Prior to a recent trip with our toddler, my husband and I purchased a Gogo Kidz Travelmate car seat attachment. On a previous flight, we witnessed another family using this product with their toddler and knew that we must find our more about it! I did some research and located the Travelmate online for $75 with free shipping and decided to purchase (later, I found it at my local Babies R Us for almost the same price). I wanted to provide a review for other parents that may be interested in this particular product.
Pros
- It is very convenient to wheel the car seat through the airport instead of carrying it.
- The Travelmate acted as a stroller and my son enjoyed being pushed and pulled in his Britax car seat. This made the experience much more enjoyable for my family since baby was happy and our load was lightened!
- The wheels rolled very easily with my son securely strapped inside of his seat.
- The Travelmate is compatible with many FAA approved car seats. For a complete list, visit this link.
- Can be used with child secured inside the car seat until he or she weighs 50 pounds.
- No need to rent or borrow a car seat at your final destination! The Travelmate allows you to conveniently bring yours along.
- The Travelmate is lightweight at only 5 pounds and is compact (5″ deep, 17” wide, 28” high).
Cons
- The strap attachment that hooks around the car seat does not open and close as smoothly as expected. My husband and I both had trouble with the teeth catching (at one point, we thought we’d have to cut the strap to get it unhooked)! My advice is to not wait until you arrive at the airport to familiarize yourself with the attachment, practice in advance!
- TSA was not very friendly about the attachment being hooked on the car seat while trying to get through the security check point. Read about my experience at Orlando International Airport.
- The handle was difficult to lock while in the lowest position.
- The price is a bit steep, especially if you are not a frequent traveler.
- If only one parent is traveling with a child, it may not be easy to remove the Travelmate and control your kid at the same time.
We removed the Travelmate completely before boarding our plane so I cannot say whether or not the car seat could be rolled down the aisle. I read online that the car seat can be installed on the plane with the Travelmate attached; however, we just went ahead and took it off. The Travelmate easily fit into the overhead compartment and was a breeze to reattach once we deboarded the plane. If you have questions about this product, you may want to visit the official FAQ page.
All in all, this product made traveling with a toddler much smoother and I am happy with my purchase. We had several parents traveling with young children stop us to inquire about the Travelmate and whether we recommend it. Obviously, there is room for improvement (including price), but I do recommend this to parents who will be traveling with a car seat.
Have you used this product? What are your thoughts?
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