elg26

I know there are many different threads on this topic but as first time travelers with our kids, I would like to ask as we are making our first flight with a 3 1/2 year old and 16 month old next month and already have Ageda...

1) Stroller - plan to gate check it, but will it be alright to gate check a Dual Side by stroller? Obviously its a larger stroller then the singles.
a) Or do we need to get/ or should get 2 smaller single strollers.

2) Car Seats - renting a car in destination and wife is concerned what kind of car seat we could get with our rental car - so we are bring our own car seats
a) Should I gate check these or do it when I first check in? Thinking though its heavier for me to lug through the airport to the gate, it still may have less hands on it if gate check it. Then again at the destination we are at the whim of the handlers....

Thank you in advance

levilevi

1 - you can def. gate check, it qualifies (assuming it collapses), question is navigating through the airport with it open (I can't speak to JFK) -
2 - if you can handle getting through the airport, I would absolutely gate check over luggage check, as you said, less machines/handlers.

Try to get a gate check bag for stroller and car seats.. many have straps to wear like a backpack.

sportsguy1

You should have no problem gate checking a side-by-side double stroller. We traveled with a Maclaren Major stroller for our daughter which is about 50% bigger than a regular stroller, and in ten years we never had any trouble checking it at the gate. Also, we’ve seen others gate check side-by-side double strollers so you shouldn’t have an issue.

This is most likely a case of trying things out to know what will work best for you. Ultimately, it will depend as much on what you’re doing at your destination as it will on how to get through the airport. It may take a few trips to figure out, but we would recommend thinking about certain things over the course of the whole trip. For example, do you think you’ll use the stroller a lot with both kids, just one, or not a lot for either (the destination can be an important factor: if public transportation isn’t that accessible, the place is very hilly, or there are cobbled streets, then the stroller could be a bit limited)? What other journeys will you have to make with the stroller (trains, other flights, etc.)? If you have a rental car, will you have enough space for it? It can often be tricky to answer these questions and much will be trial and error, but these questions might help you to figure out if one double stroller, two single strollers - or even one single stroller - is the best choice.

In our experience, we found traveling with a stroller was, for the most part, simple and efficient provided we stuck to certain rules to make the most of the advantages. Firstly, we made sure she was always in her stroller whenever she could be; second, if she didn’t want to be in it, we carefully explained that it was best; and third, we made sure that in the stroller she was always properly buckled in (we know many never do this, but it’s safer and we’ve seen a few kids jump out and some strollers tip over having been overloaded with bags and jackets, etc. which could have been easily avoided).

Some kids will not want to go in a stroller, so you’ll have to work out what works for you and be prepared for it taking a few trips before you know. After the first few times, we found that with a favorite toy, and when she was older a good book, she was perfectly happy in the stroller even though it could be a few hours at a time. We were lucky that our daughter naturally travels fairly well, but setting up a routine and sticking with it helped us and our daughter a lot (by the time she was 9 years old she was buckling herself in the stroller and reading her book before we’d left the jet bridge!).

We would recommend using your own car seats onboard the aircraft. Our daughter (who is very small for her age) was in the Britax Frontier until 13 years old and preferred it way more than the aircraft seat. She could read, watch movies, and sleep totally comfortably whereas the few times she was in the aircraft seat she always complained she could never get comfortable. Not only will your kids be more likely to be comfortable (and perhaps sleep better) in their own seats than in the aircraft seat, but using the seats means you never have to check them - which removes all the risk of mishandling and possible damage. In terms of getting through the airport car seats can be awkward to carry, but there are now some very compact and foldable wheeled carts made specifically for car seats so you can roll them along rather than carry them.

The first time traveling and flying with kids can seem like a big task. Obviously different things work for different people, so what worked for us may not work for you, but we hope this is helpful in some way. Whatever you decide, you’ll find that with a few trips and trying new things each time, you’ll find out what works for you quicker than you might imagine!