Good car seats for travel?

[squirrlygirl]

We're new DVC members, so we'll be flying to Disney alot But this means lugging a car seat for dd (9 months) Our trip next month, and possibly November if she still fits, we'll be using her infant carrier (did I mention she's only 14 lbs ?)

Right now she uses an Alpha Omega, but it's almost 5 years old, so I'm thinking of getting a new car seat soon. Since we'll be traveling alot, I want something light and that fits well on a plane. And is good for an everyday seat, because I'm only buying one seat. Is that asking too much? Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[jzesty]

We travelled to WDW when my DS was only 8 months old and like yours only wiehged about 15 lbs. We used our Graco infant seat. The new ones have the top rating and aren't thought heavy. The seat can be used with and without the base. We used it without the base and he was fine.

 

[all4fun]

It sounds like you want a new convertible seat. Here's a list compiled for a car safety forum that I frequent:

(United States)

Convertible Seats

Britax Marathon, Decathalon, or Boulevard (MA/DC/BV). 17 in top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 65lbs in 5 point harness. Awesome seats, allow for rf tethering, has lockoffs to replace locking clips, very easy installs, many bells and whistles that make them easier to use correctly every time, lasts most kids to age 5-6y/o. 220+ Check the FAQ sticky thread for a description of the three.

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (FPSVD).17 inch top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 55lbs in a 5 point harness. Made by Britax, sold under the FP name- basically a stripped down Britax Marathon. Great seat, awesome price $129 (regular 199$), and will last most kids to age 5-6 y/o.
DISCONTINUED DUE TO POOR SALES-- As of right now Britax is still manufacturing them & new dates have been shipping.

New Evenflo Triumph Advanced RF to 35lbs; FF to 50 lbs. Max harness height of 17". The new Triumph has the infinite harness adjuster too.. no rethreading the harness! Much nicer than the old Triumph! Much taller shell than the old Triumph too! Priced at 150$ VERY new seat so not in many stores yet I don’t think. We think it will be small enough for newborns!

Sunshine Kids Radian. 18 in top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 65lbs in 5 point harness. Great seat, only second to Britax because it has some compatibility issues in some vehicles when installed with seatbelt. Really good seat otherwise, allows for RF tethering, lasts most kids to 6-7y/o. 8yr lifespan (most have a 6yr) $175+ www.skjp.com has the manual available for viewing.

Recaro Como & Signo. Recaro makes seats for NASCAR and has made car seats for the European market and a few for the US market for years. RF to 35lbs, forward face to 70lbs, and has 19" top slots. Bottom slots of 9" so not ideal for newborns. Allows for rear facing tether!
The outside width of the seat at its widest point is approx. 19 ½” to 20”.
The Como & the Signo are basically the same shell the biggest difference is that the Signo has an infinitely adjustable harness (where the Como has to be re-threaded) and the Signo's latch straps are on a bar - similar to Britax (on all their models) - so you don't have to re-thread the latch belt if you're going from rear facing to forward facing.
Como is $249; Signo is $289
Como is set at 2nd week of August
Signo is 3rd week of September


And lower cost Convertibles we love... (For primary or secondary cars... they are still GREAT seats)

Cosco Scenera $40 also a good travel seat
5pt harness version.. Very basic no frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lb RF limit with a taller shell! 40lb FF limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15in top slots.. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. Readily available at Wal*mart/ Target/ K-mart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.


-Safety First Uptown: 35rf/ 40ff/ tall 16.5in top slots so this is the ONLY RF/ff 40lb limit convertible that will likely get a kid to 40lbs. EPP foam, velvety plush cover, super cushy. Very easy to use & install. 8 yr lifespan! (Most have a 6 yr) Around $100 at albeebaby.com, Target.com, and in store at Wal*mart.

Here's an awesome thread comparing the Scenera & Uptown on carseat.org. Side by side pictures.
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=10324

The Graco Comfortsport, Evenflo seats, and the Alpha Omega 3in 1 types are very small seats that are usually outgrown the same time as the 40$ Scenera. You don’t get much for your money. While they are safe there are just other options that offer more for the same cost.


Edit to add: and while your dd might not seem to need a higher weight limit seat another feature that these seats have is taller top harness slots so they also accomodate taller/longer torso'd kids much better too. My ds was just shy of three and only 27lbs when he outgrew his 40lb limit convertibles!

hth!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

We have a Scenera we use as a travel seat. It's a very light weight seat so great for travel. It's also a great low cost seat. However, if you can afford a more expensive seat, I'd get something else for every day use and use the Scenera as a travel seat.

If your AOE is not expired (be sure to check the date of manufacture) and you are not unhappy with it, I'd probably keep it for at home use and start saving up for one of the higher weight harnessed seats. Most kids outgrow the AOE by 3.5, well before they are ready to use it as a booster. Of course, if you are ready to ditch the AOE, I'd pick one of the seats pp mentioned.

 

[bumbershoot]

Zoiks, 9 months and she's still in the infant seat. DS wasn't there by weight, but by height the boy was OUT of his Graco before he was 4 months old. I can't even imagine 9 months or more.

Cosco Scenera $40 also a good travel seat
5pt harness version.. Very basic no frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lb RF limit with a taller shell! 40lb FF limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15in top slots.. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. Readily available at Wal*mart/ Target/ K-mart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.

We have that seat and the Roundabout, and we use the Cosco for travel. Though, actually, he likes the Cosco better, he's more comfy in it. The Roundabout feels more plush to me, but it's narrower for his bottom, and he just likes to spread out in the Cosco, even though it's harder.

It fits well on Southwest seats, too.

 

[squirrlygirl]

Sorry I wasn't more clear-yes I'm looking for a convertible
The AO was manufactured Dec. 2002, so if it's 6 years (I think the manual said good for 8 though that might be outdated??) I have a year and a half. So maybe I'll keep it around for at home for now, get the scenera for travel (if I like it and it fits of course) and look for another seat down the road that DD can stay in. Then I won't run the risk of her outgrowing an expensive seat now or having it expire while she's still tiny enough to be in it.
And since DD is also only 26 inches, I have little hope of her ever having a long torso. But I will keep the slot height in mind because you never know--she might hit a huge growth spurt somewhere along the line! Or be a terror and I'll want her still harnessed at the age of 8
Thank you for the info everyone

 

[fun4disney]

we had the fisher price that we used after the infant seat. DS used it rear facing and then up to 40 pounds (I think he was 4?) so that is a good one to get. We used it on the airplane several times.

Have a safe trip!

 

[squirrlygirl]

Oh-the fisher price one-that sounds good, too. The info above said discontinued but still sold? Sold where? I did a search yesterday and couldn't find it? My search came up with boosters only.

 

[fun4disney]

Bummer! I didn't know if was discountinued....We bought ours at Toys R Us or Babies R Us? I don't remember.

I'm sure any convertable car seat would be fine. They are all a pain to carry around the airport so I don't think it really matters.

Find one that is confortable for your DD. She will be spending lots of time in it and if she doesn't like it, then you're in for some long trips. Have her come with you to pick it out and "try it on"

Good luck.

 

[laughinplace199]

DS is 9 months and still in his infant seat also (he's tiny too - 28 in and 15 lbs). We've used his infant seat for our past two Disney trips, but now I am shopping for a convertible seat. I'm going to get the Britax Marathon for his every day seat and a Cosco Scenera for travel.

Congrats on your DVC membership too!