbrella stroller and carry bags?? Also, how much carry-on are you allowed, and will I even be able to bring the umbrella stroller on the plane when I'll have a big diaper bag as well? I'll be flying from Seattle, WA to Des Moines, IA in March and I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for me or could answer my questions. It will be a little hard because my husband will not be flying with us so I have to carry all this stuff around by myself!! Thanks!

You do not absolutely have to buy a baby a seat until age two, but it is a good idea to anyway as it is much safer than riding in your lap and it is also nice to have somplace safe to set the baby while in flight. Some airlines offer half price fares for infants, but sometimes it's better to buy a full fare one as they often aren't offered on specials and full taxes apply anyway so sometimes the half price fare ends up being slightly more than a full adult fare.

If you don't purchase a seat, you might be able to use one anyway if you are lucky enough to have an empty seat next to you. Bring the carseat to the gate and ask. If there isn't an empty seat, you can gatecheck it along with your stroller. They will give you tags for carseat and stroller, and you leave them just outside the door to the plane and find them waiting just outside the door again when you arrive at your destination.

On my last trip, I was actually able to set it in the umbrella stroller and bungee cord it in securely enough that I felt safe having the baby ride in the carseat in the stroller. My older child's carseat didn't fit quite so well, so when I travelled with just her I used to do similar but would use the carseat/stroller combination to carry my carryon bags and would carry her in the sling.

Just because your daughter is turning one doesn't mean that she needs a forward facing seat unless she is approaching the limit of a convertible seat (30 to 35 pounds depending on the seat). One year and twenty pounds is just the minimum to turn forward facing, but it's much safer to remaon rear facing as long as possible. This page - http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html - (and several of the pages reached by following 'next' link at the bottom) explain more about just why it is safer and important.

Find the place on your carseat where it says it is approved for air use before you board the plane - flight attendants sometimes want to see it, and nothing is more fun than blocking the aisle while you twist the seat this way and that looking for the little print! Also, most seats are easy to install on a plane, but keep in mind how you will uninstall it as you tighten the belt. One seat - the Britax Marathon - is made so that when installed forward facing, the flap that you need to lift ends up pressed really tightly against the back of the seat where it can't be lifted! I thought they were going to have to cut the belt when I made that mistake, but with a lot of help and time we managed to get it out. A simple belt extender so I could have hte opening in a more convenient place fixed that problem in the future, and most seats don't have it, but just something to keep in mind if you happen to use that seat.

The arline website should have more information about travelling with babies and carryon info. Strollers and carseats that are gatechecked generally don't count as part of your carryon allowance.

Checking a carseat with baggage is not a good idea. It might be damaged - it is less likely to be if gatechecked. It also might also go missing as baggage so often does. Last Christmas our baggage missed one of our connections and so didn't arrive until the next day. Had we not had the carseat on the plane with us, we would have found ourselves at the airport at ten at night with no safe way to get our daughter home! The airline will sometimes have a loaner seat to use in this situation, but someone I know who had to use one told me that it was dirty and expired and a horrible seat and she felt terrible about putting her child in it.

Good luck in your travels.

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