Car Seat for China Trip

Hi all,

I hope you can help me sort some things out ahead of our 3 week trip from the US to China.

We will have 3 adults flying with 2 children, 4 years (46lbs, 42") and 16 months (23lbs, 30 inch) on the long international flight (Air China/USAir - 13 hours), as well as four shorter (1-3 hour) domestic flights inside China.

Once in China, we will have a car to take us on short trips as well as one or two longer (2 hour) rides.

I bought both boys a seat on the international flight, but only the 4 year old ahs a confirmed seat on the Chinese flights (long story).

I am planning on bringing our Roundabout 50 for the 16 month old to use on both the airplane and in cars. However, my husband is adverse to bringing two car seats, since we may have to check both of them for the domestic flights.

Here are my thoughts, please comment and share your experiences: My options for the 4yo would be to 1) bring our Marathon for him, 2) buy a highback dual booster and bring that, 3) buy a highback dual booster and just bring the bottom.

My concerns are: Will the 4 year old be comfortable enough to sleep on the plane without his car seat? Is it really safe to have him in just a backless booster since he has only ever riden in a 5-point harness?

Thanks a ton in advance !
Christina

How mature is your 4 year old? How squirmy is he? With my own DS, I would not have considered a booster for him at 4 years old. We made the switch at 5y10m and he still needed several reminders about sitting properly. So I would suggest making the decision based on what you know about your DS.

If you go the harness route, you might want to look at the Evenflo Maestro as a travel seat. It's a lighter weight seat. If you decide to go with a booster, I would recommend the Graco Turbobooster. You'll probably want to try a few test drives in the booster before you go on your trip. Pack the back of the booster in your luggage surrounded by clothing. Take the nbb on the airplane with you and stow it in the overhead compartment.

There's a debate about whether a nbb and hbb are equal in safetly. Personally I think that the argument for the hbb being safer is more compelling and I would definitely err on the side of being overly causious by using a hbb especially for a young/new booster rider. I also think you'll find that your 4 year old is more comfortable in the hbb especially when you go on the longer drivers and he falls asleep in the car.

If you are in a pinch and need a nbb (like if you using a taxi and need to carry a booster around with you), then you do have that option with the turbobooster.

HTH