Taking a car seat long haul with BA

[ProbablyJustGas]

Getting a bit overwhelmed about flying for the first time with my infant and could use some advice or how-to.

I'm travelling to the USA in a month with a connection via Heathrow on BA with my four month old DD. BA's luggage allowance includes a pushchair for her and her carseat. I've been reading different advice about the best approach for the car seat.

Should I check the car seat in at the counter with the rest of our suitcases? If I do that, do I need to supply my own bubble wrap for it? Sorry if that is a stupid question but I've literally never done this before... I think I've noticed airline staff wrapping a few things in plastic wrap before, but no idea if that would protect a car seat or not.

Or should I insist on gate-checking DD's seat and haul it around T5 for a few hours?

I doubt BA will let me use DD's seat on board the plane. Even if we bought a seat for her (she's a lap baby), BA seem to be very reluctant to allow Group 0/0+ infant seats on board. The seat is a BeSafe Izi Go anyway, which isn't approved for air travel.

I know this all sounds a bit clueless, but I'd rather be clueless on MN than clueless in the airport. Worried about DD's seat getting damaged and rendered unusable, but also worried about creating more work for DH and me if we haul DD's car seat through LHR.

Can you put it on her travel system?

Then you don't have to carry it separately. I gate checked DDs twice, put it in a suitcase once (which sounds mad but she and I only needed one suitcase for stuff) and wrapped it and hold checked it the last time. I was worried about it getting damaged in the hold generally.

I've only flown Air NZ and Virgin but with a baby. Each time I've taken the car seat I've gotten it shrink wrapped at the airport, mostly for my peace of mind, which has been justified because in NZ I had the car seat chipped (non essential part) because they don't have shrink wrap at domestic terminals.
Also unless you've paid for a seat for you DC I can't see where you'd be able to put the car seat. Do you have a bassinet seat booked? My friend has flown BA with her baby and loved them. HTH.

I'm not sure that you can insist on gate-checking it, although you can certainly request it.
Definitely bubble wrap in advance if not, I have had a seat damaged in transit. I have also had a seat "lost" (it turned up 3 days later)
After that we stopped taking car seats and just rented them with the hire car.
Until they turned 2 and we were paying for a seat on the plane for them when we made sure to purchase airline approved seats and have them in it for the journey. Bonus was they slept much better in their own familiar seats

You may find this from BA useful as well:-

www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/family-travel/getting-ready-to-fly

hi, thank you for these responses. yes ive booked a bassinet seat for baby and me, so she'll be (I believe) getting a sky cot or maybe a bouncy seat. but we need the car seat in tact to get out of the airport and to my family's place.

When DD was smaller we took our seat on the plane (a short haul to Austria) and it fitted in the over head locker. It was a maxi cosi one. I was nervous of it being thrown around and damaged otherwise. We have booked a seat this time as she is now in a group one and have to hunt high and low for a seat that is approved for being strapped in!
Hope that helps.