We’re thrilled to be partnering with Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine this week to present some of our favorite picks to make summer travel a bit easier with baby in tow. Check out our picks each day this week, then make sure to click over to Pregnancy & Newborn’s website to see all of their great picks too, with a chance to win all of the featured products on both sites!
Any parent who gets to the airline’s gate on time carrying a baby, a car seat and any semblance of a smile should be immediately given a first-class seat, complete with in-flight massage for those aching muscles.
[see the amazing giveaway after the jump]
Until that happens, though, start your family trips a little more relaxed and a little less sweaty. Instead of lugging, I recommend rolling the gogo Kidz Travelmate which turns that bulky, how-the-heck-do-I-carry-this convertible car seat into an easy-rider that even my older kids would be begging to try out and my husband offering to push.
Looking like a smaller, less industrial version of one of those dollies used to lug furniture, it holds kids up to 50 pounds, a weight my seven year-old hasn’t hit yet. So it’s an investment that will easily last you more than a single season of travel. The safety strap is easy to attach, and keeps your car seat in place so you don’t lose your load.
I love of course that it lets parents avoid the questionable seats from the car rental services, but most importantly, it can keep curious toddlers from wandering off while you dig through your bag for your tickets. Plus gives them a comfy place to nap if your flight is delayed for 2 hours. Sorry, we can’t help with that. –Christina
Find the gogo Kidz Travelmate at their website; check this list to make sure your car seat is compatible before ordering. And be sure to click over to PNMag’s Baby Buzz blog starting today for a week’s worth of their own summer travel picks.
EXTRA EXTRA COOL: WIN IT! One super-lucky winner will score ALL the summer travel picks we feature here on Cool Mom Picks AND at Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine this week. That’s 10 awesome prizes! Enter to win once a day by heading over to their Baby Buzz blog and following the simple instructions under their Pregnancy Blogs-Baby Buzz link. Then be sure to come back tomorrow for more cool travel picks and another chance to enter. Hint: Don’t forget the name of the item we featured here!
I cannot even begin to express how much I love our Travelmates. They aren’t cheap, but we have used them easily a dozen times in a little over two years. We always get comments (good ones) at the airport, and it makes it such a breeze.
I almost got one of those for a solo trip I took with my toddler recently, but used this instead: https://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS
I had a very BAD experience with the Travelmate. I ordered one online and received it broken. I returned it and found one at BRU and it too was broken. I would never buy one again. In retrospect, I’m glad it worked out that way. If you want to use the carseat on the airplane, it takes time to afix the seat to the Travelmate. We use the carseat backpack instead and have been VERY happy with it.
We have had one of these for almost 4 years and we love it. It has made traveling with those ridiculously big convertible car seats SO much easier. My kids also think it’s fun to ride in the car seat on the ground.