Travelling with infant/baby

[Bunny121009]

I am also traveling with a baby, our daughter will be 6 months at the time. Our TA told us that we will be able to hold her and will not have to purchase a seat for her.

 

As for the ground transportation, he said of course to bring the car seat since we will need it. And he said the same that they check it at the door when you are getting on the plane at the stroller check and get it back when we land. I am afraid of it getting lost in regular luggage check though after what happened to FI's luggage when returning home the Summer before last as it was lost; I have also read in this forum that the airline we are flying with (Air Jamaica) has issues with losing people's luggage. I would hate to lose her carseat esp if it can be prevented so I'd rather use the stroller check. I also intend on bringing her stroller.

 

Good tip on the whole sucking thing, I would've never known or thought of that. I'm a first time Mother : }

[lesandlynda]

all great info above.....I'll just add to take extra diapers in your carry-on, over + above what you think you'll use, as we were delayed at one airport by 5 hrs, and ran out of diapers....not fun.

[lara&mike]

One thing to consider if you bring the car seat is whether or not the bus you will be on will even have a seatbelt to use the carseat. I will be traveling with my 18 month old daughter (at time), and will have to hold her on our laps. We are traveling with Sunwing, a charter from Toronto, and they only allow 1 free item per infant. This means that if we bring a stroller onboard the aircraft, they wont even check a carseat free of charge. We would have to pay. I called the tour operator directly and they cant guarantee what type of vehicle will be taking us the the hotel. Its possible that if its a coach theres no seatbelt, which renders a carseat useless. Perhaps just using a babysling to keep the baby close in case of an accident...not that that will be of huge help. I think that's what we will do....if she lets us!

[KPEG]

Thanks Maureen. Right now, my group is about 18 people. Do you think we would be getting our own personal ground transportation anyway? Just from the last 2 times I was in the DR, we were on a little shuttle "bus" that maybe only seated 20. The problem here is that my travel agent is not very helpful and she can't/won't tell me what kind of transportation we will have. She also just said "people won't mind" if we bring a car seat "if there's room". I would appreciate more concrete information from her! 2.5 hours at 8pm is making me really worried.

[KPEG]

We've already paid our full balances (which I thought was ridiculous too! - our wedding is not until May 2010 and the group had to pay in full by Nov 2009!), so we probably can't have the transfers removed from our packages. I will ask her what company they are using for ground transportation. Hopefully she will help. It's unfortunate that I lack so much confidence in her. And just want to make this trip as easy as possible for the family especially for my sister and her baby! Thx again Maureen.

[yanettg]

Im glad I found this thread! I have many family members traveling with toddlers and infants. I know if they are under 2 and sit in the lap they save on not buying the ticket, but then how much is it for a 3 or 4 year old? Do they pay full price?

[JenniferSS]

Older children do indeed pay full price-however charters may have a different pricing structure.

 

Maureens advice is right on the mark!

 

I also always highly recommend that even for infants that you pay in full and guarantee them a seat on the plane. Mostly for their own safety- I can not imagine if something were to happen (turbulance, an accident) and the child was injured or died how incredibly bad the parent would feel because they "saved" 500.00 ! Also it just makes travel easier when the baby can have a bit of their own space!

 

It's my own personal issue though and many feel that I overreact but ......I've heard a few stories and as a Mom I never would be able to live with myself! When my kids were that little I always bought a seat.

 

I also want to mention that even if you've already paid in full you may be able to still upgrade your transfers directly with the TA.

[jennaLynn544]

Just curious if anyone recommends an "umbrella-type" stroller over the "full-size" stroller? We have both & I personally feel that our 18-month-old would do better in her full-size stroller (just based on past experiences & the fact that I spend every minute of every day with her--I know her better than anyone, right?!)...FI, on the other hand, feels that we should use the "umbrella-style" stroller because it would take up much less space in our vehicle (and we are having to drive 5 hrs. to get to our airport to fly out).

 

Full-sized stroller...(IMO)

PROS: offers sun protection w/ canopy top, offers more comfort for baby, cup holders, top & bottom storage compartments, baby does better in this one (doesn't try to escape from it!), size/space usage doesn't matter for our airline & they do not charge for gate-checking the item

CONS: large, bulky size takes up space

 

Maybe some other moms/parents/observers have some insight to this one...?