Car Seat Recommendation for Air Travel

[stephen11]

Hi,

We are planning a trip to Disney with our little grandchildren.

Any recommendations for a light-weight car seat...

We have purchased airline seats for our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter and 8 month old grandson. I have been researching the C.A.R.E.S. system for our 2 1/2 year old (anyone ever use this - she only weighs about 24 pounds) ... but I'm not quite sure about what to bring for our grandson (8 months).

We will be using Magical Express, so we have no need for a car seat while at Disney and we will have a McClaren Double Stroller (will we be able to check this double stroller at the gate?) ANy suggestions would be so appreciated...

Thanks,
Steve

 

[two-foxes]

We purchased the Cosco Scenera for travel. Very light, pretty easy to install both on the plane and in a vehicle. I am a Britax fan for "real life" but the Scenera is easy and light enough to carry that I did it alone with a 20 month old when I was 5 months pregnant. Plus, the price is right...about $45-50.

 

[figment41]

I love my sit n stroll it is a little pricey at about $250. But it is also a great stroller for running through the airport. I would not recommend this as your stroller for your trip but if you are renting one at the parks it make life very convenient. My husband usually pushes our Aria stroller with our bags on it while my DD rides in the sit n stroll through the airport.

The seat belt also goes over the top of the car seat so you do not need to dig and fight with the seat belt. If you do do this stroller/carseat I do recommend bring an extra burp cloth along to wrap around the seat belt. Lets face it airplanes are not very clean and it is right over the baby and his mouth could reach it if he tried. YUCK!!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

Ditto on the Cosco Scenera - cheap, light, gets the job done when on travel.

You should have no problems gate checking the stroller. If in doubt, give a call to the airline.

If you have any rolling bags, you can get this $15 strap to clip the carseat onto it - very handy for zipping through the airport. We used it along with our Cosco Scenera when we traveled to Korea last year... it not only holds the carseat, it gave our 18 mo. old a convenient place to sit.

http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS

 

[scrapquilter]

I'll add a third vote for the Costco Scenara! We used a Britax Wizard here at home, but it was just way too big to take on the plane. On the reccomendation of a friend, I bought my son a Costco Scenara, it was inexpensive (about $50 or $60 I think), and fit easily into the airplane seat (and in our rental car).

 

[boettj]

I will add that I love Britax for home, but don't take that on vacation with you. Especially if you have connecting flights. I lugged that thing through the airport last time. Not fun, but I got over it when I saw the mouse.

Your DCs are too young, but one thing for future reference is they do not allow booster seats. The problem with them on flights is that they can slip out from under the child. The result is the the child would could become trapped in the lapbelt.


Go with the safest light car seat you can find at a resonable cost.


Just my 2 cents.

 

[abouley]

I'm not 100% sold on the CARES system as the benefit of having a carseat for a toddler is that they can sleep in it and because it's the same as riding in a car, they understand that they have to stay buckled in. That said, lugging 2 carseats on an airplane and around an airport is not a lot of fun especially if you don't need them for a rental car.

The 8 month old will still need to rear face. IF he is small enough to still use his infant carrier, that is what I would bring. They are lightweight and make boarding easy (baby is already in it so you're not carrying baby and a carseat) and it's really easy to sit the seat down and pull the seat belt across it! My kids outgrew their graco snugrides by height before weight and personally if they were still under the weight limit but a tad bit over the height limit (but head was not above the top of the seat) and I were only using it on the airplane, I would still use it. We used ours when our daughter was 6 months and it was really convenient!

We bought a Radian 65 for our traveling needs and also my son who is 5 uses this as his primary carseat in my car. It's not lightweight but the bottom folds up to make transporting it easier and it sits low like a booster seat so is better on the airplane (not AS easy to kick the seat in front although my 2 year old still found a way to do it). It also allows easy access to the belt path so works better than the Britax on the airplane and it is a very narrow seat. The seat would work for both children as it is infant up to 65 lbs and although a bit more pricey is also a great seat to use in the car!

Alison

 

[princess pooh]

Does the 8 month old still fit in his bucket seat? I flew with my 1 year old DS in his bucket seat and it was so easy to deal with! It was easy to install (I didn't bring the base) and DS was very comfortable in it.

 

[stephie1012]

another vote for the scenera..or bucket seat for the baby...if both kids are under 30lbs they should both be RFing still...have a great trip!

 

[frtchr]

My DD hates her car seat and the CARES harness worked great for us.

 

[msmama]

On the advice of DiSers, I also bout a Cosco Scenera. I got mine at Big Lots. They had several other strollers there so if you're looking for cheap and have one around you, I'd say check it out. I got mine (for Travel only, another Britax girl her) for $35 because the color was discontinued.

If no one minds if I hog the question for a second -

My guy is 13 mos. I'm keeping him rear facing in the car until the max weight limit of our car seat, but wondering about the plane. Should he be frontwards or backwards?

 

[msmama]

On the advice of DiSers, I also bout a Cosco Scenera. I got mine at Big Lots. They had several other strollers there so if you're looking for cheap and have one around you, I'd say check it out. I got mine (for Travel only, another Britax girl her) for $35 because the color was discontinued.

If no one minds if I hog the question for a second -

My guy is 13 mos. I'm keeping him rear facing in the car until the max weight limit of our car seat, but wondering about the plane. Should he be frontwards or backwards?

 

[laughinplace199]

On the advice of DiSers, I also bout a Cosco Scenera. I got mine at Big Lots. They had several other strollers there so if you're looking for cheap and have one around you, I'd say check it out. I got mine (for Travel only, another Britax girl her) for $35 because the color was discontinued.

If no one minds if I hog the question for a second -

My guy is 13 mos. I'm keeping him rear facing in the car until the max weight limit of our car seat, but wondering about the plane. Should he be frontwards or backwards?

I believe that he must be 22 lbs before he can face forward in the Scenera, regardless of whether it's in a car or a plane. My DS is 2.5 and he is still RF in the car. On our trip last week, I did let him ride FF on the plane (because I was afraid he would kick the back of the seat and annoy the person behind him). When we installed the seat in our rental car, we put him RF. I have to say, I love the Scenera for travel because it is so lightweight, but I find it very difficult to install RF. Thank goodness he will be FF by the time we go back to WDW in 2010.

 

[im4pacers1]

Okay, sorry, not to hijack your thread, but I don't know what this CARES thing is. Does my 2.5 year old have to have a car seat on the plane? We'll be using ME and Disney Transport during our whole trip. Wow. I just realized I have no idea how to travel with a child. LOL.

 

[abouley]

CARES is a harness type system that hooks to the plane seat and seat belt and creates a 5 point harness system.

Your 2.5 year old can sit in a seat without a carseat however it is safer to be in a carseat and also the child will understand they have to sit in their seat like in the car and can nap easier.

Dealing with the carseat is a bit of a pain but the safety has always outweighed that for me. My DD is 2.5 and if we were taking a short flight and did not need the carseat at our destination I would probably not take a seat on the plane. If we were flying 5 hours though I would still use the carseat.

Alison

 

[karen624]

Even though my dd was 13 months when we moved to Hawaii, and was RF at in the car, I had her FF on the plane. I could not get her seat at a good angle RF on the plane seat, so I did her RF. THere was just not enough room between the seats to get the angle right, and she was way too upright. IMO, the seat on the plane is a lot more about their comfort than safety compared to a carseat in a car.

Ask for the seat belt extender, it can sometimes make it easier to get the seat belt through the carseat (depends on the seat.)

Also- carry the seat upside down through the plane, it is a lot easier that way to make it through the narrow aisle.

 

[strmtroopr96]

We purchased the Cosco Scenera for travel. Very light, pretty easy to install both on the plane and in a vehicle. I am a Britax fan for "real life" but the Scenera is easy and light enough to carry that I did it alone with a 20 month old when I was 5 months pregnant. Plus, the price is right...about $45-50.

This is what we do as well. The Scenera is our travel car seat and quick trips with other people spare seat while our Britax Marathon stays in our car 99% of the time.

 

[highsmith]

We have travelled alot with our 3 yo and the CARES or nothing works great! IMHO, a carseat is not about safety on a plane. Maybe in extreme turbulence, but really the chances of that are v.v.slim. I live in Denver and we have turbulence on every landing and my daughter does just fine in her own seat with the airline belt...and has as long as she has had a seat. I bought a travel cover for the carseat and check it at the curb! When she sleeps on long flights, we lift up the arm rests and let her sleep on us anyway.

She is fabulous about staying in her seat on the plane and if you have room, throw a blanket on the floor and let the kids play there. I used a blanket in the hotel room when she was little and then I could throw it over the stroller for protection or an instant clean place for her. At Disney and on islands and whenever we do not have a car, a carseat is just a giant pain!
I would take the double stroller, but can you use an attachment for the 8 month old to use the car seat in the double? Or bring a frame?

Also, limit toys! You know you will buy some and if you do not have a mini-kitchen many of the hotels will give you a microwave. Bring steam bags for bottles and other stuff...I also used to use disposable formula bottles when we travelled. I do not know if you have taken them before, but the nurserys at the parks are awesome and sell tons of stuff! Or order it to be delivered so you are not hauling diapers and formula and wipes!!

 

[Mommy2JulietJocelyn]

we use a Graco COmfort sport - it is light and airplane certified/approved. It is smaller than Evie's Evenflo Triumph which is her primary seat. I got mine from Target during a clearance sale - paid $112 for 2 carseats -ComfortSport & Triumph tax included.

 

[sshaw10060]

I second the vote for the CARES. We have used it on about a dozen flights now. We started using it at about 18 months. We lugged the car seat before that. While the airplane seatbelt may be OK, the CARES keeps them in their seat a much better. There have been multiple CARES threads over the last few months you could find with a quick search. In your case it means one less thing to lug around since you are using ME which is a huge plus when traveling with a little one.