I’m probably way overthinking this, but I have an international travel question. My husband and I are going to Iceland this summer with our son who will be almost 6 and our daughter who will be almost 8 during our trip. We booked tickets with the low-price WOW airlines and only paid for one checked bag, which means that between the four of us, our luggage allowance is 4 carry-on bags that weigh no more than 11 lbs each and can be no larger than 22” by 18” by 10” and 1 44 pound checked bag, so a total of 88 lbs for an 11-day trip for 4 people. Because my son is younger than 6, we are able to bring a carseat for him for free, but to bring one for my daughter we either need to fit it within our existing allowance or pay for another bag ($137!!!). It’s a direct flight.
While Iceland is pretty small, we’ll be driving all the way around the island and spending at least 25 hours in the car over 10 days.
Right now, my son rides in a SafeGuard Go Hybrid seat that is approaching its expiration date but isn’t quite there. We’re waiting until he’s six to move him to a booster full time because he is on the light side – he’s 45” tall but not yet 40 lbs, unless I put some heavy clothes on him, so I just feel like a five-point is safer. He has occasionally ridden in a booster.
My daughter rides in a low-back booster for short trips, but she still naps and we have her in a high-back booster for longer trips where we think she might fall asleep. She’s 52” tall and about 60 lbs.
My original thought was to use our carseat allowance to bring a highback booster for our daughter and 10 lbs of our luggage allowance to bring the GoHybrid for our son. However, I’m reconsidering that plan for two reasons: (a) it’s uncomfortable for him to sleep in the GoHybrid unless we recline the seatback, which probably isn’t recommended and may not be possible in a small car; and (b) while I’m guessing our rental car will be newer and have a top tether, I’m not sure I want to count on that.
So I’m considering other options to maximize luggage and comfort. We already have at our disposal:
Diono Radian (what my son rides in at daycare)
Britax Frontier (daughter’s old seat)
Graco Turbo booster
Harmony Folding Booster seat (which is 1” wider than the carry-on dimensions, but within the weight allowance)
Trunki Boostapak (Bonus that it can double as a backpack, but it is actually fairly heavy and not that comfortable)
Large RideSafer 2 Travel Vest with head support (lightest weight, but my daughter fights wearing it)
A Lightweight Safety 1st low back booster (which we actually bought in Germany last summer)
Looking for thoughts on:
(1) Should I stick with my original plan?
(2) If not, should I pack one of the full-size 5-point seats for my son or just pack a highback booster for him?
(3) Should I try to sneak the Harmony Folding Booster on as a carry-on for my daughter, which would use up one full carry-on “slot” or go with either the Trunki or the RideSafer Travel Vest?
(4) As between the Trunki and the RideSafer Travel vest, is one or the other better for sleeping?
(5) Should I care whether any of these technically meet European safety standards? I’ve read several posts that discourage the use of American carseats in European cars, though some of those pre-date 2012 requirement for top tethers in European cars. The Trunki and the Safety 1st boosters definitely meet European standards. Based on the RideSafer information on Amazon, technically it has to be used WITH a booster seat to meet European standards (which defeats its purpose in my opinion). Not sure about any of the others.
Just in case someone was going to suggest it, we’ve tried the Bubble Bum seat and hated it— my kids slid all over the place with them.
While Iceland is pretty small, we’ll be driving all the way around the island and spending at least 25 hours in the car over 10 days.
Right now, my son rides in a SafeGuard Go Hybrid seat that is approaching its expiration date but isn’t quite there. We’re waiting until he’s six to move him to a booster full time because he is on the light side – he’s 45” tall but not yet 40 lbs, unless I put some heavy clothes on him, so I just feel like a five-point is safer. He has occasionally ridden in a booster.
My daughter rides in a low-back booster for short trips, but she still naps and we have her in a high-back booster for longer trips where we think she might fall asleep. She’s 52” tall and about 60 lbs.
My original thought was to use our carseat allowance to bring a highback booster for our daughter and 10 lbs of our luggage allowance to bring the GoHybrid for our son. However, I’m reconsidering that plan for two reasons: (a) it’s uncomfortable for him to sleep in the GoHybrid unless we recline the seatback, which probably isn’t recommended and may not be possible in a small car; and (b) while I’m guessing our rental car will be newer and have a top tether, I’m not sure I want to count on that.
So I’m considering other options to maximize luggage and comfort. We already have at our disposal:
Diono Radian (what my son rides in at daycare)
Britax Frontier (daughter’s old seat)
Graco Turbo booster
Harmony Folding Booster seat (which is 1” wider than the carry-on dimensions, but within the weight allowance)
Trunki Boostapak (Bonus that it can double as a backpack, but it is actually fairly heavy and not that comfortable)
Large RideSafer 2 Travel Vest with head support (lightest weight, but my daughter fights wearing it)
A Lightweight Safety 1st low back booster (which we actually bought in Germany last summer)
Looking for thoughts on:
(1) Should I stick with my original plan?
(2) If not, should I pack one of the full-size 5-point seats for my son or just pack a highback booster for him?
(3) Should I try to sneak the Harmony Folding Booster on as a carry-on for my daughter, which would use up one full carry-on “slot” or go with either the Trunki or the RideSafer Travel Vest?
(4) As between the Trunki and the RideSafer Travel vest, is one or the other better for sleeping?
(5) Should I care whether any of these technically meet European safety standards? I’ve read several posts that discourage the use of American carseats in European cars, though some of those pre-date 2012 requirement for top tethers in European cars. The Trunki and the Safety 1st boosters definitely meet European standards. Based on the RideSafer information on Amazon, technically it has to be used WITH a booster seat to meet European standards (which defeats its purpose in my opinion). Not sure about any of the others.
Just in case someone was going to suggest it, we’ve tried the Bubble Bum seat and hated it— my kids slid all over the place with them.