Traveling by plane with Toddlers soon? Bring a travel car seat with you.
There are so many options for travel car seats. Read on to find out the best fit for your family.
I know many of you are reading this thinking “car seats? really? Sarah you are out of your mind thinking that I want to haul a car seat through an airport.” But what if I tell you that not only will your child be safer (plane seatbelts only fit well on people 40+ lbs and turbulence can happen at any time without notice) but there are lightweight car seat options for airplane travel as well.
Here are my top travel car seats Choices
I am a mom who travels a lot with my toddlers. That’s why I started this blog. But I also happen to be a Car Seat Passenger Safety Tech (CPST).
When traveling with toddlers on the airplane there are seats that make travel easier. In this blog post I outline the options you have for traveling by air with car seats.
Best Travel Car Seats for the Airplane
When it comes to air travel – the best travel car seat is different than for your vehicle. Most car seats in the US are FAA approved – but not all. And all United States based airlines allow car seats to be installed on their planes. The information for each airline can be found online. I suggest having that easily accessible if you happen to run into an airline employee who doesn’t know that car seats are allowed.
It is best not to check a car seat. I’ve seen them completely destroyed even in a padded bag. Gate checking isn’t even ideal.
For a child under 40 lbs and 5 years old – it is ideal to bring the car seat on board the plane and use it in flight. There are choices. You can bring their regular seat, purchase a cheap light back up seat or a more expensive travel car seat. Each are good choices for different people.
For a child over 40 lbs and over 5 years old you can bring a no back booster seat in your carry on or Ride Safer Travel Vest and then have them sit in the airplane seat without a car seat. If your child is new to boostering I would practice at home for short trips. Maturity plays a huge part in booster readiness.
For a short trip from airport to hotel or cruise where a parent can sit right beside them and remind of proper posture then a booster would be ok. But if you will be traveling a lot upon your arrival and your child isn’t mature enough to remember how to sit correctly and do so – a booster is not a good option if they still fit in a harness seat – though a ride safter travel vest would still be an option for them – more on this option as you read on.
Renting car seats is NEVER a safe option. You do not know the accident history nor do you know wash routine. Therefore, you cannot assure your child will be safe. And more often that not car rental companies have the wrong seat provided for a child’s age/size.
Option 1: Using an Everyday Seat as a Travel Car Seat
This option is the best option for a child who fits in their infant seat still. If your child meets any one max though disregard this option entirely. For an infant I tell families to bring the infant seat. The baby seat often fits into a travel system that you can gate check for free so you have a stroller in the airport and at your destination. You will not bring the base along. Instead you will install the car seat baseless.
There is one infant seat that is not FAA approved (Nuna Pipa Lite LX). But it was recently discontinued. The Orbit Baby seat will require the base upon arrival but can be installed baseless on the airplane. The majority of infant seats -Graco, Chicco, Evenflo, Cosco, Safety First, even other Nuna seats- are FAA approved and great options for flying with an infant.
You will need to purchase the baby a seat on the flight. A lap child flies free but when there is turbulence your child will be much safer in their car seat.
For an older child – the only time I would recommend taking along their normal seat is either if your child’s seat is one of the seats I recommend below as a travel car seat OR you only fly once or twice a year or less. I am not be a fan of lugging my heavy Chicco seats through the airport. But if you’ll only fly the one time or even one time a year it may not be worth buying a separate travel car seat. I have flown with a Graco Extend2fit (2 in 1) and Graco Slimfit3 LX. They may not be the smallest seats and are a bit big to carry. But it was not miserable to haul them through the airport. To be honest I did so with a stroller wagon while I baby wore the younger child and the older child walked.
Option 2: Purchase an Inexpensive Travel Car Seat
This option changes based on your child’s size, age and maturity as well as with what is on sale.
One of the most recommended travel car seats is the Cosco Scenera Next. This is a great lightweight seat that fits small babies well and isn’t a super difficult install. This seat only has one recline so that can make it hard to achieve level in certain cars but a rolled towel can help fix this issue.
The main downfall of the Cosco Scenera Next would be that it is outgrown young. The seat maxes at 40 lbs both rear and forward facing. Many kids outgrow by less than one inch above the head rear facing before even hitting 40 lbs. AND many kids outgrow forward facing because the straps are no longer below the shoulder -usually also before hitting 40 lbs. If you have a one to two year old who is no longer in an infant seat then this is probably a good travel seat choice for you. If you have a three or four year old, your child may have already outgrown it and if not will soon so the car seat may not be worth the $69 it costs for that one plane ride.
When your child is at least two and 30 lbs the Cosco Finale is another inexpensive, lightweight travel car seat option. This seat is forward facing. There is no rear facing option. Thus it is not safe for an under two year old. It also has a minimum of 30 lbs. Another downfall to the Finale is that it is outgrown height wise due to straps no longer being above the child’s shoulders usually around 45-46 inches even though it states a 49 in or 65 lbs harness limit. The seat makes a poor high back booster seat – not that you can use a booster seat on an airplane.
The Evenflo Sonus, Graco Contender and Graco Triride are all great travel car seats. They are a bit heavier than the Cosco seats and bigger – but fit children longer.
The Evenflo Sonus rear faces to 40 lbs or 40 in and forward faces to 65 lbs or 50 in. The longer shell will last the child closer to the sated limits versus the Cosco seats. And the Sonus is still not too heavy to lug through an airport.
The Graco Contender rear faces to 49 in or 40 lbs and forward faces to 65 lbs or 49 in. This seat is true to stated limits for most kids. And it has a closed belt path for forward facing so the buckle on the airplane will not dig into your child’s back. But it is bulky front to back rear facing so the Contender may not work well rear facing on the plane or in compact rental cars/Ubers.
The Graco Triride rear faces to 49 in or 40 lbs and forward faces to 49 in or 65 lbs. This seat is more compact than the Contender rear facing. It is similar in weight but doesn’t have the close belt path for forward facing.
Option 3: Purchase a car seat meant for travel
There are a few companies that make seats specifically for families that fly a lot. These travel car seats are lighweight, pack small and are easy to carry. One drawback is these options really do not work for children under 2-3 years of age.
The first option is a popular travel car seat – the WayB Pico. This seat is a forward facing only harness seat. It does not rear face nor does it become a booster. Because of this it will not work for a child under two. In fact one minimum of the seat is for the child to be 2+. The Wayb Pico is lightweight, comes with a carry bag,and folds small. But it’s pricy at $380.00. And the WayB Pico only fits children between 22-50 lbs and 30-45 inches. The seat is pricy and short lived. If you are flying constantly then it will be a great option for your family. But if you fly only one time a year the WayB Pico is probably not worth it. The WayB Pico is FAA approved.
The second travel car seat option I have for you The Ride Safer Travel Vest (RSTV). The RSTV Gen 5 comes in sizes Extra Small to Extra Large that fit kids from 22 lbs all the way up to 110lbs. It is a wearable booster. You put the harness on your child and thread the car seatbelt through the harness. There is an optional top tether and you can lock the car seatbelt when you are using the RSTV -which is not allowed with a traditional booster.
You have a few options when using a Ride Safter Travel Vest (which is not FAA approved):
- If your child is over 40 lbs they can use the airplane seat belt then use the RSTV in the car upon arrival. This is a wonderful option for a kid who is of booster age but not necessarily ready to ride without a harness. It is also a great option for a child who uses a booster in your vehicle at home but you don’t want to have to bring the booster in your carry on. The RSTV packs much smaller than any no back booster on the market.
- If your child is under 40 lbs you can use a CARES Harness on the airplane and a RSTV in the car upon arrival. The draw back here is your child really needs to be two plus but preferably three or four. The CARES harness doesn’t have a ton of adjustment options and doesn’t always fit your child any better than the plane seatbelt. And since the RSTV is a wearable booster your child still needs to sit correctly the whole time in the car. Since you can add a top tether, crotch strap and lock the seatbelt the RSTV works for three to four year olds when an adult can ride in the back of the car with them. But a two year old is still really too young and immature – even some three and four year olds are. The RSTV IS a booster even if it looks like a harness. And under two needs to be rear facing in the car.
- Traveling with a booster seat as a carry on while the child sits in the airplane seat:
This third dedicated travel car seat option is only applicable to booster age children. Your child must be 40+ lbs and will ride on the plane in the seatbelt AND to use a booster. If you kids are 40+ pounds and 5+ years of age you can pack a foldable, inflatable, or lightweight booster in your carry on. There are several options on the market:
- The Bubble Bum – a no back booster that inflates. The Bubble Bum is for children 5-11 and 40-100 lbs. It does come with a seatbelt adjuster but is a short seat and many kids are uncomfortable in it.
- The Hiccapop UberBoost – a no back booster that also inflates. This seat works for kids 5-11 and between 40-110 lbs. This seat also is shorter and narrow so many kids are uncomfortable.
- The mifold – is a foldable no back booster. This seat works for kids 5 and up, 40-100 lbs and 40-59 inches. The mifold folds small but again many kids are uncomfortable due to it being narrow and shorter.
- The mifold hifold – is a foldable high back booster that works for kids 5 and up. It fits kids 40-100 lbs and 40-59 inches. The hifold doesn’t fold as small as the other booster options but works for kids who are over 40 lbs and not ready for a no back booster.
- The Cosco Rise LX – A no back booster that is smaller and lightweight. It costs about $20 and fits children 40 – 100 lbs and 43-57 in. This booster doesn’t fold up or inflate but it is narrow side to side and lightweight.
- The Diono Solena – Do not confuse the Diono Solena with the Diono Solena 2 which is much wider. The Diono Solena is more expensive than the Cosco Rise LX but works for kids 40-120 lbs and 43-63 inches. The Solena is comparable in size to the Cosco Rise but has higher limits for older children who still do not five step and will require a booster upon arrival at your destination. This seat also doesn’t fold up or inflate but isn’t large or heavy.
Travel Car Seats for air travel are a growing industry so right now the options are only for older kids. If you have babies and toddlers you’re better off bringing a infant carrier or harness seat. If you travel a lot you can purchase a lighter weight convertible seat or combination seat for the littles and bring your infant seat if baby still fits. If your child is over two a combination seat can be a great lighter weight option as well.