Cosco Kids - MightyFit LX Convertible Car Seat

If you're out of the infant stage the Next might be too small. The luggage carrier works with basically any car seat. We used it with the Cosco Mighty Fit which is also super super light weight and easy to install in rental cars/Ubers, and then the carrier folds up into the size of a large book

Cosco until big/mature enough for RideSafer.

If the child is over two, you’re buying a seat for them regardless, correct? The only negative I ever encountered was flying with my toddler alone meant I was responsible for getting them and the seat onto the plane myself. Both can be heavy and unruly at times. I loved having their seats on the plane though. It was just like the car for them, no trying to get down, or wanting to be held. And they could easily sleep. If you have a helper, even better. Plus you’ll have a car seat where you’re going, and it won’t get broken or lost from checking it. If you can buy a cheap lightweight seat, it’ll help a bunch. We had a cosco seat from Walmart we only used for travel. I think it weighed less than 10 lbs.

We have a couple of the Cosco ones. They stack well amd are easy to carry. Not the fanciest but seem to do the job.

We still do a Cosco car seat because it's light and transportable.  When they grow out of that it will be a CARES harness.

Where are you going that you don't need seats at your destination? We bought a Cosco brand seat for traveling. Much more lightweight and easy to install than our usual car seats. We used it on the plane and in our rental car while on vacation.

Nope not missing anything 😅good news is your next car seats will last you much, much longer! I’d get four extend2fits. We love extend2fit. Easy to install and lasts forever, rear faces up to 50lbs while most are 40. My oldest is 4 and no plans to move him from that seat anytime soon. Coscos are great for air travel with as they’re so light but I think they’re less comfortable and don’t grow with your children as much. Also a total pain to install. My husband has a graco slim in his that’s lighter and slimmer and very similar though it stops rear facing at 40

We had some success with the graco contender go The cosco one is fine, it is lighter and dirt cheap but it has no cushion to it so it is not comfortable for long flights

You can do this! I flew solo with my then-12 month old. Buy baby their own seat on the plane. Opt for a window seat for baby and you’ll take the seat next to them. Buy a Cosco car seat - they are cheap and lightweight. Check your suitcase. Gate check your stroller. You’ll get a tag from the gate agent then usually you’ll leave the stroller at the end of the jet bridge. When you get on the plane, you will have baby in arms, a backpack holding your flight supplies (more below), and the car seat over your shoulder. This is a great time to employ a sympathetic fellow passenger but not necessary! When you get on the plane, you will first put baby down in your seat and strap them in using the lap belt. You will then reach over baby and install the car seat by threading the lap belt through the back of it. The car seat will have to face forward because there just isn’t enough space to install rear facing. Then, install baby in the car seat! Now, sit down yourself, let out a sigh of relief, and begin the next phase of the trip: the flight. In your bag, you will have: Your standard diaper bag supplies Spare outfit for baby Spare short for yourself A few Tupperware or lunchbox full of non-smelly, not messy snacks. I like veggie straws, a chicken and bean quesadilla, a clementine, blueberries, and a banana. A selection of toys that cannot roll. Bonus: new toys or hide some favorites about a week before the trip so they are exciting again. A roll of painters tape or post-it notes make for mess-free fun. A pacifier, even if it’s not part of your routine, for air pressure changes. A water bottle At your destination, you’ll do everything in reverse - I usually wait until everyone else if off the plane. Your stroller will be at the end of the jet bridge. Ask your friend to come in to baggage claim to give you extra hands. Check to see if there are baby gear rental available in your friends city. If not, I’d recommend buying one and having it shipped to her. And then she can either keep it, donate it, or give it to a friend with kids. There are ultra-packable pack and plays but our experience is that they are not as comfortable for baby after about 25#. Plus, your suitcase will be full with everything else needed for baby. If you can afford it, it’s nice to not have to stress about the pack and play.

I flew US east coast to west coast with my husband and baby at 10 months, and then a short 90 minute solo flight with baby at 1 year. What a world of difference. At 10 months, baby snoozed and was easy going. At 1 year, baby was still easy going but much more antsy and interested in everything going on. Our flight was much shorter, but prepare for a lot more walking around the plane, waving at other passengers, whining, etc. We had a separate ticket for baby each time and carried on the cosco car seat. I highly recommend having a bag of diversions for baby. You could buy new stuff, or put away some favorite toys a couple weeks before the trip so baby is excited to see them. Suggestions - things that don’t roll away too easily! a magnetic tray and some big magnets, one of those cheap battery operated drawing tablets, a roll of painters tape or post it notes, books, Pom poms, a light blanket, a favorite stuffy, and a pacifier to help with pressure changes. And of course pack up plenty of easy to eat foods that baby can snack on - quesadillas cut into little squares, blueberries, pouches, clementines, veggie straws, etc. The name of the game is keeping baby happy!!

For us, no. We have the Nuna. Babies just hate being confined. Mine screamed every time she was in her seat from 4 months to 9 months! We played around with the Chicco and Cosco seats too, to see if any would help (nope - they didn't!). We ended up switching to a Britax One4Life around the 4 month mark to give her more space and so she could sit up more and see the world, but still dealt with screaming. Same thing happened to my friend who used both the Chicco and Graco systems for their two cars. They will eventually grow out of the screaming - we tried to bring a lot of entertainment and snacks to distract her and it helped immensely. She's just over 2 years old now and chills in her carseat for trips so it will get better, I promise you!

I would get the cosco honestly! I wouldn’t want to install that car seat in a rental car honestly lol

Check up on car seat rules for Germany, apparently they are different than US so your seat may not even be “legal.” We’ve taken the Cosco on multiple trips (plane and car/rental cars), it’s worth it.

I’ve flown with my 2.5 year old on a bunch of 12+ hour flights throughout her life. Previously we brought her Cosco car seat on every flight. But most recently, we got a CARES harness and a Flyaway inflatable bed, and the combo was definitely worth it. Most relaxing flights of our lives, and she slept very well.  I’m sure there are good cheaper alternatives to the Flyaway, but it was comfy for her, easy to set up, sturdy, and didn’t leave a gap where toys could fall through. I think we’ll get a good few years out of it.  The main downside of a CARES harness is that unlike a car seat, it’s just loose enough that you cannot wrestle a screaming kid into it. She completely refused to comply with a couple seatbelt signs on one flight and we literally could not force her to. So that wasn’t super safe.  But overall it’s a great device. My kid also does not enjoy car seats at all and doesn’t sleep well in them, so that factored in for us.  Other than that, the only device I would recommend is a tablet. An old iPad + Bluetooth headphones + a temporary YouTube Premium membership (so you can download videos) = happy toddler for 4-6 hours total. 

I check my car seats. I recommend the backpack car seat covers mainly to make it easier to move them but the Cosco seat is light and my go to for travel. Or put the seats in your stroller and wear baby 🤷🏻‍♀️

I would get the Cosco seat. It helps the little one understand that this is time for us to sit. There’s also the safety piece for landing and take off especially, or extreme turbulence. And I would use the seat in your rental car. Rental car seats are not reliable - you don’t know how they’ve been cleaned or if they’ve been properly handled, if they’ve been in an accident, etc.

We use Cosco car seats for travel in backpack car seat carriers. I originally bought the carriers to use our normal car seats but it was SO heavy and the car seat experts really don’t recommend checking car seats. They’re no frills but it was cheaper to buy them than rent seats. I usually pack the diapers / pull-ups or life vests inside the car seat backpacks too. It’s awkward but possible to carry two car seats because they’re so light. The trek from baggage claim to the rental car is the worst. We’ve debated splitting up but we only have two so we’ve managed thus far. You should be able to get a luggage cart at baggage claim to take it to the bus or outside to pickup. It’s worth every penny.

Yes! Put this above - seconding the Cosco car seat. We’ve installed it in Ubers and Lyfts previously! Haven’t had someone cancel yet but we don’t do it a ton!

I usually fly with my own carseat for my kid! The cosco one is pretty lightweight and cheap!

To echo others. Get cosco car seats for both. And some cheap straps/carrying bags from Amazon. The 10 nylon one with book bag straps. From here just throw money because it’ll make you less miserable Drive and park your own car. Pre buy long term. Check or gate check as much as possible so you’re light moving around the airport. Keep diapers snacks iPads and clothing backups on you. Practice installing those travel car seats on your own before you’re in the hot humid rental car lot with a cranky family.

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.

yeah, you gotta bring your own. same with taxis or even the one time we sprung for black car service with a car seat installed. dude rolls up sans car seat and just shrugs. buy a cosco because it's light, check it for free in a basic nylon bag and just take away the chance someone else screws this up for you.

Yup! We have this for mine and my husband’s car. It’s not too bad. I love Chicco brand though. We considered getting one for my parents and my in laws, but we got a Cosco travel one for them for $60 for the times they have her. It’s useful for traveling too if you need to bring a seat on a plane.

We have the 4-in-1 which I think does not have the 5th option pictured. Overall it's a good car seat from my limited knowledge of car seats. The belt is easy to tighten. It's heavy AF though and we have a Cosco (not Costco) seat for flying.

Just buy a different car seat. The Cosco one from Walmart weighs like 6 pounds. In the USA it's approved for flight. I am not sure about overseas.

Second this! Makes travel so easy. We’ve traveled all over the world with ours and my son is used to it so it’s a familiar routine on the plane.

It’s still the best one!

The Cosco seat is FAA approved and safe to install at any seat where you’re not blocking passage (ie. window seat) Seats do need to have a special FAA designation for US flights, otherwise the FAs can turn you away. (They would make you gate check it)

I've used two different Cosco car seats and I've found them impossible to install correctly rear-facing. They always move no matter how much I tighten. Have followed numerous tutorials, etc. I don't have this issue with other car seats. Am I the only one with this problem?

Yes! This is my issue! I don't feel it is a safe seat at all.

That was me 👋🏻 It’s not always! It’s just a liability for them so sometimes they say no. TBH, I understand it. The drivers who bring their own car seat have to go through training AND uber provides them with a Nuna car seat. The cosco car seat is $70ish and really easy to install. Great for travel and a good option for uber. Just be aware that sometimes drivers aren’t open to the risk!

I have traveled often with my kids from below your twins age till around three where they are now. The idea of flying to Hawaii, even it’s from somewhere close like Los Angeles fills me a sense of dread I can’t quite explain. 21 month olds want to move and flail and kick and even a two hour flight was difficult when I held one of mine in my lap at that age. If you have any ability to buy a third seat to trade the twins back-and-forth from, you will not regret it. The Cosco car seats are good but quite small. If your twins are on the short side, they may fit, but my twins were past the height limits by probably around 22 or 23 months. So they could work for your trip but definitely try it out before you commit. They install easy and very basic lightweight car seats. To the question about car seats the reason most people do not check car seats or strollers with their main checked luggage is because items that go through that process are thrown around and mistreated much more than gate checked items. There is a much higher chance of damage and in the case of a car seat, invisible but serious damage.

We bought a cheap seat we use for air travel. That way if it’s damaged we aren’t out hundreds.

That’s precisely what we have!

Disney could be an exception for this. When we went the rental companies had mountains of clean Cosco seats. We ended up buying a pair of Cosco’s for a different trip when we didn’t know what would be available.

We were there on a Make a Wish trip for my son (who’s doing great now) so I don’t know the seat rental costs. Buying for our other trip was worth it. Their combined weight was less than the weight of one of our primary seats. When we got home we gave them to relatives who might need to transport our kids.

Renting works at the location but not all rental companies would have them, especially in more remote areas. What worked for us was having a travel car seat, the lighter the better. The brand we had was Cosco and it worked really well. Car seat bags for traveling are a dime a dozen on Amazon and since car seats are free check in, you almost get a freebie. We typically throw all the toddler stuff into the car seat bag along with the car seat and that frees up a lot of luggage space. Happy traveling!

This is the way! The Cosco car seats are light and cheap, so you don’t feel bad if something happens to it. If we checked them we put them in nylon “car seat bags” that we got from Amazon. And once they outgrow those, look into the IMMI GO seats. They fold down small and still provide 5-point harnesses. For on the plane, if you don’t use the Cosco, check out the CARES straps. These were awesome for keeping the kids secured safely: https://www.amsafe.com/kidsflysafe-com/ Finally, once you’re past car seats and into boosters, the Bubble Bum inflatable boosters take up even less luggage space and worked great for us. One did eventually pop, but it might have been our fault: https://bubblebum.co/pages/home-us

We rented a car for one day on vacation recently and got a cosco seat. It was in okay shape, but we couldn’t get the latch system to tighten and had to use the seat belt. Our 3.5yo was almost too big for it and I don’t think they had anything bigger except a booster so idk what we would’ve done if she was too big for it. The cost will add up over several days too. Normally we bring the seat but had bus transportation to the hotel and didn’t want to bother for one day.

I brought our cosco one on the flight for the first time last week and it was a game changer. My 2yo loved it. She was the most chill she has ever been on a flight. Normally she is a wiggly Tasmanian devil. I was travelling by myself with a 4yo and 2yo. I didn’t find it too difficult to manage but we didn’t have any plane changes. I just bungeed it to a carry on size roller suitcase

After 3 kids I learned to love the cosco brand from Walmart. They’re so much simpler and easier to clean and move around. We had one similar to this with my first and it was great, just so much harder to pull out and clean. The cosco brand is also great for 3 across, but I saw you say that’s not an issue.

My daughter hated the expensive Uppababy and Clek car seats, and to this day loves the $100 Cosco travel car seat we intended to use on just one trip. She was reluctant but fine in a cushion-y Maxi Cosi convertible, and feels similarly about Graco. We’ve spent a lot on car seats for a one-car family.

Fly with your car seat and rent a car at your destination. Do not check the car seat. There’s a risk for damage and getting lost and then you’re really screwed. We have 2 Britax carseats which are huge and bulky (also weigh like 30 lbs) but we use Cosco seats for traveling. They are incredibly lightweight and still safe. Check out SafeintheSeat for more info but installing seats on a plane is very easy and they get a window seat.

Iceland Air is SO TIGHT you will need an extra seat for baby! We were frequent flyers with our toddler on Southwest before he turned two, but we were shocked by how small the seats are on Iceland Air compared to Southwest! Also, they are extremely picky about your bag sizes, we had to buy special suitcases for our trip because we couldn't even use our kids' bags as they were thicker than 7.8". We usually take our bugaboo butterfly stroller and put it in the overhead bin on Southwest, I don't think they would allow it on Iceland Air. Even my purse was too big to count as a personal item, so please measure! Southwest uses B737, like Iceland Air, so I really thought the plane would feel the same; but they've made the aisle wider (probably to accommodate carts for food and drinks) which means the seats had to be made smaller (more narrow). Under the seats are also smaller, and it honestly felt like I was riding in an MD-80. If it were me, I would rather not go than have to try to hold a baby on my lap on Iceland Air...and this is coming from someone who frequently had a baby/toddler on her lap for other airlines. If you don't already have a travel car seat, I highly recommend the Cosco one, it's lightweight, FAA approved, and like $35 online! We bought one just for travel 😉

I have the same problem. It doesnt move much side to side but, even with a rolled up towel, the car seat easily tips forward towards the back of the backseat when rear facing

Our kids wear vests now but when they were babies we’d bring travel carseats (cheap Cosco seat from Walmatf. They’re really light) Travel carseat and gate check. We don’t usually check luggage so gate checking saves us from waiting for the luggage to get unloaded.

We used to take Cosco car seats onto the plane when my kids were smaller. They're lightweight and FAA approved with a big sticker on the side saying so for any flight attendant who wants to see it. They fit perfectly down the aisle, and you can get a little dolly to attach them to to make them kind of like strollers through the airport. So incredibly convenient! Now that my kids are older, we use Mifold boosters, which easily fit into suitcases and carry-ons. They meet all of the safety standards, even internationally.

We rent one with the car at our destination. It’s generally a Cosco car seat, which is the one we have anyway.. inexpensive, lightweight, very safe, super easy to install.

First kid, we bought the Cosco travel car seat which fit perfectly in the Mountain Buggy travel stroller. Used it for years. And now have the Nuna Trvl which is a traditional travel stroller that allows the Nuna car seat to lock into it. Clutch !

I've seen rental seats missing important safety components (tether anchors, chest clips, etc) and I've also see rental car employees literally toss them into hot storage rooms. I wouldn't risk my little ones on those seats. I have been flying with Cosco seats for years and love them. You can either check them in a seat bag (for free), or buy a luggage strap. I like to use the luggage strap through the seatbelt paths and then flip the seat upside down, securing it top down, padding side in against my suitcase in the airport. It works great and isn't an extra item to lug through the airport. Additionally, there are personal car rental companies like Turo that you can look into. I have had better luck with Turo seats because I can communicate with the vehicle owner about the specific seat ahead of time. Another option, if you need additional baby gear, is BabyQuip. You can have them meet you at the car rental agency with the baby gear you ordered including car seats.

Someone else mentioned a cheap Cosco (not to be confused with Costco) car seat; I agree. Search fb marketplace, I got one for $20 once, or buying one new doesn’t cost that much more. There’s also a decent backpack, I believe the company is J Childress or something, if you want your hands free to wheel around the other things (another option would be buckle straps where you can strap the seat to a suitcase).  Also: Be ready when you order an uber or whatever that the driver might try to “help” you install it—reject their help so you can ensure it’s done correctly rather than quick. 

target car seat trade is a life saver. check amazon too though. sometimes they’ll drop the price around targets sale to compete. i got their infant seats for like 20$ cheaper than target. i got 2 nice seats for my car and cosco seats for dads car and grandparents. i think they’re 60$. i’m the main person that drives the kids so no need to waste money on a nice car seat that will hardly get used.

The cosco one is awesome for this!

Agree with other folks, we have a car and this is our car seat, and I have no complaints, but it is heavy. I have installed it for Ubers/used it at the airport, because I don't want to own two car seats, and it certainly all worked (and generally I find install with the Latch system super easy, I haven't yet had to use the seatbelt install so I can't speak to that), but I don't think of it as meant for that. That said, I have a really tall toddler, so the higher height limits make it worth it for us! My friend without a car uses the Cosco and installs it in my car all the time when we're heading places together. It's so quick and light!

This is the combo we use! Can confirm it works perfectly.

The Cosco car seat weighs like 6 pounds. We did that with a 3 year old last year. Worked out pretty good. I was not aware of the CARES harness, but we had to take a car seat either way so it wouldn't have made a difference. The one flaw with the Cosco car seat when front facing is the padding is thin and the buckle from the plane is uncomfortable. We put a folded up blanket as extra padding. We also got a 6 month old a ticket and strapped in their car seat. 10/10 would recommend not having to hold a baby for 2 hours was worth the money.

We use a cosco seat for travel or sometimes just lug our graco. It’s easier for us because then she’s contained in a seat she’s already comfortable with so I don’t need to worry about her wiggling around or able to easily get out of her seat or having to hold her the entire time

For the 4 yr old I would do a rider vest and the 1.5 yr old the Coso car seat, I was able to attach it to our stroller and push around both the kid and the seat at the same time. [https://coscokids.com/collections/car-seats](https://coscokids.com/collections/car-seats) If your 4 yr old is more avg size you could do both, I have a kid the size of a 6 yr old. You just shouldn’t do the vest in < 4 yr old.

Second this. The cosco seat is light and inexpensive.

The Cosco brand is very light, easy to carry around, and they are so cheap even if you only use it for 1 trip it’s worth it.

My travel car seat comes in very useful and I also loan it out to traveling friends. It's great for Grandma/Grandpa + babysitter to use. It's also great for baby to use on a plane. They sit very comfortably. The Costco is super light weight. I would recommend it.

I like the cosco seat as well, if only they could design a stroller frame for the seat, that would be an ideal travel kit!

We hate the cosco one, we just found it annoying to get a good install in a car. it’s more expensive but we love the graco slimfit 3lx. We’ve used it on the plane many times we’ve checked it before. We use a generic padded car seat bag when we check it, and we got a strap to just attach it to our rolling carry on when we bring it on planes.

Just to piggy pack- We also use a Cosco seat with a mountain buggy nano stroller. Perfectly snug and we add a bungie strap threaded through the seat and clip to stroller. 100% recommend as both the stroller and seat are easy for plane travel.

I use the summer 3d quick close and a cosco car seat. In my experience, lots of places in Spain and Portugal are not stroller friendly, cobble, narrow and uneven stairs etc. If your 4 year old would sit in a carrier of some sort that would be great.

I’ve flown at least a dozen times with my kids and I either bring a car seat into the cabin or use a CARES harness. But I also use a travel car seat (Cosco brand) because it’s lighter. Toddlers and babies are not properly secured with the airplane seatbelts.

The Cosco car seats are way lighter than any other car seat I’ve owned. I’ve been able to fit two stacked inside a car seat carry bag.

We have (obnoxiously large) bags we put the car seat and stroller into when we check or gate check. Mostly so we don't land and have a wet seat. We bought the cosco car seat for travel. It's like 7 pounds so easy enough for one of us to carry.

The Cosco seat didn’t fit my tall kid after 2 years…

The best thing I did was buy a Cosco seat from Walmart for travel. They are safe, but more fiddly to use. They are super light and make airport travel a breeze.

**Buy a Cosco car seat for one or both kids. They weigh like 6 pounds and are no frills. Sooooo much easier to carry around. OP I promise it's worth it.** But yes absolutely carry the car seats on. I wouldn't want them getting thrown around the baggage area even if you gate check it. Do family boarding obviously. Head to the back of the plane so you have time to get everything strapped in before other customers make it to you.

The $60 Cosco seat is a lifesaver for travel. It’s still a bit bulky, but it’s cheap and it works wonders. Plus it’s lightweight, so it’s not a burden to carry. But yea, gone are the days where you could just pop out the infant seat and place it into a stroller.

Your 5 year old will be fine in the seat! For your two year old, look into a Cosco car seat. It’s cheap, light and airline approved. We use that as our travel car seat (for your 5 y.o you can check theirs or rent one at your destination).  For flight, lots of snacks but also bring suckers to help with ears. We also like using cups with straws or those good to grow character cups to help with that too. Don’t be afraid to use screens but also bring a brand new toy they’ve never seen before. Our last flight we got mini magnetiles and pipe cleaners and it lasted a pretty good amount of time.  2.5 hours isn’t too bad so I’m sure they’ll do great! You got this! 

Cosco seats found at walmart ($60), and an umbrella stroller ($25) have worked just fine for my family.

We have three kids (5yo, 2.5yo, and newborn) and we travel a lot, so most of this is general advice. We usually bring travel car seats and rent a car. The infant gets the nuna pipa. It's an infant carseat that clips into the stroller and does not require a base to install. The 2.5yo has a cosco that we can strap to our rolling luggage, and the 5yo has a ride safer vest. (Aside, to answer your stadium question, my 5yo and I took a rideshare to a concert at SoFi Stadium. She wore her vest carseat and then we folded it up and put it in a stadium approved clear bag. We had no issues). We usually rent a car, but learning how to install car seats quickly in ride shares has also been an essential skill for travel. Public transit is also GREAT if you're traveling to a city that has it. (If you're coming to to world cup in Los Angeles, look into shuttles. Most venues don't have enough parking, so there are shuttle services.) Some other options you didn't mention, but may be helpful for other people:  * You can rent baby gear a lot of places, so you don't have to lug around car seats, pack n plays, strollers, etc. Companies like Baby Quip are a good place to start if you're interested in that option. * Most car rental companies will allow you to rent a carseat with your car for an extra fee. This is especially great if you're doing multi city travel where some places have great public transit and others don't.  * Ubers with car seats are available in some cities. They're hit and miss. And finally, most US car seats are not approved in Europe. US car seats have the chest clip, European car seats don't. Make sure you know the laws where you're traveling and that your choices are consistent with your level of risk tolerance.

We travel a lot with several kids in car seats and this is 100% my answer. My oldest, 5yo, wears her ride safer vest in ride shares all the time. It's also great for fitting 3 across in a smaller car, or for when one car is dropping her off and another is picking her up.  My middle uses the cosco for travel and you can get bags that let you carry it on your back. It's not as easy to install as clipping in an infant seat, but it's not hard either.

We use the Cosco car seat. Super light and inexpensive only $50. We put it in a car seat bag and check in. Never had any issues with car seat in general when traveling.

We also used the Cosco car seat, it's very light weight

We have travel car seat and a booster for our two. The cheapest Cosco seat and a Graco Booster. Both go in the Cosco store box with usually a couple of rolls of paper towels and a portable potty we have that folds up. We always get the same question if there’s anything else in there. Yes. A booster seat. We brake down the box before the rental and tape it back together once we return the car.

Buy the cosco car seat. Super light and easy to carry.

The CYBEX is actually extremely easy to install. But I certainly wouldn’t give a $700 car seat to baggage handlers. Just take the Cosco and use it when you get there OP. It’s not limited to airplane use, it’s fine in a car too.

Probably not the answer you want to hear, but maybe see if you can find a Doona from FB Marketplace. It’s a car seat and stroller in one. Super lightweight. Perfect for travel. You can put it in the uber on the way to the airport, check it at the gate, and then you’ll have it for the car in your arrival city. My son outgrew the Doona really quickly so I found a Cosco brand car seat with a carrying case that we’d bring on the plane, too. Our son was walking at 10 months so making him a lap baby was impossible. Buying him a seat and using this car seat on the plane was worth every penny.

We have been to five countries with our 2 year old, can confirm I have never been asked by any airline or uber or anything ever about my car seat. In general, people are just accommodating and happy to have kids in car seats or annoyed that you have to install and have way too much stuff.  I would just get the car seat you are most interested in for everyday life. If you are traveling a lot, I’d consider a car seat dedicated for travel like the Doona or Cosco. 

We specifically bought the Cosco seats to use for travel (same ones that National has). They work great for the plane and are easy enough to install once you know how. Pro tip: we bought little dollies that we put the car seats on and roll the kids through the airport. Makes life a little easier.

Agree that the Cosco (not Costco) seat at Walmart is $70 - we bought it a while ago and it's great for traveling, lightweight and easy to install. I'd just gate check it since it's free anyways. Another option would be to rent through Turo, you can filter for cars which include car seats and sometimes this is a free addition depending on the host.

Personally I like travel car seats which are easy to move around. There are heavy study car seats also like Nuna which are good also but hard to switch between cars. We have that and a light car seat which we move around and take for travel, it’s Cosco brand. Graco car seat is pretty popular and not too expensive, I know many people have that one. You cant really go wrong with any car seat, just have to get the right size for kids height and most of them fit most heights. 

I know everyone is recommending the Cosco seat… we just took a five hour flight with it and it was great but once we got to our destination, our 14 month hated it. She is pretty tiny but the seat is SO big she was leaned over a lot and couldn’t sit upright in it. I’d recommend trying it out before the trip. I’m not sure if you have the doona but that’s what we typically use to travel! 

Just an update for everyone - we purchased the Cosco car seat that was recommended to us in this thread. It’s been a lifesaver! Not only was it a breeze to carry through the airport, it was easy to install on the plane and in our rental. We booked bulkhead seats so it was critical that the car seat fit (as the arm rests don’t fold up). Worked out beautifully! Thanks again to all who contributed.

Yes, we have the Cosco car seat for travel as well. We just returned from a trip with five flights in total. It was able to keep my 2.5 year old in her seat comfortably plus it’s safer for her compared to an airplane seat without the car seat.

Get a travel bag for the car seat and check it? We just gate checked a Cosco seat with no bag and it was fine.

Cosco makes very cheap, very lightweight, forward facing and reversible (not infant) car seats that are perfect for this situation. They are FAA approved (don’t peel off the sticker). It’s worth the cost to a car seat that is super easy to carry on the plane. It’s much safer to strap kids in for take off, turbulence, and landing than hold them in your lap. The recent plane injuries from turbulence included lap babies.

I always just used the regular seat belt to secure it. The buckle creates a bump in the seat, but an extra diaper or folded shirt over it was entrust my kids didn’t seem to mind.

We used the lightweight Cosco convertible seat both forwards and rear facing. Be aware that some FA will tell you you can’t rear face on a plane despite that not being an FAA rule. My kids were comfortable enough in it and it’s really easy to attach to a roller bag to take on and off while you carry the baby in your other arm.

I bought 1 for each vehicle and 1 for grandparents. It isn't necessary, but our life is chaotic enough at times. We all have different schedules, 1 parent could drop the kid off, and the other or grandparents could pick up. The infant seat was easy to transport. If you want 1 seat, look at smaller ones like the Cosco ones. Wish I had seen that before.

We used the cosco car seat one year and it fit well into the little basket at the bottom of the stroller. Now that my daughter is a little older (3) we used the ride safer vest. It worked okay, I think I would have been more comfortable had she been even a year older but it was super easy to store for travel

Yup. I think we just slid it upside down going forward and it worked. Zero room to fit anything else in there which was a pain sometimes but otherwise was great!

This is what we do. Got a super lightweight one (cosco brand - not the store, it was from walmart). Checked it with our luggage.

I feel like the issues are with the plane seat. I don’t think any seat will work much better but at least the Cosco light

I use it in cars when someone doesn’t have a car seat and it is fine. Absolutely not fancy but functional. No issues installing it or with comfort. You can fit it rear facing in a plane but it sucks. I can’t think of another car seat that would work better rear facing beyond seat built only for planes. The buckle is annoying in forward facing but that would happen in my extend 2 fit too. Again I blame the stupid belt on planes. What is the alternative beyond the $550 plane only car seat?

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....