Go-Go Babyz Kidz Travelmate
by Go-Go Babyz
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List Price: Our Price: $79.95 You Save: $9.05 (10%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Go-Go Babyz Kidz Travelmate
Customer Review: Seems smarter than Sit n Stroll or Gogo Kidz, PacBack
Summary: 4 Stars
This little strap seems like the best way to get our Britax Marathon through an airport. Disclaimer: we are going on our trip in three days and will then know exactly if this thing works out, but I have done a lot of thinking about how to get the car seat through the airport and this is the best way if you take a carryon roller with you. A few of my thoughts if you are considering the GoGo Kidz, Cheeky Monky PacBack or Sit n Stroll:
1) Price. Even though this is "just" as strap and must have a production cost of under a dollar, it is still a lot less expensive than any of the above named gadgets.
2) If you use a GoGo Kidz you cannot have a roller with you unless you are willing to give up both hands.
3) I have found that using a backpack/diaper bag on your back is better than sacrificing your back to the car seat. You will also run into issues with your wide load if you have a 20lbs carseat on your back. Forget going into small places and turning around. If the carseat is too wide for the plane aisle you also will not be able to walk with it on your back.
4) A lot of people in reviews complain about having to take the car seat off at security. It seems to me that undoing two latch releases and then attaching them again later is much, much easier than having to a) undo the harness system on a PacBack, b) Unscrew the GoGo Kidz from the car seat, c) try to retract the wheels on short notice on a Sit N Stroll. Remember that either way you won't be allowed to keep your baby in the car seat on the way through security. You have to carry your baby through no matter what. Nowadays you have to take everything off anyway when going through. What are two straps more?
5) Once you are on the plane you'll have to carry any bigger car seat through to your seat. You not being able to roll the whole thing to your seat is not the fault of your transportation system, it's just the reality that the car seat is too large for the plane aisle. This is no reason to complain. You'll have to ask for help, that's what pre-boarding is there for. Once at your seat you will have to undo any of the above gadgets to achieve a good fit for the seat, again, this is logical.
For the featured 1-star reviewer Rebecca I would have suggested a carrier for the baby. That way the toddler would at least be strapped to mom while going towards security. For you traveling by yourself I would recommend a Ergo, Mei Tai, or a wrap. The latter has no metal pieces so you may be able to just walk through without having to undo the carrier. Lifesavers, those carriers. I used a wrap flying solo with my daughter at 3.5 months (stroller, backpack and purse, no car seat at that time). I also just tried attaching the seat to a 21 inch suitcase. It works just fine without having to put the suitcase on the floor. Not sure what happened there, maybe her car seat was just without latch locks? It'll be a breeze with any latch-supplied seat.
I will update once we have used the strap on our Asia trip. Our itinerary will be California-Japan-China with a very mobile and active baby.
Customer Review: Fantastic invention
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Go Go Kidz Travelmate three months before our family vacation to Hawaii to test it and see if it was worth buying two (we have to bring a car seat for each child).
The last time I traveled alone with one daughter (the other I was five months pregnant with) I used a rolling bag for her car seat. It was nice, but I had to also bring a small stroller to push her in around the airport. When I got one the plane to install her car seat in her seat, I had to remove a car seat that barely fit inside the bag and reinstall the headrest then install it in the airline seat. I was glad I had a direct flight. Plus I got a lot of strange looks. I must have looked bada**ed carrying a carseat on my back, had a laptop bag and diaper bag across my shoulder, pushing an umbrella stroller looking obviously pregnant.
This time, there is no direct flight. We are flying into THREE busy airports (Denver, LA, and Hawaii). Also, we already had one stroller mutilated by an airline with a "we don't cover strollers" excuse so that xnay'd flying with a stroller. I ordered this a few months in advance to make sure that it would fit our car seat, First Years True Fit Convertible. Both of our daughter have the exact same car seat.
I did read the instructions thoroughly before starting. Ours came with the ratcheting belt, btw. I recommend a power drill with philips head attachment for the handle screws. The holes do not line up perfectly. Also, for my car seat I did not need to adjust the metal brackets for the ratcheting belt. I followed the direction to lay down the car seat and put this on the back. Because of the rails of the car seat I had to use my knee to keep it in place until I could tighten it. Tighten that belt good, it is what is holding the car seat in place. I fed the belt through the front facing latch belt compartment. DO NOT make my mistake and loosen the belt all of the way. The teeth of the belt should only have 4 or 5 at the end. This will make it really tight. Also I connected the tether of the car seat to the grab handle (not the pull bar) to give it extra stability.
Pros:
Very sturdy if installation is followed
Has durable roller-blade-type wheels
NEW ratcheting belt makes it extremely easy to install and uninstall. I could do it in under a few minutes after some practice.
Adjustable handle for us with spouses that have a good 6" on us.
Cons:
Has no flip down bottom base to hold the car seat a little more secure
Ratchet belt takes some playing with the get the hang of it
Handle doesn't collapse all of the way behind it.
Overall I will be buying a second one to use with our other daughter. The added cost to buy another backpack type bag ($30) and the cost of our double stroller ($200) and to check the stroller ($30) we are actually saving money buying two of these at $160 total and don't have to worry about our expensive stroller getting damaged.
Customer Review: Must Have for Mom Traveling Alone!
Summary: 5 Stars
We just got back from a trip from Orlando to Chicago using the travelmate and it was quite the success!! As another reviewer noted, I had many people stop me to ask where I got it, especially the jealous looking man who was lugging his toddlers seat on his back!! This carrier is a DREAM, I was traveling alone w/ my 19 month old son and he had his own seat on the plane (if your little one is riding on your lap, you can check this at the gate just as you would a stroller so you cal have it available at your destination gate) and I planned to rent a car at our destination, so I really needed to take his carseat, but couldn't imagine how I would manage a car seat, a stroller, our carry on and him with only my 2 hands. This was the perfect solution. I was able to leave the stroller home, and w/ him strapped into the seat I could just push him along and all I had to carry was my bag. Once we got the Chicago, I was able to pop the wheels off and put the seat w/ the carrier attached right into our rental car using the latch system. You can probably even leave the wheels on, but I felt this tilted the seat a bit forward and we had quite a ways to drive and I knew my son would be dozing, I didn't want him lolling forward, but that is a personal prefeence. The only issues I had w/ the carrier aren't the carriers fault, they are the airlines. In Orlando it fit right through the X-ray machine no problem, but in Chicago it was WAY too big. Unlike some other reviwers I did not have to take it apart though, the security guy just took it aside and swiped it with a wand (simimlar to what they would do w/ a wheelchair), if you have someone try to make you take your seat off the carrier, ask them to do this instead, it was no biggie and actually was a help as I had to put shoes back on me and my son so we needed a minute anyway. The other issue I had was on our plane, I could not roll my son down the aisle in the seat, it is too wide, even after taking the wheels off (I thought that would give me enough clearance & I could just drag him) it was too wide (I have the Alpha Omega Eddie Bauer seat, which is a monster, I admit) so I had to take him out of the seat and hustle him down to row 17 and carry the seat, which was a bit difficult as I am 5'2", so I was pretty much carrying it over my head to clear the seats, but there was no way I could carry it that distance w/ my 25 lb son in it. It also would only fit in the seat w/ the wheels off, but that is no biggie, they pop right on and off. Coming home, I upgraded us to business class, and that was much easier, we were in the first row so I could roll the carseat that far and the seats were MUCH wider, I was able to put the seat in w/o taking the wheels off, if you can do this I would, it made it a snap to get in and out, I never had to take him out of the seat. We are going to NYC next month for a wedding and will take his seat and this carrier again, it was well worth the price for the ease of traveling!Customer Review: Must Have for Mom Traveling Alone!
Summary: 5 Stars
We just got back from a trip from Orlando to Chicago using the travelmate and it was quite the success!! As another reviewer noted, I had many people stop me to ask where I got it, especially the jealous looking man who was lugging his toddlers seat on his back!! This carrier is a DREAM, I was traveling alone w/ my 19 month old son and he had his own seat on the plane (if your little one is riding on your lap, you can check this at the gate just as you would a stroller so you cal have it available at your destination gate) and I planned to rent a car at our destination, so I really needed to take his carseat, but couldn't imagine how I would manage a car seat, a stroller, our carry on and him with only my 2 hands. This was the perfect solution. I was able to leave the stroller home, and w/ him strapped into the seat I could just push him along and all I had to carry was my bag. Once we got the Chicago, I was able to pop the wheels off and put the seat w/ the carrier attached right into our rental car using the latch system. You can probably even leave the wheels on, but I felt this tilted the seat a bit forward and we had quite a ways to drive and I knew my son would be dozing, I didn't want him lolling forward, but that is a personal prefeence. The only issues I had w/ the carrier aren't the carriers fault, they are the airlines. In Orlando it fit right through the X-ray machine no problem, but in Chicago it was WAY too big. Unlike some other reviwers I did not have to take it apart though, the security guy just took it aside and swiped it with a wand (simimlar to what they would do w/ a wheelchair), if you have someone try to make you take your seat off the carrier, ask them to do this instead, it was no biggie and actually was a help as I had to put shoes back on me and my son so we needed a minute anyway. The other issue I had was on our plane, I could not roll my son down the aisle in the seat, it is too wide, even after taking the wheels off (I thought that would give me enough clearance & I could just drag him) it was too wide (I have the Alpha Omega Eddie Bauer seat, which is a monster, I admit) so I had to take him out of the seat and hustle him down to row 17 and carry the seat, which was a bit difficult as I am 5'2", so I was pretty much carrying it over my head to clear the seats, but there was no way I could carry it that distance w/ my 25 lb son in it. It also would only fit in the seat w/ the wheels off, but that is no biggie, they pop right on and off. Coming home, I upgraded us to business class, and that was much easier, we were in the first row so I could roll the carseat that far and the seats were MUCH wider, I was able to put the seat in w/o taking the wheels off, if you can do this I would, it made it a snap to get in and out, I never had to take him out of the seat. We are going to NYC next month for a wedding and will take his seat and this carrier again, it was well worth the price for the ease of traveling!Customer Review: Must Have for Mom Traveling Alone!
Summary: 5 Stars
We just got back from a trip from Orlando to Chicago using the travelmate and it was quite the success!! As another reviewer noted, I had many people stop me to ask where I got it, especially the jealous looking man who was lugging his toddlers seat on his back!! This carrier is a DREAM, I was traveling alone w/ my 19 month old son and he had his own seat on the plane (if your little one is riding on your lap, you can check this at the gate just as you would a stroller so you cal have it available at your destination gate) and I planned to rent a car at our destination, so I really needed to take his carseat, but couldn't imagine how I would manage a car seat, a stroller, our carry on and him with only my 2 hands. This was the perfect solution. I was able to leave the stroller home, and w/ him strapped into the seat I could just push him along and all I had to carry was my bag. Once we got the Chicago, I was able to pop the wheels off and put the seat w/ the carrier attached right into our rental car using the latch system. You can probably even leave the wheels on, but I felt this tilted the seat a bit forward and we had quite a ways to drive and I knew my son would be dozing, I didn't want him lolling forward, but that is a personal prefeence. The only issues I had w/ the carrier aren't the carriers fault, they are the airlines. In Orlando it fit right through the X-ray machine no problem, but in Chicago it was WAY too big. Unlike some other reviwers I did not have to take it apart though, the security guy just took it aside and swiped it with a wand (simimlar to what they would do w/ a wheelchair), if you have someone try to make you take your seat off the carrier, ask them to do this instead, it was no biggie and actually was a help as I had to put shoes back on me and my son so we needed a minute anyway. The other issue I had was on our plane, I could not roll my son down the aisle in the seat, it is too wide, even after taking the wheels off (I thought that would give me enough clearance & I could just drag him) it was too wide (I have the Alpha Omega Eddie Bauer seat, which is a monster, I admit) so I had to take him out of the seat and hustle him down to row 17 and carry the seat, which was a bit difficult as I am 5'2", so I was pretty much carrying it over my head to clear the seats, but there was no way I could carry it that distance w/ my 25 lb son in it. It also would only fit in the seat w/ the wheels off, but that is no biggie, they pop right on and off. Coming home, I upgraded us to business class, and that was much easier, we were in the first row so I could roll the carseat that far and the seats were MUCH wider, I was able to put the seat in w/o taking the wheels off, if you can do this I would, it made it a snap to get in and out, I never had to take him out of the seat. We are going to NYC next month for a wedding and will take his seat and this carrier again, it was well worth the price for the ease of traveling!