Travelling with baby with Ryanair - Baby equipment

[DippyDuck19]

I am travelling with Ryanair in October (to Spain) with my partner and DS who will be 9 months old. We have 2x 22kg baggage allowance plus 2 pieces of baby equipment (pram, travel cot or car seat). I plan to bring a stroller right up to the gate (cabin approved). But for the second piece of equipment I have been told by friends you can fill a travel cot bag or car seat bag with nappies/formula/bottles and other baby consumables that we may need for our weeks holiday and check this in at the desk. They apparently do not check what's inside.

I was planning on buying nappies once we arrive in Spain but wanted to bring DS usual formula powder with us (and possibly won't fit in our baggage allowance). If I can disguise this as a "car seat" lol, it would make life a bit easier.

Has anyone done this specifically with Ryanair? Did they check inside your baby items to ensure it was a "pram, travel cot or carseat"

22kg x2 is loads! Just put milk and nappies in there

No you can’t fill a car seat bag with just nappies. If your taking car seat you can add some nappies inside car seat within bag. But the car seat needs to be there, not just nappies. Same with travel cot, the cot needs to be there and you can squeeze some nappies or blankets inside also.

Knowing Ryanair, I wouldn't risk that! Agree with above in adding a few bits to an actual checked car seat, but not what you're suggesting.

I have travelled with Ryanair a few times. I have a baby bjorn travel cot and ram it full of things my baby needs and check that at regular check-in, I take the pram to the gate and have a big bag for it I bought off Amazon and put bags, also a car seat in there. Never had an issue but also never been able to take my pram onto the plane, even when travelling with a yoyo which is cabin sized. I would also add that I have stopped travelling our car seat after it got damaged on a Ryanair flight but we were probably just unlucky

No I don’t think it’s guaranteed you’d get away with this. There’s a big difference in weight and shape of nappies, formula and car seat. Fine to add some to the car seat but not without the car seat.

I personally wouldn’t take a car seat on an aeroplane after seeing last week at Majorca airport how many fell off the baggage carousel - you wouldn’t know if they have been dropped or cracked and require replacing.

In the past, we have taken travel cots and push chairs no problem. We bought cheap extra ones as they end to get a bit battered etc but they all arrived in a usable state. Not sure about others but our travel cot had no spare room when folded down and in its bag so putting nappies in wasn’t ever going to work.

If you were short on space, I’d do a click and collect order for nappies and milk and collect at an airside Boots store. That way, you’ve been through security and basically it’s hand luggage that you carry onto the plane. I wouldn’t put milk in the cases if you had a very small baby (as opposed to an older weaned baby) in case your suitcases didn’t make it for some reason. Also nappies are generally easily available in most supermarkets in Spain, so we have bought a couple of days worth in hand luggage and then just bought in resort (yes you pay for it but it’s a lot less than getting caught out at check in and paying extra fees!)

I travel with Ryanair reasonably frequently with young children. I very much do as your friend suggests - and pack a travel cot bag with clothes etc. In fact I have even just used a large hold-all once or twice - as baby equipment. The check-in person has never asked me to unzip or show the contents.

I wouldn't risk this with Ryanair. I'm pretty sure they opened our travel cot bag to check.

Unless you're going for a long time that baggage allowance should be absolutely plenty. We did it with a 5 month old and took enough nappies, formula and everything for a week and still had space. But you can do click and collect at the airport if you're really worried about going over the allowance.

I'd prioritise formula over nappies if you can only pick one to take. You'll have absolutely no issue with nappies in Spain, all supermarkets we found had a really good selection. Not sure what you use but the Spanish equivalent of Pampers is Dodot, they are more expensive than here though.

You may also find your baby drops at least one bottle between now and October as they have more solids. We went abroad when DD was 5 months and on 6 bottles a day. When we next went abroad she was just under 10 months and only on 2 bottles!

Have a lovely holiday.

My pal tried this with Ryanair when all going to a wedding in Italy.
Yep failed miserably and had to pay for excess baggage at airport prices.

I wouldn’t risk it at all.

Thanks everyone! I really didn’t want to risk it with Ryanair! But was thinking am I mad to miss out on extra baggage allowance.

I am planning on buying nappies when am there anyway. Will just bring enough to last the first day or two to give us time to get some.

@YouLookLikeStevieNicksthanks for the Spanish equivalent of pampers - we use pampers usually but am open to any nappy.

DS is slowly reducing his milk intake anyways as he’s eating lots. Should hopefully only need 1 tin when we go anyway so won’t take up much room in our suitcase or DP hand luggage.