[blParent] traveling with young children

[Jolynn Page]

Hi Ryan,
  I am a mom to a 3.5y/o boy so I can understand your pain when trying
to travel with luggage, car seat and child. My son's car seat is also
a 27 pounder so it too is a pain to lug around. Here are a few things
that have helped me.
Depending on your child's height and weight there are other car seat
options that are lighter and easier to manage. One resource for car
seat info I trust and use is a group called Car Seats for the Littles.
They are a well known and respected car seat safety group ran by
certified child passenger safety technicians. They have a FaceBook
group called Car Seats for the Littles. They also have a website at
www.csftl.org and you can send them messages at questions at csftl.org.
If you let them know your situation and that you are looking for a
lightweight seat for your child, they can help you find one that will
be safe for your child's current stats. My son uses the Graco
Contender when we travel. It is a lightweight seat that will last him
awhile.
When we are out and about, I pull his car seat behind me on a little
cart that looks like a luggage cart. The car seat straps to this cart
and can then be pulled like a suitcase. It folds down small enough to
fit in an overhead bin and is fairly light. I use this on a daily
basis to transport my son's seat between Uber's, taxi's and when we
are walking to daycare, my office and other appointments and places. I
am a guide dog user and therefore have no free hand when I do this, so
what I do is use a wrist link style leash for my little guy. This is
helpful in crowded areas or if you have a very curious explorer like
my kiddo. My son likes to pretend to pull his car seat with me so even
though he has the wrist link on, I can still tell where he is since he
is next to me holding on to the handle of the cart.
If you find a lightweight seat, there are straps you can buy that are
made for car seats to attach to the top of suitcases when you travel.
Just know that when your kiddo is a little older the car seat will
eventually get lighter. Three years old is a difficult age since
kiddos at that age still need to be in a harnessed car seat and they
aren't always the lightest and easiest to carry. Once your kiddo is
older and if they meet the height and weight requirements, I would
look into the Ride Safer Travel Vest. It is a vest style restraint
system that uses various straps to secure the child to vehicles. It is
lighter and easier to carry but may not fit your child just yet.
I apologize for my long message, I hope you can find something that
will work for your situation.

On 7/22/19, Ryan Boudwin via BlParent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> I recently attended the national convention, and I ended up bringing my
> three year old son with me. Unfortunately he is at an age where a car seat
> is still very important. Managing suitcases, a car seat, and a toddler with
> one hand tied up with my cane was very challenging. I ended up using a belt
> to tie my suitcases together tightly and resting the car seat on top of the
> larger suitcase, and then having my son hold my pants pocket since I didn't
> have a free hand. The whole travel experience with the taxi and everything
> was much more painful than I expected.
>
> What is the best way to manage a car seat when using mixed modes of
> transportation? Sometimes I want to take the train and then use an uber for
> the last leg. Are there lighter weight car seats I should be using? The one
> I have is 27 lbs. Or is there some better way to carry one? I'd love to
> hear your suggestions, as my current methods are pretty exhausting.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Ryan Boudwin
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-- 
Jolynn Page