Car seat/Stroller for 1 year old from US to UK to Croatia?
 

I will be soon be traveling with my infant from US to Croatia (connecting in UK) and have purchased a seat for him for his comfort and my sanity! We have an 8 hour flight to London, a 5 hour layover at Heathrow Ariport, a three hour plane ride to RIjeka Croatia and then a 2 hour carride. My question is regarding whether or not a carseat would be advisable for use on the plane(s) or just have my son use the seat seatbelt or possibly use a CARES type harness.

A second question I have is regarding stroller. I would like to bring his day-to-day stroller which is 4 inches larger than the dimension (LxWlH) permitted by continental airlines (62 is permitted, stroller is 66 total LxHxW). Further, I wonder whether I could check the stroller at the gate so that I have use of it during our 5 hour layover in London.

I will be contacting the airlines for their guidance but would love to get feedback from those with experience since sometimes the "rules" can be flexible.

Many thanks in advance!

An infant can't just sit in a plane seat - they have to be in either a car seat or stroller seat or some sort of safety device. As for bringinluggage on board - you need to check the regs for the european airlines - which are usually stricter in terms of size than US carriers.

Definitely check with all the airlines you plan on using to see what you will be allowed to do with a stroller.

My general recollection (my kids are now in their teens) is that European airlines have a different perspective on car seats on planes - they may not allow them at all. Do check with respect to any flights on non-U.S. airlines.

Other than that significant possible issue, I always found that my kids were much more comfortable on planes when sitting in their own car seats - they were used to falling asleep in those, as well. On the other hand, you would then be carting that car seat around everywhere you go.

Lastly, U.S. car seats do not meet European (EU) car seat requirements. I doubt you'd be stopped by the police for not having the correct type of car seat, but you should look into this as well. You will, of course, need a car seat for car trips (but not rides in cabs) in Europe.

I don't know how heavy your child is but weigh up the pros and cons of taking a baby backpack instead of a stroller. We found we used a backpack much more than the stroller. I believe that you can even get them with small wheels nowadays, giving you the best of both.

Use the CARES harness. We've travelled transatlantic and inter Europe with ours and never had a problem. Our first time using it he was 11 months. Check the height weight requirements to make sure your child fits. Because it has a five point harness, like car seats, it will feel just like riding in the car to your child, but without the awful bulk.

We also always gate checked the stroller but never had a layover so your experience may be a little different (but I doubt it). You will need a carseat once in Croatia. Is there a possibility of renting one? Are you visiting friends in Croatia, could they borrow one for you?

Have fun!