Anyone who has traveled by plane with a toddler can appreciate the following scenario: you finally get to the airport and have to haul a clunky car seat and big stroller through the place, even security -- never mind carrying your suitcases, too. When we planned our first airplane trip with our son, we knew we didn't want to lug a car seat and stroller around with us, but we needed them.
When we saw Tripleplay's Sit 'n' Stroll 5-in-1 Combination Car Seat/Stroller, we knew it was the perfect solution. Our Sit 'n'' Stroll has been to Cabo San Lucas, Phoenix, Wisconsin, countless trips to Grandma's house and is by far one of the better purchases we've made.
The Sit ‘n’ Stroll is a car seat, stroller, booster chair, FAA-approved airplane seat and is as comfortable as it is practical. It comes with an infant headrest, can be used rear- or forward-facing, holds up to 40 pounds and has sturdy LATCH connectors for anchoring into cars.
The way it works is there is a handle on the back of the seat you push down which causes the stroller wheels to pop out.
It takes a little practice, but in one swift move you go from car seat to stroller.
As far as its stroller capabilities go, it’s smoother than some strollers we’ve encountered and handles turns well -- which is important in busy, crowded airports. It also has a small storage compartment for holding snacks and other small items.
The real test of the Sit 'n' Stroll’s practicality came when we traveled alone with our son. Upon landing, we were able to quickly convert from plane seat to stroller, right on the plane's aisle, and stroll down the jet way and into the terminal. From there we hailed a cab, turned it into a car seat and drove to our hotel.
After doing that alone, this is the only way we can imagine traveling.
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
Thanks for this review!! We are looking to do a number of international trip in the next couple of months and I was going to purchase it. I am glad it lives up to what you wanted/expected. I figure when not traveling we can use it in the second car.
view molly_DC's profile
Hey..is that picture taken at Tailsan West by any chance?
Love that place!
view kellybeegee's profile
Kellybeegee, yes! That's Taliesin West. I love it a lot, too. :D
view Alex's profile
I've actually seen this product before at the airport, and have considered it for our upcoming trip to Paris with our little girl. While it looks really convenient, I wonder if it would really hold up to lots of uneven surfaces (cobblestones, etc.) on the streets of Paris for a week. Thoughts?
view daniel's profile
Hi, Daniel. If this helps, we used the stroller in Cabo San Lucas, which for the most part either had no sidewalk (just sandy sidewalks) or cobble stone streets. We also used this in Taliesen, which is mainly gravel. We had no problems in either instances.
view Alex's profile
You might also try the traveling toddler, which is a strap that lets you attach your carseat to a roller bag. It's great for airports, especially if you will need a carseat at your destination, or want it on the plane. If you need a stroller there, just buy a cheap one when you get there. Toys R Us has several that are under $20.
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4635984-2667852?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1186901344&sr=8-1
view Buphie's profile
Alex, thanks very much for the information. Can't tell you how much I'm going to love not taking both a car seat and stroller to Paris. I'm ordering one of these TODAY. Cheers!
view daniel's profile
This was definitely what I need to see. I like all of your comments about this product and other ideas. We are planning a trip back east on the plane with our toddler and I am a bit anxious. Thanks!
view KLT's profile
We just bought one. We live in NYC and frequently take Taxi's with our daughter. As she has grown, we have grown wary of riding with her in the ergo or in our laps, so we decided we needed this. Today was our first use and it was great. We left our apartment with her in it, wheels out. Our car arrived and we snapped the wheels up and slid her in to the car, strapped her in and we were good to go. When we arrived at daycare, we got out of the car and out popped the wheels easy-peasy. It also seems to be very comfortable as our daugher has been climbing in and hanging out in it at home since we got it. One more thing, we bought it second hand so we washed the cover and now it looks like new! It may be ugly but it's very functional!
view lucykrieger's profile
I originally looked at this idea, but decided I didn't want to purchase an entirely new carseat.
Instead we bought a GoGo Kidz Travelmate, which attaches to almost any brand of carseat. You wheel it around the same as you would do a stroller. We used it for the first time this past weekend, flying from Australia to Canada. It worked brilliantly and was so much easier than lugging the carseat around on it's own and gate-checking the stroller. We wheeled it right to our seat on the plane and stored it in the overhead bin.
We found it on Amazon for $70 or so.
view cbenn's profile