Planning for the pitfalls when traveling with your children

You might not give the baggage handlers at airports a lot of thought until that perilous point in your day when you are waiting for your suit cases to drop onto the baggage belts and for some reason, they don't.  Or, you can wait in the special claims area section for your car seats and stroller, only to have them come down the chute with a seat missing or a stroller that has had the wheel ripped off. At that point, you can make your way over to the baggage office for your airline and stand in line with others who are waiting on their luggage as well.  It's a frustrating end to a long day, or a unhappy beginning to a long awaited vacation.

Unfortunately for those in this situation, this happens more often than you would like to believe. In the crush of miles of luggage, our precious items can be misplaced and our expensive strollers can be crushed. If you plan on taking your children's safety seats and your stroller along on your vacation, there are a few ways you can protect them:

• Place labels on car seats. Include your name, the dates of your travel, the hotel name where you will be staying, and your cell phone numbers. If your seats are lost, this will make it easier for them to be returned to you. 
• Put your car seats together in a large plastic bag. Often the airline will provide these bags, but bring your own just in case.
• Fold your stroller up to it's most compact position and zap strap the wheels down. The wheels of a stroller are often the most damaged area, and many parents have their equipment returned to them with a missing wheel. 

Even with the utmost precaution, accidents will happen. Anyone who has experienced the irritation of having to fill out a claim form for a $1000 stroller will tell you that it's a frustrating experience. Your best bet for protecting the necessary gear you need to keep your children safe is to leave it at home.  Travel BaBees has locations across the the USA, and can provide you with a clean, sparkling stroller or car seats of any size.  Before your next vacation, give us a call!