Suggestion for a seat for air travel please?

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ScubaKat

New member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #1

We are going on a 12 hour flight with our 11 month old... She is currently in a boulevard... wish I knew this site before buying her blvd but that is another story...

We really don't want to haul her blvd in the airport and on a plane... can anyone suggest a good travel seat? Thanks!

 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Staff member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #2

I'd look at the Cosco Scenera or Safety 1st Avenue.

Wendy

 

rachelandtyke

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #3

The only seats I have personally flown with are a Snugride and Boulevard, but have heard the Cosco Scenera recommended many times for air travel. It is an inexpensive, no frills seat, but apparently quite light (especially compared to a Blvd!). It rf to 35 lbs and ff to 40 lbs. I noticed Target has it on sale this week for $45.

 

Minnesota

CPST Instructor

• Mar 1, 2010

• #4

I'd personally go with the Scenera for air travel with a child that small. Don't be put off by how "cheap" it feels compared to her Boulevard. It's a safe seat that has a huge advantage in being lightweight when you are lugging it through the airport.

Are you going to need to install it in various vehicles when you arrive at your destination? If that's the case, I would probably prefer the Avenue. The Scenera can be a real pain to install, especially with a seatbelt, IMO.

 

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midwestmeg

New member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #5

I love the Safety 1st (I have the Uptown) as a back up seat! Good suggestion.

I bought Graco Car-go seats specifically for travel/backup 'cause I wanted lightweight.

Well, guess what- I hate them and I would rather lug my marathons for miles of airport terminal instead. I traveled with them once and then decided the pain of hauling Britaxes paid off when I could get the Marathon into rental cars/parents cars/etc so so so easily. And my kids can sleep really well in the Marathons.

The carseat is like a kennel to my kids... it's their 'safe place' and they will stay put in there- sleeping, playing, reading, etc. Taking unfamiliar seats once was a big mistake. They were not comfy and couldn't relax.

I think if you love the Blvd then just invest in either a backpack style travel cover (that's what I like) or one on wheels and then take it.

 

G

Guest

New member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #6

If you buy it at a store, the Scenera comes with a travel bag instead of a box. If you order it online and it comes in a box, Cosco will mail you the bag free IIRC.

 

vonfirmath

New member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #7

midwestmeg said:

I love the Safety 1st (I have the Uptown) as a back up seat! Good suggestion.

I bought Graco Car-go seats specifically for travel/backup 'cause I wanted lightweight.

Well, guess what- I hate them and I would rather lug my marathons for miles of airport terminal instead. I traveled with them once and then decided the pain of hauling Britaxes paid off when I could get the Marathon into rental cars/parents cars/etc so so so easily. And my kids can sleep really well in the Marathons.

Click to expand...

I want to second and third this! I bought a Cosco Scenera "to travel with" because I was going to be travelling on my own. When I found that I could not install it in my own car rear-facing as tight as I like, I paused. When I took it to a car seat clinic and found the CPST was having trouble installing it in my car, I panicked. I was going to take this seat on the airplane, and then install it in 3 different cars at the other end. I could NOT have a seat I could not install on my own. So I sold the Scenera and took my birthday money last year to buy a Britax Roundabout 50. We took it flying and it worked beautifully. And I don't get all the talk about how "heavy" it is. The seat does not have to be physically carried that far at all. Lash it to your stroller (or luggage cart if you don't want to take a stroller) and go.

 

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DahliaRW

New member

• Mar 1, 2010

• #8

The scenera is a great travel seat. And it being on sale at target this week is a huge plus! It's what we've taken for ds2 many times. Though pack a towel or pool noodle for the car install when you get there, you'll probably need it. And practice beforehand installing it. But it's not that hard to do, it's just not a britax easy install.

 

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ScubaKat

New member

• Mar 5, 2010

• #9

Thanks guys!! I went to target to check out the seats and I am a little worried about the lack of padding... dd sleeps well in her blvd and not sure if I want to risk her being fussy for such a long flight??!

Have any of you used the Go-Go Babyz TRAVELMATE? I may try to find a reasonably priced one and to use with her blvd...

Thanks again!!

ScubaKat said:

We are going on a 12 hour flight with our 11 month old... She is currently in a boulevard... wish I knew this site before buying her blvd but that is another story...

We really don't want to haul her blvd in the airport and on a plane... can anyone suggest a good travel seat? Thanks!

Click to expand...

 

aeormsby

New member

• Mar 5, 2010

• #10

I haven't used the actual GoGo Kidz, we just got a folding wire luggage cart and strapped our Marathon to that.

We now generally use our Safety 1st Uptown for flying. The one thing that might be nicer about the Scenera is that since it's smaller it's more likely to fit RF. The times I've installed our MA RF on the plane I had to leave it in the upright position and DD would have been more reclined FF in it.

 

BananaBoat

Well-known member

• Mar 5, 2010

• #11

We have a Safety 1st Avenue for our travel seat & it works very well for us. Fits RF on a plane, it's light enough to haul through the airport & isn't a pain to install. It also has a bit more padding than the Scenera & works on the GoGo Kidz if I ever want to use one...the Scenera is NOT compatible with the Travelmate.

DD sleeps just fine it in, but I make a point to install it in our car the week before we leave to reacquaint her with the seat & get some practice installing it.

For our upcoming trip (tomorrow) I'm planning on strapping it to her stroller to get us to the gate. It will look like this:

Hope that helps!

 

jeminijad

New member

• Mar 11, 2010

• #12

I'm a little late to the party but I wanted to chime in that I just flew with my 12 month old DD in her Evenflo Titan and it worked well.

She has Marathons in her cars but I didn't want to lug those- the Titan was light enough to lift one handed over the airplane seats (pretty much none of them fit down the aisle.)

I also used the Travelling Toddler to strap it to my rolling carryon. Worked great through the airport.

 

Midwife@heart

New member

• Mar 11, 2010

• #13

Since I don't have a car I have gone to places with my son's Britax bouleavard inside his Peg Prego Pliko P3 stroller and him strapped in his carseat.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Mar 11, 2010

• #14

I used a Travelling Toddler my last trip too, and loved it. I've used it with my Boulevard before too.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Mar 11, 2010

• #15

We use the Go-Go Babyz TRAVELMATE with our Boulevard on a regular basis and love it. I do not take a stroller to the airport. My daughter is 3 and enjoys riding in her carseat through the airport. However, it does put the child very low and some may not like that.

We bought our Go-Go Babyz new. I have occasionally seen them on craigslist.

If you do take your Boulevard on the flight, I would suggest asking for a seat belt extender to install. It will make it much easier to install and take out. If you don't use a seat belt extender the connectors will be beneath in the space between the seat and base making it hard to disconnect. Once when I did not use an extender it actually got stuck. It took me and two flight attendants about 20 minutes to get it unhooked.

Happy Travels!

 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Staff member

• Mar 12, 2010

• #16

The seatbelt extender is a great idea, but it's only needed forward facing. For an 11 month old the seat would be installed rear facing.

That's actually the reason I tried to only use my Britax rear facing on the plane, and we did until Piper was 3.5.

Wendy

 

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ckelly626

New member

• Mar 13, 2010

• #17

We used the Evenflo Tribute V on a trip with our then 16 month old to New Zealand (a total of 40 hours flying time there and back!). Worked great! What I really like about it was that it had high sides so I could "hide" behind it when she stirred in her sleep. Then she'd go back to sleep. We secured it to a small rolling suitcase using the latch straps and a large industrial strength carabeener (sp?). Doubled as an emergency stroller also.