Cosco Scenera carseat...opinions

[Fall1]

DH and I are traveling to WDW for the 1st time with children. We are taking our 28 month old twins in October. We want to have car seats for our rental car, so I figure we'll use them on the plane too.

We have Britax Roundabouts for home, but I really don't want to bring them with us. I was thinking of buying 2 Cosco Sceneras for the plane and car seat. (still cheaper to buy 2 of these than to rent for the rental car)

Will they last til they are 4ish so we can get 2 trips out of them? I'm concerned they'll outgrow them too quick.

Thanks!!

ETA: They are both on the short side, around 40% for height.

 

[JaimeK]

They will outgrow them around the same time they will outgrow the Roundabout. My 3.5 year old is tall and has a long torso (which is the important measure) and he outgrew both the RA and the Scenera (in the granparent's car) before he was 3.

 

[bumbershoot]

Good seats!

We got one for travel b/c the Roundabout was so heavy. Our RA was the 33 lb weight limit; I think they go to 35 now, but yes, he outgrew both at about the same time. Then it was on to the Nautilus!


Once DS could tell us which he liked better, he told us flat out that the Scenera was more comfy. I couldn't understand why, since the RA is so plush, but he "runs hot" and the plushiness caused him to sweat much more than the Scenera. Plus, it seemed wider for his body and shoulders. So he actually liked the Scenera more.

Sure wish I'd heard about the Scenera before getting the RA! (which he was in from 4 months old b/c he outgrew the '03 Graco Snugride by height at that point!)

 

[Cedarmom]

How tall are the kiddos? How tall are their torsos in relation to the rest of their bodies? Honestly, when they will outgrow the car seat is allll about torso height. My first son outgrew it at about 4, but my second, at 3.5, probably has a couple of years left in it. Keep in mind the weight limit is 40 lbs, too, fwiw. The top harness height on the scenera is 15 inches, I believe. Are they forward facing already? If they are, have you looked at the Evenflo Chase or Generations? They have a higher harnessed height and will last longer. If they are still rfing, though, they are 'combination' seats and won't help you any because they are only forward facing seats. Just don't use them in booster mode. They suck as boosters.

The scenera is a great little 'cheap' seat. I recommend it all the time for parents on a budget or looking for a travel seat. Just watch those straps. They will twist easily, especially if you are used to the Britax straps.

 

[MommyBryn]

We used a Scenera as our main seat until a few months ago. They're still our "backup" and "grandparents" seats. DD is over 3.5 and she will still fit in it for a while, although she's only just barely 30lbs and 37" tall.

Never in over 3 years did we have problems with the straps twisting, even when traveling! Now, our new seats (Recaro) straps twist all.the.time. So annoying.

 

[msmama]

I got the Scenera seat for travel, too. It was so easy to transport it through the airport (I can barely lift the Britax Marathon we have).

1. My guy is still rear facing so having him forward facing on the plane was rough - he was too upright to sleep comfortably.

2. There's MUCH less padding. If your kids have sensitive tushies, they might get uncomfortable, lol.

Still, I would recommend them wholeheartedly even if you get one trip out of them. Just getting through the aiport is worth it.

 

[alyssa810]

we bought a Scenera as our travel car seat once our DS grew out of his infant carrier. the price can't be beat, and he doesn't seem to mind it at all. he's not in it for very long though, since we check it at the airport rather than bring it on the plane, so he's just in it from the airport to WDW, and from the resorts to the parks usually. It's light too, so it's not a pain to carry (we did get a car seat bag for it, the kind that has wheels and that you can use as a backpack.) We like it overall, and it's served it's purpose.