Anyone have a stroller they love for traveling? Planning on hitting the streets, and want ease in the airport. What is the easiest way with at 18month old with car seats on plane and rental car? Thank you in advance.

Hi gggtravel, we travelled quite a bit with our daughter when she was a toddler. I am wondering where you are going in Europe, because road / pavement surfaces make a difference. If you have cobblestones then a big wheel is better for handling them. You might find a jogging stroller (the folding kind, with those tyres like on a BMX bike) is helpful if you can't find one with big wheels. However, we had the cheapest, lightest stroller we could get ($20). Light so it was easy to transport, cheap so if it broke or got lost we wouldn't worry. It had tiny hard plastic wheels and was suitable really only for summer. We used it until our daughter was 4 and then she got too big. When we went across cobblestones, which was pretty often, it shook our daughter so she fell asleep. I don't know if your child will respond in the same way, the juddering might freak them out, but we were lucky - you would have to make that call. As for car seats - we did not bring our own. Many people out there on the internet would be horrified. On the plane our daughter at 15 months still fitted into a bassinet that was attached to the wall at the bulkhead, and for takeoffs, landings and turbulence she had to be on my lap with a belt around her waist attached to mine. It works OK and I was not concerned about safety. We rented cars with a car seat most places we went. In taxis in Germany they have booster seats in most cabs, either hidden in the boot or one which folded out of the rear seat. Many other countries don't worry about seats for kids in cabs, including where we travelled to in the US.

You might additionally think about amusements in the car and plane to keep your toddler busy. Anything small, packable and previously unseen will keep them busy in the plane - little books, cars, tiny dolls or zoo animals, little toys with flashing lights or rubbery squishy toys are all good, as are things like finger puppets or rubber self-inking stamps. For the car, a CD of favourite songs or pantomimes / plays is really good to help with boredom while driving. We eventually got into audiobooks when our daughter was older and these are still good in the car now. If you are on a highway / Autobahn there is not necessarily much to see, and small toys are not as good because the child is looking down and can get carsick. Our daughter is in high school now and we still pack amusements when we travel but fewer, and of any size now (a book about drawing anime, for instance, on our last trip, got a lot of mileage and still gets a run even when at home).

Happy to share our experience more if you have questions!

Lavandula

On our first overseas holiday as parents (he was 14months), we took a folding stroller and a baby carrier. The stroller never got used after we left the airport but the baby carrier/backpack was very useful.

Toys are a necessary distraction but I'd avoid anything where essential pieces can go missing or which may annoy other passengers. We found the best distraction was not spending too long in a car (our kids were much happier on trains or even buses). If s/he has a comfort toy, guard it with your life or have a duplicate!

> If s/he has a comfort toy, guard it with your life or have a duplicate! <

Oh ditto, we once spent time in Hamburg in a department store replacing a Beanie Boo that got left on the plane. Check and double check when you pack up! The amusements we bought were all from a Chinatown / dollar store. Cheap and cheerful, and we wouldn't have cared had we lost them. And at 18 mos you will be doing a lot of the playing with the child so you can keep an eye on what gets hoiked to the floor ...

Lavandula

Thank you for your reply. I travel for long stays and often to France. I do a lot of flea marketing and look like a pack mule while in France. I will bring a Costco folding wagon for those market days in addition to a stroller. I will be renting a car and will need a car seat. I went to try strollers today at BuyBuyBaby and the ones I thought I would purchase were horrible. All pricey- The best travel stroller is the Uppa Baby Minu. Sturdy, folds nicely and moves well. The Babyzen YoYo and Silver Cross Jet were what I went in for but really did not like them at all. Hard to open/ close and flimsy. I want my travel experience to be the best possible for baby and myself. I likely will buy her a ticket and put her in the carseat. Maybe business class as well so we all sleep. I used to put a carseat on my MacClaren umbrella stroller up to the gate and then check the stroller at the gate, if I could not bring on broad. Then bring the carseat to the airplane seat not sure I can do all of this now but will try it out. I am traveling with my grand-daughter.

I would in that case check out the rules of the individual airlines about seating, as I think many if not most have a rule that if you want a separate seat for your child then you must bring your own car seat for them. It did not make a difference to us as we just rented one but I think in your situation it sounds like it makes sense. Perhaps it would be helpful for others who read this if you describe what an Uppa Baby Minu looks like. I did not specify a brand as I am in Australia and the North American market is completely different to ours. I wish you luck if you are travelling without Mum along, it sounds like you will be working (?) and doing double duty as baby wrangler!

Lavandula

Oh, might just add that airlines can be picky about the brand of carseat also (they have to meet safety standards) but they usually have this information on their website. Don't buy a seat until you have investigated whether you can use the baby's existing car seat. It would be folly to buy another unless his/hers is an unacceptable brand.

Lavandula

Your child seat must meet EU standards. If yours doesn't say it meets ECE regulation 44.03, 44.04 or 129 it may be easier to rent one with the vehicle.