Do You Need a Car Seat or Stroller Travel Bag When You Fly?

It’s an extra thing to manage. “I didn’t want to wrestle with a travel bag, especially since I was traveling alone, and managing a lot,” says CR’s Angela Lashbrook. “I bought a seat for my child on every flight, so I used my car seat on the plane. Not getting a bag for the stroller was a bit of a risk, but there was no damage done to it that I could see. Totally fine.” “The items are actually easier to carry without the bag, so we put it on last-minute before gate check,” Gulati-Gilbert says.

There’s a limit to how much damage protection any car seat or stroller travel bag can offer. A quality bag may be able to withstand dirt, dust, and water, but Emily A. Thomas, PhD, CR’s in-house manager of auto safety, cautions parents against putting their faith in a bag protecting their baby gear against structural damage. 

“Car seat bags are best for either ease of carrying your car seat through the airport or gate-checking/checking your car seat,” Thomas says. “The bags are typically nylon-type bags and they can protect your seat from dust and dirt. Since you’re planning to put your kid in the seat, I like to keep it covered if I’m checking my seat so it doesn’t get gross while being handled, transferred throughout the airport, or on the conveyor belt.”

Pieroni says she was worried about potential damage to her car seat and stroller that would render them unusable at their destination, and having to worry about finding a new stroller and/or car seat on the road. 

If your car seat incurs damage during transit, your warranty might cover repair or replacement, even if it wasn’t covered by a bag, Dilts says, but you should consult your car seat manufacturer to confirm the limitations of your warranty. Still, that’s cold comfort if your car seat is damaged en route and you find yourself suddenly without one, miles from home. “If it’s damaged upon arrival during travel, the warranty would only be helpful after my travels and I would still be in a position to replace the damaged item,” Pieroni says.

Gulati-Gilbert takes things one step further when traveling: She leaves her more expensive stroller and car seat at home. “We opted to purchase a less expensive travel car seat and travel stroller so that we wouldn’t worry about travel damages and warranties,” Gulati-Glibert says.

Bottom line: Don’t expect a bag to protect expensive strollers and car seats from extreme turbulence or being mishandled.