Good but light weight and inexpensivem car seat for air travel? I will be traveling alone with my 15 month old daughter this summer (she is currently only 20lbs) and I have been researching on a good but light weight car seat for air travel, and also as a back up car seat. Any suggestions would be great, thanks! Good but light weight and inexpensivem car seat for air travel? I will be traveling alone with my 15 month old daughter this summer (she is currently only 20lbs) and I have been researching on a... » Read More Good but light weight and inexpensivem car seat for air travel? I will be traveling alone with my 15 month old daughter this summer (she is currently only 20lbs) and I have been researching on a good but light weight car seat for air travel, and also as a back up car seat. Any suggestions would be great, thanks! « Show Less
177686
We used it for air travel, fairly easy to install and fit the small seats in those small rural airport planes. Easy to carry around too as long as you are carrying only a backpack diaper bag and the carseat with baby. I wouldn't recommend trying to juggle more than that (unless you have a husband or helper to assist you.)
177687
Check out the Cosco Scenera. It's super lightweight. The only issue I've found using it on the plane is that you have to be in the bulkhead seats to rear-face it but other than that it's a great, cheap, lightweight seat. I think it weighs about 8 or 9 lbs and depending on the version you get it's between $40 and $60 so you can't get cheaper.
1583089
My daughter is very tall also, 100% for her age group. At 18 months and 35inches, she is at the next to the top shoulder strap. The manufacturer recommends turning it forward facing when they reach the top strap holder. I just asked our pediatrician at our 18 month check up what we should do when she reaches that point as I am sure it will be soon, and before she is 2 which is the law in CA. His response was to turn her around when she reaches the top strap even if it is before age 2 as she will then be big enough. That being said we bought this carseat for traveling. It is the smallest and lightest carseat we could find. She seems very comfortable in it. The bottom strap to attach it via car latches does not adjust on both sides which makes getting a perfectly tight fit impossible. It has good safety ratings but in comparison to the Britax carseat we use for every day, it really doesn't seem as safe or tighly secured in the car. Hope this helps.
1799575
we got the black and used it through one summer without problems regarding it being too hot. the black material is softer feeling and seems like it would be pleasant to lean your head against. My son had no problems with comfort in this seat. HOWEVER if your child is tall, I would highly recommend not getting a Britax seat because the headrest is not reinforced, meaning that when your child's head is 1" from the top of the SHELL of the seat (NOT including the headrest), he/she is too tall to ride rear-facing. This typically happens when the child is wearing size 3T. Just wanted to mention that in case it saves you the trouble we went through. we got the black and used it through one summer without problems regarding it being too hot. the black material is softer feeling and seems like it would be pleasant to lean your head against. My son had no problems with comfort in this seat. HOWEVER if your child is tall, I would highly recommend not getting a Britax seat because the headrest is not reinforced, meaning that when your child's head is 1" from the top of the SHELL of the seat (NOT including the headrest), he/she is too tall to ride rear-facing. This typically happens when the child is wearing size 3T. Just wanted to... » Read More we got the black and used it through one summer without problems regarding it being too hot. the black material is softer feeling and seems like it would be pleasant to lean your head against. My son had no problems with comfort in this seat. HOWEVER if your child is tall, I would highly recommend not getting a Britax seat because the headrest is not reinforced, meaning that when your child's head is 1" from the top of the SHELL of the seat (NOT including the headrest), he/she is too tall to ride rear-facing. This typically happens when the child is wearing size 3T. Just wanted to mention that in case it saves you the trouble we went through. « Show Less
998590
It's very convenient for moving in and out of cars - like taxis. However, the fine print says NOT to use on airplanes. I will say it will depend on size of your child too, my middle son is stocky but when he was 3 he still was tilted because he was too small for the best even though he weighed minimum weight restrictions for best. Now he is 4 and fits fine, but it may be too big to be comfortable at 2.5! The weights might have changed - check into the new vests. It is VERY CONVENIENT for a third child in back seat of tiny car!
634757
I can tell you from experiance using this seat on an international flight it is great. I flew from Germany to Texas without a car seat. I had this one ordered and sent to my destination, as my daughter was about to out grow her infant car seat. On the flight back to Germany my husband buckled this seat into the normal plan seat, and within mins my daughter was asleep and slept the entire 10 hour plane ride, lucky we had a night time flight. We also had a rental car while in the states and it fit perfectly. I did not install this car seat my husband did, but he said it was easy both in the car and on the plane.
111783
I would love to try your "child size stadium seat" idea as well. Where did you get it? I'm debating between this Joovy Caboose ultralight vs. Baby Trend Sit N Stand Double. The BT is 30 lbs, double the weight of the Joovy, and I'm a small woman. But I like the BT because it gives me the option of putting my older underweight 3-year old kid in the back seat that allows her to lean back and rest if she wants. (She'd probably want to sit in the front so she can see more even while resting, and I'll place my 8 month old in the back.) So adding the "child size stadium seat" to the Joovy would just be perfect and everything I want. Thanks! I would love to try your "child size stadium seat" idea as well. Where did you get it? I'm debating between this Joovy Caboose ultralight vs. Baby Trend Sit N Stand Double. The BT is 30 lbs, double the weight of the Joovy, and I'm a small woman. But I like the BT because it gives me the option of putting my older underweight 3-year old kid in the back seat that allows her to lean back and rest if she wants. (She'd probably want to sit in the front so she can see more even while resting, and I'll place my 8 month old in the back.) So adding the "child size stadium seat"... » Read More I would love to try your "child size stadium seat" idea as well. Where did you get it? I'm debating between this Joovy Caboose ultralight vs. Baby Trend Sit N Stand Double. The BT is 30 lbs, double the weight of the Joovy, and I'm a small woman. But I like the BT because it gives me the option of putting my older underweight 3-year old kid in the back seat that allows her to lean back and rest if she wants. (She'd probably want to sit in the front so she can see more even while resting, and I'll place my 8 month old in the back.) So adding the "child size stadium seat" to the Joovy would just be perfect and everything I want. Thanks! « Show Less
14527
This is all one piece... it is not an infant seat for travel systems. This is what you would use when your child is too big for those (I couldn't really get my baby and the infant seat in and out of the car easily at 7 months). These are WAY more comfortable for the baby, so once you are not using your infant seat as a travel system, I would upgrade to this. You can then turn this forward facing as your child gets older.
1412258
Yes, this stroller should work well for you. I purchased for my twins, who are now 1 year old and have used mostly because we live in a very hilly area and didn't want to lug our big stroller w/ car seats attached around neighborhood / and also use for pediatrician visits. But this stroller is light weight and folds easily, so should work well for traveling. Sun visors are on the light side, so they don't hold up well in the wind, but other than that it's a good stroller.
2094818
Well my one year old seems to be growing out of it already she's about 30' tall. To give her space I don't blow up the back rest anymore. This is great for traveling and for short term use. My one year old still enjoys herself in it. It holds her weight just fine still. It's about 30' long in length but since she sits up she has more leg room. If she has leg room it would be a great product to have while traveling. I have used this 6 months and up.
391660
I find it kind of cumbersome to use when switching from car to car. I can imagine having to carry through an airport. Love the seat, but it took a little bit for me to get it down to a science. If you have an infant u may want to use a cradle car seat instead.
608308
Maybe? This has come up on car-seat.org several times. It seems Diono has said yes it is OK, but they had to draw the line somewhere. If you feel your child is OK in the more upright position, then I guess it becomes a parental decision. I will point out, though, that my 2 1/2yo often slumps in this seat when sleeping, so with an 8mo, it might be even worse. I don't think you're going to get a hard and fast yes or no. You could call diono yourself and see what they are currently saying. http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=2139611&postcount;=35
1165816
We have been considerign purchasing this, can anyone attest to the true smaller size this posts. I just bought a Nissan Versa and thought 3 kids would fit comfortably in the back seat (not quite). We currently have the Evenflo Triumph, Fisher Price Safe Voyage booster, and an 11 year old that gets squeezed wherever she fits. The kids are actually 3, 9, and 11. The 9 year old still needs the booster-he is only 60 pounds. I am considering purchasing this car seat but only if I can get all three kids comfortable in the back seat. This would replace the Triumph.
884848
I think it depends on how big your baby is. My 4 month old is 18 lbs., so we use this in our Uppababy regular seat for him and he is very comfortable. He was a little cramped in the carseat with adapter set-up. My daughter was 11 lbs at 3 months and didn't need more room until she was older and could sit up by herself pretty well. So, I'd say wait until you know what size baby you have.
1360846
From what I've read, I'm going with the Peg over the Clek Foonf. One reason is because it seems to be one of the lighter seats, although Amazon says 11 pounds and the Peg website says 21. I believe the Clek is like 25 or 30, maybe more. The Clek has a great wheeled travel bag, which might change my mind if we did a lot of air travel. But we mostly travel in the car, so the simple Peg travel bag will work. And the Clek Foonf can be difficult to clean if you have a major spill (or motion sickness issue). I'm a clean freak so it needs to be fairly easy. We have the Peg infant seat which is basically the same seat in a smaller version and I had no issues removing everything to clean it.
1892706
Our little one was born 6 lbs 18 inches and we have used this car seat from the day we left the hospital. She is now 6 months and we still use this car seat and have even used this car seat to help calm her down when nothing else would work and I am not just talking about the 2:00 a.m. car rides, we just strap her in and carry it around....she just feels comfortable in the car seat I guess....but as I have quickly learned some things will work for you and your little one and others might not...so if you think it has to acute of an angle, don't buy it b/c if your little one is upset in the car seat all your going to think about is "its that stinking acute angle and that darn car seat making him/her uncomfortable", even though it might not be.
2078885
I have the old school plastic gogo babyz and this gogo babyz mini. The mini is so much better. The plastic one broke in the middle of the airport. The metal one is so much sturdier. I own a bunch of different car seats. I have yet to find one the mini cant handle. My Clek Foonf is one of the heaviest car seats on the market and the mini carries it just fine. I also had great luck with my Diono Radian and Rainer both weigh about 25 lbs. If you go on the Gogo Babyz web page they will tell you if your car seat is comparable. Good luck
1442258
I have traveled with the carseat and alone with a 2-3 yr old, both internationally and domestically. Now, I'm a pretty strong woman, but it's not very joyful carrying this over your back along with carry on bag, stroller, kid, backpack, and or whatever you choose to bring with you. It does not come with the back straps, they have to be purchased separately (I purchased on amazon) and they have about a 6 inch long padding strip (which is very minimally padded). My daughter is 3 now and I have no plans to travel anytime soon, but if I do I'll be checking in the seat, not bringing it on the plane. Now, the seat itself is incredible, it's fits on any airline seat, its comfortable, safe, amazing quality. Although I can't really give a great experience traveling with this seat, I do have to say it is and was a lot easier than when I used to have to travel with a regular carseat. It is also alot easier if you are traveling with an adult companion (I've always traveled alone with toddler with this seat), and can find a way to add a little extra padding to the strap, then you will be golden! Hope this helps!