work2fly

I'll start by saying that I feel pretty strongly that all children, regardless of age, should have their own seat and a restraint device suitable for their size.

Our daughter will be 12 months old at the time of travel, and we're taking a RTW trip, all in J, flying OZ, CA, LH and UA.

Some of the flights have lie flat seats, some have angled flat seats and 2 flights have standard reclining seats. We purchased a ticket for our daughter to have her own seat.

We're trying to figure out what gear to take with us for carrying our child.

I don't want to bring a heavy stroller with us, as the days we plan to spend walking will be at HKG Disney, where we can rent a stroller, and in the Alps during late November, where I suspect there's a good chance of snow, sleet or other inclement weather. Honestly, while she's heavy, I'd rather carry my daughter than push a stroller around in the wet, slush or snow.

I'm thinking a combination of a lightweight umbrella stroller and a travel Baby Ergo will be sufficient for our time on the ground.

Where I have a real conundrum is on what to bring for our time in the airport and on the plane. I was initially thinking about bringing a lightweight car seat, like a Cosco Scenera, and a Go-go Babyz type cart. We also have a CARES restraint that we can use on the flights with reclining seats.

However, it seems Air China, at least, does not allow car seats on their planes, and Asiana already provides car seats on request, so there's 2 out of the four airlines where we either don't need the car seat or won't be allowed to bring it on board. If we bring the car seat, I guess we'll have to get a cover for it and just check it as baggage on these flights.

Our seats on United and Lufthansa are either lie flat or angled flat seats, which presumably are more conducive for sleeping than a car seat. I assume if we want to put our daughter to bed on the seat, we're stuck with finding on board storage for the car seat, which on UA at least, isn't going to happen anywhere other than on the seat itself.

As much as it goes against my preconceived notions about safety, I'm thinking about just leaving the car seat at home, and using a combination of pillows and the restraints provided.

Thoughts?

Eclipsepearl

Do you need a car seat at your destinations? Many of the places listed, you could use public transportation and avoid taxis.

LH and UA aren't a problem with car seats but you see that there is on the other airlines. LH accepts U.S. car seats on board.

Never check a car seat as luggage!!! Can't emphasize that enough. Take it to the gate if you have to.

Yes, not taking a car seat is a safety compromise. The chances of something happening on one of your flights is slim. The chances that your car seat could be lost or broken by being checked (and no, you can't tell for sure if there's been damage, same as after a car accident) are much greater.

For a year old baby, there aren't really any car seat alternatives that are portable. Not sure if she'll be big enough for the CARES harness.

If you do bring the car seat, skip the overpriced Gogo Kidz Travelmate and just use a good, all-metal, foldable luggage cart. Basically, the Gogo is the same thing. Stow it under the seat in front of your child during the flight (never in the overhead bin). Toddlers can ride through the airport like this but your child is a bit young for that but you'll have a carrier.

The Ergo is a good carrier a lot of people like. It can go on the front or back. It's not great for breastfeeding, I'm just mentioning for the record. You might want to check out Peppermint.com (since they have multiple companies' products) or your favorite parenting site's babywearing board if you have any special issues and want to look into all your options. For example, if you are overweight, have a bad back, etc. They could have other ideas...

I'm not up on the latest strollers on the market so I won't make specific recommendations but I do strongly suggest that it can fold with one hand and light enough to carry. Don't get one of those cheapy-ones I see in airports with way-too-small babies slumped down inside. Make sure it's comfortable for her to nap in and get her used to napping in it before leaving, so that you're not dragging back to the hotel room every afternoon.

Also, don't waste a day in Hong Kong going to Disneyland. She's too young to really appreciate it and there's so much to do and see there, it would be a shame! Go to one of the outlaying islands instead. Much nicer and better pictures to show her later on. Plan a trip to a Disney closer to home when she's older and can take advantage of it better.

azepine00

Ouch! 12 mon is probaly one of the worst times to travel (9-18 is the difficult range IME) - learing to walk, desire to explore yet no meaningful interest in ipad yet and no way to communicate. This has a great potential to become by a wide margin your most miserable RTW (while taking some cabin neighbors down with you)

As for carseat - why would you need it to begin with? I don't know about safety concerns (despite numerous threads on the subject i am yet to see any factual evidence of meaningful hazards) but i am pretty sure that your kid will get tired of card seat in no time and you'll be forced to abandon it.

Unlike riding in a car where the motion and noise and sights outside distract and calm kids down airplane really doesn't offer much. Try strapping your daughter in a carseat without moving and see how long she will last...

And one more time - does it really have to be RTW - can you settle for Hawaii or smth?

Eclipsepearl

This is not that bad of an age to travel, honestly. I found that once they could walk/run, this was far worse. It also depends on the child, and how many you have! Just one baby, with two parents, just under the "bad" toddler "don't force me to stay in one place" age, you'll be fine. It's not as easy as traveling with a 4 month old, but still better than an 18 monther.

Yes, a car seat can make the difference in an accident. There is plenty of evidence but the chances of an accident are very low.

A child doesn't have to "love" a car seat for it to be a safe way to transport them. I know-mine all hated theirs' but they did fine on the airplane (especially asleep ). A car seat on the airplane can mean freedom to move around for the parent!

Personally, I won't buy a seat for an under-2 unless I can use my car seat. I try to avoid airlines that won't but on a few short hops, I had no other options and I didn't get too upset. I was more annoyed at not having the option than worried for my child's safety.

On an unrelated note, be sure your child has her passport and you may want to discuss your travel plans with your ped. Mine did make some adjustments to the vaccine schedule per our international trips.

work2fly

Thank you both for the wonderful insight.

Now that you mention it, while we have the option to use public transportation, we arrive at HKG at 10pm or so after traveling all day from SFO. We're staying in Sha Tin, which is a good 30 minute drive from the airport. It would be most convenient for us to utilize a taxi or limo, and while it doesn't appear car seats are required, if we'll already have one with us, we should use it. We're flying OZ, and they will provide a car seat inflight, so perhaps we use the car seat/luggage cart in the airport, and just gate check the seat before boarding our flights.

Our other main stop is in SZG, and we need to get to Berchtesgaden. Again, while we could take a train, we'll be arriving after 12+ hours of travel, and I'd rather use the hotel van as opposed to trying to navigate the bus and 2 trains necessary to get from the airport to the hotel.

While I think the need for the car seat in flight is somewhat debatable, perhaps given our ground transportation needs, we should have one.

I greatly appreciate this advice, as it's not something I would have otherwise considered.

She's big and tall for her age, as in 20+ pounds and wearing 18-24 month clothing at just 10 months of age. I suspect she'll be just big enough for the CARES harness, but given the lie flat seats, it may not fit around the seat or seat shell. The harness is small enough that perhaps we just bring it.

My five year old (who's also traveling with us) wouldn't forgive us if we didn't visit Disney. You're right that the little one won't remember it at all...

When I booked the ticket (90K US awards, natch), I was remembering how easy our first child was to travel with, even at 1 year. He slept most of the time, and when he wasn't sleeping, he'd quietly play with his toys, watch TV, or if he got antsy, I'd walk with him a bit in the aisles. Let's just say, our little princess is nothing like our little prince. She's high maintenance, very clingy, and is quite prone to screaming when she wants something

We intentionally booked West bound flights, so they would all be during the day. While overnight flights may have been more conducive for sleeping, I was thinking of the down side, and if the baby's crying, I'd rather it not be while others need to sleep. We'll also have more energy to deal with 'things' as they come up.

Admittedly, the potential disruption to others is a concern to me. Even though the flights are day time, some folks like to sleep, and many of them probably paid good money for a trip of a lifetime. I'm going to do everything I can to prepare for and mitigate this.

Point well taken.



Done.

Erasmus

FWIW, we have done similar trips with our kids at that age. The previous posters are right, 12 mos is not the best age for it, but it certainly can be done. Moreover, I'd argue that a carseat is even more important at this age as (at least our) kids are likely to try to climb out of the seat at every opportunity if they are not sleeping.

I have no experience with OZ or CA. For both UA and LH, however, I have taken multiple trips in J with children your DD's age. We also use a Cosco Scenera for flights, and I would recommend you bring it. It will fit in the overhead bin in LH 747s if you choose not to use it, and we have had good luck getting UA FAs to store it in the closet if not in use.

That said, our kids tend to slide down the LH angle-flat seats, so we always use the carseat in LH J. For UA, we also use the seat for the recliner seats, but tend to dispense with it for the full-flat seats. We have used CARES on both, but, honestly, prefer the car seat when upright.

Finally, while it's clearly too late for you, I would have strongly recommended booking this sort of trip eastbound so most flights would be overnight. The 12+ hour flights go *much* faster when the little ones are sleeping

Good luck!

swise

Just another datapoint: My kids sleep as well on planes as they do in cars. The white noise and gentle rumbling and motion put them out easily.

We have always used car seats. It's a known entity for them, and I think they have an easier time sleeping in a seat they're familiar with.

And another vote for the Sceneras. We have two. I noticed WalMart has some really cute patterns for the seats now. However, when we went to the store to get our second son a Scenera, they only had boring patterns available there. So if you would like to get a seat with a fun design, consider ordering online.

Also, we have used the Traveling Toddler strap to secure our Scenera to a rollaboard bag. It works great for us. We do use a Briggs and Riley rollaboard. I would suggest sticking with a very durable suitcase with the Traveling Toddler strap. You don't want the handle to fail if the bag can't take the weight. The strap takes up virtually no space, so it is very convenient. It does take some time to set up. That's the only downside I can report.

Have a wonderful trip!

estnet

Even if the airline provides a seat will your child be as comfortable as they would be in one they "know" and with which they are comfortable?

koalagurl

Kids / babies don't bother me as much as perhaps the parent's response. From what you have said thus far, I'd be happy to be on a plane with your kids.

On topic, we did a night flight with my 11 month old LAX-LHR with the lie flat seats. We didn't book her a ticket, but was able to just tuck her in with me and sleep on the bed. I was still nursing so it actually worked out great to be able to get her to sleep. I figured my job for the 10-11 hours was to keep the baby happy, and I could recover at the destination.

I agree with you, I think the day return flight was much less stressful for me, as I wasn't as worried about disrupting sleep.

For a stroller, we used the Uppa Baby G-Luxe, which is an umbrella style stroller with a decent recline. It was definitely great to have in transit, but a carrier would also be good. The Quinny Zapp X-tra also folds up very small and has a recline (but is a bit heavier than the G-Luxe). I went with the G-Luxe after reading that I might not get the stroller airside in Heathrow (we were in transit).

One of the baby toy companies makes an iPhone case for kids that prevents them from pushing the "home" button. It is great for my now 13 month old. While I am not a TV pusher on the kids, the 13 month old is just now able to sit and watch for a 1/2 hour or so.

flsunshineflyer

Just did SIN-NRT-EWR-Florida with a 13 month old in J. All on UA. There was space in the overhead for her car seat when we didn't need it. I highly recommend the car seat. She slept in it as opposed to not sleeping with the lie-flat. The seats were too unknown, I think.
The CARES Harness worked well for us even though she is nowhere near the height and weight requirements. We used it for meal times.
Also, it is an easy enough time to fly. Honestly, 2 months old was the best and it is progressively more difficult with each flight as she gets older. But, 13 months old wasn't bad. And she is a walker, runner, climber.

CBear

I'd skip the Scenera and get something like a Combi Coccoro. Far easier installation in cars and much cushier and tiny. It's the perfect travel seat.

CBear

That I very much agree with. However, trying to contain my son when I need him to stay seated without the ability to strap him down is mission impossible.

work2fly

Thanks to all for the great advice!

swise

It is nicer but also much more expensive. Also, the weight limits are quite a bit lower than the limits for the Scenera. If you have a bigger kid, the coccoro might get outgrown fairly quickly.

If I didn't have giant babies I would've gone for it. But both my boys are at the top of the charts, and it just didn't make sense.

intrepid720

I'm not sure where you found the info about Air China. We flew Air China in February 2013 with an 8-month-old in an infant bucket (Graco Snugride) and a 21 month old in a convertible (Diono Radian). We were absolutely allowed to use both seats on board. I suppose it's possible we ran into an exception, but we flew two flights on very different aircraft types and it was no problem either time.