A Trial Trip to Los Angeles - Part II

Continue from previous post: A Trial Trip to Los Angeles - Part I

4. Travel gear - The first thing we have to deal with is the Drake's mobility. Currently we have a Uppababy Vista stroller, Ergo Baby carrier, and Baby Buddha sling. The stroller is too bulky. The sling or the carrier is compact, but a 20lb baby can be hard on the back after awhile.

I started researching light weight travel strollers for when we are tired of back carrying Drake. Aside from the typical stuff, I found this interesting car seat stroller combo. The Lilly Gold Sit n' Stroll is a stroller that converts into a car seat. I thought this will be so great when we rent a car to get around in Uluru however the car seat is only safety rated in the USA.

Our friend who has travelled with his baby extensively highly recommended the Kelty baby backpack.
It is a much more appropriate back carrier for our trip. I didn't think we needed another one until I found Kelty also made a backpack that converts into a stroller. Unfortunately, they have discontinued it so I turned to the good old Craigslist and found one that was really good condition for only 100 bucks.


We were pretty excited to try it out.

Pros:

• It was super light weight at only over 9 lbs. It also suppose to be able to hold up to 50 lbs.
• It was comfortable on the back with a good support.  Hubby took Drake out for a morning stroll everyday. 
• Its overall shape is upright instead of diagonally which meant it took up less space when in or moving through crowds.
• It acted as a high chair very well. Perfect height and didn't have to take Drake in and out in restaurants.
• Good under carriage space. We were able to store water, neck pillow and both of our jackets.

Cons:

• It didn't fold as well as traditional travel stroller. Only the handle part was foldable. It took up half of the space in our car trunk. But we didn't have any issue checking it at the gate of our flight.
• It didn't turn very well. It was great going in a straight line. But if I wanted to be agile and make quick and sharp turns, it was nearly impossible.  It took a bit to get use to.
• The stroller was only recommended for babies who could sit upright on their own which explains the lack of back support. I used a neck pillow to solve this issue. Drake was able to catch some Z's in it but didn't look all that comfortable to me. Then again I am not a baby.

Speaking of which, the second thing is Drake's sleeping arrangement. The three popular choices seem to be Kidco Peapod, Baby Bjorn and Phil&;Teds. The Peapod was recalled in November due a case of tragic infant suffocation death.  Although I believe it was a freak accident, I decided not to go with Peapod because it folds into a circle which is an awkward shape to fit into a backpack, suitcase or a overhead compartment.  Baby Bjorn has the same issue.  It folds into a shape of a large suit case.  It also had no side access.

Phil&Teds recently upgraded the crib from 9 lbs to only 7 lbs.  It hasn't gone on sale and unknown when they will go on sale.  With our travel date approaching fast, we decided to just get the Traveller II.

Pros:

• It is the most light weight and compact travel crib on the market.  It folded into a small tub shape that can fit into anything easily.  
• Once set up, it is almost as big as a regular crib.
• The side opening was really good to have if I wanted to lay down next to Drake before he falls asleep.
• It kept the light out relatively well (although the new design takes away this feature with all mesh sides).
• I just love the chic design

Cons:

• It took awhile (10 minutes) to put it together and take it apart and pack.

Before this trial trip, we asked for advice from friends about traveling with kids. They all gave us good ideas and suggestions.  However every child is different, your friends' experience isn't necessarily going to be the same as yours.  That is why we needed to do a trial trip.  We really didn't end up doing too much sightseeing.  We didn't have to deal with jet lag.  But we are still so glad we did it. We got to know our son much better.  Hopefully it will come in handy when it is time for our big China and Australia trip.

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Location:Vancouver