Graco Nautilus on airplane with 4 & 6 year olds

[cimberdog]

We booked a trip to Hawaii from Minnesota just a few days ago (last minute). We leave February 8. We are flying non-stop (about 8+ hours) to Oahu, then staying there for a few days with a rental car, then flying inter-island to The Big Island, staying there for a few more days with a rental car, then flying home where we stop in LAX, transfer planes and then head back to Minneapolis.

Here are my quetions...

We own two Graco Nautilus seats and two Regents. Regents can't fly. Nautilus can only fly in harnessed mode which will be fine for our four year old.

What in the world do we do with our six year old on the airplane? He's tall - as of September 2008 he was 46.3" tall and 48 pounds. I am sure he's grown since then as I watch his pants turn into floods.

Would you (regarding the six year old):
1. Fly with no car seat and use it in booster mode in the car
2. Find an alternative car seat\booster for the plane, but then what do we do for the car? I don't really want to do this because it's an expense we hadnt planned on. I'm fairly certain he is too tall to use the harness within the seat.

Thanks!

[cimberdog]

I've done a little more reading and have determined that we will take the Nauti on for my 4 year old and install it (great tips on getting an extender and flipping the buckle) and then we've decided that our six year old does not need a seat on the plane. So that is solved.

However, I worry about luggage checking, loss and damage. And with the rental cars, I don't want to end up without a seat for my six year old should something happen or have it not arrive.

WWYD?

1. Pad it and check it and hope for the best
2. Pull it apart and pack most of it within bags and have him carry on the bottom only so we at least have something in case there's an issue with luggage?
3. Only take the bottom and leave the top at home?

[Judi]

So, has the 6 year old outgrown the harness for sure? if so, does he sit still in a booster?

[cimberdog]

Hi Judi,
It appears he has outgrown it. When we got the new seats just last month, we set them in the living room and adjusted the harness for my four year old. My six year old was above the top slot which I believe is 18", which is why he rides in the Regent in my car (primary car). He is able to sit still in his seat.

In my husband's Subaru, we put him in the Nauti in HBB mode since it could LATCH in and we could NOT install it in his car using the belt. We tried for hours. It kept coming loose. So we moved my youngest to the Regent in that car, and put the oldest in the HBB in his car. It's maybe a few times per month he rides in that seat.

So after reading more, it sounds like checking a seat is risky both for how it might be handled or whether it makes it with baggage, plus the cost.

So I wonder if we should do just the booster base and forget the HBB option for Hawaii when we are in the cars?

[Judi]

What year is the Subaru?

[momtoirs]

We had no trouble flying out of MSP on Sun Country last spring with our Nautilus. I didn't have to flip the buckle or use an extender. I did find that I got a tighter fit if I reclined the seat back first and then pushed the seat back up after I had gotten it as tight as I could. We were allowed to preboard at MSP, but not on our return trip from NYC.

If you are flying out of MSP, have you heard about ramp, ride and fly? We paid less than $30 for almost a week of parking. We had to do more walking, bit for us the savings were worth it. Parking at the airport would have cost us over $100.

Tina

[cimberdog]

The Subaru is a 2006 B9 Tribeca. I thought it was hard to install seats in my Element, but with the Subaru it seems impossible. It keeps coming loose when we check for movement, and we weren't pulling hard on it at all. So that's why we moved the youngest to the Regent (since he needs to be harnessed) and then decided to use the Nauti in the HBB mode. I wasn't thrilled, but wasn't sure what other options we could use since we needed something that can travel and we are closer to booster stage now.

Tina, good to know! My husband mentioned that last night. Is it the Park N Fly lots?

So I guess what I need to figure out at this point is what to do with the Nauti for my six year old as far as taking it with us. Check it, disassemble it and pack it (but we need to consider luggage weights and limits) or only take the base and have him carry it on.

Would you all feel comfortable using only the bottom of the booster (and no HBB) for a six year old? He just turned six in December.

[Minniemouse]

I would think about breaking the GN down into a backless booster...bring that on the plane(s) w/ you as a carry on (it fits the dimensions) and pack the back of it in your suitcase.

That way if your suitcase is lost or delayed you still at least have the backless booster portion to use...if it isn't, just pull the back out and attach it once you arrive.:thumbsup:

[Judi]

So, in your Subaru, how does your seat belt lock?

[cimberdog]

The seatbelt locks by pulling it all the way out and then it ratchets itself in.

Based on your earlier question (are we sure he still can't fit into the harness), I was prompted to bring the seat inside and check again. And my oh my if he didn't just barely fit (about 3/4 inch under the top slot). I measured his torso while he sat in the seat and came up with 17 - 18". It was hard to tell exactly, but when harnessed in he's under the top slot. I don't know why we thought he was above it before, unless it was just the way we were looking or the way he was sitting?

So then I decided I'd try reinstalling the seat in the Subaru using the seat belt in harnessed mode.

Learned a couple of things. First being, the seat belt height adjuster has three heights, and we got a solid install ONLY when it's in the top position. The second thing is that if I sat with a knee in the seat and my husband pulled the belt out of the car with his foot on the wheel for leverage, we could actually get the belt tight.

We didn't use the clip. It's rock solid right now and I couldn't bear to think of removing it and trying to install the clip. I will go check the manual to see if that's ok not to have the locking clip on.

So now the plan is to take BOTH seats on the airplane in full harness mode, and then we don't have to check them or pack them. The only crappy part will be dealing with installs in the rental cars.

Thanks for all the helpful tips and questions! It caused me to re-think this and try again! And then when we return from the trip, we will have to reinstall again in both cars which doesn't enthuse me, but we know it can somehow be done.

[Judi]

You don't need a locking clip. So don't worry about that. Glad it all worked out!

[momtoirs]

Tina, good to know! My husband mentioned that last night. Is it the Park N Fly lots?

I PM'd you with the Ramp Ride Fly info. It's not the same as the Park N Fly lots -- even cheaper, but more work.

It sounds like you got the Nautilus to install in your Subaru. We have a 2000 Impreza and have one Nautilus in that. It took some playing around to get it in -- the recline of the Nautilus made the difference for us.

Tina

[LISmama810]

Have you tried your son in the Nautilus since you installed it in the car, or just on the floor of your house? Sometimes when seats are installed, the natural recline of the vehicle seat makes kids lose room. So although he fit in the house, he might not in the car.