Hellobee Boards

@snowjewelz: but if he is four, he may be outgrowing the cosco for height- that’s the big complaint I have heard.

I wonder if there is a combinations seat (harness to high back booster) that would be lighter weight. When this new baby needs a convertible, your older son will probably need a new seat anyway- but that’s not for a year or more.

I haven’t actually flown in years and back then it was with a one year old.

We recently had some long flights with our 4 year old and brought a Britax convertible for him. He used it on one flight but struggled to sleep in it. From our experience (and reviews I’ve seen) the only way to install it has the seatbelt buckle right in their back On the flight back we still brought it with us to the gate, but asked if there were spare seats anywhere. They moved us to a row where DS had a spare seat next to him and he was able to lay comfortably across the 2 seats. Much better. So maybe my advice would be to bring the seat in case (especially if you need it when you arrive) but see if you can get a spare seat if the flight isn’t full. We also have the cart @Raspberry mentioned and love it

We are flying in a few weeks with our 2 y.o. He has his own seat on each flight and we need the car seat at the end, so we plan to bring it on board and hope for the best. I think it will help contain him and he also tends to sleep easier, better and longer while in it. Fingers crossed that carries over to air travel as our first flights are also close to bedtime.

We already have a Graco Contender for our “cheaper” car seat and it’s pretty light compared with our Chicco NextFit Zip. While it might be cheaper, I don’t want to check it and potentially have it thrown around.

We just got the Travel Go-go Babyz thing to cart it and DS around in the airport. We chose it based on the Car Seat Lady advice. That said I love @kiddosc: ‘s DIY solution!

@magnolia: where do you live in NY? Possibly close to the CT border and Greenwich?
We have always brought a car seat on the plane for my boys. We treat it like a car ride. And therefore the same rules apply. Other than getting up to go the bathroom they stay in their seats.
We had Britax convertibles when they were little and I wasn't a huge fan of lugging those around, so I bought an Evenflo Maestro, which you can sometimes find for $40, but I'm not seeing that price in my searches now.
We also bought a backpack bag for my husband to carry the car seat in.
That's why I asked where you live because it's just sitting in a closet and I would be happy to let you borrow it.

@smuckers: The cares harness is generally not helpful. It really only fits children at the larger end of it's weight limit. It doesn't reposition the lap belt to smaller kids can slip right under it. And it only has a 40 inch height limit. There is a very small window where it fits some children, but for most it's useless. Though it would be great if they could redesign it and create a better version, such a great concept.

@magnolia: I would definitely bring a seat on the plane and not check it. Either your regular seat or a lighter combination seat (depending on his stats).

Yes absolutely, bring a carseat! He will sleep better and will be safer. He will have outgrown the cosco. How about the Harmony Defender? Or Graco Tranzitions (I think you guys have it in the US!) will you need a car seat at your destination?