Need help deciding on transport for baby. LONG! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We are going down on 9/27 with a baby that will be 6 weeks along with our other 2 ages 15 & 11. I'm nervous about bringing my carseat & stroller because I have heard horror stories about the airline ruining stuff. Anyway, I have some options.
1) Just take my stuff: Graco infant car seat & Metrolite stroller. (Need a car seat for the car rental)
2) Take 2nd car seat gifted from a friend & a Snap N' go picked up on Craigslist (no possibility of my good stuff getting ruined) BUT will have to bring infant seat on bus OR drive to parks since frame cannot be used w/o the seat.
3) Take my Combi & my car seat and just put baby in the stroller or pouch her at parks
4) Take my Combi stroller & buy a Combi car seat cheap on Ebay (watching one now that is new in box). This stroller is MUCH smaller & lighter, and folds up small and has a shoulder strapr. Much easier to get on the bus with.
Some issues: 1)DH & DD think that Zoey is too small for either stroller. To be honest, she has never been in the stroller but always in the car seat snapped into the stroller & she HATES being flat on her back which is how she would be in the stroller. Both strollers have 5pt harnesses & I have a head thing that would plump up the seats.
2) If she is in the stroller itself, then she always faces away from me & very likely will be walking into the sun which means I'd have to either clip a receiving blanket to the canopy or buy an ovesized clip-on canopy at Babies R Us. I don't like the idea of not facing her at this age. HOWEVER, when the others were babies they didn't have the travel systems yet (they were just coming out with them after DS was born) & they went right into the stroller. But I had the big mama stroller that was more like a baby carriage and had a handle that you could reverse, eliminating the sun issue but it weighed about 1000 pounds! DD was already a toddler when we took her the first time so we didn't have most of these issues anyway.
3) Don't want to rely solely on pouch in case I am unbearably hot!
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For the sheer fact that she is so tiny I would go with option one, the graco seat and Metrolite. I think you'll be more comfortable being able to see her. The Combi is fantastic at Disney (took ours on last trip) since it does fold up in a snap but I think it's not secure enough for such a newborn. Look at it this way; what are the odds that the airline ruins your stuff and if they do just file a claim for reimbursement! I'd take the comfort of the baby and peace of mind over "what if's". IMHO
No matter what you choose about the stroller, I would bring your pouch. That tiny of a baby needs that snuggle time..and I'm sure you will want to snuggle her as well! Have and awesome time!!!
For the sheer fact that she is so tiny I would go with option one, the graco seat and Metrolite. I think you'll be more comfortable being able to see her. The Combi is fantastic at Disney (took ours on last trip) since it does fold up in a snap but I think it's not secure enough for such a newborn. Look at it this way; what are the odds that the airline ruins your stuff and if they do just file a claim for reimbursement! I'd take the comfort of the baby and peace of mind over "what if's". IMHO
Do you mean use the car seat & stroller as a Travel System? What about using the Combi & the Combi car seat to make a Travel System? We'd still be able to see her & it would be easier on the bus. I hate to drive to parks during the day. The car is always so hot & you often need to take a shuttle (or monorail) to your car anyway, so there's no point in driving IMHO.
I would also go with option one the travel system. It would be a safer way
to travel on the plane and in the car and if your baby is used to it, why
change it? Since you will be in another environment you need something
to make the baby feel comfortable.
Also the baby would be facing you in the travel system. You might bring a
sling or carrier for restaurants since you may not be able to take the stroller
inside. Most will fit in the stroller basket so you won't have to carry anything
extra.
*After reading the other posts I want to make sure I have this right....
I would bring a stroller and carseat combo, which ever kind you have,
that will work as a travel system. On buses you can close up the stroller
and hold the bucket. Once you are off the bus...then you can set up the
system again. *
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Last edited by eff051102; 09-07-2008 at 08:01 PM..
I think you are right about the travel system, So now i will try to find a car seat to fit into the Combi stroller. That is the best of both worlds. She faces us & the stroller folds up small & can be carried with the strap. If I can't get that I will probably go with the Graco Snugrider Frame & the car seat. Only disadvantage is there is no canopy on the frame like there is on the stroller. The stroller canopy adds extra sun protection if needed but would be much easier on bus than the Metrolite. So many decisions for someone so small!
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Last edited by mamapajama; 09-07-2008 at 09:10 PM..
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We brought our Combi with us...does your stroller not have an infant boot. Ours has one right under the seat(bum) area. We love our Combi and are taking it with us this time too. I would also get a rain cover if you do not have one for it yet.
I'm confused.....do you not own an infant carrier car seat?????? Just a rear facing convertable carseat?????
If you can get the infant car seat carrier that goes with the stroller to make it a travel system, I think that is best and easiest for a baby so young. Also.....something not mentioned before.......when you eat in restaurants, you will not be able to bring the stroller in and if the baby is in the infant carrier, you can just bring that in and sit it in a cart seat sling (pretty sure Disney has those in the restaurants). If you have just a stroller, no infant carrier, where will the baby go when you're eating??? I guess a sling or Snuglie type thing would work, but might be uncomfortable for you while eating.
We have flown with a stroller for two trips and haven't had any issues with it being ruined. We gate checked it, didn't put it in with regular baggage. I highly recommend that...then you will have it if you need to change planes and just for walking through the airport.
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
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I'm confused.....do you not own an infant carrier car seat?????? Just a rear facing convertable carseat?????
We have a Graco Safe Seat & a Graco Metrolite. They weren't bought together but I got lucky & got an internet return that coordinate. I also have a Combi Helio that DH's brother bought us. I'd like to take that one ince it would be so much easier to get on the bus but I need a Combi car seat. So I called Combi to find out which seats the Helio accepts & there are 2. I found one new on Ebay for ridiculously cheap & although they aren't the same color, it will turn my Helio into a travel system & make it much easier to get on the buses with since it folds down small and has a strap to carry it on your shoulder. And unfortunately, doccoc2002, ours doesn't have a boot. Our Graco car seat has one but that doesn't help us here! LOL!
We will get a rain cover just in case. When i went to WDW with DD & DS alone 10 years ago in Sept. it rained a few times while we were in attractions and the stroller got soaked! Lesson learned.
We will also have a pouch or a wrap for her as well.
Okay...I actually have that car seat, just didn't know that was the name! LOL! If you can get the combi seat cheap, go for it, if not, just stick with the Metrolite. That stroller is pretty small..... we have a Quattro Tour that is pretty big...couldn't imagine getting that on and off the buses. (I do love it though for at home!!)
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
Visit my Facebook page!
We brought our Combi with us...does your stroller not have an infant boot. Ours has one right under the seat(bum) area. We love our Combi and are taking it with us this time too. I would also get a rain cover if you do not have one for it yet.
I went and looked at the instructions & discovered the boot yesterday. I would just put her in that but then I'd have no place to keep her at meals. I also discovered today that, while it doesn't snap in, my graco car seat fits in the stroller. But I am bidding on a seat now & hoepefully I will win the auction.