RF seat for secondary car & travel

aquamama

New member
Hi all! We're flying down to visit my in-laws in FL. We're carrying on our Britax Clicktight for my 4yo DD, and my 21mo DS is going to be a lap child. (I know, not safe! But we were burned when we took down my daughter, because our Diono would not install on either flight, and it was very frustrating.) I'm hesitant to check DS's Diono Radian b/c I don't want it to be damaged or lost (and esp. I don't want to worry forever that it was structurally compromised and no longer safe).

So, I'm thinking of ordering a new seat for him and having it shipped to FL. (Then when we return, checking it in the original box, I guess.) My requirements, then, are: affordable, good for RFing now, and for FFing in a couple years, light weight, easy to install (seat belt is fine). Available on Amazon Prime is a bonus. ;D DS is 28 lbs, and 86th precentile for height (sorry, don't know how tall...I can look it up if he'd be borderline).

We're renting a Honda Odyssey down there, and then up here it might be used in any number of cars, as a back up seat.

Thank you!!
 
ADS

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I have two suggestions:

1) A SureRide or a Contender for what you are asking for

2) personally, to avoid checking any seats, I would get an IMMI Go for your DD to use at the destination. She gets the CT on the plane, he gets it to RF in the cars -- IMMI Go fits in the overhead compartment on the plane and then your DD uses it at the destination. For future trips, when your DS is no longer a lap child, your DD can probably use the plane belt since she is quite a bit older.

In a truly ideal world, if you travel frequently, I would buy a SureRide (instead of bringing the CT) and an IMMI Go. That would be a very lightweight travel combination and the SureRide has very high top slots for your tall DS.

How big is your DD? And is she mature? Option 2 with an RSTV instead of an IMMI Go might also be another alternative.




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rin2809

Active member
Which Britax Clicktight seat do you have and is you 4 yo FF or RF in a vehicle?

Personally, I wouldn't check a car seat, even if it was an inexpensive one. If it were me in this situation, if your Britax is a convertible and your 4 yo FF, I would purchase an inexpensive combo seat that your older one can use as a booster when they are at that point (since HBB can't be used on planes). If your Britax is FF only or if both kids RF, I would buy a Scenera Next and have your in-laws hang onto it until it is outgrown and then donate it if possible.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thank you! I have some additional questions then...

2) personally, to avoid checking any seats, I would get an IMMI Go for your DD to use at the destination. She gets the CT on the plane, he gets it to RF in the cars -- IMMI Go fits in the overhead compartment on the plane and then your DD uses it at the destination.

The IMMI Go is cool! But I wasn't clear enough - the Britax we have is the FF only combo seat, so unfortunately that wouldn't work for DS. However, we could take our Diono Radian FF on the plane and then RF him in the car, EXCEPT we couldn't get it to install on 2 planes before, AND it would be a pain to switch it over between FF and RF in the parking lot (I think). Thoughts on installation? :)

For future trips, when your DS is no longer a lap child, your DD can probably use the plane belt since she is quite a bit older.

So, you're saying at that point we'd do the same set up on the plane - Diono Radian installed (lets say) and IMMI Go to carry with - and just be able to use the Diono as is and IMMI Go for the 2 kids at our destination? (This will probably be in 2 years, when DS is almost 4 and DD 6.)

In a truly ideal world, if you travel frequently, I would buy a SureRide (instead of bringing the CT) and an IMMI Go. That would be a very lightweight travel combination and the SureRide has very high top slots for your tall DS.

How big is your DD? And is she mature? Option 2 with an RSTV instead of an IMMI Go might also be another alternative.

We really don't travel frequently, and I like the idea of the IMMI Go to have at home for trips with others (grandparents, babysitters) because it is so portable! My DD is just turning 4, and she is as tall as they come, but I don't know that she is mature enough to sit properly in the RSTV for long car rides...or that I have the patience to be correcting her.
 

aquamama

New member
Which Britax Clicktight seat do you have and is you 4 yo FF or RF in a vehicle?

Personally, I wouldn't check a car seat, even if it was an inexpensive one. If it were me in this situation, if your Britax is a convertible and your 4 yo FF, I would purchase an inexpensive combo seat that your older one can use as a booster when they are at that point (since HBB can't be used on planes). If your Britax is FF only or if both kids RF, I would buy a Scenera Next and have your in-laws hang onto it until it is outgrown and then donate it if possible.

Thank you. I should have been clearer - it is the FF only combo seat (Frontier?).

I'm now wondering if we could figure out how to install the Diono Radian on the airplane. If so, I could FF DD in it for the plane ride, then RF DS in it in the van. It would, of course, be a pain to rethread it and all to make it work for the two different kids. Then I would purchase a IMMI Go for DD to use in FL (and here after, in grandparents' or babysitters' cars).

I'm not sure when my replies are going to post in this thread, so I think I'll start a new thread to ask about the Diono installation...of course I'm asking this when I'm leaving in 10 days, so I need to get on top of ordering something. :)
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Thank you. I should have been clearer - it is the FF only combo seat (Frontier?).



I'm now wondering if we could figure out how to install the Diono Radian on the airplane. If so, I could FF DD in it for the plane ride, then RF DS in it in the van. It would, of course, be a pain to rethread it and all to make it work for the two different kids. Then I would purchase a IMMI Go for DD to use in FL (and here after, in grandparents' or babysitters' cars).



I'm not sure when my replies are going to post in this thread, so I think I'll start a new thread to ask about the Diono installation...of course I'm asking this when I'm leaving in 10 days, so I need to get on top of ordering something. :)


Oh! Yes, the fact that the clicktight is a Frontier does complicate things.

Also, the IMMI Go isn't something that you can get on Amazon Prime or in a store (it is only available directly from the manufacturer -- www.immigoseat.com) so if you are traveling in 10 days, I would definitely make sure that they can guarantee arrival before you'd need the seat.


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aquamama

New member
Oh! Yes, the fact that the clicktight is a Frontier does complicate things.

Also, the IMMI Go isn't something that you can get on Amazon Prime or in a store (it is only available directly from the manufacturer -- www.immigoseat.com) so if you are traveling in 10 days, I would definitely make sure that they can guarantee arrival before you'd need the seat.

Thanks Nedra. I did type in a detailed reply to your earlier message, but I didn't realize I wasn't logged in, so I don't know when we'll see it here. :)

I was just looking at the IMMI Go. I think I'm going to see if it would come in time if I order it tonight, because I think this plan is the best one. Worse case scenario (I mean, assuming we can get the IMMI Go), we don't get the Radian installed on the plane, we'd still have it to use in FL, and - "oops!" - we wouldn't have to check a seat. (Both times this happened to us it just got stuffed in an overhead compartment.)
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Thank you! I have some additional questions then...







The IMMI Go is cool! But I wasn't clear enough - the Britax we have is the FF only combo seat, so unfortunately that wouldn't work for DS. However, we could take our Diono Radian FF on the plane and then RF him in the car, EXCEPT we couldn't get it to install on 2 planes before, AND it would be a pain to switch it over between FF and RF in the parking lot (I think). Thoughts on installation? :)

I agree that the radian might be a pain because you'd have to re-thread the straps and bring the RF boot (and maybe the angle adjuster too?). I am hoping that you got good advice in your other thread about traveling with it. I know that lots of people have traveled with Radians on planes before.


So, you're saying at that point we'd do the same set up on the plane - Diono Radian installed (lets say) and IMMI Go to carry with - and just be able to use the Diono as is and IMMI Go for the 2 kids at our destination? (This will probably be in 2 years, when DS is almost 4 and DD 6.)


Yes. That was my thought, although in 2 years you might find that a different solution (such as your DD using a booster) might work better for your family.


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jordansmom

New member
I wouldn't want to deal with switching the Rafian between FF and RF plus it's too heavy for me to ant to travel with. In addition to the GO, If it's in your budget, I'd see about having your in-laws pick up a Scenera NEXT and having for you at the airport. Rear face your son in that and either leave there upon your return home or check it in its original box. In two years, he may have outgrown the NEXT, but at that point you'd likely be able to put your daughter in a booster for travel and then he could use the GO.
 

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