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: BUY THIS!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe that I almost bought that $80 contraption from One Step Ahead. This was awesome. After reading the bad review about the woman who had the horrible experience, I was nervous. I was traveling alone with my 10-month old for the first time and had the jitters. I had to practice at home first and think the whole scenario through; Going through security was my biggest fear. Turns out, it wasn't bad at all, and mind you, I was at ATL, the busiest airport in the world.
Key points:
-I know they tell you to not let your child stay in the seat when you detach the strap...(in a whisper voice) they're just covering themselves. DO NOT remove your child unless there is someone to hold them. Mine would have crawled away immediately. All you have to do is keep one hand on the seat just in case it tips(mine didn't budge, but just in case) while you unhook the strap.
-Once I had it tightened to my liking, it took one hand to unhook the top and one side. Then I just tucked the whole thing, with one side still hooked(there are 3 rings) into my carseat.
-In a nutshell, security went like this: Unhooked TT from carseat(4 seconds), took liquids out of carry-on(2 seconds) Unbuckled backpack diaper bag off me (2 seconds). Then I took my son out of his seat and with one hand, was able to lift all of my items that were lined up next to each other(purse, diaper bag, liquids bag, carry-on bag, and carseat) onto the conveyor belt and in the bins in like 10 seconds. I even took my out my baby food, while bouncing my little guy in my arm. Of course it was more of an ordeal than if it was just me, but hey, I had baby. People and security understood and gave me consideration...well actually, I demanded it, I'll never see them again. I didn't allow myself to get flustered and it went fine.
-After I walked through, I just did everything in reverse. Took my items off the belt, strapped my little guy in, hooked my carry-on to the seat, and went on my merry way.
-It was even easier coming back because I felt seasoned.
So in conclusion(LOL)it took a little planning in my head before hand, but worked great!
Customer Review: Buy it, seriously, you won't regret it
Summary: 5 Stars
This saved our trip when we flew to Greece a few months ago. All other products (like the stroller that converts to a car seat, and other similar stuff) are subject to be confiscated based on the laws of the country you're traveling in. We flew through France on our way to Greece and they wouldn't allow us to have the stroller back until after we landed in Greece. With a 5 hour layover in France what were we supposed to do with a 9 month old baby? Fortunately we had this strap! We used it to tie her car seat to a baggage cart and we walked her around on that thing.
Just think about it logically and economically. You could go and buy a big bulky piece of equipment that you have to lug around with everything else you're already burdened with, or you could buy this simple, cheap, little strap and never have to worry about it again. Your carry-on becomes your stroller and it detaches when needed. It's very easy to figure out and use and after the first few attempts (while being heavily pressured at a very busy security checkpoint with many people trying to rush through) it became simple matter of a few seconds to disconnect and reconnect again later.
By the way, if you're wondering why I had this AND a stroller it was because I was originally thinking of using it only to strap the seat onto my luggage. Basically I traveled with my daughter, her carry-on, my carry-on, her car seat, and her stroller. How many hands do you think I have? With my daughter in the stroller I'd still have two carry-ons, her car seat, and have to push the stroller around. With this strap I tied the car seat to one carry-on, the other carry-on I put in the car seat, and so I pushed her stroller with one hand and dragged the rest with the other. If I'd chosen the stroller/car seat combination to take with me, I'd have the stroller part confiscated and I'd be left with no alternative to making it through the airport across three countries and back again.
If nothing else what could it hurt? So you spend 10 bucks and take it with you. If you don't need it after all so what? The other alternatives cost way more than this and you can't even be sure if you'll be allowed to have them with you.
Customer Review: OK for lugging the car seat; not OK for a stroller
Summary: 3 Stars
This device, a T-shaped nylon strap with D-rings attached on each end, is useful for lugging around your car seat around the airport, compared to using the detachable luggage loops provided with most roller luggage that allow you to connect two luggage bags together. However, common sense will tell you that there is no freaking way a piece of carry-on luggage was built to withstand the forces that will be acting on the luggage if you put your child in it (obese or non-obese).
You don't need to be a mechanical engineer to grasp the concept that your luggage will be damaged if you attach this to carry-on luggage and stick your kid in it. Now, is it bad for this company to advertise its use as such? Yes, but marketing hyperbole does not give you the right to suspend your common sense and HOPE that it will work without damaging your luggage when your common sense tells you that it WILL damage your luggage. Shame on you if you did otherwise; you should know better. There are too many people in this country today who have substituted rationality with emotion and outrage. I would love to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn and watch you whine about it afterwards.
I wonder if there is a correlation between obese toddlers and parents who are upset that their luggage was damaged by using this device?
I give this item 3 stars for its use as a car seat carrier. I like its simplicity but I deduct 1 star for its misleading advertising that it can be used with a kid in it. Normally, I would deduct more for misleading advertising, but common sense will tell you it should not be used as such. I also deduct another star because it takes more than just a few seconds to attach and detach a car seat from this thing. My car seat (a large Recaro) has adjustable LATCH straps that I have to spend a minute or two adjusting to get this thing working properly without the car seat hanging asymmetrically from the luggage. I'm a seasoned business traveler and I get through security lines pretty quickly, but detaching and reattaching the car seat from this device is a big pain. Once attached correctly, however, it is quite stable.
Customer Review: Easy to use way to lighten your load
Summary: 4 Stars
I frequently fly alone with my 9 1/2 month old and simply don't have enough hands to manage everything. I tried several options and this has been the easiest so far.
Since I only have one set of hands and a child who is not old enough to walk on his own yet, my struggles were 1) having to have the car seat at both my destination and origination point, 2) getting both my and the baby's luggage, car seat, and the baby to and from the airport by myself, 3) getting the baby through security and the airport and on and off the airplane easily while I also juggled the diaper bag, car seat and other carry-on items. With an infant it is so helpful to use the car seat on the airplane so he can go to sleep, be comfortable, and give me a break to relax. Once I get the car seat through the airport it can be gate checked if an extra seat is not available. The Traveling Toddler addressed all of my concerns. And once on the airplane the small strap system can be quickly and easily folded and is small enough to tuck into a pocket, with no extra, bulky equipment to be concerned about.
It is easy to assemble and disassemble, and attaches/detaches quickly - a necessity when going through security or getting on and off the airplane when folks are waiting on you. I am using it with a roll-aboard that has a sturdy frame to support the weight of the seat and child, and our car seat is a Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Huntington. I researched my options prior to purchasing the car seat to find the right seat that was narrow enough to fit down most airplane aisles. I had read reviews that the Traveling Toddler may not work with Britax car seats, but figured for less than $20 it was worth the risk... and my gamble paid off. The strap JUST fits (I have to make sure not to over-stuff the suitcase). I have to tilt the suitcase a certain way, and lengthen the straps just so in order to make it fit, but I got it to work and it did ease my travel burden. Even the flight attendants were impressed at how "organized" we were.
Customer Review: Lifesaver!
Summary: 5 Stars
We recently took our 15 month old on a trip to Sweden. I decided to spend the $15 versus the $80 for the Travel GoGo. I am so glad I went the cheap route, especially since we probably will not be taking long trip like that again.
The strap is very easy to attach. Three clicks on and a couple of pulls on the carseat straps (we use a Britax Marathon) and we were rolling. It was truly a lifesaver as my son is 27 pounds, tough to carry, and a very distracted walker. He loved this new rolling experience and had a fit if his sister tried to get a ride. I also loved the fact that he could not run off on me at the airport as we stood in many lines...we missed a flight that delayed our arrival by 25 hours. I was so stressed out, but my son was just an angel. He was happy and if he got a little fussy we just had to roll him around a little. Having the carseat on the plane was also wonderful (once we got down the asile and in the seat). There were many children on our long flight but we were the only ones with a carseat. I don't know how the other parents did it. Perhaps my son is just more active, but he just doesn't sit quietly in my lap...unless there is a bottle in his mouth.
Challenges: Getting ourselves down the asile was a bit of a challenge and on our two short flights (Appleton to Atlanta) we had to leave our suitcase at the door of the plane making it a little more challenging...had to get him out of the seat and carry him while my husband unhooked and carried the seat. When we were rerouted to an Air France flight they made us check our carseat. (They only had three seats, but it seemed like they were going to make us check it anyway.) Fortunately, we only had to endure a 2.5 hour flight to Stockholm w/ our son on my husband's lap. So, be sure you check with the airline before assuming you can have the carseat. Although I could probably survive solo flight, I wouldn't choose it. Having another adult with to help attach the seat in the narrow asiles was very helpful.