Best carseat for plane?

vababy

Hello? Can anyone recommend their carseat if they have used it with their lo on a plane? Thanks!

LittleApple

Wait.  We need way more information.  How old is LO, weight, height etc.

Are you buying a car seat based on its availability for plane use only?

vababy

Lo will be 10 months old is is 17lb right now at 8 months I need to buy lo a new car seat for my mils car and was going to take it with me when I travel

vababy

*and

amandaleigh1

I have a radian r120 which works on planes but I don't take it due to it being so heavy. I got a evenflo tribute as my travel seat. It will fit on the plane and is very light.

azzyberry

I recommend anything that is lightweight for plane travel because the last thing you want to do is to have to lug around a heavy/bulky carseat through the terminal.  I bought a costco sceneria for travel because it is super lightweight.  My kids regular carseats are are a britax boulevard which is really bulky/heavy and an evenflo triumph.  I have taken the evenflo on a plane before and it wasn't too bad but the costco was easier to deal with.

bumpuser924057

Ditto the Cosco Scenera.  It's $40 and is super lightweight.  The straps can be kind of a pain in the ass to get just right, but for a travel and grandparent seat it works great. 

vababy

Thank you guys!

LittleApple

Gotcha.  I agree the Scenera is a good option.

BeachCouple

When we took our 1st to Florida at 1 year old we used the Cosco Scenera as well.  Cheap and lightweight.  I couldn't imagine doing it with our everyday convertibles, way too bulky/heavy.

FTWmomof2

I personally would chose a carseat based on safety.  Since this carseat is not only for airline travel but also for use in a car, I would want to put my child in what I feel to be the best possible carseat.  I currently use a Britax Advocate and Britax Frontier with both of my children.  I have flown with both seats (as they are airline approved) and have had no problems.  These are also the seats I use on an everyday basis.  To make transporting easier I do recommend getting a travel cart.  I use the Britax Travel Cart for the carseats when flying.  It essentially turns the carseat into a stroller making walking through the airport a breeze with kids!   https://www.britaxusa.com/accessories/car-seat-travel-cart -  

ebp913

FTWmomof2 said:

I personally would chose a carseat based on safety.  Since this carseat is not only for airline travel but also for use in a car, I would want to put my child in what I feel to be the best possible carseat.  I currently use a Britax Advocate and Britax Frontier with both of my children.  I have flown with both seats (as they are airline approved) and have had no problems.  These are also the seats I use on an everyday basis.  To make transporting easier I do recommend getting a travel cart.  I use the Britax Travel Cart for the carseats when flying.  It essentially turns the carseat into a stroller making walking through the airport a breeze with kids!   https://www.britaxusa.com/accessories/car-seat-travel-cart -

All seats pass the exact same tests so your perception that Britax is safer than other seats is unfounded.  You can think that but you cannot prove it.  There's no way for anyone to say that a $40 seat isn't just as safe as a $400 seat.  

gimmietimmies

The other option is the Guide 65, it will also last longer rf than the Scenera.

gimmietimmies

ebp913 said:

FTWmomof2 said:

I personally would chose a carseat based on safety.  Since this carseat is not only for airline travel but also for use in a car, I would want to put my child in what I feel to be the best possible carseat.  I currently use a Britax Advocate and Britax Frontier with both of my children.  I have flown with both seats (as they are airline approved) and have had no problems.  These are also the seats I use on an everyday basis.  To make transporting easier I do recommend getting a travel cart.  I use the Britax Travel Cart for the carseats when flying.  It essentially turns the carseat into a stroller making walking through the airport a breeze with kids!   https://www.britaxusa.com/accessories/car-seat-travel-cart - I am proud to be a member of the Britax Safety Squad team - opinions expressed here are my own.  

All seats pass the exact same tests so your perception that Britax is safer than other seats is unfounded.  You can think that but you cannot prove it.  There's no way for anyone to say that a $40 seat isn't just as safe as a $400 seat.  

ebp913 
=D>

The best car seat is the one that fits your child and is used and installed correctly. Here's something one of the ladies on CSFTL posted this morning that said it perfectly:

 The safest carseat is the seat which is a good fit for your situation, and is installed & used properly every time. Car interiors, carseats, and children all vary in 'design', so getting the safest seat for you is a matter of getting a seat that suits the size/needs of the child and the design of the car. A short heavy child may be safer in a different seat than a long lean child. A car with a very reclined backseat is going to hold a carseat differently than a car with a very upright backseat. etc etc.

All carseats have to "get an A if they want to play" as ****** said. And while many manufacturers have additional "safety features" on their seats, its not like the claims are independent third party tested - there is always a fine line imo between marketing hype and genuine claim so you have to take those 'additional features' with a grain of salt ya know?.

In terms of comparing cars to carseats re: safety - you also can't really draw an adequate comparison because of the issue of user error with carseats. With cars, there is no 'user error' factor at play with the construction of the car, which is what they're testing in a crash (ie how well did this car hold up when smashed). With carseats though, clearly a carseat that wasn't installed properly isn't going to hold up as well as one perfectly installed. Kinda like condoms used perfectly are 98% effective, but condoms used typically are 90% effective. And if the carseat isn't a good fit in that particular vehicle it won't perform as well in crash testing etc

ebp913

gimmietimmies said:

ebp913 said:

FTWmomof2 said:

I personally would chose a carseat based on safety.  Since this carseat is not only for airline travel but also for use in a car, I would want to put my child in what I feel to be the best possible carseat.  I currently use a Britax Advocate and Britax Frontier with both of my children.  I have flown with both seats (as they are airline approved) and have had no problems.  These are also the seats I use on an everyday basis.  To make transporting easier I do recommend getting a travel cart.  I use the Britax Travel Cart for the carseats when flying.  It essentially turns the carseat into a stroller making walking through the airport a breeze with kids!   https://www.britaxusa.com/accessories/car-seat-travel-cart - I am proud to be a member of the Britax Safety Squad team - opinions expressed here are my own.  

All seats pass the exact same tests so your perception that Britax is safer than other seats is unfounded.  You can think that but you cannot prove it.  There's no way for anyone to say that a $40 seat isn't just as safe as a $400 seat.  

ebp913 
=D>

The best car seat is the one that fits your child and is used and installed correctly. Here's something one of the ladies on CSFTL posted this morning that said it perfectly:

 The safest carseat is the seat which is a good fit for your situation, and is installed & used properly every time. Car interiors, carseats, and children all vary in 'design', so getting the safest seat for you is a matter of getting a seat that suits the size/needs of the child and the design of the car. A short heavy child may be safer in a different seat than a long lean child. A car with a very reclined backseat is going to hold a carseat differently than a car with a very upright backseat. etc etc.

All carseats have to "get an A if they want to play" as ****** said. And while many manufacturers have additional "safety features" on their seats, its not like the claims are independent third party tested - there is always a fine line imo between marketing hype and genuine claim so you have to take those 'additional features' with a grain of salt ya know?.

In terms of comparing cars to carseats re: safety - you also can't really draw an adequate comparison because of the issue of user error with carseats. With cars, there is no 'user error' factor at play with the construction of the car, which is what they're testing in a crash (ie how well did this car hold up when smashed). With carseats though, clearly a carseat that wasn't installed properly isn't going to hold up as well as one perfectly installed. Kinda like condoms used perfectly are 98% effective, but condoms used typically are 90% effective. And if the carseat isn't a good fit in that particular vehicle it won't perform as well in crash testing etc

Exactly.  

Angelatr

All car seats have to meet minimum safety standard, or they wouldn't be able to sell them. However, britax does crash testing, has side impact technology, a cushion for their bottom, and the buckle doesn't get stuck under their bum. We prefer britax too. We use the advocate.

Check out their website for their safety features.

I am a member of the britax safety squad these opinions are my own.

headgear03

I have owned two Britax car seats and even though I did like them I wouldnt reccomend them . They tend to have shorter shells that kids who have larger torsos outgrow quicker( my oldest outgrew hers before she was 3 1/2) then most and the extra features the last poster mentioned actually come on most seats now days in the mid to higher price ranges. If this is going to be an extra seat that's not used a whole lot a Cosco is perfectly fine and will meet all your needs if your child is under four . Don't go out a buy a really expensive seat just because it has extra features no seat is safer then any others in its self.