Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory
by Traveling Toddler
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.75 You Save: $0.24 (2%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
Baby Products Reviews of Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory
Customer Review: Go-go Kidz Travelmate vs Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory Straps
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: Just good in theory
Summary: 1 Stars
Oh where do I begin? I had the worst traveling experience of my life trying to use this product. I was traveling by myself with a one year old from Bangkok to San Francisco, where we had to change planes in Tokyo. The one year old was the easy part... the hard part was getting through all of the security check points and trying to wrangle this contraption to make it work along the way. By the time I got on the first plane I was in tears.
First you have to lay your bag our on the ground to attach the seat. Then the toddler can't actually be sitting in the seat when you attach it because you need to get behind the padding and everything to guide the straps through. So you are wrestling with your roller bag on the ground while the toddler is well, toddling all over the place.
Then you get to security and have to take everything apart and do it all again.... While your toddler is roaming free, willy-nilly and everyone is looking on in disbelief at this ridiculous system you are struggling with. Next you will be lucky if you can get the bag and the car seat down the aisle of the airplane... if you can't what are you supposed to do with a 20 pound kid, a 20 pound seat, a roller bag, and the diaper bag.... more crying...
Then when you land you have to take your toddler out of the seat again and try to wrestle the whole contraption back together on the floor of the plane. Luckily we were in the bulkhead, otherwise there is no way on this green earth that you would have enough space anywhere to do this. Don't forget that the toddler has wandered off while you are trying to accomplish this feat. Not only that, but to prevent my daughter from wandering off while I was making a fool of myself with this thing I put her in a plane seat. Next thing I knew she had done a face plant on the floor and had a bloody nose, all while I was trying to use this horrible system.
Then you get off the plane, go to the next security checkpoint and do it all again. By the time I actually got off the plane (last one off every time) in San Francisco I was truly living every parents' nightmare of traveling alone with a kid. All the while my actual kid was great, but this thing really REALLY only works in theory.
It also doesn't hold things together very securely. I, like other reviewers was worried about that too.
Once I got to the hotel I wanted to have a ceremonial burning of the wretched device.... instead I "accidentally" left it under the bed. Holiday Inn near Fisherman's Wharf for those of you who thought this system worked out so good.
Customer Review: A big help for parents traveling solo
Summary: 4 Stars
This worked well for traveling alone with my 18-month old. I was able to transport her carseat (Britax Marathon, 2007) as well as being able to have a large carryon bag for those essentials I didn't want to check in our luggage (the critically essential teddy bear, for example). I will say that she wasn't crazy about actually riding in it, so I wore her in an Ergo carrier (this was easier going through airport security anyway, as I did not have to take her out of the Ergo). But, I still had my hands free to drag the bag, and the best part was that I was able to maneuver the carseat, still strapped to my rolling bag, all the way down the aisle of the plane. (note that this is more a feature of the dimensions of your particular carseat, roller bag, and the plane itself, but it was pretty much a make-it-or-break-it for me in terms of how useful this item was). Further, the strap is so small that it can easily stay attached to the seat while on the plane, or you can disconnect it and slip it into a purse or your pocket...it's really that small. I had considered other options, like the Go-Go Babyz, but didn't want something that bulky that had to be stored while the seat was in use on the plane.
Getting through airport security will probably still be somewhat of a challenge if your child is actually riding in the seat, because you will have to take your child out, and then detach the seat from the suicase. Basically you have to unhook two of the three LATCH connection points (leaving the strap attached to the seat at the third point), send the seat--strap still attached--through the xray, and then send your suitcase through. Afterward, re-connect the strap to your suitcase and you're off.
I would say this made all the difference when traveling solo. It enabled me to have my daughter travel safely in her carseat on the plane, as well as being able to take a larger carry-on bag (as opposed to just a shoulder/diaper bag). Plus, I didn't have to carry the carseat or bag on my shoulders. Just be sure to practice connecting, disconnecting, and maneuvering around before you go to the airport. Once you adjust the LATCH straps and top tether to fit YOUR carseat to YOUR bag, you won't have to readjust them until you're ready to put the carseat into the car at your destination. For the price, I was shocked at how small and simple this device is, but it's ingenious! I recommend it.
Customer Review: I wanted it to be 4 stars....
Summary: 2 Stars
I was hopeful, even after reading some of the negative reviews - however, this just didn't cut it for our needs. I'm not upset by the purchase (it's not that expensive) but I'll probably never use it again.
I got this strap in hopes to avoid bringing a stroller (save space), but also enable us to use my 15 month old's car seat once we reached our destination. To put it plainly, we only used the strap for 1/4 of our airport adventures :-(
First, even after reading other reviews, we intended to use the strap to transport our daughter from the car to the gate. Meaning, I needed to attach the car seat to our carry-on, not larger luggage, which was not recommended by other reviewers. I should also mention that my daughter is still a lap child, so I never intended to use the car seat on the plane.
My daughter LOVED riding in her seat around our house and through the airport... BUT, after we strolled her from car to check in, detached and reattached for security and were 1/2 way to our gate I noticed that the wheels of our small carry-on luggage were vibrating badly & had become very hot! Issues on our end: we have relatively cheap luggage, a heavy toddler (35 lbs) and I walk very fast... that being said, the wheels on our carry-on may be ruined after using this for only a short time. We did not reattach the car seat to the carry-on after we landed or for our return flight. (The strap did end up making a nice handle, and keeping the LATCH straps out of my way when I attached everything around the front... but not the intended use)
Helpful hints from other reviews: Practicing attaching and detaching well before your trip (It's difficult, but not impossible... don't plan on using this if you're on your own with a child - she would have wondered away by the time I got it all back together). Having your luggage packed FULL is also a must for a secure fit.
In the end, would I recommend this to a friend?? Ultimately it depends on their needs - but probably not. If you are planning to use it with very sturdy luggage and / or a very light child - it might not be so bad. If you are a casual traveler like myself - either check the car seat and figure out how to carry your child through the airport or get a different product. Yes this is a cheap alternative, but in the end we may end up with new luggage because of it.
Customer Review: Easy Easy Easy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the easiest thing to use and the most useful thing I've bought in a long time. It is worth the money but honestly I'm sure it only cost a couple bucks to make. Regardless, last week we used it for the first time on our flight from Germany to Atlanta then on to Charleston. We hooked it up as soon as we unloaded the car (not even having to take our daughter out of the car seat). It's shape is a stick figure without the arms (the nylon part) and then rings on each end. You start out by putting the whole thing on the back part of your carry on with the body part (still using the stick figure metaphor) going up and down. You lift the carry handle up and the ring on the top will go through the space and connect to the locking clip from the car seat. The leg parts of the nylon will go to the left and right sides of your carry on connecting to those locking clips. Snap, snap, snap. Unless your car seat doesn't have locking clips there is NO WAY you can have issues with this product. I have a Britax Marathon and it worked just fine. My husband even said "Wow. This is the most ingenious thing you've come up with in a long time." Mind you, that would have been the same reaction had I found the cure for cancer. Taking it off and putting it back on at the security gate is no problem either. It takes as much time as people taking off their belt, shoes or jacket. We didn't take it on the plane (full flight and her ticket was infant in arms, won't do that with a 1 1/2 year old again) so I don't know how it would fit down the isle but I would have probably stepped aside (the area where they check the strollers just before you step on the plane) and unhooked it there and asked one of the flight attendants for help with the carryon or car seat. There's a reason why the flight attendants are there so don't feel like you can't ask them for help. Anyway it was a lifesaver, especially during the whole Atlanta customs and baggage recheck lines. I had several people ask about it, including one frazzled Mom with a 2 year old running all over the place. My daughter seemed to like it as well. She could watch everyone while getting wheeled around from the comfort of her seat. I really really recommend this product to every parent. Once my husband gets back from SC (he still has the baby) I'll try and do a video review for it.