Flying/Driving and need a seat pronto

T

Trev

Guest
Howdy all, first post here and looking for some sound advice for our situation. Appreciate all who have posted before as I was able to glean quite a bit of useful information.

We have two kiddies, ages 2 and 3 and a half. Our little family is traveling for the holidays and us parents would rather not pack both car seats for the flight checkin and subsequent car ride. The plan is for my little girl to get our Britax Marathon for the trip.

So my 3.5 year old boy, who is 40 lbs and 40 inches tall is going to need a new seat which we can send to the folks for installation (maybe:rolleyes: )

I looked into a booster but think the little pooh is still too small for it, and a vest seems like a good alternative but again, not sure about the fit on him and how it work within the car. I hate to spend a ton of dough on this because it may not make it back home with us after vacay.

Any suggestions on a decent, reasonably priced, easy to deal with seat for my boy? It will be most likely installed in a 2001 Camry and a 2006 Corolla.

Thanks for any and all help on this.

Trev~
 
ADS

Dillipop

Well-known member
How about putting your DD in the marathon on the plane and then using it at your destination for your little boy. Then have a cosco scenera waiting at the other end for your DD to use. It can be used rfing to 35 pounds, ffing to 40 and is only $40 at walmart right now (it can also be found at kmart and target for $40-50). Just make sure you get the 5 point harness and not the overhead shield. It would be pretty easy for your parents to pick this up locally and not have to have it shipped. It is also very easy to install in a variety of vehicles. HTH
 

markf1971

Senior Community Member
I would also recommend the Scenera, but I would use it differently. Why not let your 40#er use the MA on the plane and buy a Scenera where you are now to use for the 2 year old on the plane. Then, when you get to your destination just continue to use these same CSS for the kids in the vehicles that yall will be traveling in. Then, use the CSS for the plane trip home. This is what I would do if it were my kids.

We went to Brazil when our DD was 23 months. We took her CSS in the car to the airport, on the plane, in the cars in Brazil, on the plane again, and then back into our car for the drive home. The CSS went everywhere our DD did. What would be your reason for doing differently? I'm just curious.
 

LEAW

New member
Yep, LOVE the Scenara for travel, I agree with Mark.

If you're concerned with carting two seats through the airport, pop the MA on some luggage wheels ($20 or less at many stores, Target etc.) and then rest the Scenara on top of the MA. At only 9 lbs, it's a great seat for taking places. Whomever was going to be carrying the MA can handle both seats easily, you can probably even put some carry on luggage on there too.

Both of those seats fit quite well on planes, will keep both kids comfortable and secure, and are easy to use.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I agree with Mark as well. Other options for getting two seats though the airport would be carseat backpacks. I believe onestepahead.com has some. That way you can put the two seats in backpacks and carry them, then you can pull your luggage or use strollers or hold the hands of kids, etc.

Wendy
 

bensmom

Admin - CPS Technician
The RideSafer travel vest might be a good option for your older child. It's generally about $100 and would fit easily into a carry-on bag.
 
T

Trev

Guest
Alrighty then!

Here are my guesses as to what Mark's acronyms are:

MA-Marathon by Britax
CSS-Car Seat System
Scenera- Cosco Scenera-Touriva 5-Point Convertible Car Seat (easy Google search)
DD-Darling Daughter

How did I do?

In answer to why I don't wish to bring two CSS's to the airport-I am not a huge fan of lugging two high NRG kids, one stroller, two seats and all our luggage to the checkout counter. I completely spaced we would need a seat for the kids while on the plane, so wondering if I can just get away with one for the darling daughter. The Scenera seems like a fine economical choice if we need to go that route.

A co-worker of mine has a pac-back car seat carrier and she swears by it to haul her MA through the airport-so that might be a good route to go and then we can make a decision whether to take the Eddie Bauer Highback Booster seat we presently own for the little guy or just ship the Scenera to the folks.
 
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LEAW

New member
Trev,

You got all the acronyms right :)

Personally, I'd put the car seat(s) on top of the stroller, and pile your carry-on bag on top of that! Dd and I have traveled many times this way, with a 2nd adult you should be just fine.

If you do decide to have the other end pick up a seat, just go to your favorite store (walmart, target, etc) and print the exact item, and have them pick it up. We did that when we bought our Scenara - dh was out in L.A. and I emailed him the link to the exact seat I wanted, and called the stores to find out who had one in stock, he ran in on his lunch break and grabbed it, and had it in the car when he picked us up from the airport.

We left the box in the hotel, and he brought the seat home as part of his luggage. Since then I prefer to travel with kids in seats though.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Alrighty then!

Here are my guesses as to what Mark's acronyms are:

MA-Marathon by Britax
CSS-Car Seat System
Scenera- Cosco Scenera-Touriva 5-Point Convertible Car Seat (easy Google search)
DD-Darling Daughter

How did I do?

In answer to why I don't wish to bring two CSS's to the airport-I am not a huge fan of lugging two high NRG kids, one stroller, two seats and all our luggage to the checkout counter. I completely spaced we would need a seat for the kids while on the plane, so wondering if I can just get away with one for the darling daughter.

The Scenera seems like a fine economical choice to ship to the folks for install.

Right on the acronyms.

Why not have the folks buy a Scenera and you can pay them back when you get there? Cheaper than shipping, and they can keep it at their place to use when you visit.

What if you forget the stroller and put the Marathon on the luggage cart, put DD in the Marathon on the cart (this is how we used to cart Piper around the airport, she loved it), carry the Scenera on your back or somehow on the cart, then have someone else tug the luggage. Or tug it yourself and have your four year old ride on the luggage (which is how Piper travels now, she holds onto the handle of the luggage and puts her body on the bag and we drag her on the suitcase). So completely feasible to not only get it all to the counter, but to not have to check luggage at all, and still do it all yourself. :) Just in case you need to.

Wendy
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
FYI: go-baby.com has a cart specifically for car seats, but the luggage rack sounds good to me.

Using the stroller for the CR and the luggage works fine as well.

I'd keep the seats with me as well. The kids will be more comfortable and SAFER in their car seats than in your lap or the plane seat.

Also, when installing/removing the seat on planes, ask for the seat belt extender. It will allow easier access to the buckle - especially on the BRITAX seats.
 
T

Trev

Guest
Seat Belt Extender-now that is great airplane seat installation advice. I wouldn't really want to be struggling with the CS while passengers are boarding and kids are getting keyed up with the fun that is the AIRPLANE!

Yes, I will plan on boarding the plane before the rest of the passengers with the kids and then get settled with the seats.

Got my Dad on board to pickup the Scenera-hopefully he can find it at Walmart for the aforementioned $40 duckets. If he can just get it installed with the seatbelt in the car, even loosely, then I may only have to tighten it and not worry about a hard core double seat install in the parking lot while the family waits.
 
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flipper68

Senior Community Member
Seat Belt Extender-now that is great airplane seat installation advice. I wouldn't really want to be struggling with the CS while passengers are boarding and kids are getting keyed up with the fun that is the AIRPLANE!.

Oh, but it's soo much fun!! No self consciousness -all eyes on me at all - HA!

I take it the kids have not flown before (at least that they can remember)?

To help keep the kids (and you) sane, bring some new/novel activities for them to do. Cheap and small [have helped other families survive]: post it notes/post it note flags (stickers w/o the stick & you can draw & write on them too), travel yahtzee (don't have to play it for it to make noise, but it's not too loud), travel size magna doodle or etch-e-sketch. Also, I've seen "Aqua Doodle" pages that fit in a qt. size ziplock.

Got my Dad on board to pickup the Scenera-hopefully he can find it at Walmart for the aforementioned $40 duckets. If he can just get it installed with the seatbelt in the car, even loosely, then I may only have to tighten it and not worry about a hard core double seat install in the parking lot while the family waits!

Just wondering why you aren't taking two seats with you. At two and three, I'd think it would be worth the price of a ticket for each to have their own seat, rather than holding the 2 year old as a lap child (Not to mention the real reason - it's so much safer).

Safe travels.
 

markf1971

Senior Community Member
Here are my guesses as to what Mark's acronyms are:

MA-Marathon by Britax
CSS-Car Seat System
Scenera- Cosco Scenera-Touriva 5-Point Convertible Car Seat (easy Google search)
DD-Darling Daughter

How did I do?

In answer to why I don't wish to bring two CSS's to the airport-I am not a huge fan of lugging two high NRG kids, one stroller, two seats and all our luggage to the checkout counter. I completely spaced we would need a seat for the kids while on the plane, so wondering if I can just get away with one for the darling daughter. The Scenera seems like a fine economical choice if we need to go that route.

A co-worker of mine has a pac-back car seat carrier and she swears by it to haul her MA through the airport-so that might be a good route to go and then we can make a decision whether to take the Eddie Bauer Highback Booster seat we presently own for the little guy or just ship the Scenera to the folks.

Trev,

You were close enough. CSS is Child Safety Seat, but you got the message, and for DD I was thinking Dear Daughter, but dear or darling will do! :)

What is NRG? Energy?

BPB (Belt Positioning Boosters) are not allowed on airplanes. You mentioned an EB HBB (Highback Booster), but I'm not sure if you were planning on using it for the plane or the car. Since you already have the MA that is rated to 65#, then I would use that CSS to keep you DS harnessed instead of using a BPB. Also, for safety and your sanity I would keep the kids harnessed on the plane. To travel as safe as you can the children need their CSS to go everywhere that they do. I know that 2 CSS in the airport will be one more item than you were planning on taking, but I think that you will find that it is worth the extra effort. As far as having folks looking or waiting for yall on the plane...... Well, that is just part of life. Believe me we experienced plenty of that during our trip to Brazil and back on the 6 flights that we took with our DD. I just don't let it bother me. Ordinarily I would feel badly if I was holding up people, but when my child's safety is at stake I could care less if someone else has to wait. We asked if we could board early or first to get the CSS installed, and we were told that we would have to board with the group that our tickets indicated, which was last. My wife got the impression, from a comment that an airline employee made, that we were grouped to board last BECAUSE we were traveling with an infant. This made no sense to me, but whatever. Well, guess what. The entire plane was waiting on us to get seated and buckled to push off from the gate. I refused to sit down and buckle up prior to getting our carry-ons stowed, our CSS installed, and our DD buckled in her harness. Overall the slight delay was their own fault for not accommodating us in our situation. Before we returned home safely in the USA we encountered various ridiculous statements by employees of different airlines. There was so much inconsistency it was pitiful. I'm going to do my homework before we fly again so that if anyone tells me something that isn't accurate I'll just hand them a copy of their own rules and regs that state what is and is not permitted.

I believe that all kids over 2 are required to have their own ticket correct? Then why would you not want them in a 5pt harness which is MUCH safer that the lap only belt?
 

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