RSTV Situations?

kaharris83 · Feb 1, 2014

We are planning to get an RSTV for DS1 for an upcoming cruise. We will be taxiing from the airport to hotel to port and back again. We don't plan to do any car travel on excursions off the ship since we will also have DS2 and I don't want to bring his car seat off the boat at every port.

We are about to take another trip and I keep wondering if we could get by with the RSTV. I am having a hard time understanding when it is a good choice I guess. The upcoming trip I am wondering about consists of 4 flights(days apart all nonstop). We will be doing very little driving stop 1. Stop 2 will be an hour from the airport, a little local driving, and an hour back to the airport), stop 3 will be daily local driving. DS1 is 3y6m 39.5" and 35lbs. He does not sleep in his car seat and has only been RFing. With the hour long drives and the daily driving on stop 3 would it be better not to choose the RSTV in this case?

Our seat options would be a BB70, MA70, NextFit, or Foonf. He is pretty close to outgrowing the Britaxes RFing.

wendytthomas · Feb 1, 2014

Since it doesn't have an expiration date it would be a nice option for the future, but at 35 pounds it's unlikely the plane belt will fit. So he'd need a carseat for the plane.

However, the RSTV will be FAA approved hopefully by the summertime.

The company states that under age five someone should be in the back with the child who is responsible because the vest is more of a wearable booster than a wearable harness, so they suggest having someone in the back with the child. If you're driving alone with him for an hour, and he's going from rear facing to essentially a booster seat, I'd be wary.

Plus he needs a seat on the plane.

Wendy

kaharris83 · Feb 1, 2014

Thanks for the response. He wouldn't be alone in the backseat and he has flown without a seat once and fit the plane seat belt, which was a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting him to.

We will probably end up taking a seat for him anyway since one flight is 5 hours and he will probably be more comfortable in his own seat. I just dread dealing with our heavy seats for travel.

gigi · Feb 2, 2014

I would bring a Maestro. I really don't like the RSTV for anything but short taxi rides when bringing a seat is impossible.

T4K · Feb 2, 2014

Maestro is a good idea.

kaharris83 · Feb 2, 2014

I just bought a Defender but was really hoping not to give him a taste of FF in a seat yet. So far he has never asked to FF and I promised DH as soon as he does we can turn him...but I was really hoping to RF until 4 at least. With the vest I didn't think he would connect that as the same as his car seat. Does the decision to turn them ever get easy?

newyorkDOC · Feb 2, 2014

We bring ours on any trip even if we're not expecting to use a car.

I hate travelling with convertibles. Hate it. Pretty much do anything to avoid it (including avoiding travel between bucket and RSTV).

kookaburra · Feb 2, 2014

wendytthomas said:
However, the RSTV will be FAA approved hopefully by the summertime.

Oh, man, I was hoping it would be a little sooner as that would make it a no-brainer on what to take for our 5 year old on an April trip.

Is the compatible booster expected around the same time?

wendytthomas · Feb 2, 2014

March is what I've heard for the booster.

It may be FAA approved sooner, but it's in the hands of the FAA now. Which is a government agency. So I wouldn't bet on ahead of schedule.

Wendy

kaharris83 · Feb 2, 2014

newyorkDOC said:
We bring ours on any trip even if we're not expecting to use a car.

I hate travelling with convertibles. Hate it. Pretty much do anything to avoid it (including avoiding travel between bucket and RSTV).

My wanderlust prevents avoiding travel during that period. Luckily the CCO has been a great travel seat and our Sureride works fine as well, but currently it is spending the winter in FL so I was looking for solutions for our upcoming trip. Realized today he has outgrown the Britaxes completely RFing so those are out too. *Sigh*

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