How do I handle all the baggage and my child when flying alone?

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Amanda R

I am going to be flying non-stop to Colorado from St. Louis in a couple weeks. I will be flying alone with my one year old. I need to take his carseat(checking) and stroller(would like to keep it so I can use it in the airport so I guess it is like a carryon but it will be held at the front of the plane), and a suitcase (will be checking), and a diaperbag that I will be carrying on. My question is how am I going to handle all of this stuff when I pick it up at baggage claim and until I check it through? Will there be people that can help me get my bags or not?
Will they let me check the stroller so I can have it plane side?

Answer
I'm an ex-F/A who flies now alone with my three between Europe and California about every six months since each was about 4 months old. We also take shorter trips a lot.

1. I don't take a purse. I take a small fanny pack or long strapped small bag with my essentials and a backpack. It's a bit bigger than the standard size (I have one just for flying) and fits the onboard limits. With just one child, consider leaving or packing the diaper bag.

2. Attach the carseat to the stroller. Use bungee cords and perhaps try them back-to-back. Another option is to check/leave the stroller and put the carseat on "wheelie" cart. Make sure it's all metal and there is a gadget sold that fits several carseats. http://www.amazon.com/Gogo-Kidz-Travelmate/dp/B000MWZWV8 It's available on other sites too but that's just to show you what it is. I've done fine with an *all metal* cart and extra bungee cords. My old wheelie from my first airline found a second life by carting carseats!

3. Make sure you have a good carrier for your baby. Forget those fiddly Bjorns and use a wrap, sling or pouch. A Mei Tai or something like an Ergo carrier works well too. Carriers should last to at least 2 years. My 3 year old can still go in her sling. Great for calming babies onboard or getting sleeping children off the aircraft. Check out http://www.peppermint.com or http://www.kangarookorner.com for ideas (I don't work for those sites-they actually represent multiple companies).

4. In baggage claim, load the bags, put the carseat on the top along with any hand luggage and the stroller and push it *all* while the baby goes in the carrier. I've managed alone through customs and two other children this way.

For the record, I've never used a skycap. They're not used for international but use one if available. Tip well so that they'll be nice to the next family ;)

What I do with the backpack is that I wrap diapers, extra clothes, etc. and rubber band them to make room. I bring a cloth bag (the kind you buy in grocery stores as an alternative to plastic and paper) and use that onboard for diaper changes, etc. (so I'm not hauling the whole backpack around). I simply put what I need for each trip to the lav.

I have an article on flying with children that I put on a blog to share with other parents. It's totally non-commercial and sort of my own personal Mitvah. Feel free to check out;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com for more details on carseats, packing, booking and other tips.

Otherwise, have a good trip (and be grateful you don't have to face Customs!)

How to pack a good baby diaper bag ?

Bambi

I have entered many websites about baby diaper bag like nacobabydiaperbag.com,but which style is a better choice I have no ideas.

Answer
it depends on how you live, and how you'll use it the most. As in if you'll be having it on your pram, if you'll be carrying it like a tote bag, if you'll be wanting a backpack, and if you want an in-built bottle carrier or a separate one, and if you want it to include a change-mat, or have a separate one. And on top of that there's personal style and taste to consider, as well as budget. On top of that, you can buy portable change mats or change mat wallets that have pockets for wipes, diapers and creams etc so you can just carry that for short trips, or if you're going out with someone else they can look after the big diaper bag and you just take the wallet and baby for a change. It's always good to get one that can fit a blanket, a spare set of clothes or 2, a couple of bibs, a spare pacifier, some toys as well as changing and feeding equipment. One that's easy to clean is a plus. And getting a wetbag for dirty cloth diapers if you're using them, or clothes/blankets that have been spat up on, or a diaper blowout/leak is always useful so everything else doesn't get stinky and dirty.

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I'm looking for a hiking baby carrier?

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Alice

My daughter is 13 months - 22 lbs and still isn't walking. But, my husband and I love to hike. We are looking for a good/inexpensive hiking baby carrier. Preferably one for the back. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Answer
We had a Kelty Pathfinder Carrier that we got at REI eons ago. We loved that in addition to being adjustable for the child, it was really easy to switch the torso length of the backpack so my husband and i could trade off carrying. Walk around a store with your child in tow and see how it feels. A padded hipbelt and auto kickstand are must-haves, but other features we liked were the removable/easily foldable sunshade (great for wind and minor drizzle too), a padded front bar - you'd be amazed how easily your child will sleep back there, zippered pockets on the belt and shoulder straps so we could easily access items on the trail without removing the backpack (snacks, gps, phone), The zip off backpack for storage worked great so when we were hiking together we could each carry some of the load, but if either of us was hiking alone with the child (or the other one was carrying gear as we backpacked) we could have the essentials (diaper, change of clothes, food, first aid kit) with the baby. I'd search Craigslist for a good one at a discount rather than buy a new one that has less features or is cheaper.

Hints: A small hand mirror in the front hipbelt is great for checking on the baby while hiking (Is she still wearing her hat? Is she sleeping?) Sometimes you want the sunshade as a barrier to prevent hair pulling... if your little lady is anything like my second (not a problem with my first).

Is any pack significantly better than a Kelty Frame Pack from the Early 1970's?

Q. I inherited a lot of camping gear from my father. I don't know if you are familiar with the Kelty Pack company. In the 1960's and 1970's backpacking was BIG in California. Everyone went backpacking in the Sierras. And the most popular pack was the Kelty pack. Their first store was not far from my house, on Victory Blvd in Glendale. This was all before I was born. My Dad was old enough to be my grandfather (I was an Ooops! baby) and my brother is old enough to be my Dad.

Anyway, my Dad, my Mom, and my Brother all went backpacking with Kelty Frame Packs. They last forever. Well, my Dad and Mom are Dead, and brother has lupus so bad, he will never backpack again. I am a small man, five footfour and 118 pounds. I use my brother's pack from when he was a boy.

When I hunt, I am afraid of getting lost and dying of hypothermia. (It's about 5,000 foot elevation in winter) so I carry lightweight tent, down bag, food, katadyn water filter, about 40 pounds of stuff).

I think that probably nothing I buy will be better for carrying stuff than what I have. Am I wrong? Are modern packs significantly better than frame packs from the 1970's?

Answer
My 2500 cu. in. backpack which uses my Ridge Rest pad as its frame weighs nine ounces by itself, has lasted for several trips, and my total from skin out (FSO) weight is just 17.4 pounds. I wouldn't strap into a 5+ pound Kelty pack if you paid me. In fact when I got started in backpacking around age 20 I spent a couple thousand dollars on the latest and greatest gear thinking thanks to Colin Fletcher, Backpacker Magazine, and others ensuring me that 1950's traditional boy scout/ hunting/ military/ "bomb proof" gear was best, an investment that'd last a lifetime.

That was until I heard about ultralight backpacking around age 25 and over the next few years ended up selling everything at a loss, my 8 pound Dana Designs Astralplane Overkill backpack, my Asolo full leather hiking boots, my 3+ man LL Bean four season tent, my hiking poles, my Whisperlite camp stove with 20 oz. fuel bottle, my combat knife, an army canteen, and the list of junk I sold or dumped in the corner or gave away goes on, while the list of gear I bring shrinks in weight, cost and complexity every year.

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