As I am a couple weeks out from my Miami trip with the girls, I have begun prepping for all things air travel.
I have traveled a ton with my girls by myself. From national flights to international. In a couple of weeks we go to Miami and it’s time to start prepping all over again. We used to have these Cosco seats that I wouldn’t really recommend. They were inexpensive but my girls outgrew them way too fast. However, they were extremely light weight, and I even traveled to California (by myself) with the girls in car seats and they slept THE WHOLE WAY! If you’re in a pickle these are great, but I am thinking what’s the point in buying cheap seats if you have to buy bigger ones so soon after. That’s what led me to all the info below…
While doing lots of research I kept finding the EvenFlo Tribute . It’s inexpensive, at $59, and lightweight, at 9 lbs. These are key for me, in buying a carseat that is just meant for airplanes and vacation travel. I still use a carseat on the plane with my 2 year old (will be 3 in July) because she just cannot handle being told to sit in an airplane seat for more than an hour. The seatbelt makes her mad, the seat makes her mad, and basically anything that she is told me has to do makes her mad. For some reason a carseat gives her a sense of familiarity and comfort and we have zero issues with her sitting hours straight. Since my littlest is 2 and my oldest is 4, this will be my first time traveling without a double stroller. I am a little nervous, because I love having somewhere for them to sit and be pushed so we can move quickly, somewhere for my purse and ten thousand other things to hang etc. However, I still think that at this point a stroller would be more of an inconvenience.This is where the carseat dolly comes in handy, I figure that I can pull my youngest around the airport and have my eldest walk. I am sure someone will complain at some point but it’s better than two young kids not wanting to walk and not having a solution. I found the Go Go Baby Z Travelmate on facebook marketplace used for a lot less than market price and am totally snagging it. They don’t really make this model anymore ( they now sell this 4 wheel and more expensive version: Go Go BabyZ Travelmate Deluxe) but the Brica Roll N Go is comparable and much cheaper than what is available brand new.
For my four year old we played with the idea of a regular small booster, which we could legally go with as she is already 40 lbs and 40 inches tall. However, my husband and I just don’t fully feel comfortable not putting her in a 5 point harness. Since her carseat goes as luggage (that you don’t have to pay for) under the plane, it really won’t affect me while alone in the airport. We will be ubering there anyhow, so the carseat will be used on the way to the airport and then placed in our Zohzo travel bag that sits like a backpack. I found the Evenflo Harness Booster and like the price at $58 and the fact that she can use it until she is 112 lbs.
I haven’t yet used either carseat or the carseat dolly so I will be glad to share how it all went after we hit the skies. Hope this info has been helpful to you, if you are looking to go on air travel with toddlers!
