Travel with 4.5 year old - Which seat?

daniele_ut · May 23, 2009

I am flying alone with both kids on a 4.5 hr direct flight. I am not using a seat for DS on the plane, but need to gate check one for the destination. He is 44" tall, 43lbs and fits well in all 3 of the seats. We use the Nautilus daily at home. We are going to a large city and will mostly use public transportation while we are there. We will ride to and from the airport (20 minutes each way) and he will be in the car 2-3 other times for 30 minutes or so. Which seat would you take for him? The car is a 2007 Jeep Liberty if that matters.

DD still fits in the KeyFit, so I'm taking that for her. These 3 seats are the only options for DS, BTW.

emandbri · May 23, 2009

Honestly, I think I would buy a turbo booster so if it gets damaged you won't be as upset.

Maedze · May 23, 2009

emandbri said:
Honestly, I think I would buy a turbo booster so if it gets damaged you won't be as upset.

:yeahthat:

I'm lazy and grumbly, so I wouldn't take an MA or a GN on a plane unless I had no other choice.

The Parkway isn't collapsible so it will be a pain to haul through the airport, and it's discontinued meaning it's nearly non-replaceable if something happens.

You can pack the base of the TB in your carry-on and put the back either in your suit case or gate check it, that way you are guaranteed of a seat when you arrive at your destination.

daniele_ut · May 23, 2009

Yeah, I know buying the Turbo is the obvious answer, but dh doesn't even know i have the Parkway put away, and another seat purchase might put him over the edge. I REALLY don't want to take the Parkway because I know I will need it for 3 across in my car and will be heartbroken if it gets damaged.

Are Turbos on sale anywhere this week? We leave tomorrow. I suppose I can sell if on CL when we get back.

emandbri · May 23, 2009

Big lots had some for $39 but they might have sold out. Do you know anyone with a turbo you can borrow?

If not I would take the nautilus and gate check it, it seems less likely to get broken since it doesn't have a base.

Good luck!

Maedze · May 23, 2009

Target has them for 50 I think.....

rachandsoph · May 23, 2009

If you can't get a booster, I would take the Marathon as it definitely lighter to lug around than the GN...that thing weighs a ton. Enjoy your trip!

DahliaRW · May 23, 2009

I definitely would get TB if at all possible. You can pull it apart and put both piece in the overhead bin if you need to. When we traveled, we put ds2s scenera in a car seat bag along with the back for the TB and then put the base in the overhead bin.

I've traveled with the nautilus and it's a pain at security. You either have to take the back off or have it wanded. It won't fit through the scanner all assembled. Plus it's heavy. The MA was fine to travel with too, but just heavy and awkward.

mylittlet · May 23, 2009

Walmart had them for 45 yesterday.

tanyaandallie · May 23, 2009

Do you still have the PW in it's box? That's what I would choose. We took dd's to Disney with us and checked it with our luggage in it's orginal box. There is still a risk of it being lost but not the risk of damage. Worked great for us. That's what I would do.

Travel with 4.5 year old - Which seat?

Which seat should I take on our trip for 4.5 year old?

Graco Nautilus

Britax Marathon

Britax Parkway

daniele_ut

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emandbri

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Maedze

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daniele_ut

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emandbri

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Maedze

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DahliaRW

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