Lost carseat & bag on direct flight
 

I was traveling with my 2 small children (still in pull-ups/diapers) on a direct flight from Orlando to BWI. I checked 1 carseat since my daughter (22 mo old) was supposed to be a lap child (see my other post for that story). We arrived 2 hours ahead of time but were delayed my the check-in asst for almost an hour before needing to brave security. When we finally arrived after that nightmare, our bags weren't @ BWI. I had to get a loaner carseat from the AP. God only knows when it was last washed. I was given a case number and told they hoped it was on the next flight, but they didn't know for sure. Apparently, they couldn't find my tracking numbers. After leaving the AP @ 3:30 pm, I got a call about 8:00 pm saying my luggage was found and would be delivered to me late that night or early morning ie: 11:00 pm -1:00 am respectively. I called the 800 # that I was given @ 1:30 am asking about my luggage. The lady couldn't get a hold of anyone at BWI, but noted that my bags weren't scheduled to be delivered until around 5:00 am!!! She was very apologetic for the situation and gave me a $50 stipend if I needed to purchase diapers before mine arrived...BUT IT WAS 1:30 AM!!! Where was I going to get diapers when I don't even have a car??? I was visiting relatives for a WEDDING the next day!! We did get our luggage, but it took a few days to recover from the lack of sleep after staying up so late for nothing and my children being up so early (6:00 am)

If you had the proper documentation for your almost two year old the whole baggage thing probably wouldn't have happened.

Actually, my daughter didn't have a bag checked in her name even after they made me buy her a ticket. The carseat was checked on my tkt and our bag was checked on my son's ticket. Both of which were purchased months in advance. There's no excuse for the lost baggage no matter how sympathetic you are for the airlines. ESPECIALLY since there were at least 6 others from the same direct flight that boarded well before me whose luggage was also lost. It wouldn't have been that big a deal if they had been honest about the time it would be delivered. I would have been able to get to bed with my kids and gotten more diapers had I simply known my bag wouldn't get to me until 5am.

You don't get it do you? The reason your bags didn't make it on the flight was that you were at the ticket counter trying to argue that your 22 month old daughter should be allowed to fly for free. If you look young and want to go out to a club be prepared to prove you're 21. It's not the bar's rules, IT"S THE LAW. If you want to travel with a lap infant that may appear to be 2 or over then be prepared to prove that too. It's not the airline's rules, IT'S THE LAW.

I'm also not buying the whole "I didn't have a car and it was the middle of the night" thing either. Someone picked you up from the airport. Did it not cross your mind when your bags didn't arrive to stop and buy things like diapers that are necessities? I'm sure there was a 24 hour store somewhere in close proximity to the airport. Don't blame the airline for your lack of good parenting too.

I also think the OP is going over the op saying it took days to recover due to the lack of sleep that one night. Are you also going to tell us that you only packed one or two diapers in the diaper bag? I have kids as well, and let me tell you, I don't care how short we were supposed to be on the plane, I had a stack with me. It's no different then if we were just going somewhere for a few hours in the car. You always bring a bunch. You as a parent know that they can cut loose at anytime.