day 2: review {+giveaway!} GoGo Babyz Travelmate!

 It's Day 2 of our Launch Celebration! We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have received about our website and all the ways we are trying to make travel with kids easier for parents. We are still working hard on the site and really want to make WanderLittles a community, so please engage with us (comment, email, post) and let us know what we can add to our:

• Kid-friendly city guides (domestic and international; new cities being added!)
• Travel advice 
• Product recommendations
• Expat communities and more

Did you already enter to win the$50 Visa TravelMoney Gift Card? All giveaways run until midnight CST, October 8, so it's not too late. 

Okay so Day 2 brings THREE of you a chance to win a a super genius product from one of the most important kids' travel brands out there (I may have had some heart palpitations when they said they would work with us!). For Day 2, we are ecstatic to bring you three GOGOBABYZ TRAVELMATES! 

This is a domestic-only giveaway, but if you are living abroad, enter and we can send it to the grandparents' or a friends' house so you can get it on your next trip back to the States! 
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the product:

To car seat or not to car seat . . . Our WanderLittles website has an entire page dedicated to the debates revolving around whether or not to take car seats on board planes. One huge con against doing so is the thought that it will be cumbersome (and just one more thing to carry!). 

Enter the Travelmate. 

With the Travelmate, you can convert your car seat to a stroller, helping you make your way from the parking garage, through security, and to the plane easily and efficiently. There have been many trips when I have not even needed a stroller but brought one along simply for the airport, and then carried our car seat in one of these bags. Um. This would have been a tad more efficient, no? I used to be 100% Pro-Lap Infant which has changed, as I share on our Car Seat vs. Lap Infant Debate page, but whether I am bringing car seat aboard, gate checking it, or even don't have room in a packed car on a road trip to bring our regular stroller but might need one at our destination, I am ecstatic to have a Travelmate.  

So how well does it really work? Well, when GoGo Babyz sent me one to check out, I instantly booked a fabulous vacation in the name of "research." Okay, no, (boo for me! And I will be back with another review when we have used it on a flight), but I can tell you we had a blast putting it together and zooming it around our house. 

Seriously. 

This is what happened. 
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My son started out enthusiastic
and seemed happy to "help" . . .

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Aaaaand soon lost his
​enthusiasm. 

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So we put him down for a nap, and big sister and I (and American Girl Doll "Maryellen") proceeded to have a blast! The Travelmate has a maximum weight limit of 50 pounds, so we were good to go (literally). One of our WanderMoms was worried about bigger kids' legs dragging on the floor, but as you see here, the whole thing tips back when you are rolling so it is not an issue. 

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Then it was Maryellen's turn! 
As you can see, we are just using my daughter's old Britax Marathon since we recently switched her to a Frontier and this one was handy. It also works with the Frontier, though, as well as tons of other car seat models. You can check the compatibility chart here. 

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Conclusion: we love it! One big surprise was its incredible maneuverability. My daughter is ready to get around crowds during a rush to the gate for sure!

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One piece of advice: don't panic when the screws start to go in all wonky. It is totally normal, according to the manual. Just put a little muscle behind that screwdriver and it will straighten itself out as it goes in. 

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Here are some other tips:

• I know we were having fun playing with it at home, but seriously: practice putting it together at home so you aren't fumbling in the parking garage or at security (I recommend this for any stroller or device you will be using). It really is pretty easy, but you don't want to be rushing and frustrated, especially if you are doing it with your baby secured in their car seat so they aren't wandering around the parking garage. Not that I'm ever late and rushing before flights or anything (ha!) but you definitely don't want to be dealing with that and a crying baby (see my sweet son above) for your first time putting it together. 
• Practice taking the wheels off (super easy) so it will go through the x-ray machine, or ask for a hand check (you may be having milk or baby food checked anyway).
• If you are gate checking your "stroller," it is up to you whether you want to take your car seat off at the gate, or just give the entire thing to the attendants. If you gate check the whole thing, be sure to check the screws when you get it back in case it got bumped around a bit. Maybe even bring along a little screwdriver to make sure they are nice and tight. 
• Know that it will probably not roll down the airport aisle, but that is entirely up to your car seat (the Travelmate is small but your car seat may be too wide).
• Speaking of size, if you are thinking of getting yourself (or someone you know: this would make a great baby shower gift for the traveling mum-to-be) a Travelmate, be sure to check out the comparison chart to see which one you need (infant car seats require the Deluxe or Deluxe Cruiser).

The ones in our giveaway are the original Travelmate that fit a toddler or convertible car seat (here is the car seat compatibility chart again). Ready to win??
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how to win:

Don't be intimidated by the long list. You only need to click and complete ONE of the below requirements to be entered to win! 
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really, really want to win? 

Click EACH option below to gain even more entries to the raffle! 
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to GoGo Babyz for seeing our potential and partnering with us by sending us a free Travelmate for review, and providing the 3 for the giveaway!

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com: use them to support Wanderlittles! Or not, It's all good. :)
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