Boosters and air travel...

I'll be taking DD (15 months) and DS (turns 4 in September) on their first airplane trip on Saturday. DD will be riding in her Marathon in a purchased seat (we bought the nifty traveling toddler gadget...pretty cool!). DS is big for his age (45" and 44-45lbs) and we have him in a Britax Regent for daily use. We bought a Graco TurboBooster for secondary travel when necessary (he's used it only once so far, but he was able to sit still in it as instructed). I will bring the Graco TB for this trip...I would like to avoid potential damage to the seat and carry it on. The problem is I think it's awfully big, and I'd have to carry it on in separate pieces (they each barely qualify as a carryon according to Southwest guidelines...the back of the booster is about 1 1/2" too long when you include the hinge part in the measurement). So...

1. Can I bring just the base? Is that unwise? We'll be travelling from a resort property to DisneyWorld each day (just 8 or 9 miles one way on highways) in a full-size rental sedan.

2. If I really should bring the entire seat, I'd rather gate check it. How do I protect it in that case? (I no longer have the original packaging).

Any and all help is VERY much appreciated...TIA!!!

First of all, two thumbs up to you for purchasing a seat for your daughter!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Regarding your son, you have a few options. First, if you would be interested, I might consider purchasing your son an Evenflo Maestro. They retail for $75-80, harness to 50lbs and have 18" harness slots. You could use this for him on the plane and in the rental car, avoiding the whole booster checking debacle. You can find it at Sears, Baby Depot, and now some Targets.

If you would rather not spend the $$, then what we typically suggest is to carry on just the backless portion of the Turbo (which you can stow overhead, and should not be a problem,) and pack the back in a suitcase, well-padded by clothes and other soft items. This solves two potential problems -- the first of the seat's base getting damaged, and secondly, if the airline should lose your luggage, at a minimum you have a backless booster for your son to use.

I would definitely not recommend putting a 4 year old in a backless, even for just that short drive. Orlando drivers are insane! LOL!

Lastly, when you purchased your Turbobooster, did you put the screws in the armrests?

ETA: One other tip. Not sure which direction you intend to install your daughter's seat on the plane (I'm assuming she's RFing in vehicles,) but if I recall correctly, you'll want to ask for a seatbelt extender before installing the Marathon. This may only be for FFing installs... but I know I've definitely read about folks having problems with not being able to get the belt unbuckled. Hopefully someone who has experience with this can come provide a few more details.

Thanks for the heads up on Orlando drivers!! LOL ... And I like the option of checking the back and carrying on the base. I will definitely ask for the seatbelt extenders...thanks for the reminder!

Now, I'm not sure what you mean by putting the screws in the armrests of the TurboBooster? I don't recall there being any screws, but DH put it together (he says he followed directions...) Are they just for adjusting the height of the armrests?

They're important for holding the armrests on during a collision, keeping the lap belt on the hips/thighs rather than coming up onto the abdomen and causing internal injuries.



Wendy

It seemed to me after reading your post that your DS isn't 4 yet and will still be 3 for your trip. Did I read that wrong?

babyherder said:

It seemed to me after reading your post that your DS isn't 4 yet and will still be 3 for your trip. Did I read that wrong?

Click to expand...

Good catch. A three year old should not be in a booster ever (unless we're talking about true emergencies that involve a lot of blood, or maybe aliens attacking, or a tornado coming down the street), and should not ride in a backless. Backless boosters are for kids who have outgrown high back boosters, usually 8-10 year olds. For travel I'd be ok with a backless for the random use around five or six. But a three year old in a backless is not an option (I think even Graco states four years, but I'm not positive on that).

I'd look into either an Evenflo Maestro, or a Ride Safer Travel Vest, and put the TB away for at least a year or so, and then start booster training.

Wendy

Hmmm...I was going off what graco says:

For children 3-10 years old, from 30-100 lbs and 38”-57” tall (from their website).

The directions said that at 4 years and 40 lb it can be used backless.

I looked around a bit on these forums and read about the Maestro...His torso is 16"+ right now. Would he be harnessed or booster? Looks like he would outgrow the harness soon, as well as the booster. Might not be efficient for us to purchase a seat we would only use for a short while? Especially because he is a month away from turning 4, and can follow directions well (in terms of sitting still, etc.). And the travel vest wouldn't work in the rental car we'll have.

Is the TurboBooster really not an option?

It really isn't. Graco is also interested in their bottom dollar. Three year olds can't sit properly for the entire ride (especially once the novelty has worn off, not something you want to find out halfway through a huge road trip), they can lean over and unbuckle, slump in their sleep, etc.

Backless:
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_...1/seitencrash/Baby_Sunny_touring_P3_vorne.mpg

Turbo-like:
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/seitencrash/htsbesafe.mpg

High backs are 70% safer: http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/...tory/09-13-2005/0004106173&EDATE=Sep+13,+2005

Why is the vest not an option? All it needs is a shoulder belt.

The Maestro has 18" top slots. That's about two more years of harnessing time for him by torso height. Tons of time.

Wendy

I just want to ditto: the Turbobooster is not an option for your child. Any of the seats Wendy mentioned are great choices

First, my bad...I thought the vest you were referring to was the CARES air travel vest...Oops!

Second, I just purchased the Maestro online ($67, not too bad..definitely worth the assurance that DS will be as safe as possible) and will pick it up later today at my local Sears.

Third, THANK YOU all so much for your expert advice. So glad you were able to help me.

That's a great price for a Maestro. And yes, he's definitely safer. For more reassurance, here's a study that states that younger booster riders (three and four years old, this is out of Scandinavia) are more likely to have head injuries than kids five and older. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-01/esv/esv19/05-0330-O.pdf So definitely good for a harnessed seat.

Wendy