Need help deciding on which carseat to order specifically for traveling. We will use this carseat for at least 3 flights in upcoming months, ranging from 5-13 hr flights.
Comfort is important and some reviews of the Scenera make it sound rather uncomfortable for LO to sit in long periods or time or fall asleep in. Some reviews of the ComfortSport have issues with the straps.
Trying to see if any Bees here have good/bad experiences with either?
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
We have the cosco Scenera in my ILs car. It's Def a very very basic car seat. No frills, not much padding. I can't imagine it being too comfortable for a long period. But it's very light so would be easy to transport during travel.
What's the price on the other?
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
We have a Scenera for my moms car. We had used it for several days in a row and o had welts in her neck from the straps! They weren't too tight either. Idk how that Graco is but her normal seat is a myride and she LOVES it!
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
@sorrycharlie: that's crazy!
We flew with a Scenera and it was awesome. We used it the whole time we were in Mexico (we drove around every day), and never had any issues. She fell asleep fine in it. She's a toddler after all - they can fall asleep on the floor. I liked it most because it was extremely easy to carry around in the airport and install.
bananas / 9973 posts
@locavore_mama: About $50 for the Scenera vs. $90 for the ComfortSport.
bananas / 9973 posts
@photojane: lol! Ummm… my toddler doesn't fall asleep anywhere! Only in her crib. Can Sadie come over and have a discussion about this with K? 
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@photojane: @shopaholic: haha yeah. My toddler has only fallen asleep on the floor twice in her 27m. And both times it's because her older cousins tired her the crap out and she crashed around 4pm on the carpet. hahaha
I would personally go with the ComfortSport if it isn't too heavy! I think the Scenera would be very uncomfortable after 15 hours!
grapefruit / 4649 posts
The scenera is a piece of cake to install forward facing but my understanding is it is a pain to install rear facing in a lot of cars so that might be worth considering.
bananas / 9973 posts
@locavore_mama: yeah. I think it has happened once and I wasn't even there to witness it! She was also jet lagged… The Graco is only 1.5lbs heavier.
@Cole: I did read that too...
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@Cole: I can vouch for that. I had to install rf in my rental and was sweating (literally) after!
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
We took my MIL's graco for our travel seat and it was easy to install RF.
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
@Cole: no problems with rear facing the scenera here. We just used the seat belt & stuck an A&A blanket between the car seat and the actual seat. I use the seat in my mom's car too. It usually takes me 1-2 minutes to install.
@sorrycharlie: apparently we have vastly different experiences with this seat! haha
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
@shopaholic: @locavore_mama: haha - I only meant in theory! Sadie doesn't sleep on the floor either, but they WOULD. Kids don't typically care as much about comfort as we do. Sadie's mattress is vinyl, no pillow, and she doesn't even use a blanket... I could never sleep like that!
squash / 13764 posts
I looked at the scenera and there is NO padding on that thing. We needed it for a long flight so I wanted something that would be comfortable for him to sit in for hours (not that he ended up sitting in it for hours but I had hopes! 
). We ended up with the safety 1st guide 65 and like it.
nectarine / 2054 posts
Have you considered the Combi Coccoro? We use it for traveling (and taxis, don't have a car) and have been happy with it. You can use it with a snap n' go or attach it to the Mountain Buggy Nano stroller also, which makes it easy to transport.
pomelo / 5789 posts
we have the scenera for travel but I wish we'd had time to look at other cheap options. Its got very little padding and is difficult to strap into the plane seat. On the plus side its super cheap, light and comes in its own bag. LO doesn't seem to mind it and its been a lifesaver on our flights so far.
grapefruit / 4997 posts
I am picking it up tomorrow so I can give you a solid review from my perspective in a few days.
bananas / 9973 posts
@photojane: lol!
@hilsy85: @Beehive: Thanks for both suggestions! I think those both end up becoming more expensive and heavier options… more like a regular car seat I would use daily? They do seem much comfier though!
@Kimberlybee: Ooh! Look forward to what you think! Weight and price seem good, but it's 3" wider than these two, which worries me about flights (if we can get seats).
grapefruit / 4819 posts
We just used the scenera on an 8 hour flight and LO slept or sat happily in it the entire time. It's not super padded but comfy enough. I also put blankets and a pillow in there with her (she was 24 months at the time) and she was fine. It is a very light car seat, and was super easy to install and move around. We also bought a wheels attachment so we were able to use it as a mini pram for LO at the airport, which was brilliant!
The only down side was that the buckle for the airplane seat belt sits right in the small of LO's back, behind the seat cover, when it's pulled tight. It felt incredibly uncomfortable to me so I just loosened the plane seat belt enough for the buckle to be off to the side of the seat. Yes, it meant her seat wasn't tightly strapped in, but I figured it was good enough and it made it far more comfortable for LO!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@Kimberlybee: Is that seat FAA approved for air travel? I need something to replace our Scenera, and that one looks interesting!
squash / 13764 posts
@shopaholic: I think I paid $80 for it at walmart? so around the price of the comfort sport. I didn't think it was that heavy...certainly lighter than our other carseat (peg perego). are you planning on getting a wheelie attachment thingie? If i Had been traveling by myself witH LO I definitely would have done that!
GOLD / pomegranate / 3688 posts
Maybe not a helpful response, but we just bought an Evenflo Tribute (I think it was $50 on Amazon) for travel and I *loved* it - light, easy to install, comfortable for DD... and I actually liked how easy it was to loosen/tighten the straps better than our Britax Pavilion (our everyday car seat). I would highly recommend it if you just want something to travel with.
Friends just got the Scenara because it was 1.5 lbs. lighter, but are not happy with the comfort.
Also FWIW, I used the back straps on the Tribute to attach it to the top of my roller suitcase, so it was super easy to carry.
bananas / 9973 posts
@Ree723: Thanks for the tip!
@hilsy85: Ooh! Thanks! I will check out Walmart.com! No, I don't plan to get the wheelie thing. I was hoping to stack a car seat on top of the umbrella stroller and wear K in the Ergo - through the airport. It's still a gamble if they'll even let me bring on a carseat for this next trip, but I'm hoping the 80 empty seats stay empty!
@septca: Oh thanks for that! I didn't see that one come up when I searched "travel carseat reviews" - but that's a great price and nice to hear you could attach it to something!
honeydew / 7589 posts
@Beehive: @shopaholic: We use the combi and it's quite lightweight and soo squishy and padded, looks comfortable. Not really cheap though.
It's lighter than the Graco comfort sport. Combi Cocorro only weights 14 pounds.
pomegranate / 3729 posts
We use the scenera for travel/secondary seat. She seems just as comfortable in there as in her regular seat. It is really light which was awesome when I was wrangling it and her alone on a plane. My only issue is the buckle to the plane seat belt is in the middle of the seat directly behind the very little padding. It didn't bother her and she slept fine on the plane but it was a pain to get unbuckled once tightened.
pomegranate / 3729 posts
@shopaholic: I hooked the scenera to the umbrella stroller and pushed it through the airport. It will tilt if you take LO out but worked well when she was in there.
honeydew / 7589 posts
@luckypenny: It's not bad. The first time it took me like 20 minutes figuring it out, but now I can do it in just a couple of minutes.
nectarine / 2054 posts
@luckypenny: @Arden: I agree, it's easy to install RF (very easy with a little practice) - we use it in taxis and it's quick enough that the drivers never get annoyed!
@bpcmarj: That's a great solution - being able to hook the carseat onto the stroller like that would make a huge difference with travel!
bananas / 9973 posts
@bpcmarj: omg - this visual is awesome!!! How did you hook it? Thanks so much!
pomegranate / 3729 posts
@shopaholic: @Beehive: I loosened the straps and opened all the buckles and just slid the straps over the handles like you would put a backpack on yourself (if that makes any sense).
blogger / clementine / 750 posts
@septca: so glad you mentioned that one! Definitely one to consider now.
grapefruit / 4997 posts
@looch: @shopaholic: I checked out the one that was displayed at Target and didn't like it. The lining is made of suede and my DD sweats easily so I think she sweat too much on it. I am on the search again.
bananas / 9973 posts
@Kimberlybee: ahh… I see. I ordered the ComfortSport and it should arrive today or tomorrow, so I can check it out and let you know what I think just from seeing it in person.
bananas / 9973 posts
UPDATE: I received the Comfort Sport and wasn't a fan. The fabric was scratchy and the shoulder straps were kind of weird. In order to RF, you can only use the bottom 2 strap slots. And LO is not tall by any means (31"), but the 2nd slot was already at least 1.5"-2" below the top of her shoulders behind her. I'll be ordering the Scenera and Safety 1st Guide 65 if I can get them in time. Just thought I'd give my update.
pomegranate / 3411 posts
I've been following this post as I was looking for a second seat for our smaller car and to travel with and just ordered the safety 1st guide 65. It was recommended on car seats for the littles. I'll post here when we get it and use it!
squash / 13764 posts
@californiadreams: that's what we have! I like it and find that it suits its purpose (small, lightweight seat for traveling) perfectly.
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