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: Comparison: Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory Straps vs Go-go Kidz Travelmate
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband and I recently traveled internationally with a 2yo AND 3yo (AND their carseats). To add to it, we took the subway to get to the airport. For cost reasons, I decided against buying 2 of the Go-go Kidz travelmates. I do feel that it is a superior product, but had a hard time with the price, especially considering I needed to transport 2 carseats! However, I didn't want to buy two of the Travel Accessory straps in case it didn't function so well/couldn't carry the carseat with the child seated; etc. So, as a compromise, I bought one of each.
In my opinion, as I stated before, the Go-go Kidz is a superior product - it rolled super smoothly and was just as convenient/nimble as you could expect any carry-on or stroller to be. My girls each wanted their turn in it.
However, there were some advantages to the straps: Of course, Price! But in addition to that, it just so happened that when it came down to it, we didn't actually have enough hands to wheel all our luggage PLUS 2 additional carseat travelmates. We ended up travelling with 3 suitcases and one of the Go-go Kidz travelmate (and so our 4 hands were full). So luckily, by strapping the other carseat onto one of our suitcases, we were all set. And happily, we *were* able to leave our other child seated in the carseat.
I would add a caution to always tilt the suitcase by anchoring your foot low near the wheels as you tilt back as you may risk snapping off the handles of the suitcase with the added weight. This did not happen to us on this trip but i did once have a good quality suitcase snap at the handle for overpacking it in weight and not leaning it carefully so I was nervous that it might happen the whole trip long.
And while this style of travel worked as we got to the airport, as soon as we checked our 3 pieces of luggage, we were now left with one carseat to carry (our carry-ons were bookbags, not roll aways). So, of course, at that point I would have much preferred to have two of the Go-go Kidz travelmates to wheel around instead of just one, but as I mentioned before, two would not have been feasible for getting to the airport as we just didn't have enough hands!
So, my final decision is that *both* products worked well and served their purpose. The Go-go Kidz Travelmate is a breeze to travel with - if you have an extra hand to push/pull it around. The Travel Accessory straps are a much more inexpensive solution that is particularly convenient if you don't have extra hands. In the future, I may eventually buy another Go-go Kidz travelmate, but am glad I still have the straps, as I may need them as a back-up plan! (And I'm glad I saved the difference in price on this particular trip, as we applied it to a taxi ride home to spare us the subway again!)
Customer Review: Made traveling with baby much easier
Summary: 4 Stars
I just returned from a trip during which I used the travelmate. My primary reason for purchasing this was that I wanted to use my own car seat in the rental car instead of having to rely on a car seat whose history I didn't know. I also didn't want to travel with a baby in my lap and he needed a car seat in the plane. I was very nervous about traveling alone with a 10 month old, but this contraption made getting the baby from the parking lot to the airport, around the airport and on to the plane very easy.
I had this attached to the Britax roundabout. I had to buy a car seat for our second car anyway and chose to buy the roundabout primarily because it fit this trolley perfectly. I went to the baby superstore store with a list of "compatible" car seats from the product's website and could not figure out how they were supposed to work with this. (I spent quite a while with the directions book and some of the other car seats at the store.) So a word of caution about other car seats -- I hope that you can understand directions better than I can to make the other seats work...
I was able to use this with the Britax to pull my son easily and quickly around the airport by both pulling and pushing. Security in Boston was OK since the car seat with the travelmate attached fit through the scanner; security at the destination was a little more difficult as they had to search it by hand when it wouldn't fit through any of their scanners; but they didn't make me take it apart.
The trolley with this car seat fit down the aisle of the airplane perfectly, and I chose to keep everything together when I put him in the airplane seat. (I strongly suspect this is NOT recommended) The seatbelt was a little difficult to get through and pull tight, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of taking everything apart and putting it back together again with people waiting to get off the plane. He was very secure in the seat and had plenty of wiggle room. When we got to our destination, I was able to get off the plane quickly and with some patience was able to disconnect everything and get the car seat installed in the rental car.
I agree with the people who expressed concern about the handle. it was a little wobbly, and at times released when I wasn't expecting it to, like when I was carrying it off the shuttle bus.
I am so glad that I used this. All aspects of traveling were made so much easier with this contraption. It also brought smiles to people who saw a baby being pulled around in it.
My reason for not giving it more stars was the fact that I couldn't find other car seats that really seemed to fit this -- and I spent quite a while looking.
Customer Review: Ingenious - no stroller required, and only one item to gate check!
Summary: 5 Stars
I adore this product! Pros are that you don't need a stroller (provided you have one at your destination of course - thank you grandparents), AND you don't have to schlep the car seat on your back or otherwise. Other benefits:
--smooth ball-bearing wheels.
--My daughter loves it: when you are pushing/pulling it, the child is quite reclined, and looks extremely comfortable.
--the handle is strong enough to push in front of you, which I always do (no way am I pulling my most precious cargo behind me where someone could knock her w/ a bag, etc.)
--the handle raises and lowers smoothly.
--Once attached, the system is very secure. Solid, and has never detached.
--I put the car seat w/ the go-go babyz attached into a JL Childress Gate Check Bag for Car Seats, Red, pick it up at the gate at my destination, and remove it only when I get to the car at my destination airport.
I have used it exclusively with the Britax Diplomat.
I agree it is a bit of a pain to initially attach, though this depends in part on your particular car seat, and like anything, practice makes it easier and faster.
Unlike other reviewers, however, I've never had to remove it for security. Now that I reflect, it is true that it does not go through the X-ray, but without my saying anything, the security personnel have always picked it up and hand-screened it. If I had to remove it for security, I agree it would get fewer stars.
I purchased this 8/08 and have used it for 3 or 4 flights between then and now, and never had a problem. Now that I think about it, I've always put it on the conveyor, and they have always taken it off and hand screened it w/o saying anything. In the stress of getting everything in those *&$# grey bins, I've never remembered at that moment that it is too large, either. Perhaps if you look stressed and like you expect/don't know it won't go through, they just do what needs to be done to move things along??? lol
Caveat: on my last flight, one of the wheels got damaged when it was gate checked. Not check-checked, but gate checked. It was Northwest/Delta. They would do nothing to recompense me. This never happened on Jet Blue. Anyway, as Go-Go Babyz recommends taking it off and carrying it on, I remove no stars. Checking the whole thing was my choice. After all, who would check their strollers if every time they came back with damaged wheels?!? The risk seemed minimal. If I had to do it over, I'd still gate check it. But for the record, this did happen. :-(
Customer Review: Helpful to get through airport but not perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I used the travelmate for the first time when I was seven months pregnant and traveling alone with my two year old. It was also the first time that my two year old was traveling with his car seat. I'm glad I got it, but I still think bringing the car seat feels like a hassle. When I went through security, the security person asked me to take the car seat off completely from the travelmate. I know other people said they were able to ask the person to hand wand the seat with it attached to it, but I didn't argue. I was able to take it off and on okay (thanks to alot of practice at home. I'm not someone that mechanical things come easily so when other reviewers said everything was such a cinch---I wouldn't agree. Now, I can do it pretty easily having done it several times, but it was definitely frustrating for me at first).
Once I got on the airplane, the aisle wasn't wide enough to roll it through. So, either I carried it down the aisle, or a stewardess felt pity on me and helped me. Navigating my toddler while carrying it down the aisle was not an easy task, since I no longer had hands free to hold his hand.
I decided to keep the seat attached to the travelmate when I strapped him in the seat because I didn't know how I could get the travelmate back on in the airplane, if I took it off. The problem with this is that my toddler barely had any room between his feet and the seat in front of him. In fact, I think if he grows several inches by next trip, it might not be possible to keep it attached just for comfort reasons. I definitely recommend asking a stewardess for a seatbelt extendor. Didn't use it for the trip there, and I was able to undo the latch, but it was very difficult. Much easier on the trip back with the extendor.
On the trip back, I had to take it off and on several times because I either hadn't tightened it enough or didn't strap it on in the right spot and it wasn't steady. As for as my toddler sitting on it, he's beyond using a stroller now and wants to walk everywhere, so having him being able to sit in his seat while rolling it through was not helpful for us.
So, nice to have the car seat on wheels, but it's still a hassle. If the security machines were all big enough for it to go through (the airport on the way back, I was able to stick the whole thing through, still attached through the x-ray machine) and if the airplane aisles were wider, it'd make a huge difference. Since that's not likely to change, it's still a hassle, but not as big of a hassle as lugging the car seat without it.
Customer Review: Use with Britax Roundabout fits through security scanner
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the Go Go Kidz carseat attachment thing and have used it NUMEROUS times for air travel through probably 10 different airports' security. I absolutely LOVE it and get stopped multiple times each time with people asking about it. It's awesome because you can attach it easily (very easy but takes probably 3 minutes because you have to get the long bolts through) with the kid still in the seat, my daughter loves it, and it all stays together when it goes through the security scanner. I have gone through approximately 10 different airports' security scanners and all were able to fit my Britax Roundabout with it still attached. The Britax Roundabout is a little shorter than the Marathon. We use it in my husband's car and for travel. Still just as comfy for my 2 1/2 year old daughter as the Marathon. You can use it from newborn till your kid is 40" tall and 40 lbs (Marathon can be used till 49" tall). Might consider this combo for those of you having problems with the security scanner. I never have to remove the carseat from the wheels to get it to fit through. I take the kid out at the security belt, walk through the security scanner, pick up the carseat from the belt with one hand and put it down to easily strap my daughter back in. She's then secure while I collect whatever else I have. I also wrap the overstuffed diaper bag around the handle and it "sits" on the top of the carseat (like you might use the strap at the top of a wheeled suitcase to hold an additional bag) so I don't have to carry it on my shoulder. That leaves my shoulder free for a duffle type bag with a padded shoulder strap. Also, you can push OR pull the carseat on those Go Go wheels very easily. I actually manage very easily to get from East Bumble Parking Lot/Garage (walking the whole way or loading on and off a bus) by pushing her in front of me and pulling a large wheeled suitcase to the ticket counter. I can also pull her in one hand and another wheeled bag in the other. The Go Go Kidz thing is much more maneuverable and wheels much more easily than a suitcase. My favorite thing: my daughter goes to sleep in it when she won't in a stroller or on a plane. I take her to the most remote area of the airport where we have a layover and push or pull her down the long stretches between the moving sidewalks till she goes to sleep. I just circle around at the end and keep lapping. She falls asleep and gets the much-needed nap and I get a little exercise and time to stretch my legs. PRICELESS.