baby carrier backpack wheels image
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How did you handle having to fly on your own with them and luggage? If you had to connect to another flight, what did you do while you waited?
Answer
I've been flying with my three children for 10 years, since each was 4 months old. They are close in age, just over two years apart and we fly between Europe and California about twice a year, plus other flights.
Don't count on getting help from the airlines. As a Flight Attendant, I often tried to get help for parents, especially on their own, with multiple children and the request was always refused. It can't hurt to ask because I hear some airlines are better about this than others (including both of my employers). Also, for your departure city, find out if you can bring someone with you on a "gate pass". This means that one adult will be allowed to accompany you to the gate, including going through security. I have never been able to do this but again, asking can't hurt!
Absolutely, without a doubt, you need a *good* baby carrier. By definition, this should go to age 2 or 3. Fiddly front packs like the Bjorn wont cut it. I made sure the carrier could be used for both my younger two children. I used a ring sling but a wrap, pouch or front/back carrier like an Ergo or Becco can be used if your younger one can hold his head up.
I only took one stroller and one car seat. I always had a seat for each child. I would have gone crazy if I had had a child on my lap for so long. Also, as an ex-Flight Attendant, I knew this was safer. Air travel itself is safe so that's why babies are allowed in laps but for a few flights, I was pregnant so there wasn't really much of a lap anyway!
Bring more diapers than you think you'll need, about 1/3 more than your children usually use. Put in a plastic bag (about 10 in a bunch) and bind with rubber bands. This saves space in your carry-on.
Don't bring a purse. Take a tiny bag with essentials that goes around your neck (so you can throw it on while folding, opening the stroller, etc. Then instead of a diaper bag, take a backpack (or a diaper bag designed like back pack). You can actually take two if you can't get everything in one, a diaper bag that goes on the stroller and the back pack. I have a largish one. If placed on the floor, it goes up to my knee but doesn't have wheels. I sometimes had to take two, like when I flew with three in diapers once.
To check-in, I everything, including the carry-on's, stroller, car seat and luggage on the cart and pushed it with the older one(s) walking and the youngest in the baby carrier. Try to get some help at your departure airport, even if that person wont be issued a gate-pass. Once I "get rid" of the bags by checking them, then I'm okay. Remember to NOT check in any car seats as luggage. Gate-checking is better if you can't use your seat(s) on board. I also would arrange at least one or two car seats at my destination.
Arriving, I did the same. The baby went in the baby carrier and the older one either walked or sat in the stroller. Once we were at baggage claim, I would make the children wait well away from the bags to avoid injury. Often, my children would find some playmates at this point. If your older one especially finds a friend, ask the parents to keep an eye on him/them for you while you get your bags.
Don't be in a huge hurry and don't wait up front. Stay with your children and when you see a bag, then go up to the belt. Often, someone would help me. Sometimes I could see the bags coming out and then I'd know if I had to run up and get one.
Yes, you can be more liberal about accepting help inside the "secure" area of the airport. Once you're out of customs, this is a public area so be more on guard. After security at your departure point is when it starts. The only people you will meet are other passengers and employees and quite frankly, they couldn't go far with your kids anyway, even if they had evil intentions!
I actually found that we never really sat around between flights. By the time I got off the plane, got through immigration and sometimes customs, found my connecting gate, etc. even a 3 hour layover dissapated. They always want to stop and look at something, have to have a diaper change, etc. There are some children's play areas at some airports and we have done that but often they're too far away to be of much use. If you are a member of a frequent flyer club, you probably can bring your children to the lounge to wait but some are very quiet and child un-friendly.
Sometimes it just works better to find a restaurant and sit and rest. Look up your connection city's airport on the net and find out if there are any children's play areas, where they are and any restaurants, like McDonald's, which might have one too.
For more information, nine years ago I wrote an article on this subject. It's based on both my personal and professional experience of flying with children. It goes more into detail on packing and transporting car seats. It's totally non-commercial and other parents from around the world have contributed;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Good luck! I survived and so will you!!
I've been flying with my three children for 10 years, since each was 4 months old. They are close in age, just over two years apart and we fly between Europe and California about twice a year, plus other flights.
Don't count on getting help from the airlines. As a Flight Attendant, I often tried to get help for parents, especially on their own, with multiple children and the request was always refused. It can't hurt to ask because I hear some airlines are better about this than others (including both of my employers). Also, for your departure city, find out if you can bring someone with you on a "gate pass". This means that one adult will be allowed to accompany you to the gate, including going through security. I have never been able to do this but again, asking can't hurt!
Absolutely, without a doubt, you need a *good* baby carrier. By definition, this should go to age 2 or 3. Fiddly front packs like the Bjorn wont cut it. I made sure the carrier could be used for both my younger two children. I used a ring sling but a wrap, pouch or front/back carrier like an Ergo or Becco can be used if your younger one can hold his head up.
I only took one stroller and one car seat. I always had a seat for each child. I would have gone crazy if I had had a child on my lap for so long. Also, as an ex-Flight Attendant, I knew this was safer. Air travel itself is safe so that's why babies are allowed in laps but for a few flights, I was pregnant so there wasn't really much of a lap anyway!
Bring more diapers than you think you'll need, about 1/3 more than your children usually use. Put in a plastic bag (about 10 in a bunch) and bind with rubber bands. This saves space in your carry-on.
Don't bring a purse. Take a tiny bag with essentials that goes around your neck (so you can throw it on while folding, opening the stroller, etc. Then instead of a diaper bag, take a backpack (or a diaper bag designed like back pack). You can actually take two if you can't get everything in one, a diaper bag that goes on the stroller and the back pack. I have a largish one. If placed on the floor, it goes up to my knee but doesn't have wheels. I sometimes had to take two, like when I flew with three in diapers once.
To check-in, I everything, including the carry-on's, stroller, car seat and luggage on the cart and pushed it with the older one(s) walking and the youngest in the baby carrier. Try to get some help at your departure airport, even if that person wont be issued a gate-pass. Once I "get rid" of the bags by checking them, then I'm okay. Remember to NOT check in any car seats as luggage. Gate-checking is better if you can't use your seat(s) on board. I also would arrange at least one or two car seats at my destination.
Arriving, I did the same. The baby went in the baby carrier and the older one either walked or sat in the stroller. Once we were at baggage claim, I would make the children wait well away from the bags to avoid injury. Often, my children would find some playmates at this point. If your older one especially finds a friend, ask the parents to keep an eye on him/them for you while you get your bags.
Don't be in a huge hurry and don't wait up front. Stay with your children and when you see a bag, then go up to the belt. Often, someone would help me. Sometimes I could see the bags coming out and then I'd know if I had to run up and get one.
Yes, you can be more liberal about accepting help inside the "secure" area of the airport. Once you're out of customs, this is a public area so be more on guard. After security at your departure point is when it starts. The only people you will meet are other passengers and employees and quite frankly, they couldn't go far with your kids anyway, even if they had evil intentions!
I actually found that we never really sat around between flights. By the time I got off the plane, got through immigration and sometimes customs, found my connecting gate, etc. even a 3 hour layover dissapated. They always want to stop and look at something, have to have a diaper change, etc. There are some children's play areas at some airports and we have done that but often they're too far away to be of much use. If you are a member of a frequent flyer club, you probably can bring your children to the lounge to wait but some are very quiet and child un-friendly.
Sometimes it just works better to find a restaurant and sit and rest. Look up your connection city's airport on the net and find out if there are any children's play areas, where they are and any restaurants, like McDonald's, which might have one too.
For more information, nine years ago I wrote an article on this subject. It's based on both my personal and professional experience of flying with children. It goes more into detail on packing and transporting car seats. It's totally non-commercial and other parents from around the world have contributed;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Good luck! I survived and so will you!!
Baby in a bike seat- what's the youngest age?
Mrs. Kelly
I want to get a bike seat for my baby so she can ride with me. What is the minimum age she can be to ride/wear a helmet? Anyone know?
Answer
Obviously a child can't be on a bike until they can safely wear a helmet.
http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
Nobody we have met in the injury prevention field recommends taking an infant of less than 12 months in a bicycle child seat, trailer, sidecar or any other carrier. Nobody. And we do not either.
New York state law prohibits it. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:
Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.
The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infantâs head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.
Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726
That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet.
Parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together. That thought occurs to every bicycling parent, generally before the child is born. We see messages on the Internet indicating that some parents do put their children in baby seats of one design or another and take them along on trailers starting as young as five weeks. Others use a baby backpack. At slightly older ages, people use front or rear-mounted child seats. A few (mostly in the UK) use sidecars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disclaimer: our purpose here is to cover the risks, so you know what you are getting into. We are hearing more these days about undiagnosed brain injuries, with symptoms too subtle for doctors to detect, but very real to families. And that comes to mind whenever someone asks us about babies and biking. We worry about your six-week-old entering the first grade six years from now with a small but detectable mental handicap. That is alarmist; this is an alarmist page.
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm
Infants: Child Seats Vs. Trailers Vs. Backpacks Vs. Third-wheel Cycles
The primary determinant of when an infant can join his or her parents on bike rides is the strength of the the child's neck. Because of the jostling and the additional weight of a helmet (8-10 oz.), this is a few months after a baby can first hold their head up. Note: Some jurisdictions have laws requiring passengers on bicycles to be at least one year old.
Usually by age 12 months parents can start checking with the child's physician to see if they have the neck development to safely go for a bike ride. Most toddlers' neck and shoulder muscles can tolerate the weight of a helmet and absorb shock from bumps in the road at 1 years old.
We know of no comprehensive study on the best method to carry an infant on a bike and there are risks associated with all of them.. Here are some factors to consider:
Obviously a child can't be on a bike until they can safely wear a helmet.
http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
Nobody we have met in the injury prevention field recommends taking an infant of less than 12 months in a bicycle child seat, trailer, sidecar or any other carrier. Nobody. And we do not either.
New York state law prohibits it. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:
Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.
The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infantâs head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.
Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726
That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet.
Parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together. That thought occurs to every bicycling parent, generally before the child is born. We see messages on the Internet indicating that some parents do put their children in baby seats of one design or another and take them along on trailers starting as young as five weeks. Others use a baby backpack. At slightly older ages, people use front or rear-mounted child seats. A few (mostly in the UK) use sidecars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disclaimer: our purpose here is to cover the risks, so you know what you are getting into. We are hearing more these days about undiagnosed brain injuries, with symptoms too subtle for doctors to detect, but very real to families. And that comes to mind whenever someone asks us about babies and biking. We worry about your six-week-old entering the first grade six years from now with a small but detectable mental handicap. That is alarmist; this is an alarmist page.
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm
Infants: Child Seats Vs. Trailers Vs. Backpacks Vs. Third-wheel Cycles
The primary determinant of when an infant can join his or her parents on bike rides is the strength of the the child's neck. Because of the jostling and the additional weight of a helmet (8-10 oz.), this is a few months after a baby can first hold their head up. Note: Some jurisdictions have laws requiring passengers on bicycles to be at least one year old.
Usually by age 12 months parents can start checking with the child's physician to see if they have the neck development to safely go for a bike ride. Most toddlers' neck and shoulder muscles can tolerate the weight of a helmet and absorb shock from bumps in the road at 1 years old.
We know of no comprehensive study on the best method to carry an infant on a bike and there are risks associated with all of them.. Here are some factors to consider:
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Title Post: How did you handle a toddler and baby on your own during a long international flight?
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