Cosco Kids - Finale 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat (BC206GHC)

Hey. Just saw this, but if you didn’t get a car seat yet, I highly recommend the Cosco Finale. It’s a forward-facing car seat that converts to a booster. Like the Scenera, it’s lightweight, inexpensive, and FAA approved (but only in 5-point harness mode). That was what we got when our kids outgrew the Scenera.

We brought my son’s Extend2Fit on the plane. We fly 4-5 times a year and many different airlines and have never had a problem rear facing it. We had a backpack to carry it through the airport. When my son turned FF after he turned 4, we bought a Cosco Kids Finale and that was a breeze to use on the plane. It was so lightweight and made me wish we had purchased the rear facing Cosco one just for all our trips before FF. They’re cheap Walmart seats.

And the finale as a booster seat.

Just grab some lightweight Cosco seats. Much easier to haul through airports. Like 8 lbs each. Then you have them forever and don’t have to worry about a rental screw up If they’re 4 just check the seats with luggage. Grab a basic nylon bag for each.

We have a Cosco Finale. It's super light (like, easily heft it with one hand; we sling them over a shoulder if need be, but typically check them for free with the airline when we fly so as not to bother) and affordable, with a 5 point harness up to 65 lbs and then can convert to a backless booster (up to 100 lbs). Might not work for a plane, but we feel comfortable with our kid using the regular lap belt now (thought I've looked into the CARES harnesses). We do also have a Bubble Bum seat, but we prefer the Finale.

We have this one too for our almost 6 year old.

When my kids were young enough to use car seats, we had two Cosco Scenera Nexts that stacked and fit easily with strollers in our cabin closet. For a forward facing child the Cosco Finale works well too. We also won't fly without my kids' safety devices. My tiny child was 7 before she got to fly without a car seat because she needed it in the car. For cruising we used two umbrella strollers with stroller links. My kids were old enough that they pushed their own strollers until we were off the ship. The stroller links make a wider double stroller, but it worked fine for exploring Alaskan ports and in the airport. There are also many travel bags that have backpack straps. The first type I got were supposed to be wheeled but didn't work well so we piled the car seats in the stroller and had the kids walk. After that I got the backpack type and pushed the stroller. If you use a quality stroller, Cosco seats are so light, people often hang them from the stroller without issue. One might also fit in a larger stroller basket.

We don’t bring car seats on the plane for our 5 year olds. I’ve actually never seen anyone do that. For travel car seats we use a cheap Cosco one. I believe it’s the Finale. We check it with our bags and put it in a car seat bag (you can get them on Amazon) so it doesn’t get gross. Edit: For out of the country travel when we don’t know what kind of vehicles we’ll be riding in, we use Ride Safer vests. However, for travel within the states I prefer them to be in an actual car seat.

Please don’t harness your poor older kid into a car seat on the plane lol. It’s super unnecessary at that age and I couldn’t imagine lugging car seats through the airport and onto the plane for my almost 6 year olds. My kids (same age and size) use the ride safer vest for international travel and Cosco Finale for domestic. We have car seat bags to check them with the luggage so they don’t get all gross.

We don’t drive much when we travel, so our 5yo (similar stats for height and weight) uses a Bubble Bum. I got it specifically because it’s UK and EU certified and I didn’t want something that would be disallowed in Europe.  We previously had a Cosco Finale for travel, but are probably done with it in harness-mode based on height. It was fine on the plane in harness mode though, and pretty lightweight to tote around. I never checked it - always flew in-cabin. 

The Cosco Finale has a minimum weight rating of 40 lbs now (this is a new change). So the Scenera Extend is probably the best option for the toddler, and the Finale may or may not work for the 4 year year old. If you travel frequently I think the Ride Safer Travel Vest is a solid investment. Beware of knock offs. There is only ONE product in this category that is safe and crash tested and legal in the US.

My toddler just grew out of the scenera and I looked into this and there’s really nothing great. Lightweight option is the Cosco finale but it’s only forward facing. For rear facing the best bet was Graco E2F which I bought and it’s really bulky and heavy. We’re taking the finale on our next trip even though I’m not planning to forward face him normally, this trip has very minimal time in a car so I’m ok with it.

They should absolutely use car seats on the plane. Car seats are regularly damaged to the point where they are not safe to use when they’re checked. Also, the 1.5 year old is almost certainly not large enough to be able to use the airplane seat belt, which only starts fitting properly around 40 lbs or so. Get a wagon that folds and put the seats in that. Install the seats when you get on the plane, fold up the wagon, put it in the overhead compartment. Or use two of the trolley things. Turbulence is the number one cause of in flight injuries for children. I would recommend getting lightweight seats for travel - if your 4 year old is forward facing the Graco Tranzitions is a good option, and is FAA approved in harness mode (NOT booster mode). For the 1.5 year old it would be either the Cosco Scenera or Finale, based on their size. If your four year old is on the larger side, more than 40 lbs, you could get the RideSafer Travel Vest for them to use when you arrive at your destination, because the airplane seat belt SHOULD fit, but it’s a gamble.

We bought the Cosco finale when ours outgrew the scenera next. It’s equally light and easy to travel with, a bit bigger though. Way cheaper than the wayb pico. We usually check it when flying but it’s not bad to throw on top of a roll aboard and gate check it if you want. Definitely not bringing it on the plane though, just a regular lap belt for a kid that big. TBH at 40+ pounds just get a small booster seat for the trip, will be way easier.

I think you answered your own question, but if by booster, you mean a car seat without a harness that uses the vehicle seatbelt to hold her in, no it would not be okay since she doesn’t meet the minimums (age 5 AND 40lbs AND the ability to sit correctly at all times) of any booster seat. She needs to remain harnessed in a convertible or combination car seat. Since she’s under 40lbs, she’d also be safest riding in a harnessed car seat on the plane as well. If you’re looking for something lightweight/packable for the car only, the ride safer travel vest is basically your only option. My 5.5 year old is basically the same size (37lbs, 43in) and we just bring her normal car seat(s), graco slimfit and century drive on, when we travel by plane. If your normal car seat is bulky and heavy you could purchase a more travel friendly one like the Evenflo Maestro or the Cosco Finale, but make sure you measure her torso height to make sure the harness height is compatible.

Yes, we used a Costco Scenera on several flights for the reasons others have mentioned- safety on the flight and protecting the car seat for use upon arrival. Now we use the cares harness and a ridesafe vest (if just using a car service to/from airport but otherwise not really going in cars) or we gate check the Cosco finale if we’re renting a car. The gate check is supposedly to minimize handling and therefore damage. It’s not ideal but my kid is no longer willing to sit in one on flights. 

Third vote for the Finale. We did have some difficulty installing it in a rental minivan when we couldn’t remove the headrest (stupid Chrysler Pacifica) but otherwise it’s been great.

I would get something like a cosco finale or graco tranzitions. Or, with her stats, she could use an evenflo chase (must be converted to booster at 50lbs). Just scrolled the comments and the ride safer vest would be a good option too. There’s just a learning curve to it and you have to make sure you have the right size. I’ve heard the company is great with working with customers to assess sizing and fit.

If you need one at the destination, fly with it. I would suggest the cosco finale or graco tranzitions. Personally I would keep a kid with those stats in a harness over a straight-up booster. You could also have someone bring one to the airport. I would not check or rent a car seat. Once that seat goes out of your sight, you don’t know what could happen to it, and i worry that unseen damage could compromise the car seat in the event of an accident.

Exactly. The “benefits” of child sitting in the seat (injuries from extreme turbulence) are a pretty rare occurrence, maybe 1 in hundreds of thousands of kids, BUT the real benefit is controlling your child having access to a safe car seat at every moment when you are off the plane. So no poor handling by luggage handlers at the airport, no relying on if rental car services have a car seat or what condition it is in, making sure your kid has a seat if you need to get in a taxi or Uber, no scrambling if your plane somehow gets diverted and your travel plans change, etc. You have the seat, on your person, and you are prepared. I bought the WayB Pico for a travel seat and it’s super light and easy to set up (though expensive). The Cosco Scenera and Cosco Finale are considered good budget options for travel seats, and there’s also the Ride Safer Travel Vest (please beware of fake online alternatives!) if your child is large enough for that one.

Bring your own car seats. If yours are too bulky/heavy to bring, Walmart sells very lightweight seats that cost around $60-$80 and are highly recommended for travel. Depending on how old your kids are, the Cosco Scenera Next (rear and forward facing convertible seat) and the Cosco Finale (forward facing combination seat) are the ones. Don’t trust rental seats ever. If you are flying and your kids are under 40 lbs, they should be in them on the plane anyway.

The scenera next is the best travel car seat for a young toddler. It is outgrown ff before rf for most kids so it's great for kids that still rear face (under 3 or 4 years). Anyone who's recommending the wayb pico has too much extra cash lying around. That thing costs more than some regular car seats and I've heard that it's not particularly comfortable for kids. The Cosco finale is a more reasonably priced light weight seat for a forward facing toddler/preschooler. The ride safer travel vest is another good option for older toddlers. It's expensive for a travel seat but gives you a good option if you've needing to squeeze 5 people into a sedan or are other wise tight on space. For even older kids, I really like hifold and mifold. There's a bit of a learning curve on set up but my kids are pretty happy with them for travel and they're so small.

Booster seats (with a back for the 4 y/o) are fine. This blog post has detailed, accurate info about car seats laws in CR. https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/car-seats-costa-rica/ But booster/car seats and bring them. Get Cosco models like Scenera or Finale online or at Walmart. They’re $50ish. Make sure you get ones that match your kids height and weight requirements.

We looked into a number of options and now have 2 of the Cosco Scenera Finale carseats. Super lightweight, converts to a booster style when they can use a traditional seatbelt. Bought a couple of Gorilla Grip car seat bags.

I did a lot of research and we got a cosco seat because it’s so lightweight and every car seat education resource I found recommended using it on the plane for safety. So that’s what we did. Definitely a hassle bringing on board but we strapped ours to the stroller, and gate checked the stroller and made it all work. Everyone was very nice and understanding

I've rented and it wasn't bad. I've also bought one of the light Cosco ones and a cover to gate check it. I strapped it to my carry on with a luggage strap to wheel through the airport. It was annoying getting it through TSA, but that's probably the route I'd go if I had to do it again.

Ride safer vest for the 4 year old and wheel your carseat on a trolley for the 1.5 year old. We also have a cosco seat for our youngest bc it's so light, but you can definitely get away with not.

This is the perfect use case for the cheap light car seat. 10+ years ago, the right answer was the "Cosco" brand one. Thing weighed less than 10 pounds and was super easy to carry around. It was also a bit smaller than the "good" brands, which made it a breeze to fit in plane seats. Then we used it while we were at our destination. Was it as comfortable or padded as the ones we used at home? No, but it got the job done. Maybe a more recent parent can chime in on whether that's still the right one for the job.

How do you like the Cosco seats? Out kids aren't quite into convertible yet. The Cosco went on super sale today and we bought two thinking that if we like them then we can buy another two later, and if we don't like them then they become the ones in "Dad's car". I'm a huge fan of Consumer Report and the Cosco did really well in their testing....