3 kid airplane travel; booster transport?

Hi! Flying Southwest to Florida next month and will need car seats at our destination. We are renting a minivan. I understand that checking a carseat with baggage is a no-go.

To clarify, does that apply to a booster, too, in a suitcase? I'm unclear since to my layman eyes, a booster is to boost. Maybe it has shock-absorbing stuff? I suppose a backless booster or 2 ought to fit fairly well in my wheeled carry-on, though.

My children:

** 2.5yo, 36 lb., tall girl (unsure of latest height, but at least 36"). Rides RF in a Graco MyRide65 (SO glad I got a seat with a 40# RF limit, as she got big fast!). I own a small, cheap convertible from Walmart as well, but she would have to FF in it, that is if she even fits. I need to dig it down from storage. So for her, I would prefer to take along the MyRide and use it on the plane. I guess I can attach it somehow to our rolling bag to make airport transport a little more doable.

** 5.5yo girl, 44" tall, 45 lbs. Rides in a Frontier in 5pt harness mode at home. I think she has the maturity to handle booster mode, but I haven't yet made the switch.

** 7.5yo boy, 50", 50 lbs. Rides in a Nautilus in high-back booster mode, and I suspect he is quickly approaching the upper limit of the high-back due to seated height. My preference for him is to use a basic booster for our flight, and I suppose he will need to carry it on (though I know he cannot use it on the flight; it will need to be stowed somehow. Maybe in the wheeled carry-on?).

My questions:

1. I cannot logistically transport all 3 seats through the airport as-is. I want a convertible seat for my 2.5yo. The MyRide65 ought to fit on the plane, correct? I will likely forward-face on the airplane for space purposes. If it is too bulky, I can try that smaller seat.

2. The biggest question mark for me is my 5.5yo. Obviously, taking just a basic booster for her would be the smallest, lightest option. That Frontier is so heavy and large and I wonder about it on the plane.

3. Do I have the go-ahead to use a backless booster for my 7.5yo?

I am willing to buy inexpensive seats, if that would simplify the matter.

Thanks for any feedback. I'm stressed!

To update, I remeasured the kids today and:

2.5yo is 38"

5.5yo is 45"

7.5yo is 52"

Hi there! I moved your post to the Airline/Other Transportation section.

Yes, the MyRide should be fine. It's a wide seat so you'll need to put the plane's armrests up for sure, but it should work.

You have my go-ahead to use boosters for the two older children I'd even be okay with the 5-year-old using a backless booster for the vacation.

Checking the boosters isn't ideal because there's still a chance they could get damaged or lost, but if you need to, that's okay. If you get some lightweight boosters, the kids could even carry them themselves. They shouldn't count against your baggage allowance if you want to carry them on.

You might want to look into the BubbleBumhttps://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bubblebum It's an inflatable (but very safe!) booster that you could pack in your backpack. It would be a great choice for your 7-year-old, and maybe even for the 5-year-old, depending on how much driving you're doing. (It doesn't offer as much support as a regular booster, so for a kid who's new to boostering, it might not be the best choice. If you're mainly taking short drives, though, it might be fine.)

Even if you use a harder booster for the older kids, they can carry them through the airport.

If you're open to buying seats, the Baby Trend Yumi is a folding high back booster. That may be a nice compromise for the five year old. I bungeed mine to my rolling luggage and put it in the overhead bin. With two seats, you might end up putting the My Ride on the luggage (I'd look at the Traveling Toddler) and then the Yumi bungeed to the handle or something. Have the seven year old carry their own booster.

For your youngest, check that there's still more than 1" of shell above her head rear facing. That's the height limit, and at 38" the torsos and heads of many kids are pushing them to that limit. When you use the seat forward on the plane, make sure you've moved the straps up to above her shoulders, and you're using the correct loop for the correct slot.

Wendy

Thank you all!

Yes they really should be able to carry a booster -- I worry that with all the kids and commotion that happens, something will be left behind (we've lost things like jackets on planes and buses before), so if I can attach it or stick it in a bag or something, that helps. Probably will be on my post-flight checkup making sure we have it all.

Thank you for the reminder about the 1" height. The last time I checked her, she was within safe limits, and I think her added height came at least some in her legs.

I just checked her, and she's close enough that I think I ought to switch her to FF :/. If she is still, there is maybe 2" of shell left, but if she stretches her torso to her full height, she's too tall. Know what I mean? I can sit here and straighten my body and add some height doing that stretch, too.

Thank you to all who commented!

Do you want to keep her rear facing? You might want to consider a Graco Contender. It's easier to travel with than the MyRide, and effectively has no height limit for rear facing. It will last a lot longer forward facing, too.

lgenne said:

Do you want to keep her rear facing? You might want to consider a Graco Contender. It's easier to travel with than the MyRide, and effectively has no height limit for rear facing. It will last a lot longer forward facing, too.

Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the Contender has no stated max height in inches for rear-facing. It DOES have a stated max, which is head must be 1" below the red handle.

CTPDMom said:

Just to clarify, the Contender has no stated max height in inches for rear-facing. It DOES have a stated max, which is head must be 1" below the red handle.

Click to expand...

Right. The reality is that pretty much 100% of kids outgrow it by weight for rear facing before they hit that height limit.

Thanks for the info about the Contender. It looks like there's only a 40 lb. weight limit for rear-facing with that one, as well.

Based on her projected growth, it looks like she'll hit 40 lbs. in just a few months when she turns 3.