Traveling with 1 year old and car seat

[FigmentSpark]

If you didn't have to have a friend drive you, you could use what we did for our grandson. We used the cares harness, it was awesome to use. All you had to do is fold up the straps afterwards and place them in the bag that comes with it, then I placed it in our carry on bag. Here is the link http://kidsflysafe.com

Question about this... have you ever had trouble with the flight attendants with this? I would have thought there would be a concern about releasing your child from the harness in the event of an emergency evacuation. I thought the point of the very easily opened seat belts was because there wasn't any fuss if panicked people had to get off the plane in a hurry.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

Question about this... have you ever had trouble with the flight attendants with this? I would have thought there would be a concern about releasing your child from the harness in the event of an emergency evacuation. I thought the point of the very easily opened seat belts was because there wasn't any fuss if panicked people had to get off the plane in a hurry.

We fly Southwest and have NEVER had a problem with it. We love the Cares harness. It sure beats bringing a HUGE car seat on the plane. They have videos on them if you google them.

 

[PackYourPixieDust]

We've cruised 5 times with my son and his car seat. We use a car seat cart and just roll is around with us at the airport and the cruise ship. The type of cabin you have will ultimately depend on on well the chair fits. The family verandah cabins have a little nook it can fit in. Btw- out flights where we had the car seat for my son have been the best. He's 3 now so always in his own seat and he's awesome now that he's buckled in his car seat.

 

[Partyof4LA]

We bought narrow, lightweight car seat just for using on vacations when we are flying. We have massive Britax seats for our vehicles and couldn't see carrying those around an airport or trying to squeeze then into a plane seat. It serves it's purpose well but is not as easy to adjust or install as my Britax seats and my daughter gets uncomfortable if she is in it for long periods as it has less cushioning. I would highly suggest setting the straps on it before you leave home and also do a test run installing it into one of your own vehicles before the trip so you are comfortable installing it before being rushed while on your trip. First time we used ours, I was cursing in the rental car lot because I couldn't get the latch straps to lengthen so I could clip them to the anchors in the car and had a hard time leveling the seat

 

[hamm1207]

We've cruised 5 times with my son and his car seat. We use a car seat cart and just roll is around with us at the airport and the cruise ship. The type of cabin you have will ultimately depend on on well the chair fits. The family verandah cabins have a little nook it can fit in. Btw- out flights where we had the car seat for my son have been the best. He's 3 now so always in his own seat and he's awesome now that he's buckled in his car seat.

So would you recommend carrying the car seat around the cruise terminal and onto the ship instead of leaving it with the luggage to be delivered to the room?

 

[PackYourPixieDust]

So would you recommend carrying the car seat around the cruise terminal and onto the ship instead of leaving it with the luggage to be delivered to the room?

Absolutely. That seat would get beat up with the luggage. Bad idea!

One more suggestion. Don't board with your daughter first. Who ever is installing the car seat should get on with the first possible group. (They usually have this installing car seats go pretty early on.) I also send my husband with as much of our crap as he can hold then I keep my son to roam around, do a last diaper change, I let him run around if he wants. And then we board last- we keep him out of his car seat for as long as possible.

 

[hamm1207]

Absolutely. That seat would get beat up with the luggage. Bad idea!

Thanks! So, carrying it around on the ship isn't too bad?

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

I second the recommendation of the Cosco Scenera Next car seat. We use it for our travel seat because it's lightweight. All car seats have to pass the same safety tests but this one is kind of like the base model, nothing fancy. I learned about it from the Baby Bargains book. Walmart even carries a Mickey print =) We'll be taking ours on its first cruise in September. We'll use it on the airplane, car and then carry it on the ship. We're going to bungy cord it to a rolling carry on bag and store it in the closet

I third this. We bought a cheap and light Cosco from Target (around $30 I think) and we use for our travelling. We also have a carseat backpack for carrying it around. Plus, we use it on the plane because we find our son does much better on planes when confined to a car seat.

 

[PackYourPixieDust]

Thanks! So, carrying it around on the ship isn't too bad?

It's nonissue at all as long as you have a cart or a backpack or something.

 

[hamm1207]

I third this. We bought a cheap and light Cosco from Target (around $30 I think) and we use for our travelling. We also have a carseat backpack for carrying it around. Plus, we use it on the plane because we find out son does much better on planes when confined to a car seat.

What kind of car seat backpack do you use?

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

What kind of car seat backpack do you use?

JL Childress - https://www.amazon.com/J-L-Childres...=1468265833&sr=8-1&keywords=car+seat+backpack

ETA: OK, so this is odd, but I posted an amazon link and disboards changed it to walmart.... Anyway, if you search for car seat backpack on amazon or walmart, I'm sure you'll get a good result.

 

[coloradocutie]

I just got a Graco Contender at Walmart for travel (leaving the Britax at home). Super lightweight. Super easy to install. LOVED traveling with it. I loved it! Since it's a convertible car seat you can use it now with your 1 year old and upwards of 65 lb. I have used a Cosco seat in the past and still have nightmares about trying to get it installed securely... returned it.

 

[Chemist]

Thanks! So, carrying it around on the ship isn't too bad?

What all do you imagine carrying on with you.
1. A baby
2. A stroller
3. A diaper bag
4. A carseat
5. A handbag (I assume)
6. A backpack?

Into the terminal, up the elevator, through the check-in process, etc.

I've never checked a carseat for a cruise, but I ALWAYS checked it on airplanes, and I'm quite thankful we did. We used a CARES harness for the flight. Just used a carseat bag, never had problems.
(Only cruised once, but fly a LOT.)

The thought of lugging a carseat in addition to the other baby stuff just gives me a backache THINKING about it. People do it, but it never appealed to me!

My older guy is also quite tall and if I'd put him in his carseat on an airplane he would have been kicking the seat in front of him the WHOLE flight.

 

[hamm1207]

Thanks! I'll check out the car seat back packs and talk to the hubby! After all..I'll probably make him carry it.

 

[hamm1207]

Okay...I'm now stuck and can't decide which one to get.

Cosco Scenera Next
$50, 40lb weight limit, 6 year life span, very little padding, weighs approx. 10lb
It seems like the padding this one isn't very comfortable as it's very thin and there's no headrest. It's nice that it's very cheap and extremely light weight.

Graco Contender 65
$125-140, 65lb weight limit, 7 year life span, okay padding (thicker than the Scenera Next), weighs approx. 15lb
The padding seems better in this one and it has a nice headrest, but it's heavier and more expensive. She'll be able to use it longer as it has a longer lifespan and a higher weight limit. This one just seems more comfortable.

Those of you with the Scenera Next--is your child comfortable enough in it for 9 hours of flying? (we have a long flight up to Alaska next year and I worry about how comfortable it'll be for our daughter). Is it worth the extra money and car seat weight to go with the Graco and get the extra weight limit and lifespan or should we just go for the Scenera?

 

[TestingH2O]

Is it worth the extra money and car seat weight to go with the Graco and get the extra weight limit and lifespan or should we just go for the Scenera?

I've used the Cosco for a travel seat and, it's fine. Not great, but fine. Being so lightweight was a big deal.

How big is she? DD is an Amazon and actually ended up being too tall for the Cosco by the time she was 3. Honestly though, by the age of 3, you might be better off buying a 3-in-1 that can then convert to a harness booster, belt positioning booster, and finally backless booster.

Regardless, unless you plan on having another child, I doubt you'll get 6-7 years out of either seat, so the expiration date doesn't matter.

 

[hamm1207]

I've used the Cosco for a travel seat and, it's fine. Not great, but fine. Being so lightweight was a big deal.

How big is she? DD is an Amazon and actually ended up being too tall for the Cosco by the time she was 3. Honestly though, by the age of 3, you might be better off buying a 3-in-1 that can then convert to a harness booster, belt positioning booster, and finally backless booster.

Regardless, unless you plan on having another child, I doubt you'll get 6-7 years out of either seat, so the expiration date doesn't matter.

She's 7 months old right now, weighing in at 15lb and about 25in in height, so I don't expect her to go off the charts in height/weight.

 

[tcufrog]

I hate traveling with car seats so I avoid it as much as possible. When we went on our Disney cruise we would have had to travel with a car seat and high back booster. That sounded like an awful proposition so we took on the plane a CARES harness and hired a car service that provided the proper seats to take us to and from the port. It worked out really well and was worth the cost.

If you do plan to install a harness or seat on the plane see if it's possible to have that parent go on board early and take as many carry ons as they can manage alone along with the restraint device on the plane. That way they can install it when the plane is less crowded and without your child under foot. They may even have enough time to stash toys and snacks in the seat back pocket.

Have the other parent and child board at the very last ideally just carrying stuff that can fit under the seat. This way you're minimizing your child's time on the plane as much as possible.

 

[coloradocutie]

I can give you a little background on the Contender. We travel a ton with our 2 little ones, and always with car seats- we have car seats just for traveling. We usually will just roll them in car seat bags through the airport and install them on the planes. We have Britax in the cars at home and I had a Britax Roundabout with a rolling bag which I used specifically for travel for years- loved that car seat. And then it expired! So after hours of research, I bought the Contender for my almost 4 year old (80% height 40% weight FWIW) when we just did the transatlantic cruise ending in Dover in May. I needed a car seat that could be rear facing and hold her so that I could just latch the car seat in with the LATCH into the ISOFIX on the English car we would be using, since the car did not have automatic lock offs which I would need to forward face her. I loved it. She loved it. It was SO easy and comfortable for my little one. My husband knows how much I loved that old Roundabout, and he heard me again and again say, "I think I might be in love...." about that Contender because it was SO easy to install. My 7 yo is still in a 5 point harness, because she fits in it and I feel safer with her in it (though she is tall enough for a booster) and with the Contender, you could use it for years to come with your little one.

This review really helped me decide on the Contender... http://csftl.org/graco-contender-review/

Since you mentioned you would be taking a long airplane flight, FWIW, my little one found it very comfortable for sleeping in.

Oh, have a great time whichever you choose! It is one of life's richest experiences to travel with your children!

 

[Imedley200]

We use our Cosco as our 2nd seat as well as travel. We've used it since little guy was 10-11 months and he's now 21 months. He's a tall dude, especially in the torso, so he'll outgrow the shoulder straps before the weight (hopefully not before our September trip). We bought it thinking we'd only use it rear facing and buy something else to cover him when we turn him around after 2 years old. We also thought we'd rather replace a $50 seat if it got damaged during travel rather than a $200+ seat. We've been very pleased with it and would buy another.