Advice needed for convertible car seats for car and air travel

[rlr6111]

I'm trying to choose convertible car seats for my 15 month old twins who are outgrowing the Chicco Keyfits. I'm considering the Chicco NextFit, Britax Advocate, or maybe the Recaro Proride but I'm open to any/all suggestions. Here are the issues to consider.

I drive a Highlander so pretty much any seats will fit in the second row (captain's chairs). My boys are small to average, both in height and weight.

We fly cross country 3-5 times a year and this is the part that I'm stuck on. Right now we bring one KeyFit on the plane and gate check the other and will do the same with new convertibles, then when the boys turn 2 (October) we will be bringing 2 seats on board. None of the seats we are considering are particularly lightweight, narrow, or otherwise plane/airport friendly.

I'm probably getting four seats total (2 for my car, and 2 for the au pair or my husbands car, both of which would be used minimally). Four the same? 2 heavier seats and 2 more travel friendly? Other ideas? (And recommended seats for all scenarios?!)

THANK YOU!!!!!


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[rlr6111]

Not sure how to edit from my phone, but another consideration is ease of installation into rental cars on the other end of all of those flights. Thanks!


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[Hazelandlucy]

The two seats for your husband or nanny should be the travel seats. I just tried traveling with two heavy convertibles and it was awful. My husband did not think it would matter because we would push them on the double stroller, but it really was a pain and we looked like a traveling circus.

The Safety First Guide 65 and Evenflo Sureride are good long lasting, light seats. The Coccoro is wonderful to travel with and use, but by 2 my DD was pretty squished even though she hadn't technically outgrown it.

 

[aeormsby]

I agree with lighter seats for traveling/2nd vehicle. We always had lighter weight seats that we used in our truck (so they didn't get used as often at home) and for when we flew.

In addition to the seats PP mentioned you could also look at the Graco convertibles (Size4me/Mysize/I can't remember the other names it goes by). It's not as compact as some but definitely lighter weight than the Chicco/Britax/Recaro seats. It may be easier to install in rental cars also, although I just brought pool noodle sections with when we flew with our Safety 1st Uptown (not made anymore, but similar to the Guide 65).

 

[minimalistmama]

I agree with light travel seats for the 2nd car -- Guide 65 and Sureride both get good reviews for travel. And personally, I'd find seats for your Highlander that have built-in lock-offs but are still narrow and light enough to travel with if need be -- if you travel much internationally or decide to down the road, those lock-offs may come in pretty handy. When we bought a new seat recently, I was looking at the Boulevard Clicktight but when the Britax rep said it weighs 30lbs, I knocked it straight off the list. No way could we travel with that! We ended up with a Marathon, which has the lock-offs but at 19.5 lbs wouldn't be TOO awful to travel with -- it's lighter and quite a bit narrower than the Advocate and Proride -- may be worth looking at that one or the regular Boulevard, which has the same dimensions.

When you do fly this year, I'd really recommend taking both carseats on the plane -- either buying seats for both boys, or trying to choose flights that are less full and asking to be reseated next to an empty seat where you can install the second carseat for whichever one is traveling as a "lap infant." Most airlines will allow you to do this as long as they have non-premium seats open at the time of flight. Installing 2 carseats every time seems daunting but we've found it's easier to get the kids settled in carseats and then stow our things and get seated than it is to be passing a lap child back and forth during the boarding process. And travel will be safer for them and more relaxing for you if they're both harnessed -- especially on long cross-country flights.