Flying With baby - Car Seat & Buggy

gaillimh

Hi.
Myself and my wife are flying to France with Ryanair in September with our 8 month old daughter.
Just wondering if anybody can clear something up for me as regards bringing our car seat and buggy.
So, I know that you can bring a buggy and car seat free of charge & the buggy can be brought to the steps of the aircraft.
Just one thing I am wondering - I believe it states one "fully collapsible" buggy.
We have an iCandy Peach - where the seat part must be taken off first and then the wheels, chassis etc fold up neatly.
Would we be allowed to bring this given that it is in 2 parts?

Thanks in advance.

PS. Anyone gone abroad for a week with a baby and managed using hand luggage only? I'm guessing we will probably need to check in a bag.

Digs

gaillimh wrote: »

Hi.
Myself and my wife are flying to France with Ryanair in September with our 8 month old daughter.
Just wondering if anybody can clear something up for me as regards bringing our car seat and buggy.
So, I know that you can bring a buggy and car seat free of charge & the buggy can be brought to the steps of the aircraft.
Just one thing I am wondering - I believe it states one "fully collapsible" buggy.
We have an iCandy Peach - where the seat part must be taken off first and then the wheels, chassis etc fold up neatly.
Would we be allowed to bring this given that it is in 2 parts?

Thanks in advance.

PS. Anyone gone abroad for a week with a baby and managed using hand luggage only? I'm guessing we will probably need to check in a bag.

We've flown aerlingus a few times and they also have the same "fully collapsible" description. We have a bugaboo chameleon which is the same makeup as your buggy. We wheeled it to the door, collapsed it and then fasten the two bits together using those stretchy bands with hooks on the end (don't know the technical term for them!). They put it into the hold then. Aside from anything else it gave us more piece of mind that one bit wouldn't go missing!

Can't advise on hand baggage as we've only flown long haul so have had checked bags each time.

shesty

I imagine it doesn't matter too much once you have the buggy folded down and held together with something, be it cable ties or whatever.Recently had a similar experience with Aer Lingus.

The reason most people just get a small collapsable buggy for this stuff is because there's no guarantee your buggy won't get damaged in transit and it's handier to maneouvre something small through the airport.

Checked bags ourselves.....don't know how long you are going for but think of bringing stuff for baby including a few bits of small toys, a favourite teddy, calpol, some food and nappies to get through the first couple of days til you get to a shop, formula/bottles if needed etc.Maybe a favourite blanket to help with sleep.They don't need loads of stuff but at 8 months, you'll probably need a few things.

Millem

Never trusted them with my bugaboo! Always brought my MacLaren quest.
I would buy a stroller for holidays myself

sillysocks

Yes you can bring a two part buggy. Just make sure both parts get tagged not just one. What I did for our stroller was bought a luggage strap and before the airport adjusted it so that it clipped perfectly around the folded wheels part. A few times I've seen damage to buggies where they've popped open and the crews don't know how to fold them and end up forcing them. At least if there's a luggage strap and the clasp opens the buggy will still stay folded.

I've just been away with a seven month old and couldn't have managed with hand luggage only. Saying that I did bring all the nappies and food we needed for the week so they took up a good bit of space, and same for formula. Clothes wise they don't need a lot at that age esp if it's going to be hot!

scarepanda

I wouldn't trust them with your normal buggy.

But have you thought about a carrier/sling? We went to London for 4 days when our lo was 8 months old. I was very sceptical of the carrier because I don't have the strongest of backs. But as we had been given one when she was born I decided to try it out before the trip to see how it was and I'm a complete convert to the carrier. I don't go anywhere without it now and I don't know how we would have managed in London with any kind of buggy. A sun holiday may be different, but personally I think I'd still bring the carrier over a buggy. We've been on a few trips abroad and at home since and the carrier is the main mode of transport!

rainbow kirby

scarepanda wrote: »

I wouldn't trust them with your normal buggy.

But have you thought about a carrier/sling? We went to London for 4 days when our lo was 8 months old. I was very sceptical of the carrier because I don't have the strongest of backs. But as we had been given one when she was born I decided to try it out before the trip to see how it was and I'm a complete convert to the carrier. I don't go anywhere without it now and I don't know how we would have managed in London with any kind of buggy. A sun holiday may be different, but personally I think I'd still bring the carrier over a buggy. We've been on a few trips abroad and at home since and the carrier is the main mode of transport!

We took the buggy to Paris when my son was 3 months old. NEVER AGAIN. City breaks are SO much easier when you have a kid in a carrier rather than a buggy - we just took our Manduca when we went to Rome 4 months after that and it was a dream in comparison.

The tube is awful if you've got a buggy too, stairs everywhere (and only certain stations have step-free access) and very hot and crowded. Buses and the Overground are a bit easier but still can be very busy - there's a very good reason why most central London parents have very small buggies! Bugaboo Bee, Babyzen Yoyo, Baby Jogger City Mini or some kind of umbrella stroller.

wuffly

Agree with the other posters, if you have a carrier it will be far easier than a buggy for traveling and for getting around on your trip. We live abroad and brought our buggy home on our first trip, it was handy in the airport to put stuff in the baby was in the carrier. its a 2 part buggy they put it in a plastic bag at the steps of the plane. Not ryanair so don't what they do, if you do bring the buggy something to strap the parts together is a good idea. Our last trip home was when he was 11 months and didn't bother with a buggy just used the carrier for 2 weeks, didn't miss it at all. I considered and still am considering a travel buggy but the carrier is great, no popping a buggy up and down, hands free no maneuvering steps and stairs etc... The only down side at the moment is he wants to be out as soon as we stop walking.

Re hand luggage definitely doable, not much room for bringing enough nappies and wipes though but you can buy them wherever you are going. Its just a lot to be dealing with in the airport.

Millem

I travel by myself with my son every summer and last year just did hand luggage.....wouldn't do it again tbh! Maybe though if there are two adults it is different? I managed to squeeze both mine and my son's clothes into one hand luggage.
I was going over to my parents holiday house so have washing machine, toys etc there. I found I put the hand luggage in the MacLaren and pushed it while my son walked!!

The year before I paid for a bag....if you do that, ryanair offer to check in your hand luggage too as soon as you arrive at dublin airport which is a Godsend! I will pay for a bag next year

On the baggage handlers I think they work for the airport rather than the airline? My very expensive ERF car seat got damaged last year ;( tiny but of foam broke off. I replaced the piece but it's a pain.

jlm29

If you're bringing a car seat, you can buy travel bags- I'd bubble wrap the seat very very very well if I was checking it in and then put it in the bag. You can also pack extra things like nappies and cloths around the seat in the travel bag, so that might help you to just use carry on!
I would bring an umbrella stroller if you need to bring a buggy. Having seen the way stuff is thrown around, I wouldn't bring a very expensive buggy!

rainbow kirby

Millem wrote: »

On the baggage handlers I think they work for the airport rather than the airline? My very expensive ERF car seat got damaged last year ;( tiny but of foam broke off. I replaced the piece but it's a pain.

Depends on the airline - some have their own, lots use Swissport or Servisair etc. I had a proper go at Swissport last year after they left my son's buggy out in the lashing rain for at least half an hour at Dublin airport before boarding a BA flight, far too wet to use once we landed in Heathrow.

Cakerbaker

We bought a case for our 2 part buggy and checked it in, it went through the oversize luggage drop off in Dublin airport. We used the sling for getting through the airport. Both the sling and buggy were handy at different parts of the holiday, we'll be bringing both again this year.