Bulkhead seat with Bassinet vs Britax car seat to Japan

mom2juliarose · Oct 3, 2009

At your 7mo. old height/weight are you sure baby would fit in the bassinet? We traveled with DD at 7 mo. to Brazil and she was the same length as the bassinet at that age, even though she was an average-sized baby. I was so glad we opted for her car seat instead of bassinet.

AoiGSR · Oct 3, 2009

mom2juliarose said:
At your 7mo. old height/weight are you sure baby would fit in the bassinet?

our 7 month is 90% in her weight, she might fit. if not, I'll have them take it away and we'll have the car seat anyway

Unless we can't take it away :!

She will be 9 months by November 16.
InternationalMama, I'll be responding to you next.

AoiGSR · Oct 3, 2009

InternationalMama said:
I also imagine that it's possible the representative misunderstood the policy in some way. Perhaps they only allow car seats in the middle seat of the middle row?

It is possible. I will call them on Monday anyway to see what Japan Airlines responds to. I'll make changes if I can/need.

InternationalMama said:
Speaking of which, do you have an infant seat for your 7-month-old that you could take instead of the BLVD?

We have the Graco Travel system but I don't think it's FAA approved.

Japan Airlines DOES rent out the Britax Roundabout so if we want that we can request.

I think we would use FF for our 2 year old and RF for our 7 month. However, Are there any issues with FF for the 7 month?

InternationalMama said:
Also, if it were me I'd rather use an infant seat and snap-in stroller than the BLVD with a 7 month old anyway

We are going to Japan so things are going to be tight. Everything is narrow in Japan. Umbrella strollers or a MacLaren single would be more appropriate. Our Graco travel system is just too big

We have flights of stairs to climb as the smaller train stations are not friendly to those that require special needs or moms and dads with strollers. We were going to use the Go Go Babyz to wheel them from the airport to a place where we can ship our car seats to my wife's sister's place. We'll be there for 2 weeks.

InternationalMama said:
When are you flying? Please post back about what happened after your flight. I'm curious. Frankly I wouldn't -want- that bassinet taking up all my leg room when I had a car seat available. Remember that babies have to be removed from bassinets during take-off, landing, and turbulence (at least with FAA regulations they do).

My wife wants to hold our 7 month on take off and landings as she plans to plug my 7 month's ears with ear plugs and breastfeed her during those stages so there is less pain to her ears. Not sure if you mom's do simliar things like that.

AoiGSR · Oct 3, 2009

InternationalMama said:
Still thinking about your flight. I know you may not want to make changes again, but I was wondering if you would consider reserving 47D and E for you and your older DC. This has several advantages.

You mean 46D for me and E for my DC. But the Bassinet will be in 46D so I was going to give that to my wife.

InternationalMama said:
1) It frees up the bulkhead space for someone else who may be flying with a lap-only baby and need the bulkhead in order to not have the baby on their lap for the whole flight. (Flights typically only have a limit number of bassinets and bassinet spaces.) This could be more than an altruistic gesture since airlines like to group all the young children together and you might end up with that lap-only baby crying behind you. (Has happened to me.)

We only have 2 bassinets available. I happened to have gotten one going to Japan and coming back.

I think our plan was to have our 7 month stay in 46E in a car seat and sometimes, in the Bassinet or in 46D when breast-feeding, entertaining.

InternationalMama said:
2) It is better for the poor person in 46A, which again isn't just an altruistic gesture since it also means the person in 46A won't be waking up your sleeping child to go to the bathroom in the middle of the flight. Also, I have my suspicions that the rep is wrong that a car seat can go in that 46B anyway so it prevents the risk of you getting moved somewhere else further away from the rest of your party.

I will call on Monday/Tuesday to see what Japan Airline's verdict is and let everyone know. I'm debating to just give up and get 2 seats so we can use car seats. Do you think I can do FF for the 7 month or not good?

InternationalMama said:
5) Putting your older DC behind your RF baby means no one for him to kick or prevent from reclining even though you aren't in the bulkhead. I know this wouldn't be an issue in the bulkhead either, but I'm still wondering if you would get moved out of the bulkhead either because the BLVD won't fit or because 46B isn't okay for a car seat after all.

I may need to reconsider based on what happens on Monday/Tuesday when I call to find the verdict.

InternationalMama said:
If it were me, that's what I would choose given that they now say you can have the bassinet and car seat in the bulkhead and your wife really wants the bassinet. I would seriously consider bringing an infant seat for your littlest LO in the bulkhead though.

HTH.

Not sure there are FAA approve infant seats. The Britax does have a smaller version called the Roundabout that JAL rents out. This would be less we need to worry about before/after flight.

InternationalMama · Oct 4, 2009

Just a few quick thoughts from me.

I'm confused about you renting a Roundabout. Won't you need a car seat at your destination? If you don't need any car seats at your destination then by all means rent Roundabouts for the flight and save yourself from lugging two car seats around. But if you need car seats even just to get to and from the airport I think you should bring your own.

As far as an infant seats, if you have a Graco infant seat for your travel system that isn't expired and is from the US I'm sure it's FAA approved. Snugride, Safe Seat, all the usual suspects for the Graco travel systems are FAA approved. There will be a sticker on the seat somewhere that says so. And also FYI you can use a seatbelt to install it and don't need to lug the base with you to Japan.

I absolutely agree you shouldn't bring your travel system, but you can get a relatively cheap stroller that the car seat snaps into. Something like [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRider-Infant-Stroller-Frame/dp/B0007KMUH4/ref=pd_cp_ba_0"]this[/ame] was what I was thinking. Although there are cheaper versions not made by Graco that would work too.

As far as in Japan, do you have a good baby carrier? I live in Europe and use a baby carrier for my son all the time because it's just soooo much easier than a stroller with all the stairs, often with no escalator or elevator available. Some highly recommended ones for travel are Beco and Ergo, but any one you use and are comfortable with would work.

You mean 46D for me and E for my DC. But the Bassinet will be in 46D so I was going to give that to my wife.

No, I meant 47D&E like I said, but as explained at the top of my post when I wrote it I was confused and thought that 46B&C (where you and your son will be sitting) were bulkhead seats. But they aren't so my whole post is a bit irrelevant.

Are there any issues with FF for the 7 month?

Well, if your LO is under 20 lbs than the issue would be that it goes against the manufacturer's guidelines for using the seat. But more importantly she just may not be very comfortable in an FF seat because typically they are less reclined than RF seats and if she is going to sleep she may get head slump etc. (I don't know about the BLVD specifically.) Also, I like RF better for little ones because they can see you and interact with you easier, plus their toys don't fall on the floor all the time.

My wife wants to hold our 7 month on take off and landings as she plans to plug my 7 month's ears with ear plugs and breastfeed her during those stages so there is less pain to her ears. Not sure if you mom's do simliar things like that.

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet saying that babies have more problems with pain in their ears during take-off and landing than adults and thus need to be nurse etc. Unless your baby is sick, there's no reason to think she will have ear pain and will need to be nursed during take-off and landing. Of course, if she -is- crying then your wife could take her out of the car seat and nurse her if she chose to, but if she is fine it is safer for her to be in the car seat, especially at those times. My LO is often asleep before we even take off because the airport excitement wears him out. I've never heard of anyone using ear plugs for a 7 month old and I imagine -that- might make her cry even if she -was- feeling fine.

Seriously though, I would just put her in the car seat when take-off starts and see how she does. Often the rumbling of the engines when take-off begins is just the right sound to put LOs right to sleep.

HTH.

ketchupqueen · Oct 4, 2009

I agree about nursing-- I've never found my babies needed to nurse during take-off or landing. They seem to do fine, and think that the plane is just a very crowded kind of car once they are strapped into their seats!

AoiGSR · Oct 4, 2009

InternationalMama said:
Just a few quick thoughts from me.

I'm confused about you renting a Roundabout. Won't you need a car seat at your destination? If you don't need any car seats at your destination then by all means rent Roundabouts for the flight and save yourself from lugging two car seats around. But if you need car seats even just to get to and from the airport I think you should bring your own.

We will not need a car seat at our destination. We may use Taxis from the train station to my wife's sister's place but will we need a car seat for that?

InternationalMama said:
As far as an infant seats, if you have a Graco infant seat for your travel system that isn't expired and is from the US I'm sure it's FAA approved. And also FYI you can use a seatbelt to install it and don't need to lug the base with you to Japan.

“THIS RESTRAINT IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT” in red lettering is what I am showing.

InternationalMama said:
I absolutely agree you shouldn't bring your travel system, but you can get a relatively cheap stroller that the car seat snaps into. Something like this was what I was thinking.

Not sure if we should purchase something like this that my 7 month is soon to grow out of. We're thinking she's getting big and although that sounds good, not sure if we should.

Not sure if we should get one of those or just get another light MacLaren so we'd be carrying 2 light MacLaren strollers (Quest). Although I don't know if I want to check these in, I am told JAL has a "Free Stroller Service" but we have to ask for this. Not sure what this actually entails.

InternationalMama said:
As far as in Japan, do you have a good baby carrier? I live in Europe and use a baby carrier for my son all the time because it's just soooo much easier than a stroller with all the stairs, often with no escalator or elevator available. Some highly recommended ones for travel are Beco and Ergo, but any one you use and are comfortable with would work.

We have an Ergo and a Baby Bjorn as well. Not sure if my wants to wear our daughter when we could use a stroller. I know she can get heavy. That is a good question I can answer because i'm not sure how we're going to take all these baby gear. I'd have to really bring a light load to compensate for their gear I feel like. This is our first time traveling with them on a flight.

InternationalMama said:
No, I meant 47D&E like I said, but as explained at the top of my post when I wrote it I was confused and thought that 46B&C (where you and your son will be sitting) were bulkhead seats. But they aren't so my whole post is a bit irrelevant.

What I can consider is to give up the bassinet seats, find a seat where if what JAL says is true, get a middle seat on the side or in the middle and have the car seats there back to back. My 29 month would be FF (is that okay as her legs are long now) and the 7 month RF.

InternationalMama said:
But more importantly she just may not be very comfortable in an FF seat because typically they are less reclined than RF seats and if she is going to sleep she may get head slump etc. (I don't know about the BLVD specifically.) Also, I like RF better for little ones because they can see you and interact with you easier, plus their toys don't fall on the floor all the time.

The BLVD has a nice recline feature but we've never tried this on a plane or have her use the BLVD at home. We still use the Snugride by Graco for that.

InternationalMama said:
There is a lot of misinformation on the internet saying that babies have more problems with pain in their ears during take-off and landing than adults and thus need to be nurse etc. Seriously though, I would just put her in the car seat when take-off starts and see how she does. Often the rumbling of the engines when take-off begins is just the right sound to put LOs right to sleep.

I think my wife is getting her information from her mom friends, which they may be getting information from the internet. I was told by my co-worker, who went from LA to Tokyo, to Singapore, to India, to use the squishy ear plugs from AO Safety (see amazon.com) like these:

I think I may want to go with an "earplanes" product for our 2 year old but I don't know what to do when our younger one turns 9 months (which is when we go to Japan in November in a month) which are like this:

I thought I was told NOT to rent those car seats as we don't know whether or not they've been in an "accident". Although I doubt these would be in an accident from a plane, not sure if JAL bought these brand new or "used" but I assume brand new at the time.

This one co-worker from India told me I am thinking too much and just bring the babies as they are. Use the bassinet for the 7 month (which she will fit since she's 10kg now and under 30" (max is 77cm for the bassinet length).

I don't feel as safe just doing that. But if it's okay to "rent" these roundabouts, it will save a lot of headache as well.

ketchupqueen · Oct 4, 2009

You will need a car seat for the taxi. It is extremely unsafe to ride in a taxi without everyone properly buckled in.

Other than that I'd say renting a seat for use on an aircraft ONLY is fine; the main purpose is to protect against turbulence, accidents on the ground are very extremely rare, turbulence is much more common. Very different from renting car seats for use in cars. But as you'll need it on the other end, bring the seats.

If it says in red that it's certified for use in aircraft, it is FAA approved.

YOu might look on your local craigslist for a bucket seat carrier frame instead of buying new (another brand is "Baby Trend Snap N Go"); I often see them for $15-20. (If you travel a LOT I might look into a larger infant seat-- like the SnugRide 32/35 or OnBoard 35-- which can accomodate many kids until 2 or 3 years old. But if you don't travel a lot, not necessary.)

I wouldn't put anything in my baby's ears, not even that. Besides which I wouldn't think ear plugs would help much, or even be necessary... If the baby has discomfort, nursing should alleviate it. Like I said, none of my babies have ever seemed uncomfortable, they just lie back in their seats and enjoy the ride.

AoiGSR · Oct 4, 2009

ketchupqueen said:
You will need a car seat for the taxi. It is extremely unsafe to ride in a taxi without everyone properly buckled in.

[/QUOTE]

As far as the taxi, it seems like it's going to be a pain to flag a taxi, install seats, then go to the destination (the train station). then finding a place to store these seats while we travel (or use our car seats as strollers like the Go Go Babyz although for the BLVD, there is not much sun protection.

The Go Go Babyz Infant Cruizer looks nice as well but I don't know if we'll travel a lot with it. ($149 and there is a toddler adapter as well if we want to use on the BLVD).

I noticed the pic of your kids all RF and just realized that. The older ones, don't their legs get tired or uncomfortable? I am sure you get asked about this a lot?

I think my wife started to worry when our older daughter(now 2 year old) started getting "scrunched up", that it was time for FF. I waited until it was appropriate for her to be FF.

Since you're in LA, I am sure you are familair with the vans that take you to LAX. When you travel, did you set those up in the vans as well? The one we are considering is http://www.supershuttle.com/ because we'll drive to work (in El Segundo), then I will take the Supershuttle there since our building has free vouchers to and from LAX.

jasminegrl · Oct 4, 2009

As far as the taxi, it seems like it's going to be a pain to flag a taxi, install seats, then go to the destination (the train station). then finding a place to store these seats while we travel (or use our car seats as strollers like the Go Go Babyz although for the BLVD, there is not much sun protection.

The Go Go Babyz Infant Cruizer looks nice as well but I don't know if we'll travel a lot with it. ($149 and there is a toddler adapter as well if we want to use on the BLVD).

I noticed the pic of your kids all RF and just realized that. The older ones, don't their legs get tired or uncomfortable? I am sure you get asked about this a lot? I think my wife started to worry when our older daughter(now 2 year old) started getting "scrunched up", that it was time for FF. I waited until it was appropriate for her to be FF.

Since you're in LA, I am sure you are familair with the vans that take you to LAX. When you travel, did you set those up in the vans as well? The one we are considering is http://www.supershuttle.com/ because we'll drive to work (in El Segundo), then I will take the Supershuttle there since our building has free vouchers to and from LAX.

[/QUOTE]
if you are just taking a taxi from narita to the train station i wouldn't waste your money, you can access the train from the airport http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/train/index.html i'm not sure about taxi's down there but taxi's in our part of japan (i live about 10 hours north of tokyo) are small and i don't think you would fit everything into a taxi. I would contact supershuttle about your children needing car seats or not, i know when i've taken them in the past in arizona the drivers wouldn't leave till everyone was buckled up

InternationalMama · Oct 4, 2009

I found this on the supershuttle website, so if you want to use that service to go to the airport you will need to bring car seats:

"While laws vary from state-to-state, we at SuperShuttle support the strongest safety standard by recommending that small children 5 years and under be secured in a child restraint seat for transportation. Additionally, SuperShuttle does not provide child restraint seats. It is the reponsibility of a child's parent or caregiver to provide the Child Restraint System when transporting children in van and/or taxi cabs."

Just in case there is another travel car seat option for your 2.5 year old you haven't considered how much does he weigh and how tall is he? Do you have him FF or RF in the car? (I'm thinking from your question to ketchupqueen FF?)

I have some other suggestions for you now that I know more about your situation. Be back.

ketchupqueen · Oct 4, 2009

In California, the law makes no exceptions for taxis or shuttles. As long as there are seatbelts and forward-facing seats available (there will be on Super Shuttle, they use vans) you must install a child restraint for any child under 6 years or 60 lbs. (Not that you should stop there! We're taking a shuttle next month and will be installing seats for all our kids, too.

) Call them and let them know that you will have child restraints so they can build in time for you to install them.

I noticed the pic of your kids all RF and just realized that. The older ones, don't their legs get tired or uncomfortable? I am sure you get asked about this a lot? I think my wife started to worry when our older daughter(now 2 year old) started getting "scrunched up", that it was time for FF. I waited until it was appropriate for her to be FF.

No, actually my daughters (the older 2) had been forward-facing quite a while (my 3 year old hit about 35 lbs. at 2. Then stopped.

) I had a Radian that was retroactively rated to 40 lbs. rear-facing, and flipped the 3 year old back. She didn't complain. The 5 year old got jealous, and successfully lobbied us hard enough that we bought another 40 lb. rear-facing seat for her to rear-face in.

She had trouble forward-facing with her legs falling asleep; she now has support. They frog their legs up, or prop them on the back seat, or sit cross legged, etc. Complaints have stopped and she is much more comfortable in the car. She LOVES it. We go in the car and she says, "Mommy and Abba, thank you so much for buying me a beautiful orange car seat that I can back-face in!"

When I occasionally transport her forward-facing she complains again. I would much rather risk my children's legs than their heads and necks! While I definitely will consider their opinions after 4 years old (the age to which studies have shown a considerable benefit to rear-facing) I would be thrilled if my kids could hit 6 rear-facing, and then go straight to a booster, that would be fine with me.

I don't consider anything under 4 to be an "appropriate age" to turn my child forward-facing unless she has maxed out the limits of her seat. And if she's under 2, or maybe even 3, I would consider it worthwhile to buy a new seat to be able to continue to rear-face her instead.

Now, for travel I'm fine FFing a kid over 2, as long as it's only short trips in the car. If he is over 35 lbs., I would consider a Ride Safer Travel Vest, possibly in conjunction with a CARES harness, to cut down on the amount of stuff you have to carry. Then if you use an infant seat with frame as a stroller during your trip, that would solve your car seat and carrying around the car seat problems.

InternationalMama · Oct 4, 2009

I suspect that you could find a way to get everywhere you need to go in Japan without a car and it sounds like you know people there who could confirm this with you ahead of time. If you could also find a friend or relative to drive you to LAX and then keep your car seats for you while you're gone (or drive your car) I would absolutely rent the car seats for the plane. If the seat looks to be in working order I would feel fine about using it for the plane ride. The kind of hidden damage you worry about in auto crashes just wouldn't be a major concern for me on a flight. (I would not rent a seat for a car though.) This seems like it would be the easiest solution.

I would not, however, ride in taxis/shuttles without car seats even if it were legal and if you want to use the shuttle service you suggested you'll need car seats. I would definitely bring the infant seat for the baby. For your older child, I think the Go Go Babyz is overpriced for what it is and I cannot -imagine- using it as a stroller in Japan with a BLVD! :twocents: If you have the money to spend instead of getting the Go Go Baby I would get either the Ride Safer Travel Vest Ketchup Queen suggested (if your son is over 35 lbs) or I would get the Safeguard Go which is on sale right now at elitecarseats.com for less than you would pay for the Go Go Baby. The only thing is that the Safeguard Go may not be able to be used in Japan because it needs a top tether for harnessing and that may not be available there, but if you find that you won't need a seat in Japan and you just need one for the shuttle ride I'm sure the Go would come in handy for a long time to come.

If it were me, I would put the baby in the Ergo to get through the airport, strap the infant seat to the Maclaren to get it through the airport, bring the Go (if you don't need a seat in Japan) or RSTV (if he's over 35 lbs) for the oldest, and rent a Roundabout for him on the plane. Or for a little more money you could also get a snap n go style frame for the infant seat and that gives you two strollers in Japan if you decide you don't want to carry the baby at any point. (Depending on where you are going to be you may just find two strollers more trouble than they are worth.)

If you do think you will need car seats in Japan and your son is too small for the RSTV I would consider getting a lighter seat than the BLVD for your oldest (there are some cheap travel seats people can recommend depending on his height and weight), use something like the Traveling Toddler to get it through the airport, and either strap the infant seat to the Maclaren frame for the trip through the airport or bring a snap n go stroller for it creating the possibility for two strollers in Japan.

Sorry, that's a lot of different scenarios to throw at you depending on your real car seat needs, your son's stats and your baby gear budget. But I think these possible purchases will really make your travel much easier whereas something like the Go Go Kidz probably won't.

ketchupqueen · Oct 4, 2009

I completely agree. The GoGo Kidz is not going to do you as much good as finding lighter-weight, more portable car seat options.

I didn't suggest the GO because of the lack of top tether availability in Japan (the vest does not need one if you have a lap/shoulder belt) but if you can find a way to not need a car seat in Japan that might be doable (though I have found the GO to be rather a pain to carry, personally; the vest is much lighter.) If it were my child and he was under 35 lbs. he would definitely be rear-facing, so I'd probably just get a lighter weight seat (the Avenue is clearanced for $50 at many Sears stores, if he would fit by height) and use that. The vest and renting a Roundabout is a good option I had not considered, if he is over 35.

AoiGSR · Oct 5, 2009

ketchupqueen said:
In California, the law makes no exceptions for taxis or shuttles. You must install a child restraint for any child under 6 years or 60 lbs. Call them and let them know that you will have child restraints so they can build in time for you to install them.

Here's where the inconvenience is again when bringing car seats. When you have to go to use a taxi/shuttle, you strongly should consider using it since it's the law. If we did this, we would have to bring our own car seat anyway.
The Ride Safer Travel Vest seems good but I think my daughter is still too young. She's very petite and doesn't look like she meets the requirements to use it yet. I only have to travel 2.5 miles to get to the airport with our Super Shuttle free vouchers.

ketchupqueen said:
No, actually my daughters (the older 2) had been forward-facing quite a while (my 3 year old hit about 35 lbs. at 2. Then stopped. )

Ahh okay

I thought I saw the pic stating they were all RF so I assumed they were still.

ketchupqueen said:
Now, for travel I'm fine FFing a kid over 2, as long as it's only short trips in the car. If he is over 35 lbs., I would consider a Ride Safer Travel Vest, possibly in conjunction with a CARES harness, to cut down on the amount of stuff you have to carry. Then if you use an infant seat with frame as a stroller during your trip, that would solve your car seat and carrying around the car seat problems.

Yeah our 29 month is 26.4 lbs still. So can't use the Rider Safer Travel Vest. However, I'm glad you mentioned this so we can consider this should she finally get to the milestone

ketchupqueen · Oct 5, 2009

No, my kids are all RF now. They were FF from age 2, then re-rear-faced.

As I was sayng, the 5 year old actually loves RF, she begged and begged until we got another seat so she could RF again.

They are 5 1/2, 1 1/2, and 3 1/2 in that picture.

AoiGSR · Oct 5, 2009

InternationalMama said:
I suspect that you could find a way to get everywhere you need to go in Japan without a car and it sounds like you know people there who could confirm this with you ahead of time. If you could also find a friend or relative to drive you to LAX and then keep your car seats for you while you're gone (or drive your car) I would absolutely rent the car seats for the plane.

Just so everyone knows, we have no boys

Just a 29 month daughter and a 7 month daughter

(No worries)

Yeah, my friend said he would drive us to LAX, but then when I confirmed the date with him of when we were going. He said he'd have to bring his 3 month (which they use a Orbit Baby travel system (which looks really nice

). My vehicle only can take 5 people, so that's my wife, me, my 2 daughters, and one more space left (which they would have to sit in the back in between the 2 kids). Might have to find someone else i trust to do this but it would resolve not bringing 2 car seats to Japan (but still bring the Graco SnugRide).

Not sure how the SnugRide will work without the base though, since i thought you need a base to use on a plane as well (I'll have to read up on this).

InternationalMama said:
For your older child, I think the Go Go Babyz is overpriced for what it is and I cannot -imagine- using it as a stroller in Japan with a BLVD!

I went to a used baby shop today and they had the Go Go Babyz for $14.95. It is the older model as the older model is a real pain at security since you have screws to detach it. The newer one has a quick release.

InternationalMama said:
If you have the money to spend instead of getting the Go Go Baby I would get the Safeguard Go which is on sale right now at elitecarseats.com for less than you would pay for the Go Go Baby.

Interesting product. It's not FAA approved but I think you're recommending it on taxi's/shuttles/vehicles where i don't want to bring my Britax and it has a top tether (vehicles in Japan I assume do but not sure about the Taxi's there. I don't see why not).

InternationalMama said:
but if you find that you won't need a seat in Japan and you just need one for the shuttle ride I'm sure the Go would come in handy for a long time to come.

The shuttle ride according to google maps is about 5 minutes (2.5 miles), I estimate 10-15 minutes though. We just go under the tunnel and we're practially there.

Looks like there are so many scenarios. I think the best is to have someone drive us to the airport and back with our vehicle. We rent 2 Britax Roundabouts from JAL, bring the MacLaren for the 29 month daughter, purchase another MacLaren single stroller.

Or rent 1 Britax, bring the Graco SnugRide car seat, purchase a Graco Snap and Go, and bring the MacLaren. However, I feel I'd be wasting $59 when that money could go into another MacLaren. In addition, I'm not sure how much longer we'll be using the Graco Travel system although our 7 month is currently 8kg (17 lbs). The max on our Graco Snugride car seat is 22lbs so she's closing in on that number (OMG she's almost as heavy as my 2 year old! who is 12kg/26lbs). We'd have to consider getting another car seat that will allow a larger weight or use the other Britax BLVD we already have in the other car.

Although it would be nice to just use our carseats since they are familiar with the smells. I have 2 Britax BLVDs already but I can defer bringing one since we could use the SnugRide as an FAA approved car seat.

I gotta get to bed. I'm all car-seated out right now with all the possible scenarios.

Thanks to all who have written back

good recommendations/comments

ketchupqueen · Oct 5, 2009

The Snugride is fine without a base. I actually think you would have trouble on the plane with the base, because of the way the buckle would be in the middle of the belt path... I've never seen it done. Without is much easier.

The GO does require a top tether. Cars in Japan, as a general rule, do not have a top tether. Her suggestion for the GO was, I believe, only if you can manage in Japan using all trains/public transport, no taxis.

If your daughter is that small I would probably just get a Cosco Scenera or Safety 1st Avenue (some Sears have them clearanced for $50 right now) and use it rear-facing. Those should be pretty easy to install rear-facing and are much, much, much lighter than the Boulevard! They even come in a little carrying bag with a handle, and weigh about 7-9 lbs, I believe, vs. the 20-ish of the Boulevard.

InternationalMama · Oct 5, 2009

I second all of what Ketchupqueen just said.

The only thing I have to add is that if your DD1 is that small and you are in the market for another carseat anyway once DD2s snugride is outgrown you could also consider the Combi Coccoro as another travel carseat alternative. They are supposed to be coming out with a snap n go type stroller for it ASAP called the Coccoro Flash. I am in love with this car seat as a travel option, but it's a bit pricier than the other suggestions and won't last as long. Still, it's supposed to be a really nice seat and I think it was designed in Japan. Exactly the kind of car seat you'd want for going there.

I think we've given you a lot of options that would work better than two boulevards. Ultimately you have to decide what works best for your family, your travel situation, and your budget.

But hang around here and learn more about extended rear-facing! Maybe you'll be inspired to turn your little peanut DD1 back around if she's forward facing now. :thumbsup:

AoiGSR · Oct 8, 2009

Turns out that I need to bring a car seat for our 29 month but we can rent one for our 7 month with no problem. I guess we will need to bring the Britax BLVD.

I called Supershuttle and they did say they strongly encourage us to bring car seats for the little one. They don't provide them as previously mentioned but it sounds like we could go on there without seats (which I won't).

I have a co-worker who can drive my SUV to LAX and can keep the car at work (which is 2.5 miles from LAX). However, coming back, I'd have to find some kind of transportion to get back to work and then go home.

My wife's friend suggested getting a "Limo" service which can have car seats available for the 7 month to go back home. I'm wondering if I should just lug 2 car seats again since I already need to lug my 29 month's car seat but it will be more baggage.

We plan on just taking carry-ons to Japan (at least that's the plan) with the one bag carry on (per adult) mentality. We'll see if this can work.

Bulkhead seat with Bassinet vs Britax car seat to Japan

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