When you fly with an infant carseat...

[mollym]

Do you bring the base too?

I have a Chicco Keyfit and we'll be making two roundtrips in the next few months. The seat installs relatively easily without a base, but of course the base is sure convenient.

If you do bring the base, how do you transport it? The carseat will be attached to my stroller, which I'm planning to wheel through the airport. So what do I do with the base? It's just going to be me and the baby, so I'd rather not haul it through the airport--I only have two hands! But it takes a lot of space in checked luggage too.

Suggestions?

[jjordan]

I would not bring the base (unless my infant seat required a base to be installed, which is not the case with yours, as you know). But if you do bring it, I'd leave it attached to the infant seat, pile both on top of the stroller along with all your other carry-on baggage (diaper bag or whatnot), and then put the baby in a sling/carrier.

ETA: Practice doing seatbelt installations with the seat itself (no base) a few times before you go if you're not bringing the base with you.

[maramarrie]

We did take our base and stored it in the overhead compartment while on the plane. We used the car seat on the plane seat and then had the whole kit and caboodle for the rental car.

[Greenwife]

I check mine with the base attached because it doesn't count against the checked luggage allowance or incur a fee (at least not on airlines I have flown). They give me a big clear plastic bag at check in and add a tag to it like other luggage. Sometimes it comes out with the regular luggage, other times it comes out in oversized. Travelling by myself with a baby, I prefer hauling as few items as possible through the airport and onto the plane.

[Hands&Fire Pottery]

We have- piled it all on the stroller and wore the baby in the airport.

[mollym]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

[joyous]

Originally Posted by jjordan I would not bring the base (unless my infant seat required a base to be installed, which is not the case with yours, as you know). But if you do bring it, I'd leave it attached to the infant seat, pile both on top of the stroller along with all your other carry-on baggage (diaper bag or whatnot), and then put the baby in a sling/carrier. ETA: Practice doing seatbelt installations with the seat itself (no base) a few times before you go if you're not bringing the base with you.

This is exactly what I did. I brought the base because I didn't feel completely comfortable installing without it. I could never get the seat tight enough.

[imjustjessa]

Originally Posted by Greenwife I check mine with the base attached because it doesn't count against the checked luggage allowance or incur a fee (at least not on airlines I have flown). They give me a big clear plastic bag at check in and add a tag to it like other luggage. Sometimes it comes out with the regular luggage, other times it comes out in oversized. Travelling by myself with a baby, I prefer hauling as few items as possible through the airport and onto the plane.

Checking a car seat is not recommended as you don't know how it is treated when it is out of your sight. Checked car seats should be considered crashed and not used.

Search on YouTube for videos of how baggage handlers treat car seats. They are thrown around, and you can't guarantee that they will not fail in an accident.

[luvsviola]

Originally Posted by imjustjessa Checking a car seat is not recommended as you don't know how it is treated when it is out of your sight. Checked car seats should be considered crashed and not used. Search on YouTube for videos of how baggage handlers treat car seats. They are thrown around, and you can't guarantee that they will not fail in an accident.

This.

I'd practice doing it baseless, and leave the base at home.