Convertible Recs for Grandma's car(will only be used a few times a year)

kaharris83

New member
We are bringing our little guy to visit his grandparents for the first time in October. He will be 3 months. As a former flight attendant I have no desire to bring our carseat with us, I know how they are mishandled. I'm wondering if there are any good convertibles you would recommend. We plan to leave it there so he'll use it a few times a year. I plan to keep him rear facing as long as possible. She has a 2010 Subaru Legacy.
 
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Maedze

New member
Well, you're not going to like what you're about to hear :eek: I'm sure you know as a flight attendant that NO organization recommends bringing children as lap babies aboard airplanes. While you are correct in understanding that a child restraint should never be checked in the belly of an aircraft, did you know the FAA and other safety organizations recommend NEVER holding a child in arms on a plane when the fasten seatbelt light is on, and that EVERY child under 40 pounds should be in an FAA approved restraint?

Buy your child a seat and use the baby's car seat on the plane. That is the correct and safe course of action :thumbsup:
 

lorismurph

Senior Community Member
I agree, baby should have their own seat and carry the car seat on the plane.

That said, if you want to leave one at grandma's, the Scenera is a great inexpensive seat that now RF to 40 pounds. Should get you to 2 1/2-3 RF (maybe longer). At that time, you could get a different seat or you may decide to just bring one with you (the Scenera makes a great travel seat too)
 

kaharris83

New member
Actually I didn't realize that no one recommended having a lap child on an airplane, even as a former flight attendant. Thank you for sharing that information.
 

gigi

New member
We had a Scenera at my mom's, but both my mom and I really grew to dislike it.

I didn't like it b/c it was REALLY hard to install RFing and my son found it really uncomfortable (or, at least, I'm assuming he did b/c he cried in it a lot more than he cried in other car seats - he wasn't as verbal at almost 2 as he is at 3.5 lol).

My mom (who works full time in a hospital, runs miles every day and goes to power-pump at 8 pm after work 2-3 nights a week) disliked it because she had a really hard time unbuckling it. She found it too unsafe to have such a hard time using the buckle.

Being industrious and sick of the aggravation, one day my mom decided to WD-40 the buckle (DOH!) so that she could get it open easier...thankfully she proudly told me about it 30 seconds after she did it so I could then forbid that seat be used again. Anyway, I went to BRU and bought an EFTA. It was considerably more expensive (around $120) but also considerably nicer for my son and easier for my mom to install and use properly (which is the most important factor, of course). Now the EFT65s are even nicer b/c they RF to 40 lbs and FF to 65 lbs.

As it turns out, after a year plus of lovin' it from afar, I ended up liking the EFTA so much that I put it in my car full time and gave my mom my seat (which cost 2 times as much as the EFTA).

I know a lot of people here love the Scenera and you might well love it too, but I just wanted to share my not-so-positive experience using it in a similar situation to help you make an informed decision.
 

firemomof3

New member
I would recommend the Scenera for airline travel as well as a spare for Grandmas :thumbsup: I have one of the new 40lbs. rf Sceneras (on sale right now at Target!) and I love it! You will need a pool noodle for installation rf which will help you get the proper angle. But you can just pack that away in your suitcase. The Scenera also comes in a travel bag with a handle. I would recommend getting the Scenera well before you travel and play with it, practice installing it and putting your baby in it.
Just for visual purposes, here is my ds in the Scenera just for pics. He rides full-time in a Radian. I currently use my Scenera for my 8mo. daycare kiddo :love:
scenera001.jpg
 

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