2 kids + 1 mom via air travel. Help!

Hello Community!

I need help sorting out the logistics of this upcoming trip, or maybe I just need someone to talk me off my obsessive, type A ledge. Anyway...

So, I will be traveling at the end of Oct, Chicago-Midway to Atlanta on Southwest, alone with my two children - a very petite 2.5 year old (25 lbs currently, rides RF in a Diono Ranier) and my beast 6 month old (22 lbs/28 in currently, rides RF Bitax Highway 65. Just maxed out the shoulder height on his Britax B-Safe). I have traveled regularly via air alone with my daughter, and we traveled as a family of 4 in July, but this is my first attempt at transporting/installing 2 kids + carseat(s) without a second adult.

So, what's the best option here?
1. Traveling with both of my existing cs...which seems like a bad idea. Cost effective, but bad.

2. Travel with the Diono, rent CARES for the 2.5 yr old and purchase a Cosco Scenera to ship ahead to Grandma in ATL. **This is my first choice, but my concern here is that the Diono would have to go RF on the plane to accommodate the 6 mo old, and I have no assurance it will fit RF and installing the Diono on a plane sucks in general.

3. Buy 2 Sceneras (Or the Diono and buy 1 Scenera) and both kids ride in cs on the flight. **I'm nervous about the FA in this trip possibly not allowing me to install 2 cs in a row (window and middle, me on the aisle). I've also heard that the Sceneras are difficult to install and I have zero interest in negotiating pool noodles.

I am open to traveling with the Diono again, I LOVE that car seat normally, but maybe someone can offer some tips to make airplane install easier? I am really good at installing in a car and already know to use a seat belt extender and flip the seat belt over. My problems were rooted in not being allowed to pre-board, so I was wrestling with the Diono during regular boarding and I couldn't get the belt to tighten enough. Those issues don't seem to be resolvable.

RE: Cosco Sceneras: How difficult are these to install really? If I bought 2, will they stack/nest so that I could secure to a luggage cart and let the toddler ride in the top Scenera through the airport? She's a runner and tantrum-prone, so not trustworthy to go unrestrained in places like an airport. I have to admit I'm a little concerned about the safety of a cs that is basically just a plastic shell with a this fabric cover and no padding around the head. Also, with my baby turning out to be tall, maybe the Sceneras are going to be a short lived fit for him?
I am open to buying another brand of carseat(s) specifically for travel if they are lightweight, easy to transport by myself and easy to install, but cost is a huge concern for us right now.

Can you tell that I'm a little over-researched?

I'm afraid I don't have any advice, but I can give you some feedback on the Scenera, for what it's worth....

SSAguirre said:

Hello Community!
RE: Cosco Sceneras: How difficult are these to install really?

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We have used the Sceneras for travel in the past. My recollection is that it is super easy to install in the airplane, FF or RF. However, on arrival....we spent a long time at the airport, with pool noodles, rolled towels, etc., trying to get a good RF install before we could leave. Of course, it is entirely possible we are just terrible at installing carseats. And unfortunately, I don't have a better (travel carseat) suggestions for you.

Of course, the upside to shipping a Scenera ahead of time is that someone else can deal with that headache before you arrive, if you have someone at your destination you trust to get the install right.

SSAguirre said:

If I bought 2, will they stack/nest so that I could secure to a luggage cart and let the toddler ride in the top Scenera through the airport?

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I would say no. I currently have ours "stacked" (as much as they do) in our basement, and they are not stable in the least. I can't imagine feeling comfortable putting a kid in the top one.

On top of those considerations, while the Sceneras are lightweight, they are bulky/awkward. Hauling two of them plus two very young kids through the airport by yourself sounds like a lot to me. I've never used CARES, but if I were in your position, I would probably lean that way for your older child, if she is big enough (I don't remember the specs on CARES), regardless of which carseat you end up using for your littler one.

Good luck figuring it all out, and sorry I don't have more suggestions - but I wanted to share the information I do have!

On my phone and pressed for time but I just wanted to say that the scenera has been discontinued and the new scenera next is super easy to install. Also I wouldn't recommend the cares harness for someone so little. The airplane belt does not fit a child until they are approx 40 pounds, or if they are tall but skinny even later. Then add in a tantruming tired toddler who could undo her seatbelt and it could end up badly. Maybe you could bungee them to a stroller, push that, wear the baby and have a harness backpack leash for the toddler. The nexts are still short lived but last a decent amount of time (40 pounds or 40 inches) rear facing but are practically useless forward facing. And for the price $45 it's a great travel seat, lightweight, easy to install, and compact for installing rf on both plane and car. Hope his helps!

I had a FF Scenera on Southwest in April and it installed easily. I'm sure it will depend on the crew but the ones we had seemed to not care what you were doing as long as you seemed like you knew what you were doing. Two seats in a row doesn't seem like a big deal if at least one is FF.

My son was 2.5 and big and I don't think the CARES would have worked. They can still unbuckle themselves and it doesn't have a crotch strap. Also, it doesn't make the lap belt cinch any smaller, does it?

How tall is your DD? I would totally recommend buying two Scenera NEXTs if your daughter fits in one, and I'm guessing she does. I have an older Scenera that I've used on a plane without trouble, but it can be a pain in cars. The NEXT has a super easy install! I actually kind of love that seat. And two of them would weigh so much less than one Ranier! They stack, but I don't think a child could ride on them that way. But you could probably attach one to a suitcase using a Traveling Toddler for DD to ride, and maybe still be able to hang the other one off the back or something. You'd have to play around with it.

Don't have first hand experience, but have heard that the Scenera NEXT is a much easier to install and much sleeker than the original Scenera. If it were me, and your daughter fits the specs in the seat, I would use the deal at Walmart and purchase 2 and bring them together on the plane.

DD is about 34" tall. She's tiny and, honestly, would be happier In a car seat. But, again, what of this airline policy regarding seats not blocking other passengers...as Inubderstand it, the vague wording creates a loophole that puts me at the mercy of the FA discretion whether or not to allow me to install two seats ame row?
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SSAguirre said:

DD is about 34" tall. She's tiny and, honestly, would be happier In a car seat. But, again, what of this airline policy regarding seats not blocking other passengers...as Inubderstand it, the vague wording creates a loophole that puts me at the mercy of the FA discretion whether or not to allow me to install two seats ame row? Posted via Mobile Device

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I think for the "blocking" issue you are better off with the diono Rainer FF for your 2.5 and then a scenera next RF for the baby.
I have not flown southwest but when we flew, um, maybe it was united??, we had Ds3 in a ff radian and the flight attendant said it was so low profile that it was fine to install it in the middle seat so that my oldest son could have/enjoy the window seat (no child restraint for him in the plane). I sat in the aisle seat.
DS3 was almost two years old at the time so he was RF for all car rides but I FF'd him on the plane for ease of installation.

For ease of use I would prefer two scenera nexts, though! I don't own any yet but had an old scenera and I'm sure the two NEXTs are lighter than even just one diono! Perfect for travel or an "extra" seat. I plan to buy two of them when dd outgrows her infant seat - for my husband's car and my mother-in-law's car.

Have you read this carseatblog post? Also read and print (to bring with you) this FAA document. Section 19 addresses traveling with more than one child. It basically says the children need to be in a place where the parent/guardian can release/evacuate the child, and that none of the children can block another passenger's access to the aisle.

I would absolutely buy a 2 pack of Scenera NEXTs in your situation: http://www.walmart.com/ip/17376977

They stack, they're lightweight, they install easily, they're compact. And cheap.

I flew alone with my 2.5 year old this past July. I was going to get a Costco Next and at the last minute decided to fly with my regular seat. Huge mistake. It was heavy and didn't roll down the aisle on the travel cart like so many people said it would. So I had to hoist a heavy seat over my head while trying to coax my very busy 2.5 year old down the aisle who thought every seat was her seat and we were in row 19. I would highly recommend getting 2 Next's. They are easy to install on the plane and in the car...and I was a big hater of our costco apt 40 because of the noodle situation. Next's nest together and would be much easier to get down the aisle.

I would go with the 2 NEXTs, bring a cheap side-by-side double stroller & have the 2.5 yr old sit on one side, then stack & bungee the car seats on the other side of the stroller. You can wear the baby. This worked really well with our Combi Cosmo double stroller & 2 Evenflo seats.

No flight attendant would split up a family and place a baby alone, next to a stranger. That would be misery for everyone involved! Be polite but firm, you've purchased 3 seats and your children will be using their car seats on the plane.

FWIW I flew American & was not allowed to pre-board. Apparently they don't allow families to do that anymore; not sure if Southwest will have the same policy but just be prepared to board with a plane full of people!

With Southwest I think if you check in 24 hours ahead, then you'll get to board with the first group. Otherwise families board between groups A and B. At least, that's the way it was a while ago. They might have changed it since then.

I agree completely with Allie's suggestion for how to navigate the airport (double stroller with toddler on one side, car seats on the other, and baby in a carrier). Alternatively you could use a single stroller as a luggage cart for both car seats and all your carry on baggage, and use a leash/backpack for the toddler and a carrier for the baby.

Or a back carry for toddler, front carry for baby, and both car seats bungeed on the luggage (if you aren't bringing a stroller)


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Southwest still does family boarding between A and B, and that's always worked fine for us--people will move if needed to avoid splitting you up. As an airline, they are very pro-kids in carseats (and strongly encourage buying seats for babies--they offer discounted infant fares and are one of the few airlines that are sticklers on age verification for toddlers without tickets who look close to two), so I don't think you will hit any resistance there. In fact, this is from their website: "If you're traveling with an infant or small child, you should know that proper use of a Child Restraint System (CRS) enhances child safety on aircraft. For this reason, Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend that infants and small children who weigh under 40 pounds be secured in an appropriate CRS when traveling by air." You can install them in the window and middle. I believe their policy does technically require seats to be forward facing but we have used ours rear-facing and never had anyone say a word.

oakster said:

<snip> I believe their policy does technically require seats to be forward facing but we have used ours rear-facing and never had anyone say a word.

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If their policy does say that, then it is direct conflict with the FAA policy. More likely, their policy is to have child restraints allowed only on forward facing AIRCRAFT seats. That policy is sometimes misinterpreted to mean that the child restraint also has to be forward facing.

jjordan said:

If their policy does say that, then it is direct conflict with the FAA policy. More likely, their policy is to have child restraints allowed only on forward facing AIRCRAFT seats. That policy is sometimes misinterpreted to mean that the child restraint also has to be forward facing.

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Yes, I'm betting that's what I'm remembering--since Southwest did have backward-facing seats not so long ago (maybe still does in some markets?) so having a policy about that would make sense. It was a while ago that I last looked it up. And it looks like on their "Flying with Baby" section of their site, it specifically says that children under 20 pounds should be rear-facing so presumably that wouldn't be there if it were in conflict with their own policy.

For the OP, I wouldn't be afraid to ask a flight attendant to help out by holding your baby while you install the seats--that's the trickiest part for me. We've also usually had flight attendants offer to carry the car seats on board for us, too, which helps--on our last trip I just gave them our seat number and they whisked it off so we didn't have to negotiate the crowd of people heading to their seats with it.

i flew when my kids were 1yr and 2.5yrs old with a radian and a coccoro. my daughter usually sat rf in the radian but i did not have the energy to fight with aircraft seatbelts so i ff her on the planes and put the boot into my carry on luggage and rf the coccoro. i then puzzled the seats on a luggage cart and literally just wheeled them through the airport and down the aisle of the aircraft. the flight attendants were super sweet and the gate people allowed me to board first because i needed assistance getting onto the plane. i flew both southwest 2 different planes and a military aircraft on that trip Japan to New jersey.

Definitely try for A group. But if you don't get anything better than the family boarding, usually seats near the back are least desirable and I bet you could still get seats together without trading,