Booster seat for travel with 7 year old

Michelle Zee · Feb 10, 2012

We are traveling by plane with our 7 year old in a few weeks. We will be renting a car at our destination, and will need a booster seat for him. Once we get there, we will be doing a LOT of driving, so a safe seat is a must!

Does anyone have experience with the booster seats that car rental agencies use?

Would you rent a booster seat or purchase one and check it with your luggage?

We currently use a Britax Frontier, so I have no experience with choosing or using a booster seat, and I'd appreciate any advice or opinions. Thanks!

wendytthomas · Feb 10, 2012

Never rent seats. They're nasty with unknown histories and unknown recall status. A booster seat isn't a phone book, it's not ok if it's been abused.

I'd go out and buy a backless booster and carry it on board with you. Or a BubbleBum. Put it in the overhead. That way it isn't checked and potentially damaged or lost, nor bulky. If we're not traveling with our BubbleBum we do that. Our BubbleBum goes in my suitcase, which I also carry on.

Wendy

beetlemama · Feb 10, 2012

The bubble bum is the perfect solution for travel with older kids. It's lightweight, folds very small and can pack easily. While I would never use it as a regular thing this young, I keep one in my 4.5 year old's backpack in case of emergency pick up (we only have one car, so god forbid something happened to me and the car while she's at school it would not be as simple as having my husband pick her up instead). Right now it's an emergency backup that has not been used, I plan on keeping it with her in elementary school in case she ends up going home with a friend unexpectedly or in another situation where she might need a seat without preplanning it. All my kids will keep one in their backpacks until they comfortably 5 step and that's what I would use to fly as well (we haven't flown in a few years, so haven't had that issue!).

Carrie_R · Feb 10, 2012

I'd probably pick up an inexpensive backless -- Harmony LiteRider, Cosco Top Side, maybe Evenflo Amp. Carry it on the plane and stick it under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin. That way there's no renting and no checking.

sirrahn · Feb 10, 2012

I would also probably just take a backless...we love the Literider, but another option would be to pick up a Turbo or Big Kid Sport, pack the back of the booster in a suitcase and carry on the bottom. That way you definitely will have something if your luggage is lost, but if there will be a lot of driving and he's used to a Frontier, having a place to rest his head might be nice.

Booster seat for travel with 7 year old

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