Traveling from Switzerland to US, need convertible car seat.

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum and hoping to get some advice from all of you knowledgable folks!

I will be traveling with my then 20 month old daughter from Switzerland to the US in June. Because European car seats are not allowed in the US, and because our MaxiCosi Priorifix (hand-me-down from a friend) is so *heavy* and huge, I've decided it's best to get our own car seat in the US.

Any recommendations based on these needs:

* Compact enough to fit in my mom's 99 Ford Escort sedan

* Belt-installation possible (no LATCH in the 99 Escort!)

* Light-weight as we will make a couple internal flights while we're there

* REAR-FACING as my daughter is only 20 pounds and 30" tall

We still have our Maxi-Cosi Citi, which she's light enough for, but is a European car seat and there are only 2" above her head right now so I think she'll be too big for it by the time our trip is over at the beginning of July.

Thank you so much and I welcome any traveling with toddlers/car seats tips you have!

She's pretty small, eh? Depending on if you plan to keep it with your mom vs just using it for this one trip and selling it/donating it/whatever, I'd suggest an Evenflo Tribute, Cosco Scenera, Safety 1st Guide 65, or Evenflo SureRide. The latter 2 will last for quite awhile longer than the former 2 but are more expensive. In my experience, the Evenflos are much easier to install with the seatbelt than the Dorels (Cosco/Safety 1st.)

Will she have her own seat on the plane?

Welcome to Car-Seat.org!

Any convertible carseat can be installed with seatbelt but they're all required to have LATCH/ISOFIX attachments as well.

The Escort is a really compact car so your best bet is going to be an installation in the backseat center seating position and hoping that the rear-facing carseat fits in between the two front seats. The good news is that she's older and can sit more upright so the seat won't take up as much room.

Do you know if the car has a lap-only seatbelt in the rear center seating position? It probably does and this is actually good news because it's usually very easy to get a tight installation with a carseat using a lap-only seatbelt with a locking latchplate.

What is your budget for this purchase? You can spend as little as $40 for a Cosco Scenera and it will get the job done but there are plenty of other options too.

Thank you so much for your feedback, ladies! I really appreciate your time to do so.

creideamh said:

She's pretty small, eh? Depending on if you plan to keep it with your mom vs just using it for this one trip and selling it/donating it/whatever, I'd suggest an Evenflo Tribute, Cosco Scenera, Safety 1st Guide 65, or Evenflo SureRide. The latter 2 will last for quite awhile longer than the former 2 but are more expensive. In my experience, the Evenflos are much easier to install with the seatbelt than the Dorels (Cosco/Safety 1st.)

Will she have her own seat on the plane?

Click to expand...

Yes, she is pretty small! I haven't had her weighed in eight weeks or so, but she's definitely tiny and only 30" tall.

I was leaning toward the Scenera because it's such a bargain, but it has such mixed reviews! Many reviewers said it was hard and uncomfortable and others said it was hard to install without a pool noodle. I'll need to install it at 11:30 pm after 24 hours of traveling solo with a toddler, so it needs to be easy! Or, I guess after having it sent to my mom's, I could have her take it to the local police to install. Probably a way better idea!

She will not have her own seat on the plane, but on the internal flights, they have always allowed us to bring the car seat to the gate, and when a seat is available given us a seat and allowed us to take the car seat on, or just gate check it if not. It would be nice to have an airline compatible seat in that instance if it could install rear-facing in the airline seat.

Kecia said:

Welcome to Car-Seat.org!

Any convertible carseat can be installed with seatbelt but they're all required to have LATCH/ISOFIX attachments as well.

The Escort is a really compact car so your best bet is going to be an installation in the backseat center seating position and hoping that the rear-facing carseat fits in between the two front seats. The good news is that she's older and can sit more upright so the seat won't take up as much room.

Do you know if the car has a lap-only seatbelt in the rear center seating position? It probably does and this is actually good news because it's usually very easy to get a tight installation with a carseat using a lap-only seatbelt with a locking latchplate.

What is your budget for this purchase? You can spend as little as $40 for a Cosco Scenera and it will get the job done but there are plenty of other options too.

Click to expand...

Yes, the middle seat belt is just a lap belt. Does the Scenera come with the locking latchplate? If not, do you happen to know where can I buy one?

Another concern is will it be difficult to switch the Scenera between cars? I will go for a week during our month-long trip to visit my husband's family in Oregon, so we will fly there and get a rental car.

My budget is somewhat flexible. Obviously, I don't want to spend a ton of money on a seat as it is only for visits. The plan is to leave it at my mom's and use it while we are in the US. We typically go back once or twice per year. I'm hoping with a convertible car seat it might even last until we move back in 2015 or 2016 to use for our next baby. Oh, goodness! What a lot of angles to consider!

Thank you again for your thoughtful replies! xo

Of the options listed the sureride will be the longest lasting. Although its more expensive that's what I would choose for the security of knowing it will fit her the next trip out.

The locking latchplate is the mechanism attached the male end of the buckle on the seatbelt so it should be in the car already! Any of these seats should be reasonable to move between cars. It sounds like every car you will be installing in will be on your time.

If the Scerena is tempting check out the Evenflo Tribute. They are often very close in price to the Scerena and many agree that they are much easier to install. I do however believe that it might still need pool noodles. The SureRide would not need noodles but it is a big seat.

How will you get the seat? Will you have it shipped to your mom's house. There is a website called no better deal and they often have Scerenas or Tributes for less than $30. They sell Amazon's returns. http://www.nobetterdeal.com/webapp/...erm=&minPrice=&categoryId=37680&storeId=11501

Hello! Some great points to consider - maybe it's best to get a seat that will last a bit longer? Thanks for the recommendations!