Reddit mentions of J.L. Childress Gate Check Bag for Standard & Double Strollers

We gate checked our stroller and car seat (infant size). I got the $60 bags to wrap both in (this brand) and was glad I did. It was pouring rain at our destination, and I guess it took them a while to bring things up from below (and they went uncovered a bit) because the bags were soaked, but the car seat was dry after.

If your stroller has smaller bits (i.e. ours had adapters between the stroller & car seat that I popped off) I would take those with you onto the plane. One of the adapters fell out of the travel bag in the plane luggage area, and we nearly lost it.

We didn't travel with the car seat base.


We flew YVR to SFO when she was 3 months.

Google this and read all the articles you can to find what works for you. It's very manageable, a little like a circus but keep a good attitude and you will fly fine, lots of good comments here already!

Our items: Carry-on with laptop, diaper-bag backpack, and a Coleman soft cooler to keep milk frozen + other food, **stroller (Summer-infant 3D-flip, awesome stroller!), and Ergobaby baby carrier!

Security: Read the websites and pack according to the rules, have one of you (mom) can carry all the baby stuff. Be very nice to them, they are doing their jobs, and will help you through, the stroller may be x-rayed. One of you will walk through with the baby, make sure you don't ding if you can avoid it to make life easier.

Flight: Boarding: Pre-board! Wear the baby aboard in an Ergobaby or other carrier. This gives you ability to bring a carry-on, get your boarding passes/id, carry stroller, etc. Gate-check the stroller using a bag: https://www.amazon.com/Childress-Travel-Standard-Double-Strollers/dp/B003554H9M

Flight: Entertain, feed, snuggle, sleep, bounce, etc. Even learning the parts of the plane can be entertainment like opening the tray, armrests, etc. Obviously attempt to restrain jr from kicking! We didn't have to walk the baby up and down the aisle, but some parents do that, do whatever works.

Flight/Changing: I change the baby on the plane, and have those blue plastic diaper bags and fill one with wipes and put that and a diaper in my pocket, and take an extra to throw out the smelly diaper. No need to bring a full diaper bag. The baby may slide around during turbulence, and laugh, be prepared. :)

Layover: There are often kids play stations around, if not there's lots for a 7mo to be entertained with in the real world. Stroller is great for naps.

Time changes: Switch to the new time right away and hold as best as possible, there will be a transition period so just go with it.

We've done a good bit, always been fine.

We just flew Delta with my son last week. They were great with our luggage, but I'd still recommend putting your checked items in a bag. There's just so much... crap... and debris... and elements on the plane.

For our umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D Lite) I used this check bag and it worked great. We wheeled my son around the airport in the stroller once we got through TSA and right up to the gate - stuffed it in the bag and left it at the door. It was waiting there for us when we got off the plane.

Sounds like you're taking a full sized stroller/travel system? I'd go with this bag for the stroller, and then this one for the bucket seat.

The bags are super thin, so they're not going to protect your items if they get tossed around - but they will save the fabric from grease/oil/gunk.

"it makes literally no sense that I cannot have my purse on my lap for takeoff and landing but my infant"

Yeah, the more I thought about it that way, the more comfortable I was buying a seat for our LO on our recent trip. I completely understand wanting to avoid the cost of an extra seat, but it is weird that you can just hold a baby and have to store away your bags.

With that mindset, we brought our car seat on board and strapped our 4 month old in, and left her strapped in for takeoff and landing (statistically, that's the most likely time for any injuries. When you're cruising at altitude, you're really really likely to be fine. Granted, you're really really likely to be fine during any flight, but if there's a risky period, it's take off and landing). Anytime she was in the seat for sleeping, she was buckled in.

The seat is a little cumbersome, sure, but it's really like 5 minutes of carrying it between boarding and leaving the plane. And you can just use the seatbelt to strap it in (directions in the manual).

We boarded early and I fed her while everyone else was boarding (it was helpful to be in the back rows for this). Then I buckled her in. On the 4 take offs we experienced, she fell asleep as soon as the jet engines turned on (another benefit to being in the back). Once while she was a tiny bit fussy during a landing, I alternated between giving her a pacifier and my knuckle to suck on while shaking a new toy in front of her.

We brought our stroller, put the car seat on it for walking around the airports and then gate-checked it in a bag (http://www.amazon.com/J-L-Childress-Standard-Double-Strollers/dp/B003554H9M). Again, it was cumbersome for like 5-10 minutes during security and at the gate, but we had to walk a ton through the airport and it was nice to have it then.

As far as stuff to bring - new toys, multiple pacifiers, diapers/wipes/change of clothes. And try to limit your luggage and bring things you can wear on your back!

We used this one for our single stroller on a couple flights but the material is pretty thin and basically just protects against scratches and dirt but wouldn’t do much if it gets handled roughly. We had no issues with it though and it worked fine for gate checking, nothing got broken. We’re going to Disney in December though and taking our nice double stroller and I’ve been thinking of getting a nicer bag for it, like maybe a thicker one with more padding for more protection!