Traveling Toddler: Car seat travel accessory

I used this to travel from Boston to Dallas. It fit great and I was very excited to have both my child and my suitcase rolling with one hand. However, it was SO inconvenient when going through security. I had to unlatch it from the bag and then re-latch after all the hoops they make you jump through these days while holding my 9 month old. Then, when I gate-checked it, they wouldn't give me my bag back with the carseat when changing planes because "they aren't allowed to return baggage". !? Maybe it was just the airline I flew (Midwest) but I imagine it's probably similar on most airlines. So, I had to carry my baby through the airport. It would have been better to bring a real stroller and just check everything (which I did on our next trip).

So, don't do this unless you know for sure you can have it back when changing planes. If you aren't changing planes you still have to re-latch it after exiting the plane which is a pain b/c you have 200 people exiting with you and you want to bend down and configure a carseat onto a carry on bag with a baby/toddler in tow.

It was a real bummer.

I recently traveled alone with my 2 year old son. I knew I had to bring his car seat on the plane to keep him confined, but I wasn't sure how I was going to manage him and everything else I needed on my own. This worked very well. Two problems I ran into were 1) I had to disassemble the cart seat and suitcase every time we went through a security check and 2) you need to be sure you have a durable suitcase with strong wheels and handle to support both the car seat and your child. I would reccommend this product. Happy Traveling!

After researching different options in which to travel with a car seat, I came across anything and everything ranging from $80 to $160, most of them being an entire car seat with wheels rather than simply an attachment to use with an existing car seat. After finding this item and reading all of the positive reviews, we tried it out; can't beat the price! Worked like a charm on our Britax Blvd. with our two year old daughter. I would suggest practicing the attachment at home and with the child before using it at the airport to alleviate any stress in figuring it out and it does need to be taken apart to go through security. We didn't try using the suitcase and the seat attached when we boarded the plane after reading some other reviews that said it didn't fit up the airplane aisle. Our daughter is on the tall end, so she did have to hold her legs up when we were pulling her and you do have to be careful with turning, doorways, and/or aisles remembering that there are appendages hanging off of your suitcase (i.e. child's feet). She loved it, and we loved it as we were able to transport her car seat, use it on the plane, and not have to deal with a stroller in the airport! Amazing purchase and highly recommended!

I have to say who ever developed this product is a freaking genius and a rich [...] too. I mean it is just 2 pieces of material and 3 D rings but it cost like [...] bucks. All in all it was pretty easy to use even though out toddler didnt sit in it much. Atleast it make carring the car seat easier. I would definatly recommend this to my family and friends.

We just test drove this product with our Britax Marathon's and this strap certainly does its job. Setup is easy. The rings at the end of the 3 way strap simply clip into the carseat's LATCH side clips and the rear top clip. The only straps that need to be adjusted are the side straps to tighten the carseat onto the luggage. Contrary to one of the few negative reviews for this item, you do not need to lay your luggage on the ground to attach the strap and the carseat. It's actually quite easy.

You will feel a bit disappointed when this item arrives. All you get is a box and a 3 way strap with D rings on each end. I'm sure this item cost less than a $1 to manufacture. That said, it does its job and this $15 strap is much cheaper than the $80 Travel Mate which only carries the carseat (rather than both the carseat and the rolling carry-on luggage) and appears to be a pain to setup and detach.

When you roll the luggage with the carseat, you will have to exert downward force on the extended handle. The outboard weight of the carseat and the Tot simply changes the balance of the luggage such that while rolling it down the terminal the luggage would rather stay upright. This is a little awkward but the ability to roll the luggage, carseat, and the Tot together more than makes up for the awkwardness.

Overall, I'm glad I found this alternative to the Travel Mate. Aengus