Advice for family living in Germany re: purchasing a US seat

I live in Munich and have a 17 month old. My husband is going back to the States for business next week and I am debating if I should have him bring back a travel seat for us, either a Scenera, or an Avenue? We had a Scenera for our older daughter. I need to decide quickly. We are not military.

Thinking out loud here:

1. We have not flown a ton while here in Germany, but will do so next year (short trip to London). Also, not sure how long we are staying here and may have other plane trips in the future. We will eventually make a trip back to the States within a year or two. It will be good to have a seat for her that is FAA approved.

2. Hard to find such a seat here. Will I always be kicking myself for not getting a seat while I had the chance? Even though I may not use it much?

3. Most places we fly to within Europe will not require us to have a seat at our destination. I wonder if I can just use a CARES harness? My little one is small, though, so she may not be 22 lbs by our next flight. Never used a CARES before. I have a RSTV that we can eventually use for our little one, when she gets big enough.

4. Are European airlines OK with me using a FAA seat? A CARES harness? I am thinking most Europeans don't fly with seats for their kids, but I could be wrong.

SO, I guess my options are:

A. Get the Scenera just in case, since this may be my only opportunity.

B. Get the CARES harness and use it even if my DD is not big enough, since it is hopefully better than nothing? If I even need something at my destination, and if she's big enough, use the RSTV.


Any comments or suggestions? Thanks!

ETA: For our London flight, my DH may flip if we bring the Scenera only to lug it around on public transport for a week. So, the CARES harness may be better?

Or, should I get both?

I just can't shake the idea of not getting a back up seat since I have the chance...but what if I don't even need it? Gah. I wish it was easier and cheaper to get things here in Germany.

Whether or not you can buy an infant a seat and/or use a car seat on board depends on the airline. The EU regulations do not require airlines to allow you to use EU approved seats like the FAA does on the US.

That said, we use an avenue as a travel seat within Europe (we live in Italy). Her regular seat is a two way elite but I wouldn't really want to travel with it due to its height. I have actually flown transatlantic with it but you can't really install it RF bc it needs to be braced and you cannot use it FF until 15 kg.

We started using CARES around 21m. Most ppl here will not recommend this but i view aircraft restraint entirely different than car restraint. In terms of keeping her in her seat in turbulence it serves its purpose. Also I'm not about to travel with a seat with no seat purchased for DD and no guarantee the airline will allow it to be used. We've never needed a seat on the other end within Europe.

To be honest I could probably have done fine without it. I'm actually debating whether or not to keep it after January as DD will be ok with the RSTV at that point.

I'm in France, on the German border, and I've taken my kids to London twice by plane out of Germany.

If you fly Ryanair, you aren't allowed to use a car seat AT ALL. So keep this in mind. You'd have to check it, if you're bringing it but if you're only going to London, you wont.

I use a Radian because I couldn't find any rfing or harnessed seats past 18 kilos/40lbs. I wasn't willing to put my toddler in a booster at 2 1/2. I shopped in both France and Germany. The Radian folds and fits great in airplane seats.

Btw, Lufthansa allows U.S. seats. I fly them a lot. Can't talk about rfing because it didn't apply to us (flew U.S. companies where it's allowed).

Oh yes, i forgot to mention that In order to RF beyond 13 kg you will need a Swedish seat (unless you feel comfortable using a US seat illegally). AdventureDad ships worldwide and his site is carseat.se. There ARE non swedish convertible seats that allow FF harness to 18kg (like the graco nautilus EU version) but beyond 18kg you will find only boosters (with the exception of the swedish seats).

Theoretically if you are in europe and not military it is illegal for you to use a seat that has not been approved by the EU.

Thanks for the perspectives.

We have a DuoLogic 1 in our rarely used car, but there is no way we will carry that on the plane with us. That beast is heavy!

We are flying Easy Jet to London, but thanks for the heads up re: Ryan Air.

Hmm, I am still not sure what I should do.

The military SOFA agreement exempts military families from European car seat laws. You may use a seat from the US according to the law of the state you are a resident of.
However, that doesn't make it the safest option.

In fact, I like most EU seats better than US seats -as long as they can be properly installed in your vehicle. Personally I wouldn't bother with having your husband bring over a US seat, I would get a EU one for your vehicle here in Germany (I'm in Germany as well)

Lys said:

The military SOFA agreement exempts military families from European car seat laws. You may use a seat from the US according to the law of the state you are a resident of.
However, that doesn't make it the safest option.

In fact, I like most EU seats better than US seats -as long as they can be properly installed in your vehicle. Personally I wouldn't bother with having your husband bring over a US seat, I would get a EU one for your vehicle here in Germany (I'm in Germany as well)

Click to expand...

OP stated that they are not military and they already have one Swedish seat.

Easyjet allows the use of car seats on board:

It is the accompanying person's responsibility to ensure that the minor is adequately secured into the aircraft seat. To this end easyJet will accept a car seat supplied by the accompanying person for any child over six months for whom an airline seat has been purchased, provided that the car seat has a rigid metal or plastic frame, is no wider than 42cm, includes lap, shoulder and crotch straps, and is upright and forward facing. The required restraint device for the age of the infant is detailed below:
Age Restraint Device
2 weeks - less than 6 months Infant/extension seat/safety belt
6 months to less than 2 years Infant/extension seat or suitable car-type safety seat
2 years to less than 3 years Any suitable car-type safety seat or seat/safety belt
3 years or more Seat/safety belt

Click to expand...

So.... It's really up to you. I guess if it were cheap I'd get it just to have it. Do you need a seat in the US when you eventually go back to visit? How would you get from airport to your destination?

Good move. Easyjet is waaaaaay better than Ryanair. I flew them last spring to Israel. I'm glad to hear they'll accept car seats. We only had a LB booster with us, which we checked inside our luggage for my 7 year old. My logic was that we could buy a booster. I would never have done that with a car seat.

I prefer American car seats over European ones because of the tether but I think more and more car seats are coming with tether hooks. Of course, your car may not even have a tether anchor!

Also, I find the American car seats lighter and easier to travel with. We had a Maxi Cosi and it was, as you say, a beast. It only went up to 18 kilos and then I had to buy a booster for my 2 1/2 year old.

Technically it's illegal but I actually installed my Radian in a car seat with the police officer joking about my car seat "not liking" his French car. I've also had many police checks. For those of you who don't know, the police have the right to stop you at any time. Our papers are checked, as well as the car and they look at your kid to make sure they're strapped in.

Thanks, all. I went ahead and got the seat (an Avenue). We may not get a ton of use out of it, but I feel better that I will have something in case I ever need it.

Eclipsepearl - Wow! I am surprised that you have had so many police checks!

newyorkDOC - good points about being back in the US. I was looking at what you posted re: easyJet's policy. So, does that mean that they do not allow car seats to be used in flight with kids older than 3? Not a big deal, just wondering.

I don't think it's the number of police checks but the fact that I spend so much time in the car lol! But it is a reality here. They pull you over, look at your papers and send you on your way. I've never had the breathalizer (sp?) but my dh did once. If you're foreign, they probably will just say hi and wave you on. They're actually quite civilized about it all...

Most European companies don't allow car seats over age 3 but you know what??Who checks?!? I've just brought on seats, strapped them in, smiled nicely and was left in peace.

Another heads-up, U.K. companies don't allow rear-facing seats. That's a CAA rule, not Easyjet's "fault". Only a real problem for those with those infant bucket-style seats which can't be installed ffing.

Hope the new seat comes in handy sometime!