3 yo travel seat or CARES?

[Unregistered]

I am going to be flying (Europe to US and back) with my DS 3y 4m (he is now 33 lbs) and my DD 17m (now 22 lbs) at the end of august (ages are what they will be then). I have a saftey 1st Avenue that DS has traveled in but he has out grown the RF (too big) so I was planning to use that for DD who will have outgrown her infant seat by then. I am trying to figure out what to do for DS. I was kind of planning to get the CARES and put DS in that and get a inexpensive seat for DS to use there and probably leave it there for him to have a seat there (my parents house). Is that a good Idea? What seat should I get? I want it to last a while because it would only be used 1 -2 times a year.

My mother in law is traveling with me although she won't be a huge help lugging heavy car seats if I decide to bring 2 and the seat configuration is likely 3 - 3 so that means that my RF DD would be by the window and then FF son if he was in a car seat and then me, right? I could get a seat to take on the plane but then i would have to have my mom bring it... Seats here are generally not approved for aircraft and too big. I guess I could have him travel in the seat on the way back home if the cares is a disaster...

Please give me some good advice on what to do and which seat to purchase for my 3yo. Maybe 2 suggestions a good inexpensive seat that he can use for quite a while and a seat that is inexpensive, useable for a while and fits in plane seats. Thanks!

 

[monica-m]

Welcome to Car-Seat.org!

If you will only be riding in your IL's cars have them check and see if they have locking seat belts or ISOFIX in their cars. That will make things easier. Many European cars do not so a built in lockoff or locking clip would be required to properly secure the seats. Some people don't mind locking clips so this doesn't matter for them but it's something to be aware of.

The CARES really does not look comfortable for sleeping. We recently flew to London and if DS had not been able to sleep on the plane I would have gone batty. I was so thankful that he was in a seat. We are traveling with our Coccoro which is on the expensive side for just a travel seat but it has been a breeze to travel with.

If you feel confident in your ability to install with a locking clip (instructions should be in your car seat manuals) then the Avenue would work great for your DD. In that same vein, the Maestro could be a great option for your DS. It's lightweight and inexpensive and harnesses to 50 lbs. Pile both seats on a stroller, bungee in to place, wear baby on your back and off you go through the airport. I'm going to have to remember to take pictures of our setup on our return trip so that I can share them. It really was a lifesaver for traveling with a 2 year old and all of our crap.

ETA: You might want to go ahead and register so that your posts don't have to sit in moderation. We're a friendly bunch and we don't bite.... hard.

 

[gigi]

I suggest a Maestro. Light, easy t o install with locking clip, cheap, and most importantly, according to my 5 y.o. - COMFORTABLE GREAT SEAT

 

[DutchMommy]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I live in europe and will be visiting the US. I want to buy a US seat for use in (new model) US cars and maybe on the plane to the US. I do use the Avenue as a back up seat here very rarely but it has one of those metal lock thingies that you have to use too but that is no big deal. The coccoro is even smaller than the Avenue in terms of limits and max child size right?

 

[cantabdad]

Do you have an airline in mind for your trip? That might help narrow down your options for in-flight. As you probably know, a US-registered carrier will let you use a carseat or CARES, while European carriers vary. If you are coming from the Netherlands and are likely to take KLM/Air France, Amsafe's website says that those carriers do allow the use of CARES, though I couldn't actually find that on the airlines' own websites.

CARES does not get rave reviews for comfort (on this site or elsewhere around the web) but it does seem to be a decent option for your 3-year-old, especially if you think it will be difficult to manage 2 carseats through the airport.

Since your first flight is westbound during the daytime, getting comfortable for sleeping is not as crucial as for the eastbound overnight return flight... and by that point you'll have a better sense of how CARES is working.

In terms of buying a US seat while you are here, I am partial to the Britax Roundabout -- we have an older model and have found it very adaptable to different vehicles and situations, and aircraft installation is very easy. The newer ones will get you to 55 lbs. FF. It's not the most inexpensive seat or the one with the highest FF weight limit, but it is a good all-round seat that we have enjoyed using.

 

[newyorkDOC]

We're twins. I live in Europe as well and we also have an Ave as a travel seat. As DD has outgrown it for RF, I'm planning on either getting a MR65 or the new Size4me. I also leave the seat at my parents' in NY (we have a second Ave there). DS is due in September so we will travel with our cabriofix until he needs a convertible. At that point he will either go into the Ave (which will actually expire in 2013 so he might never use it) or the graco. At that point DD will be almost 5 and will go into a booster (probably a cybex x-fix in both countries).

We use the CARES on the airplane. We take a taxi with an RSTV to the airport train station in Milan then my parents pick us up at the airport in NY with the car seat (which I always have to install myself). DD is currently 3.5, 97cm and 14kg. She sleeps perfectly fine in the CARES. I just give her 2 pillows and she sort of props her head up somehow.

 

[newyorkDOC]

What does he ride in at home? We have a TWE which is approved for aircraft use and I've traveled with it on Delta transatlantic.

 

[DutchMommy]

DS has a Britax Multi Tech so traveling with that is NOT an option Way to big and heavy! I'm glad that someone with a slightly smaller child has traveled successfully with a cares. I think DS is probably around 100 cm or so now and 15 kg. We traveled in january with DD in her Maxi Cosi Cabriofix and DS in the Avenue FF with no problem. We generally drive to the airport and take the Avenue for travel and instal it in my parent's car when we get there.

We are going to buy a britax maxway for DD soon but I don't think that works well on the plane either. Plus DS seems to have Nearing the limits for the Avenue and I try to use US approved seat in the US and European approved seats here as much as possible.

Oh and the cheapest options for this trip are United/Lufthansa or US airways. Usually we do fly Delta/KLM but they are more this time.

Can you travel with a roundabout? How easy was the TWE on the plane? Would it fit on domestic planes too?

 

[ketchupqueen]

Whether the CARES works is going to depend on lap belt fit. That may or may not fit, it varies by airline, and by child's build. Our last flight my 3 year old (at the time) used the CARES; she was about 35-37 lbs. and is built very wide and solid, and it fit well. The lap belt fit on my 46-47 lb. 7 year old, however, who is built long and lanky, was abysmal. Build makes a huge difference.

We did find it ok for sleeping as long as we reclined her seat once we were allowed to, and we brought a little child-sized neck pillow for her; neither of her sisters slept at all.

As far as US seats- do you want to rear-face or forward-face? For rear-facing, I'd probably look at the Graco MyRide 65, the Safety 1st Complete Air, the new Graco Size4Me, depending on build; for forward-facing I'd look at the Evenflo Maestro or SecureKids 300 or 400, or the Graco Nautilus.

 

[DutchMommy]

RFing would be nice but since he is 3 and it is only for vacation I could go FFing. We had to do that with the avenue already. I wouldn't want to buy an almost 200 dollar seat though for use 2 times a year unless I could really use it for a long time and it could also work on the plane if needed. I would FF it on the plane because at 1 1/2 we already had difficulties with flight crew when we wanted to RF. Can't imagine how bad it would be at 3+!

 

[newyorkDOC]

TWE must be installed FF on the plane bc you cannot tether it RF. Also, depending on the plane, the width of the bulkhead might be too distant to RF anyway. It fit fine on the transatlantic portion. I've never flown domestically in the US with DD. but you can install with the arm rest up then lower it if necessary.

The only thing I don't like about traveling with it is it's height. It makes it sort of awkward to carry.

But like you I try to use US seats in the US and EU seats in the EU. I feel like the graco seats are a good price-characteristic solution considering we use the US seats for 2w twice a year. Within the EU I don't really travel to places where I need to bring a convertible (stick to major cities for mini-breaks or somewhere within driving distance). Most EU airlines don't allow you to use a seat on board anyway.

 

[ketchupqueen]

Well any of the seats I listed can be used on a plane and are long-lasting. The Maestro is under $100 (and should still last until he's ready for a booster.)