Cosco Kids - Scenera Extend

The Cosco travel car seat is great. Super light, fits in plane seats easily, rear facing for cars. It’s only $60 and it was such a great purchase for our travels. Highly recommend doing something like this to have a car seat on the plane and skipping the rental car option. I’d never lug our Nuna onto a plane but a seat made for air travel, absolutely.

I would do one of these two things, depending on the destination. 1) Fly with car seats and rent a car. I fly enough that I have a dedicated car seat for this, chosen because it's super light. Something like [this for bigger kids](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Safety-1st-Grand-2-in-1-Booster-Car-Seat/17434816989?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=3731&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=2222222229717434816989_3731_0000000000_21407473164&wl0=&wl1=x&wl2=c&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=9031997&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113734280&wl11=online&wl12=17434816989_3731&veh=sem&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=21690411341&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIpIaHM5J2nDoq4qDCMq9Q_vi&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrc7GBhCfARIsAHGcW5V3vHzYkNqxfMcKtOazhOQeJi1ylg8b1U4MYa7C9VE9Drv8_9QPirwaAnLBEALw_wcB), th[is one for smaller kids](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Kids-Scenera-NEXT-Convertible-Car-Seat-Columns-Infant-Toddler-Unisex/15683809283?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&selectedOfferId=152F21322A82310FBD43DA26ABAB7460&conditionGroupCode=1&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=22222222297152F21322A82310FBD43DA26ABAB7460_0000000000_21407473164&wl0=&wl1=x&wl2=c&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=9031997&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=152F21322A82310FBD43DA26ABAB7460&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21690411341&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIrGfpYyvTju2QKXeteG8medS&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrc7GBhCfARIsAHGcW5VtcWjFUNfthrrsd86Mv4izxwodPl5tjKCp2DrSR4ore0jXoiNaaw0aAsU-EALw_wcB). You may still choose to take public transit at some points in your trip even though you did rent a car (such as to the game). It's also possible to rent a car seat with your car. I have not preferred to do that b/c of the uncertainty of what you're getting, but it's a valid option. 2) Fly without car seats and take public transit. No car seats needed. But bring a stroller! This is really dependent on your destination and will play into how you choose your accommodation. But in many cities going car free is liberating.

In the economy plus , I’d probably book near a bulk head so you’re close to the bathroom , and I guarantee within arms reach is going to be another woman who will offer to watch them for the five minutes it takes you to pee. We bought the Cosco Extend for $59 at Walmart and my child is OBSESSED with it over her fancy schmancy normal car seats. It’s approved for air travel , it has the little airplane sticker on it, it JUST came out this May, so the two that I’ve purchased were manufactured like 3 months ago, so I am getting max life out of this thing. And then the reason we got it is that it’s 8 pounds. If it was me, I would baby wear through the airport. I’d have a small diaper bag back pack. And then I would have a small roll aboard ( I used the Patagonia rolling 40L bag) and you can turn the car seat upside down and clip it onto the roller to get to the gate. Then I’d get the gate check tag for the roller. I’d board early with the ppl traveling with kids and needing more time. I’d stop at the end of the jetbridge , unclip the car seat from the roller, leave the roller to be check. Baby wear and car the car seat to my seat. I’d probably set the baby on the floor while installing the car seat ( it’s very easy to just run the lap belt through the belt path) [ but don’t be like me , I set the car seat in the window seat , and the baby in the middle seat while I shrugged out of the back pack and she climbed into the unsecured car seat and tipped it over and I caught her leg inches before her head smashed !!! ] Then I’d maybe ask for a flight attendants assistance to install or have a hand on the baby in a seat while I install the car seat. Then I’d stow my stuff and put the baby in the seat. And then you’re probably one of the last people off the plane just bc you have to uninstall and collect everything. Alternatively I’d stroller it through the airport to the gate if you have one of the strollers that’s lets you clip on a car seat if the car seat is airplane approved . But for the money I love our system , and for whatever reason - maybe it’s the stars and moons on the cover but my kid is OBSESSED with the Cosco car seat

I think the only thing that we didn’t have to do that I’m nervous about is gate checking the roller. Bc you need to get it back when you deplane. So maybe check into that , or just don’t gate check. The thing that you need two people for , or to be able to make 2 trips is getting the car seat off the roller bc you have to lift the car seat over the seat to get to where you’re going … But I’m sure you could ask for a hand at the end of the jet bridge. And someone would help you bring your roller to your seat. Other pro tip diaper bag needs to have a change of clothes for baby AND you. I used the Patagonia terravia lightweight backpack tote as my backpack / diaper bag. And then did the baby ergo 360 for wearing, and then the Cosco car seat and the Patagonia roller 40 L like I said before

Mmmm I think clipping to a travel stroller might be tricky. If you used the stroller as sort of a luggage cart and you wore the baby , you could probably clip it in/on the stroller where the kid would sit. And MAYBE if it had a sturdy canopy you could lay it over top if the kid was inside . The Cosco truly is 9 pounds but it’s a heavy 9 pounds bc it’s unwieldy. But it made me appreciate that my other car seats like a Gracco bucket seat and a Gracco convertible, both of which are over 20 pounds, would be impossible to travel with.

I loathed this car seat for the exact same reasons. It didn’t feel safe because of how hard it was to install. The recline is alllll the way flat no matter what, so an older rear facer will be miserable. I don’t have a good alternative recommendation for you. I hope someone else will suggest something!

It’s really not that much bigger. It’s still a very solid travel option.

I may be in the minority, but I hate the Scenera. The straps and crotch buckle are awful, and I was never able to get a tight install with it.

FWIW, if you got a lightweight Cosco seat a few years ago, the Scenera Next has been phased out in favor of the Scenera Extend — which is quite a bit larger. Probably still lighter and easier to travel with than other car seats, but not as easy as the Next. https://www.thecarseatpros.com/blog/cosco-scenera-extend-convertible-car-seat-

Regular car seats are a PITA on a plane. The Cosco Scenera is very light and easy to carry around, but must be used in the window seat. If you don’t need the tether in the car because you’re still rear-facing, it’s possible to unscrew it and leave it home, decreasing the weight further.

Oh wow. The new one is quite a bit larger. https://www.thecarseatpros.com/blog/cosco-scenera-extend-convertible-car-seat-

Until my kid got into the booster, we always rented and never had an issue.    We rented them probably 10 times.  Every time the seat was either new or I could tell was recently cleaned.  I pulled new tags off at least 3 seats.  The majority rentals were in Orlando, and most had the instructions attached.  I carried a car seat to fly exactly one time and decided never again.  Too much work for me.   I would never let car rental staff install a seat. Most of them don't seem to have kids anyway, and it's fairly obvious the rental places didn't do much training on much of anything at the airport locations.    They usually point me to the rack and say we have a few sizes, please grab the size you need.   They usually have the basic seat for babies/toddlers and boosters for when they are taller. My sister always checked seats and filled the bag with extra stuff since checking the seats are free.  That's probably a good plan if you don't want to pay for a bag, but too much work for me.  Now that she's in a booster, I either take it with us or just go to the nearest target or Walmart and buy one-is rarely more than 2 miles from the airport to find a place to get one.   They are just basic cosco seats.  Either use the anchors if the car has them or thread the belts through the back.  It's not rocket science and you have a phone in your pocket with access to videos and manuals.  I usually just use the belt to get where I'm going, then maybe switch to the anchors later.  https://coscokids.com/products/scenera-extend-convertible-car-seat-cc341 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RIGlRWfeTys&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD Here's the pro tip: turn on the car AC and overhead dome lights.  It's dark and hot in there while you're installing the seat with your spouse and child watching you closely.

https://coscokids.com/products/scenera-extend-convertible-car-seat-cc341 This is the successor to the Cosco Scenera Next, which was the near-universal recommendation for a travel car seat. It is 9.5lb, which is waaay better than most car seats. There are car seat backpack-covers that are intended for carrying the car seat through airports that would work for you. Once you’re comfortable forward facing, strongly consider the ride safer travel vest: https://ridesafertravelvest.com/

We just used her infant seat when she was that young. It was easy because we had a stroller attachment. The Cosco Scenera was discontinued (and from what I’ve read, had a very short life because kids outgrew it quickly), but they now sell a version called Scenera Extend. We just bought one and it’s very lightweight. But if you have an infant seat, which I imagine you do, just use that one. 

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.

I bought a lightweight one to use for travel (cosco screna from Walmart I think), and that’s what’s in grandparents car! We only have one set that watch him regularly and it’s so much easier than transferring. Once he outgrows that one I’ll probably buy another lightweight cheaper travel one to keep in their car, then get a cheaper booster, etc rather than buy a convertible one. We do travel a lot so having an easy light one has been a lifesaver!

My parents bought their own car seat for my daughter, their first grandchild. She uses it probably 1-2 times a month. Now they have 2 more grandchildren so it will get lots of use over the years. My mom splurged and got the evenflo 360 since she didn’t wanna wrangle the kids in there sideways with her bad back. My in-laws don’t have a car seat so we lend them our Cosco scenara that we bought for air travel. They don’t watch my daughter as much, and when they do, we usually drive her to their house.

We use this one for airplane travel and would recommend. The Cosco Scenera is also often recommended - they’re essentially identical but the Maxi Cosco one has more padding ETA that we use a luggage strap to attach the car seat to our travel stroller instead of purchasing a dolly and would recommend this if it will work with your stroller. We gate check the stroller

there's a super light one by Cosco (not Costco) that's great for taking on a plane and light for carrying around the airport.

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.

Oh yeah. Even before our kid was two we paid for his own seat. Holding him on my lap was slightly easier than wrestling a raccoon for a few hours. Get the cosco scenera seat and some games and snacks. Enjoy

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.

Frequent traveler single mom here. The best car seat for travel if you’re in North America is the Cosco Scenera. It’s super lightweight and I actually just tie it to my stroller. Next, bring a lightweight stroller that you can gate check. Check all your bags, just bring minimal stuff on the plane, you don’t want to be lugging and managing that through the airport. I also usually travel with a pack and play and blackout tent but if you don’t need them awesome! It just means getting creative with packing. Bring all the snacks, download stuff on your phone they might enjoy, I’m all for unlimited screen time on planes, but usually I start with little activities until my kid gets fussy. Mess-Free Crayola marker pouches are always a hit. And yes, you can get toddler-safe headphones.

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’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.

We have 2 nicer car seats for the kids main vehicle and the cheaper ($80 Walmart) cosco seats in the 2nd vehicle. These seats are great for flying/traveling, so our lightweight to-go option.

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 have the butterfly as our main stroller which I love. For travel - we have the cosco scenera. I prefer to have one dedicated for travel because the airlines beat it up and this one is very light weight and easy to install. Prior to that, I used the doona for travel until my son grew out of it. I also used it just for travel because it wasn’t a great stroller for everyday. 

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.

Ive never used but seems like a good option! We purchased an inexpensive light weight car seat for travel (Cosco Scenera) since we would also need seat on other side of flight

We have the cosco scenera and can confirm that it is very easy for travel. Also big baby who outgrew their infant seat early. No complaints from the now-2.5yo who does occasional 2-3 hour drives in it. We don’t drive and only use it for travel, so as people who don’t do car seats very often, we’ve found it fine to install and buckle. I think my mil with mobility issues would not be able to install it, but as middle aged able-bodied adults who are often deliriously tired on travel days, it’s been fine lol

We’ve had the Cosco Scenera for 2 years and just use the seat belt straps as a handle or find a spot on the frame to carry it short distances. This type of seat is not meant to carry the child around in. You will need to keep your kid in a stroller, carrier, or leash until you’re ready to put them in the car seat if they’ll wander off otherwise. We have the Mountain Buggy Nano with the original intention of using it with car seats, and have only done it once. I can’t speak to how easy it is because we never really practiced. I vaguely remember it was ok. We just prefer to get around town with less stuff and limit lots of gear to travel days. So if we had to use the car seat, we used a carrier and backpack instead of a stroller.

We have a Cosco Scenera seat mainly for getting to and from airports, occasionally to get around the city. Our strollers are an Uppababy Vista, which can accommodate the car seat in the basket, and the Mountain Buggy Nano which has a universal infant car seat attachment system and a supposedly popular toddler carseat attachment hack. All that being said, we almost never go anywhere that requires that we lug the car seat with us at the destination. It’s too much equipment. These clever travel ideas don’t account for all the toddler stuff we have to carry around anyway, so getting either stroller perfectly packed so that they can go into a car trunk without raining out a bag’s worth of stale cracker crumbs only happens if we’re flying. What we actually do is 1) check if the destination has coat check or stroller parking to leave the car seat there, 2) figure out how to get there via public transportation with the travel stroller and/or a toddler carrier (apparently I’m often the only person that’s ever worn a 2yo because people were constantly surprised to see my giant monster of a child looming over them), or we put off going until kid is out of the car seat and ready for a booster/harness. Our wishlist of city destinations isn’t that long, just take the subway.

Yes the scenera is very lightweight and easy to install on a plane. It’s likely outgrown to very close to being outgrown by a typical 3 yr or so I’d get the Costco finale or similar for them.

Just here to say I HATE Cosco scenera! On the plane the buckle for the seat ends up right in their backs. In the car it’s impossible to secure the seat adequately. It just flops around while I cross my fingers we don’t all crash. I ended up getting the britax poplar, which is VERY heavy, but at least is safe and comfortable. You can always get a dolly for whatever FAA car seat you choose so it’s less of a pain to travel with. I just ended up asking the airport staff to help me, which is part of their job so if you need help don’t feel bad asking!

We bought a Cosco Scenera for a trip years ago and it was an awesome light perfect travel seat.  We still keep it around to use for the second car or if a friend needs to borrow it and watch the kid. 

For my first time traveling w/ my firstborn, we were traveling to another country w/ close family friends and we both checked our carseats. Arrive in said foreign country and all of our bags arrive except the two carseats for both of our kids. Canada Air lost them in the tracking and couldn't tell us when they'd arrive. So they go in the back and pull out two brand new Cosco Scenaros. Absolute garbage but they did the job. Two days into our vacation they say the seats arrived and they're going to send a courier out to deliver them to us. I didn't believe it because we were in a remote part of Canada on a literal island...and of course they didn't come. It took about 5 days until they finally arrived and we were in a different part of Canada but when they arrived we asked "what do we do with these Coscos?" and they told us to trash them. We donated them to a shelter that was happy to receive them so all in all it worked out nicely but I honestly think I'd prefer just getting a ghetto Cosco from a rental agency every time if they sold them new for a slight upcharge. Lugging around my 500lb Nuna just isn't worth it.

Depends on the kid I guess. My child is 2 and is pretty active and moves around a lot if not strapped in. We went to Europe at 1.5 years then Mexico at 2 years and we used the Cosco Scenara seat for both. Very lightweight and she was able to nap comfortably and just chill. I got a backpack cover for it. I carry on my back and then roll my carry on with my personal item on top. We decided to carry her in our arms going in the train going from UK to France and she was crawling and tumbling all over us and moving all the time. Strapped in she would just play with her toys, use crayons in her book, etc. Those few hours were tough.

Most that will be recommended for daily use aren’t the best for travelling (heavy). For example the graco extend2fit is probably the most widely recommended convertible seat but I’d never take it on a plane. We got an evenflo sonus for travel, the cosco scenera is another popular travel seat, both around $100. Convertible seats aren’t like infant seats that can detach from their base, if they do have a base for easier installation/more stability, recline options etc, it’s not removable.

1) This is allowed under [FAA Regulations](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/initiatives/cabin_safety/regs/acob949.pdf), but Southwest flight attendants may not allow it. 2) If both your car seats are 19” wide, I wouldn’t count on both of them fitting correctly side-by-side, even with the arm rests up. If they do, it’s going to be very tight. 3) Be prepared to lift the seats up and possibly overhead going down the aisle, depending on their width. My husband and I have flown with our twins in car seats, and we would always split up and get a window and aisle in two consecutive rows, so we could talk to each other or pass stuff back and forth if needed. If there’s only one adult, I’d try to have just one car seat on the plane. If the second child needs a restraint, I’d look at getting a CARES harness. I’d also consider purchasing lightweight Cosco Scenera car seats for the trip. They weigh <10 lbs and are pretty cheap. They’re sold at Walmart. Also figure out your plan for getting two car seats to the gate and two car seats on the plane with the kids. Many people like the carts that you can strap the car seats to and roll them through the airport. Keep in mind that once you’re on the plane, you can’t get off the plane and then get back on, so have a plan for how all adults, kids, and car seats are getting on at once. We had car seat travel bags that made transporting them easier.

Definitely look for some sales. Target does an old car seat trade in event a few times a year where you get 40% discount code. At my local target they had the discount code right by the drop off area and anyone could scan it so that’s what we did this year. Also Black Friday is coming up if you can stretch it a few more weeks. I would also consider if you plan on traveling with the kids by plane anytime soon? We ended up buying the Cosco scenera’s as our second set because they are a super light travel car seat (and bonus not crazy expensive) They have way less padding then a higher end car seat but we just keep them in our second car which is mostly used for short local drives. 

Are you planning on driving a lot or just need it to get wherever you are going? If you don't plan on driving a lot, there are driver services with car seats. What is your trip itenerary? If it is mostly SF, don't rent a car. If you plan on driving a lot, get a cosco scenera and a backpack bag to make it easier to carry. We cram other stuff into the carseat backpack when we travel so it is less to carry.

I can't speak on it from a twin perspective, but when travelling with my single, we had a cosco scenera and a small luggage cart that we strapped it to. We just dragged him around like luggage. Something like this that folds up easily and fits into a backpack: Vsaikeo Small Folding Hand Truck Dolly with 2 Wheels, Lightweight Aluminum Foldable Luggage Cart, Collapsible Cart Portable Dolly for Airport Travel Moving Use https://a.co/d/0KaPvv8 $60 car seat + $20 luggage cart, and then when you get on the plane, you pop the luggage cart in your backpack and either gate check the car seat or use it in the seat.

How old is your kiddo? We have just about every version of travel car seats bc we do long haul travel a lot.  For the 0-3 crowd, the Cosco Scenera is perfect. Cheap, light, straps easily to a travel stroller using a luggage strap, so you just strap it on and strap your kiddo in, for getting around the airport. Also cheap enough to be left behind if you only need it in one direction.  For the 2-5 crowd, the WayB Pico (FF only) is really nice. Also light, though you’ll want the backpack that’s another $80+ to store it if you’re going through airports. Kind of a B to install, but really compact and nice.  For the 4+ crowd (we started at 3.5,which is a bit young tbh), the Ride Safer Travel Vest is amazing. They wear it and you clip the seatbelt into it. It also has an optional top tether just like a FF seat’s top tether, for an added layer of security.  For the 6+ crowd, the bubble bum inflatable bum booster is great. 

The cosco scerenca (spelling might be off) is usually the go-to convertible travel seat. It's light weight, easy to install, easy seatbelt install. Otherwise... You just memorize the installation instructions and practice doing it quickly.

Grab a cheap Cosco Scenera for travel. It’s lightweight and will fit well.

Cosco has been great but now we’ve outgrown it- is there a similar option for bigger kids?

We use a cosco scenera seat (60 bucks and very lightweight) and Lyft. We use it on the plane, but car seats can be checked for free, too. Otherwise bus or car service (my friend recommended Tiffany towncar)

For our toddler we also did the Costco Scenera. We needed a car seat at our destination anyway. And it was easier having him contained in something he's used to. When he's older I intend to get the safety harness straps you can add to the plane seat. Not sure the bigger car seats will be worth attempting to use on the plane.

Cosco scenera is 43 inches and 40 lbs to max out. We used it up until recently

We used a Cosco Scenera at 14 mo and 24 mo and I have recommended it to others - it's quite light and it's cheap enough (or at least it was, I haven't checked in the tariff era!) that we don't mind if it doesn't get much use. We definitely could not get it installed rear-facing on the plane (economy seating but I forget which airline), but given how compact it is, I'm skeptical there's a different seat out there that WOULD fit rear-facing. We didn't have any trouble installing it front-facing. At 24 mo we used a CARES harness for the plane and brought the Cosco seat (gate checked for less potential rough handling) to use at our destination. I liked that better than lugging the seat onto the plane, and I think my son was more comfortable that way by that age. Only downside is you have to reach a bit into the space of the person behind you to put the strap around the seat back - but if you're boarding early with your small child, you'll probably be done before that person gets there.

By the time my kid outgrew the cosco scenera, he was 4.5 and we just switched to a booster for travel.

We bought the Scenera too! It’s definitely a budget choice and I wouldn’t pick it as my everyday seat but it’s great for travel. We gate check because I’m paranoid about losing it and it seems less likely that way. But only recommend that if you can get through the airport with enough hands to carry it. You can put it either in a backpack bag or in a bag strapped to a rolling luggage cart.

Honestly the best thing you can do is buy a seat and install a car seat (Cosco Scenera is best for air travel) so it's like a car ride to them. I did give my kids unlimited tablet movie time when they were toddlers and flying. Pack more snacks than you think they could possibly need. Bribery.

I second this, lightweight and easy install

cosco scenera Is relatively easy to buckle in and very light. It fits in the vista stroller basket

I have a car seat that’s just for travel, it’s much lighter than our day to day one and I don’t worry *as much* about it getting thrown around with the luggage. $60 Cosco Scenra from WalMart. For our older kids we have the RideSafer vests but they have to be trusted to sit in the correct position the whole ride and I think it is 3+. I usually just use it on the airplane so it doesn’t get checked, however I have checked it at the counter before. It’s light so it would take some really intense handling to damage it, and also if you rent one you are having to trust that they have taken care of their car seats.

Regardless of what kind of car seat you get, you’ll want a way to transport it. One is to get a car seat backpack to lug it around. Another is the britax car seat cart. We have the cart since we only use it inside airports/ parking lots. Depending on the terrain of your walking, that could be an option. You can even buckle the kid and pull them in the car seat if you needed to. Worked fine with our Chicco seat, does have to be a britax seat and I work. Cosco scenera is light and popular for a reason! Lots of people use that for travel.

Are you taking a convertible car seat or an infant bucket seat? Infant bucket get clips to put it on the stroller. Light convertible (scenera) people often just pile on the stroller with the stuff and wear the baby. A 10m old can go on your back. MUCH less hard to carry that way while pushing stuff. If you don’t really need the stroller at destination, another option is a car seat trolley like the Britax one. You latch the car seat on with the latch system and tether strap and pull it behind you like a suitcase. Plus you can buckle kid and pull them too. Our airplane stroller was an old BOB single stroller. Great for kid and tons of stuff, easy to push one handed, indestructible for gate checking. We got it second hand on FB market place and was so worth it. If you bought her a seat, she’ll have to be in it, or you risk losing it to someone else. And if she is going to be in it, it needs to be a car seat since she is under 2 (once they are two, they are allowed to use the regular belt, though the safety of that is debatable). Also keep in mind they will likely not let you use a baby carrier during taxi/ take off/ landing. Though in flight has always been fine, also getting on and off the plane, the baby carrier is useful to stash baby and not have to hold them. Highly recommend back carrier or all of this so you can switch back and forth as needed.

Cosco scenera strapped onto GB Pockit all terrain. Such a game changer.

Bus or subway with a lightweight stroller. Walking. Zipcar if we are leaving the city. Uber with the car seat feature for trips to the airport if I’m not flying with the Cosco scenera.

Haven’t seen this reply yet so hope you read this: check with your airline about their rear facing policy; they may not let you rear face your child. I tried that when my son was that age and they had me turn him around. He was in the middle seat, and they told me it is not safe for the window person, if there was an emergency. The Cosco seat is amazing. It’s so light weight I felt like I wasn’t carrying anything at all on my back.

get a cosco scenera! a cosco scenera and a luggage cart is a makeshift stroller and makes it so easy.

Thank you for sharing your insight. Yes, I was going to purchase a car seat to travel with (Cosco scenera) and then rent what we can with the rental company. It’s overkill, but given that it’s for my daughter’s safety, I feel like it’s worth it. And yes, I read to look out for the “E” mark on the car seats to indicate if it’s complaint with European standards. However, there’s no way to check that without purchasing the product, I’m guessing. At least I didn’t see that in any product descriptions. It is odd that with all the international travel, there isn’t more clear information out there. Keep me posted on how it goes! Safe travels to you and your family!

Currently Europe travelling with this one and will agree it’s the best for travel. Looking pretty beat up after 2 weeks but it’ll be good for a few more trips

I have traveled several times domestically and abroad with my child (2.5yo). I've tried at all: * Infant on lap - worst decision * No car seat * Car seat For my toddler, having him in the car seat normally has the best outcome. Although safety is the #1 reason, the car seat also restrains him from standing on the seats and jumping between mommy and me. He just sits and plays with his stickers, colors (or at least attempts), we do some screen time (we try to avid it), eats, and is normally better behaved than no car seat. We bought a used Britax Car Seat Travel Cart ($10) along with the Cosco Scenara that fits perfectly in the aisle (yes, including Spirit and Frontier) to ease maneuver while boarding and also at the airport.

This. We travel with the Cosco Scenera and use the extend2fit for daily use. It can seem redundant to have to 2 but the cosco one is around $100 and you can get good deals on the e2f. Also that way there's less worry about something happening to your "good" seat while travelling. Also if we ever needed the grandparents to have a seat or something we could have them use the cosco one. We chose the E2F for our main seat because we have a large LO and it has the highest rear facing limits. It's also relatively compact and fit in our car well. Also OP if you're planning on using it in a car in Europe look into the laws on that. Car seats from other countries are not often allowed to be used. At 20month old on the plane could probably use a CARES harness if you don't want to lug a seat around.

We have this and it’s heavy and clunky. Would not recommend for Ubers and cabs. Go with the Cosco Scenera car seat - that’s what we use for travel and it’s been great. Only cost like $60 too. Super lightweight

I use the same one, in a backpack, on 2 recent roundtrips (4 flights) they wanted to check it at baggage drop off and at the gate, and I had to repeatedly show them the boarding passes that indicate baby has his own seat. They also tried to insist the backpack couldn't go on the plane (it collapses to next to nothing once you take the carseat out).

I always bring the car seat on the plane. Not our heavy main seat but a lightweight backup for 2nd car/grandparents/etc like a Cosco Scenera. I wouldn't trust the integrity of a rented seat and it's too risky gate checking a seat. I think it's helpful to strap the kids in on the plane because it keeps travel expectations consistent and it helps 'control' them. Travel vests are probably easier once they are old enough but I never used one. Once even older, I've had my son bring his low back booster as a carry-on and put it in the overhead bin.

I actually was looking at the Cosco last night! Her normal sear is a Graco 4EVER which is just massive and would be a huge pain to lug around. Glad to know that works for airplane travel. And yes lots of snacks will be packed 🤣

Personally I wouldn’t trust a car seat from a car rental agency as you never know what you’ll get. My SIL rented a car asking for a two toddler seats, they ended up giving her a booster and company said they didn’t have any toddler seats left so my BIL had to take a taxi to the nearest Walmart and buy a seat for one of their kids. They do have things like rents4baby (I cant remember the name specifically) or something similar where people do rent out baby gear but considering the costs for them (daily base rental price +tax), I’d personally bring my own car seat. The Cosco Scenera (not to be mistaken with Costco) is a popular travel car seat people like to use when they don’t want to bring their expensive car seats.

We have both the Graco Extend2Fit and the Cosco Scenera and we take the Cosco when we need to Uber to the airport/bring it on the plane. It’s considerably lighter which is helpful for carrying it around in the airport. I could see the Graco maybe getting installed quickly in an Uber if you know what you’re doing and it’s already configured for your child. It’s different though when the Uber driver is tapping their foot and waiting for you to install the thing. Generally for your use case I’d recommend the Cosco.

That’s what we do. Cosco Scenera and carrier through the airport!

You'll be miserable with a lap baby for that long. Buy them a seat They will most likely be too big for an infant carrier (usually they are for under 12 months) so invest in a travel car seat. Canadian Tire sells the Cosco Scenera which for around $100 its totally worth it. Normal car seats are too wide and too heavy to fit on airplanes. Kiddo will be strapped in which is a godsent at times. Keep in mind they can't stay in there for more then a few hours at a time. Not sure how much you've traveled with infants / toddlers but keep your expectations extremely low. Expect neither of you will get any sleep or downtime. The moment you step on the plane you'll be in full on entertaining mode. Bring lots of food, snacks , toys, books...etc Hopefully it's a direct flight. Been on 15+ flights with our 5 month now 2+ yr old

I don’t like our convertible seat so I wouldn’t recommend it unfortunately. We have the Cosco Scenera. It’s lightweight, but I find it very difficult to tighten down in the car, hard to adjust the straps, and the straps dig into my baby’s neck and leave red marks :/ installing it on the plane also causes the plane seat belt to jut into baby’s back. Frankly I don’t trust any site that recommends this seat anymore because of how much I dislike it. I’m looking at the Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 as a possible replacement for it.

Rotating seats are extremely heavy and too big to take on a plane. I love my rotating seat, but I would never travel with it. We have a Cosco Scenera for travel, but I strongly dislike it and don’t recommend. It’s difficult to install tightly, and the harness tends to get uneven so it’s also difficult to strap the baby in properly. Next time we travel we are taking a different seat.

I’m not sure what you mean. The Cosco definitely has issues beyond using it in a plane. The issues I mentioned all exist when using it in a car too. The Cosco doesn’t even fit rear-facing on the plane seat. And when you buckle it in forward-facing, the plane buckle juts into the baby’s back. It being light is literally the only thing going for it.

I haaaate the Scenera anyway! We are currently using a Graco Extend2Fit but it’s definitely not the lightest. I’m thinking about getting the Graco Contender Slim. However, the E2F has been fine enough. We have a backpack for it to make carrying it easier. It’s very difficult to fit any car seat rear facing in an economy seat. We just put the seat forward facing on the plane. I’m not worried about the plane getting into a collision, so I think it’s better this way than not being able to use the car seat at all because it won’t fit rear facing.

You have to rethread the harness to change the harness height… if you only use it every couple months to travel then if you’re anything like me you’ll be scrambling to take the cover off and reroute the harness right before it’s time to go. It’s a pain in the ass! I also find it difficult to install tightly without movement at the belt path. And it’s difficult to tighten the straps correctly, it tends to get off balance so it’s tighter on one side than the other and you have to manually adjust the harness belt in the back. There are no harness covers (and it’s not safe to use covers that don’t come with a seat) so the straps always dig into my baby’s neck. There’s not a lot of padding to it. I know it meets the minimum federal standards but it doesn’t seem like it has the same safety features that bulkier seats have. Because of the lack of padding, when you install it on the airplane seat, the airplane seat belt buckle will be right under your baby’s back or butt in a really uncomfortable way. And lastly the seat seemed oddly deep so my baby was always uncomfortable. It seemed like it put his legs or hips at a weird angle and he screamed the entire time he was in it, so we quit using it. It is very lightweight. That’s the only pro as far as I’m concerned.

The Cosco Scenera is a popular travel seat but it kinda sucks. It’s super lightweight but if you’re not going to take it out of the car that doesn’t matter. It also has low forward facing weight limits, they’re actually the same as the rear facing limits. So when your baby outgrows it rear facing, you’ll have to get yet another forward facing seat. For that reason I wouldn’t recommend it to you if you don’t plan to travel with it. I’d see if you get a good Black Friday deal on a Graco seat like Extend2Fit, SlimFit, TrioGrow or something like that. Graco is a really good intersection of budget and quality in my experience.

We took the cosco scenera travelling and it was amazing it’s so easy to install and transport. We’re planning on phasing out the infant seat soon and have a graco 4ever for our car and plan on leaving the cosco with grandparents

You can definitely travel with a car seat. We bought a cosco scenera specifically for travel. It’s super easy to get in and out of cars. I believe that it can also be used on the plane if your child has their own seat. Not sure what stroller you have, but the car seat fits in the bottom of my uppababy vista, which is super convenient for day trips if you’re using Uber.

That’s so smart!!! We have a Graco extend2fit in each of our vehicles and then a cosco scenera that lives with the grandparents, but we’ve taken it for trips.

Maybe the ride safer travel vest? It's preferred (on the car seat groups) that kiddos are older, but if your child is within the weight limits that might be something you can consider the wayb pico is also an option. Much pricier but also quite portable. The cheapest is the cosco scenera next, but your kids might grow out of it quickly, and it's bulky. It is light though, so if strapping it to the stroller or luggage is an option maybe that would work. You could also book airport transfer through the cruise line? Then you take the bus, and I'm assuming if you're okay not putting your kid in a car seat on the plane you'd also be okay not putting them in a car seat on a tour bus, though of course it's all up to parental discretion. When I traveled with my first at 15m and again at 18m, we did the cosco car seat. When we traveled with both of them at 2.5y and 10m, we did the tour bus (we did bring the cosco and a ride safer but did not end up using them as the cosco could not physically be installed on the bus).

Cosco Scenera ! We don’t have a car and bought this for our toddler when we go in Ubers or friends car. It’s so light and easy to install. I also found a hack where I can attach to the back of the stroller by tying it with a luggage strap. https://preview.redd.it/or8mnmw425of1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=315ed6500eb279f336b998dcb281c3e35c76f4f9

That’s what we had the cosco one! I have it in a carseat type back pack.

I had the cosco seat in my mom’s car; honestly it was really difficult to push the button on to release the buckle for my mother. It’s also really low and not very mobile for some reason. We donated it and got the Graco which has been much easier.

Another vote for Cosco scenera. We also have a graco triride. It’s a little lighter and smaller than the exten2fit

Same. That Cosco seat was great. I had two of them specifically for air travel.

We suffer 🤣🤣 no for real. We have the cosco scenera which is amazing light to carry but also big & bulky. One day we hope to try the pico!

There are no infant bucket seats that will allow the person in front of you to recline unless you are sitting in premium economy. If you are worried about it bothering the person in front of you, then book bulkhead or put another member of your party in the seat in front of the car seat (this is what we do). For a convertible car seat, a lot of people like the Cosco Scenaro. It’s very lightweight but my kiddo found it to be very uncomfortable so we returned it. We now travel with the Graco SlimFit3 LX 3-in-1 car seat. It’s heavier than the Cosco but it’s also slimmer than the Cosco. We’ve been able to fit it in bulkhead seats where the arm rests are solid because they have the trays in them, and in tiny regional plane seats in Europe. We still rearface our three year old on planes because we have found it’s easier to tend to his needs and far less toys get dropped on the ground. But we only rearface him in his convertible seat if we fly first or bulkhead so we don’t infringe on the seat in front of us. But for the bucket infant seats, there is no getting around that so I wouldn’t worry about it. Your baby deserves a safe ride just like everyone else.

Seconding the Cosco Scenera. It can be used for a newborn up to 40 Ibs and it’s super light and easy to install. But it doesn’t attach to a stroller like a bucket seat does, however you would get years use out of it for $100.

Agreed! We have a main car seat for my car but use the cosco scenera in my husbands truck or if we need it in grandma’s car because it’s super light, easy to install and affordable. Can also be used on airplanes for travel!

Cosco scenera is very lightweight but also see if the WAYB can work for you. It folds. And it can be worn on your back when you're walking about. You just have to be careful not to bump into your toddler with it. Ive used it for plane travel

The easiest is is cosco scenera but i just use that in other peoples cars. I just find them intimidating. I n afraid to not get it bsck in right . Thanks

I bought a Cosco seat when we were doing our first flight so we would have a car seat upon arrival.  I installed it at home to test it out and it was the biggest piece of junk ever. It would flip completely on its side when fully tightened.  I immediately returned it and got Graco.    I would never put my kids on one of those things, I don't care how light or cheap they are. No freaking way.

We have this one and also have a backpack to carry it.

I fly using the car seat as a nonnegotiable, and would recommend either a luggage cart or a lighter seat. I use the Cosco Scenera but it gets outgrown around 3ish. I haven’t researched what’s “next” for us. I live in an area where I have pretty much no option but a connecting flight so lightweight is a priority, cause we’ve carried the toddler in the seat through the airport a time or two.

Cosco Scenera if your kid is under 3 and ridesafer if they are over. Bring your own travel car seat

Just checked, Graco has a 20% off coupon if you sign up for emails, $300x4x0.8=$960.00 before taxes. I saw someone recommend the Cosco scenera. They are fine but frustrating to put in and my daughter outgrew before 3, and was RF until 4, so keep that in mind. We liked it as a travel seat though.

Probably a good idea to get them their own seat and get a car seat like the cosco scenera next FWIW I recently did an analysis on Reddit data on travel car seats recs. Basically ranked them by aggregated sentiment. Maybe you'll find it helpful if you want something tried and tested [https://redditrecs.com/travel-car-seat/](https://redditrecs.com/travel-car-seat/)

We use a RideSafer vest for travel, but it has a minimum age of 2. If you’re traveling with a small infant, you’re pretty much stuck with a car seat, though in my experience, it’s not that bad to lug around if you have a cart or a backpack. We used the Cosco Scenera for a couple of trips and it was fine.

We used to use the travel car seat (Cosco Scenera) in flight but he got a bit older so we just check it now. It usually comes at the oversized baggage carousel.

We flew with our first 13+ times in the first year due to a family tragedy. The first half of those we flew no car seat, just kiddo on lap like you. The back half of those she was too old (8-16 months) to comfortably sit on our lap the whole flight. We ended up purchasing a Cosco Scenera specifically for flights, it was great. You thread the lap belt through the back as instructed. On southwest flights it fit a little better in the seat, on American economy it fit a little worse. But all in all we were happy to have it, as it meant baby could sleep and hang in her own space or be on us if she wanted to.

This is our travel seat, it's definitely a pain in the ass to tighten it!

We haven’t taken a flight that long so my opinion may not be worth much but….at 18 months is she really going to fit in the infant seat/bassinet? Even if they’ll allow it, it might not be very comfortable especially when they’re awake and want to play. For all our flights (max 6 hours) we’ve bought our toddler a seat and bring her travel car seat on the plane (the Cosco scenara - it’s a bitch to use but she loves it and it’s lightweight). It keeps her safe and contained - if she had her own seat with no car seat or we had her on our lap, she’d prob be running the aisles the whole flight and trying to get into the cockpit to play airplane 🤣 for a flight that long, I’d definitely want my kid to have their own seat and their own car seat. Unfortunately it adds quite a bit of cost to the trip but it’s been worth it for us. She’s slept pretty well in it.

My kids are out of car seat age now, but we always did. My husband is a CPST (car seat technician) and is also in aviation. He knows statistics out the wazoo. We always purchase a seat and we always use a car seat. We did the Cosco Scenera to make it easier. Much less bulky than dragging around our huge Britax.

Do not rent a car seat if all possible. You don’t know the accident history of it, or how it was cleaned etc. The Costco scenara next is lightweight (like less than 10lbs) we used that for travel as an infant when bucket seat on stroller was no longer an option. There are car seat dolly’s that you can attach the car seat to. We have the britax dolly. So then you could wheel around the car seat when not in use.

We use our britax o4L on the plane and it’s helped our child do sooooo much better while traveling. Plus it’s safest. We use a travel dolly! Britax sells one but you can also find other off brand dolly’s. You clip the car seat onto the dolly and then you roll it around the airport. We check the stroller at the bag check and then use the car seat as the stroller throughout the airport. You board first so it gives you time to get the car seat all locked in. If you use an airline that you pay to pick a seat pick toward the front. We use Southwest so we haven’t had that issue. But some plane isles are so narrow that my husband carries the car seat over his head. Edit to add: the dolly folds up and we put it under the seat in front of us. We used to use the cosco Scenera but we out grew that even in forward facing mode by height by 2yo. So in order to not buy a whole new seat we’ve been traveling with our daily seat which is the britax

But it’s more about torso height than anything. Our kid is all upper body and shorter legs lol Walmart has the cosco Scenera in store if you want to sit your kiddo in it to see if they still fit within the shell

We had the Cosco Scenera from birth. We live in a big city and don’t own a car and primarily walk or use public transport. I found it pretty easy and quick to install with the seatbelt in an uber, I just message that I have a car seat to install when the driver is assigned so they expect it’ll take a minute. I got a car seat backpack to carry it but before we got that we used a large IKEA bag. I’ve seen people use luggage straps to strap it to the seat of a stroller (not sure how I feel about this) or to the handlebars of a stroller. It’s very light weight which is great. For us, because we don’t use a car that often I couldn’t justify spending $3-500 on an infant bucket seat that we’d only use a handful of times in a year before baby outgrew it. There was only 1 or 2 times where it was slightly less convenient to have the convertible car seat rather than an infant seat we could attach to a stroller, to be completely honest. It might be different if we took cars on a more regular basis like if we took Ubers on a weekly basis or something like that.

Buy a car seat just for air travel. We use a Cosco Scenera. It’s cheap and lightweight, has good crash ratings and it’s no big deal if the airline damages or loses it.

I would get travel car seats, at this age we use a cosco scenera(I think there is a newer model) and a travel vest for the 4 year old. The cosco is light enought to be carried or easily strapped into a roller carryon or on a stroller. 

Hi. I have used the Cosco scenera twice for my child when he was 1.5 and 2 years old. Both times we were instructed by flight attendants that the seat needed to be forward facing (due to limited space between the seats). I brought a swaddle cloth that I folded up to create a cushion over the seatbelt buckle which worked well. The car seat must also be installed in a window seat.

I have the cosco scenera, it is very light! You can easily carry it with one hand and it's easy to install with a seatbelt. You can find it at Walmart. It's the lightest car seat I've ever found.

Take a car seat with you. If your child still fits in their infant seat, just use that. If they’re in a convertible seat, you can find a lightweight, lower cost one to use for travel. A popular one is the Cosco Scenera but there are others. Either way, learn how to use the seatbelt to install it. Once you get the hang of it it’s pretty quick to do. We traveled with our oldest many times (haven’t travelled with the second yet. Two car seats is a different logistical puzzle). We’ve used the car seat on planes, busses, ride shares and cars of friends and family. It’s safer and gives you more options for getting around.

We bought extra car seats for the airlines, the Cosco Scenera to be specific. It’s FAA approved, it’s super light, easy to install, easy to wash and I don’t care if it gets beat up. We have tried plane rides with and without the car seats and with has always been better. There are times on a plane when your child HAS to stay seated and trying to restrain them without a car seat can be really stressful. We tried the CARES restraint one time and they just unbuckled them. I’d rather they be screaming in the car seat than jumping all over us or refusing to sit - I’m sure you know how intense toddlers can be.

I have a lightweight car seat for travel. Often the Cosco Scenera is recommended for this purpose. Some people bring it on the plane because it is easier for the child to sit in a familiar seat. Others bring it on the plane so that it doesn't get tossed around under the plane and damaged.

I agree with everything but especially number 3! We gate checked out stroller but they accidentally tagged it to luggage claim instead. As I was waiting in the oversized baggage area I watched the guys throw multiple carseats into the area. They hit the pick up area so hard and you have no way of knowing if anything has been broken or even weakened until it's to late.  It isn't worth the risk for me. I also love that my toddler is strapped in and can't just slinky his way out of the seat belt.  Edited to add: we bring the evenflo sonus on the plane because it's lighter. The cosco scenera is also great but my LO was on the end of rearfacing limits and we needed it for a car also so it wouldn't work for us. 

The Cosco Scenera is super cheap. We bought one specifically for travel when my oldest was a toddler and got one of the little things you can use to basically turn it into a stroller in the airport. I cannot imagine not having one, not just for safety, but because a bored toddler in a tiny, moving space that isn’t securely strapped in sounds like a nightmare 😅

I third what the others are saying. At home I have a doona and a nuna exec and we bought the Cosco scenera for planes and cars at the travel location. You can just buy a backpack for it and it weighs almost nothing. You can wear it as a backpack until you check it or strap it to your suitcase to get it into the airport

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.

Not OP but I’ve traveled internationally multiple times with the Scenera and used it for very long travel days (10-12 hour road trips). You’ll definitely want to take multiple short breaks no matter what car seat you use. But this one worked great for us!

4 year old can possibly use a cares harness on the plane so you can check that car seat. Cosco scenera is a really lightweight car seat. We bought a cheaper Graco tranzitions harnessed booster for our 3.5 year old for our last trip. It was super light so we put it in a backpack case and gate checked it, he used cares on the plane. Our 1 year old had a Graco slimfit3 and we put it on a folding cart and used it as a stroller in the airport then installed it on the plane. We just happened to already have that car seat so it was convenient for us.

Cosco Scenera is popular for this. It's like $60 US. Evenflo Sonus is another option around $100 - my son fit well in it, but certain cars it was awkward to install. They are both around 12lbs to carry. I use a travel bag for the carseaf with backpack straps and check it as soon as possible. I have an oversized Adidas backpack I use for flying. Fits everything that would be in my purse and my diaperbag but comfortable to wear. My guy hated being worn, so we use a travel stroller (bugaboo butterfly) and check it at the gate. It also allowed me to wear the carseat on my back, backpack under the stroller, and one hand free to manage suitcases (1 or 2 large depending on trip length). I would get looks traveling through the airport, and my husband was in awe every time he dropped us off or picked us up from a trip. I didnt have time or patience to chase a child or track down a cart. Edit: 8 round trips between 4 months and 2 years old.

You take a car seat with you. We use a Cosco Scenera which is also compliment to be used on the airplane. Lightweight is key!

It's true that different vehicles will fit different seats better than others. It's best to go to Babies r Us, or Westcoast Kids, or Snugglebugz, and test different seats. Also a note that convertible car seats (the next stage of seat after the infant bucket seat) doesn't ever have a base. They install generally and stay installed. I love my Britax seats, but they are heavy and I wouldn't travel with them. The Cosco Scenera is super lightweight, but it has very low height limits, so kids outgrow it fairly quickly. Graco seats are kind of in the middle of the heaviness scale, I travelled on the plane with one and it wasn't that bad (put it in the cargo though, didn't install it in a seat)

FYI, for the Cosco Scenera, you can put it forward facing on the plane. Since airplane crash dynamics are not the same as cars, I think it's generally recommended to forward face the car seat (and save some space). Also, there are only certain seats that the car seats can go in. I think it's something like the window seat, or the middle seat in the middle section (basically so that the car seat can't block other people from exiting in an emergency). Also, it goes on sale pretty often at Canadian Tire and Toys R Us so I would wait for a sale (around $100 usually).

I just flew with my baby and toddler with me in a row. The aisle is just wide enough to fit the cosco scenera car seat carrying it in front of me. I put the baby in the car seat in the window seat, myself in the middle, and the toddler in a CARES harness in the aisle seat. We bought PB&J brand stroller hooks off Amazon to hang our bags and car seat from the stroller so it was easier to move through the airport.

We did the Cosco scenera and even though it’ll only get used a few times I think it was worth it for $60. We got hooks to hook it onto the stroller while pushing it through the airport. It was so easy.

We bought a super light one for flights. I believe it was the cosco scenera

I first travelled with my kiddo at 6 months (my husband flew with me), and have since done a handful of solo flights with just her and I. For a car seat, we use Cosco Scenera. It’s light and fits in the airplane seat. I bungee cord it to my small suitcase and travel with it like that throughout the airport. Have you bought your daughter her own seat or is she a lap infant? If she has her own seat, bring the car seat on the plane, if not, gate check it. At that age, I’d baby wear over a stroller. Imo, traveling through an airport with a stroller is annoying. But that’s up to you.

Trust me when I say this, maxi cosi zelia max. The mico 30 is super light and installs with a single belt strap on the front. The base is also super light and easy to toss into most trunks. The new zelia max has the luxe infant seat and I’m not sure if that’s a light as the mico 30. After that you’re going to need a convertible seat once baby is bigger, the cosco scenera is your best bet but it doesn’t click into stroller. No convertible seats do.

We’ve only flown with my son once so not an expert but this is what we did… I bought an inexpensive, light car seat (Cosco Scerena- about $60, weighs 10 lbs). I also bought a car seat bag that you can wear like a backpack (cheap from Amazon, I should’ve paid a few extra $$). The bag was very big and flimsy so I had to get creative in how I closed it to make it comfortable to wear. But because it was so big I could put another bag inside of it while we walked through the airport. My son sleeps well in a car seat so we brought it on the plane with us and had piece of mind that we had a good car seat that we knew how to install once we got to our destination.

I fly with my almost 6 year old in a car seat every time. I got ripped apart in another sub (or maybe it was this one?) for suggesting that it is safer that way. Mine is still under 40lbs. The general consensus seems to be that the airplane seatbelt doesn’t safely restrain someone until over 40lbs. For me, even once she is over 40lbs, since we need a car seat at our destination anyways, it is way easier to just have her fly in her car seat. 1. We have to bring it and 2. It’s not recommended to check or gate check a car seat unless in its original packaging or equivalent so it just makes sense for us. Another plus of flying in a car seat is that there are cupholders. I’ve flown with a century drive on, Cosco scenera, graco slimfit, and graco transitions and have never had problems with any of them. I attach her seat to a wheeled cart that folds up to fit in my backpack and just roll her in her car seat through the airport.

Cosco scenera is a great travel seat because it’s super light but a note to OP since you mention your little one is tall that it’s not necessarily a great choice for higher percentile kids as it’s often outgrown earlier than other convertibles. We bought one for travel when my son was 11 months but my 99th percentile height son is very close to the rear facing height limit now and he won’t even turn 2 until December, plus even forward facing it’s only good for 3 additional inches. We have a Britax boulevard as our main seat, and while it’s relatively heavy to move between cars, the install is super quick and simple, probably could do it in under a minute. Also planning to buy a graco extend2fit as our 2nd seat as we are purchasing a 2nd vehicle and it has some of the highest rear facing limits out there. With a tall kid, you want to be aware of the height limitations, assuming you intend to rear-face for as long as possible.

When my best friend and I saw that air plane that ended up upside down, we agreed that we should says travel with our kids in car seats if possible. There’s no way I can hold my 9.5 months old that’s 20lbs in an airplane that ends up upside down. My eldest daughter is 3 and so skinny, there’s no way adult seat belt can hold her in properly. We have a cosco scenera seat. It was 80$ on sale. Super light weight

This is my go-to as well. Have used it for two years and we’ll get the next version up as he gets taller!

We bought the Cosco one around a year ago for my 30+ pound and over 3ft tall newly 2 year old. 😩 It fit fine when we first bought it but by the time we used it she BARELY fit in it. We ended up leaving it with my BIL and his family because we knew our 2 year old would sit more comfortably on our plane trip back just in the plane seat instead of trying to squeeze her in the too small seat. 

We bought the Cosco Scenera last year when my LO just turned 3 for a long flight. And I agree, we only used it for 2or 3 trips before she grew out of it. BUT it is so easy to travel with, it’s light weight, and easy to install and so cheap so it doesn’t matter if you only use it once or twice. Also once she grew out of the seat, the upper height is the minimum of the lightweight boosters which are also an easier way to fly.

We last travelled with a 20 month and 5 month old. Heres what we did: 1. Dropped off family and luggage at departure doors, then parked. 2. She sat with the kids nearby while i handled check in. Everything is checked in except backpacks for each parent's essentials, diaper bag for baby stuff, and 5 month old's stroller. 3. For the 5 month old, we gate checked her car seat/stroller combo. 4. 20 month old has a lightweight travel car seat(cosco scenera). When in transit, i have it in a zip up bag and just clip it to my backpack. 5. When we land, i grab a cart at baggage claim and let the 20 month old ride it til we get to our car or rental car. I used a Turo that was parked at the airport ramp.

I would have my bag (backpack) in the crook of my arm, and carry the car seat above my head. Kid would be carried behind me or walking in front of me. Edit: It was hard for me to hold the Cosco Scenera, idk why I was ok with holding it like that.

We haven't tried the car but we used a Cosco scenera until our kid couldn't fit in it. It's cheap, light, and meets all safety guidelines.

Lots of good advice here. +1 more vote for the car seat vest for the older child (we bought to take our 5 year old around Europe for the same reason). I have cosco scenera and Maxi Cosi Mico for our baby and prefer the ease of installation with a seatbelt with the Mico. Since it hasn’t been mentioned, if you have to wear your baby in a carrier in a taxi, wear your seatbelt between you and the baby (thread it under the carrier). Not saying it is safe, but it happens sometimes.

We love the Extend2Fit. Ended up getting a second one for my husband's car and gave my mom the Cosco scenera (she needed a car seat as she's on the daycare emergency list). Little man loves it and has never fussed when we put him in. At 9 months he was so happy to move from the bucket seat to his big boy carseat. We also love that he can be rear facing so long.

We had a Maxi-Cosi infant seat and moved him to the Graco Extend2fit at about 8 months. He had started to hate the bucket seat and I got it on a good sale. He was instantly happy! He just turned 2 and still loves his seat. It can rear face until 50lbs so that was one of the reasons we went with it. We eventually got one for my husband's car (had a Cosco Scenera before)

We got the Cosco Scenera car seat specifically for upcoming air travel for our toddler. I didn’t want to lug our big car seat around the airport, but we definitely needed a car seat for when we landed. I didn’t feel comfortable having her just with the lap belt on the plane; she’s unbuckle it in a minute. The Scenera is about $60 and unbelievably lightweight. 

This is also what we do. We flew with a Britax once and were like - never again. The Cosco sceneras are light and easy to bungy together (we have 2).

My kid was a little too big for the Cosco scenera car seat one trip. It moved him forward so his feet were almost touching the seat in front, leading to lots of kicking. I liked the FAA approved harness for that stage.

I second Cosco Scenera seats. Excellent travel seats. For stroller- we prefer Uppababy because they sell travel bags with great warranty and their customer service is excellent. We had the Minu V2 for our singleton and got the Minu Duo for our twins. 

I don’t have a good solution  for 2 car seats attached to a twin travel stroller. But my suggestion is to check the car seats and then get a cheap double umbrella stroller to gate check. We got the cheap Cosco Scenera car seat for travel at around 6 months. They stack and are super lightweight and much more manageable than two infant seats. They also will last until your child is 2-3yo. We got a super cheap carry backpack for the car seats to check them in. 

Lots of good advice here. We bring our lotus everywhere and it made life easier having a bed our baby was familiar with even in a new location One thing I don’t see mentioned is a car seat. Buy the extra seat on the plane for baby and bring the car seat on board (an airline approved one of course) we used the Nuna Pipa as a baby and the Cosco Scenera now as a toddler. Cheap and light. Gives again a familiar spot to put baby down and let them sleep. You then also have a car seat you know if safe and you know how to install at your destination. For in the airport we attach the car seat to our travel stroller and set baby in the car seat. Our stroller folds up to the size of a backpack and goes in the overhead bin

We use the cheapo Cosco Scenera next for Grandma's car.

The Cosco Scenera seems to be the most-recommended car seat for flights. That's what we used, and I saw other families carting them around too. I liked it - it was lightweight and easy to use - but I wish I had stolen the shoulder pads off one of our other car seats. It doesn't have pads for the straps, and I was afraid the straps were uncomfortable on my kid's neck because of it. (Note that this may technically be unsafe in some way because it didn't come from the manufacturer like that, but I'm ok with that level of risk.) The car seat has to go in the window seat though, just FYI. It takes up too much space and would prevent someone in the window or middle seat from exiting if it was placed in the middle or aisle seat.

We bring a Cosco Scenera car seat and just use Lyft or Uber when we travel. We get the “Black” or “Black SUV” options because we feel like the drivers are better and have been more patient with us getting the car seat in and out. They also have a longer wait time allowance. The Cosco car seat weighs nothing and is super easy to install. We attach it to the stroller with a carabiner to get through the airport.

Now that she’s a little bigger, we use a Cosco, pretty sure it’s the Scenera. When we absolutely need to take cars around we just use uber and either carry the very light seat or stash it where we’re going (e.g., museum coat check, restaurant host stand). Since we’re mostly in European cities or in resort, though, we’re usually either not traveling much day to day or we’re walking / using public transit. Most days when we go out the car seat will stay in the hotel

Same! Cosco Scenera is awesome — so light! We fly with Air Canada for most of our flights and they require kids under 2 (who are in their own, paid seat) to be in a car seat. The other option is to have them as a lap infant (no way in hell I had them as a lap infant for a 9 hour flight between Rome and Toronto, haha)

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.

For me, I bring the carseat so my daughter will sleep on the plane regardless of my car situation. I have a car seat backpack with wheels and don't find it annoying to lug around (I have the Cosco scenera specifically for travel, which is light)

We have taken one on once, and it was such a pain in the butt to get buckled in that we have never done it again. However, with the pandemic we didn't fly for a few years so then our kids were a bit older by the time we flew again and we have never had any issues with them staying seated and bucked. We have just either paid out the nose to rent a freaking Cosco Scenara or met family with car seats at our destination. I don't recall seeing anyone else bring seats, either.

Toddler seats aren’t designed to be carried around. There are some lightweight travel seats however, the cosco scenera (a fan favorite) specifically has a very low weight limit. I have really big kids, my 20mo old is 27lbs and the cosco scenera has a 40lb weight limit and low-ish height limits. (Edit: it’s 40lbs rear and front facing) I would recommend something like the britax click tight and a car seat backpack. Or seat dolly. Reliable quick install. Not the lightest.

Oh thanks! My son (4) is 40lbs+ so that might’ve been why I stopped looking into it.

\+1 for the Cosco Scenera! Just flew with my 16 month old and this car seat was easy to carry around the airport (attached to the stroller), fit in an economy seat, and kept my kiddo contained. Edit to add that you can use the Cosco Scenera rear facing in economy seats and this makes it much harder for your toddler to drop toys.

Not the most elegant but it worked!

The kids seat they offer is always the Cosco Scenaro.  You can pick one up at most Wal-Marts for $60 plus tax. Given how much rental car companies charge for car seat rentals, you can probably buy one, use it for a week, and then throw the thing away for less money than renting a car seat. Or... Hear me out.  Why throw it away when you're done?  Why not return it to the store for a complete refund?   Note: This hack only works if you're a cheap bastard and have little to no shame about it.  

Seconding the Cosco Scerena. I just took that thing to Thailand and it was great. Super light, fits into a carseat backpack carrier. My toddler threw up all over it on the way back and I easily took it apart and washed everything when we got home.

Another vote for the Cosco Scenera. Currently traveling with a 90+ %ile almost 3 year old and it is light enough to carry, fits budget airline seats easily and still a solid car seat to use in the actual car. Either do one for each kid if you have another adult or you can do a CARES harness on the 4 y/o if they’re under 40 pounds. Before we got one we did once check our large home car seat once (if you decide to check your oldest) in a big car seat bag with wheels. We stuffed their comforter around it and his diapers/ extras in the seat itself to keep it “padded” and save space in our carry on.

Second the Cosco Scenera or Scenera Next

We have used it on a few flights, drives in rental cars and as a spare if my brother picks up from the sitter. It was reasonably priced. There are ride safe harnesses and other options but this fit the bill for the price and safety we wanted. Some other friends use a slim “typical” car seats from graco, so you could look in to that too.

I would never bring a rotating car seat on the airplane. They are huge and would be nightmare to carry on and install on a place. Get the Costco scenera for airplane travel. ETA: Cosco, not Costco

We did a 7 hour flight around 15 months. Cosco Scenera as others have said. We attached ours with a bungee to our luggage and baby wore/stroller in the airport. Uppababy G-Link is the umbrella stroller we used. There might be better options now, but it worked well for us a few years ago. Our 4 year old also took breaks in it.

The Cosco scenera is a lightweight one that we use for travel. Maybe you can get that as a second one for grandparents / Ubers?

Yes. You are missing something. Car seats vary in price. You do not need to spend $350. Because these are long-term seats, I would opt for a seater with higher height/weight. But the cosco scenera is a light and popular option.. currently $59 at Walmart. Safety first trifit (reversible seat) is currently $60 at Walmart.. normally $120. Graco contendor is $199 and extend2fit is $249. If you want/need four seats, there are multiple options that would put you in the $300-$500 total range. No need to spend $1500 unless you want to.  IME, certain colors are cheaper randomly through Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Keep an eye out for these. You often need to click each color option to see the individual price. Also IME.. I know everyone loves the Target trade in but I think random low prices on Amazon/Target/Walmart easily beat out the trade in coupon.  I bought an extend to fit in July 2025 for $149 from Amazon.. saved some money because I looked through each color and the blue happened to be cheapest. I bought an extendtofit in December 2024 from Amazon also in a random light gray color. Keep your eye out!

I second the Cosco Scenera. You can clip it to your carryon with a strap. My son outgrew the doona by the time he was 1 and I’ve traveled to Italy with the Scenere twice since. It’s a good car seat, and you can mount it with a seatbelt or anchor system!

Not sure if this is helpful but we’re a carless SF family with a 2 year old and while we generally just take public transit we do, occasionally, need to shlep our toddler seat out and about with us. We got a super lightweight one (Cosco Scenera) and stash it in the basket of our stroller.

She LOVES the Cosco especially compared to her infant seat. We drive to Tahoe to visit my parents from time to time and she does great in it.

We have a Cosco Scenera for unexpected Ubers - we just stash it in the basket of my 22 month old’s stroller! Weighs like 5 lbs.

That’s our car seat as a carless city family!

We did the cosco scenera + yoyo2. Same idea.

It’s a great seat for travel, but if your kid is tall they’ll outgrow it on the sooner side

True, but it’s also not the easiest to use. It’s a great spare seat, but I don’t know anyone who likes it as a daily option

I use a Cosco Scenera for travel specifically because it’s small and light. I use it on the plane. I actually find my kids prefer it, since they are too small to be comfy on the plane seats. You can technically check your seat, but it will be considered as having an “unknown history” by the manufacturer after that because there is a real risk of damage. As someone else stated, if you ARE going to check it, it is best to use the original box so that you can more visibly see any signs of damage. I am also iffy on rental seats because of the unknown history.

We always use car seats on planes. I can see how it would be hard the first time but we've done it like a dozen and it's no big deal. We have one who can sit in plane seat and 2 who use car seats. We put them on a cart for the airport or when they were smaller used the scenera and they nested in a backpack. My kids when they're small always slept on the plane because it's a giant sound machine and it was easy and comfortable to do that in their car seat. Better safe than sorry.

I use a car seat until mine are in a backless booster. Did it with all three of my kids and my youngest is 3. Buy a folding luggage cart thing and get some bungee cords at the dollar store. Bungee the cat seat to the cart and pull through the airport. I even put it through the xray machine attached to the cart. Comes apart easily to install the car seat. If you were being asked about gate checking, it likely has to do with what seat you brought. Was it a really large one? Diono Radians (they fold up) and Cosco Scenara's (super inexpensive) are the best two.

I have a 13 month old who has been up and down the state of California from 2 months on (via car and plane), and to Europe (direct flight SFO to Paris). I will agree with the other posters to wait until 6 months, in part so you have get the measles vaccine before going. We went to Paris (also to see family) at 11 months, and I think it was a too late. The little guy just wanted to walk up and down the aisles (holding our fingers, since he couldn’t walk on his own yet). 6(ish) months would have been perfect, since he wasn’t yet crawling and would have been content to just be held. On that note, we opted for two business class seats (rather than three economy plus), and I feel that was the right choice for us. I would do that and reserve the bassinet. As for actual travel items, the guava lotus is the best if you have to fly with the pack and play. We also did the Cosco Scenera for the car seat (it’s super light weight). This car seat may not be the right option for a 3 month old, but something to consider later. We also have a Thule Spring stroller, which is a great stroller, but not super compact or light weight for flying. In our travel pack we have a nightlight (usb chargeable so it can move around without an outlet), a hatch travel sound machine, and a closed circuit monitor (Hello Baby) so we don’t have to mess around with trying to connect it to the internet. We have some zip-ties with the monitor in case we have to get creative with positioning. If you are bottle feeding, Oxo makes a portable drying rack with bottle scrubber. If you are formula feeding, there are travel containers you can store the powder in pre-measured quantities. Bring some dish soap if you’re staying in a hotel. Also remember to bring baby Tylenol, the thermometer, and snot remover. Ours got sick the second week in Paris, and thank goodness we had the Tylenol at 2am when he woke up with a fever screaming. Other general thoughts: my husband and I have to keep reminding ourselves that taking the little guy places is a trip, but rarely a vacation. I think going to visit family is worth it, but if you want to go and see things, it may be pretty stressful. If you can stay with whoever you are going to see, that will be better than a hotel, as it’s hard to get everyone out, and reset up what you need in a new location. If you do go the hotel route, ask if they have a pack and play or anything else (like a diaper pail) (though dog poop bags work really well for poop diapers, smell wise). Anyway, hope some of this rambling was useful and bon voyage.

I have one of these in a rental right now. It is crazy lightweight. I’ll probably buy one for travel moving forward. Our daughter has been super comfortable this week in it which I’m surprised , she hates her $700 nuna lmao

We've travelled with our kid a few times and have never had an issue installing a car seat in an uber/lyft. We've done it with an uppababy mesa infant seat and a cosco scenera now that kid is bigger. If you're flying with the kid it's nice to have the car seat installed on the plane so you have somewhere to put them instead of having to hold them the whole flight.

Tbh I’d buy the Cosco scenera. It’s so lightweight which makes it easy to carry it around the airport. I got mine on sale on Black Friday

The Cosco Scenera car seat is $60 at Walmart. It what we bought as a travel car seat for our toddler and works well - it’s very light. I would get that so there’s two car seats for the entire trip. Best advice I got from my mom was to bring an extra set of cloths for myself so you don’t have to sit in spit up on the flight. Happy travels!

We used the Cosco Scenera and it was fine, but it was annoying to install. Maybe check children’s resale stores near you or Facebook Marketplace. We ended up finding a great deal on our same car seat, so it lives in the basement for travel.

The Cosco Scenera is like $60 from Walmart and super light.

Cosco Scenera. It’s really light and you can even look up if it can be attached to your stroller for maximum portability.

I have never taken the car seat ON the plane, but this Cosco is the same seat we have for travel. We just check it every time.

If your child is over 2, use the ride safer vest in cabs. Absolute game changer. You can also get a super light car seat like the cosco scenera that can hook onto the back of a travel stroller if fit in the basket of a large stroller. You can also fit it directly into the seat of some travel strollers. I’d recommend getting comfortable with a belt path installation. It’s often quicker and easier for convertible seats in cabs.

We have the same car seat just for travel. Works great

We travel fairly often and I disliked the cosco scenara a lot. A lot of airlines that seat wont fit rear facing unless your kid is practically leaned forward it’s so upright, and forward facing the buckle is dead center on their backs with no real padding in between. We use a graco contender go as our travel seat and I like it a lot. It’s heavier than the cosco, but we strap it to a carry on to get it through the airport.

I used this too.

Can confirm. Just did a trip with Cosco Scenera and used Latch/ISOFIX in multiple taxis and car rentals. Every car had it.

Yep. Cosco Scenera ftw. It’s really not that bad to bring since you just have to lug it from Uber to the check in desk and then from the baggage claim to the rental car shuttle. It’s not like you have to carry it around the airport the whole time. Also good for using in Ubers and taxis when you are not renting a car.

Is your toddler still within the limits of an infant seat? They are outgrown when the first of 3 limits is met (height, weight OR less than one inch from the top of the seat shell to the head.) I'd honestly use a cosco scenara next unless your child is disabled or can't walk. It is super light and a faster install than an infant seat.

We got Cosco sceneras for the car we use less frequently (my mom's)

We have the Cosco sceneras in my mom's car and they're fine, $59 each. Gracos also tend to be cheaper?. We got Britax poplar for our car but if we needed 4 I would have gone cheaper. Sure they're nice but they're still annoying because car seats are annoying, and 2 months in and they've both thrown up in them.

We flew for the first time with our twins around this age. We used the Cosco Scerena car seats for the plane. They worked great! We were able to “nest” them into a single car seat travel bag - we got one with wheels and backpack harness. We definitely had a ton of stuff to haul, but it worked fine. If you’re willing to do screen time, Ms Rachel downloaded on the iPad was clutch. We barely used all the toys and activities we brought. Endless supply of snacks.

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.

This is the one we bought for travel as well. Under $80 and super lightweight, installs very quickly and easily in rental cars/ubers/airplane seats (we even installed it on a golf cart at one point, lol). Well worth the purchase!

It's fantastic. We got a cosco scenara, and it's light, easy to travel and safe. If you have a carry on luggage, you can just strap it to the handle and carry it. I believe you can also buy a contraption on amazing that let's you strap the stroller *and* your kid in it I'm a firm believer until a child can sit safely in a seat, they need a car seat. I *get* a 1 year old can be a lap child but it's uncomfortable for everyone and not safe. I'm not even talking worst case of a crash. I'm talking about turbulence

Take one, use it on the plane too. Get the smallest and lightest you can find. Cosco Scenera at Walmart is usually recommended. Flew domestically and internationally with ours a few times.

It’s not common at all. I only did with my youngest because I wasn’t aware I could/should until he was born. He’s 12 and my oldest is 24 so a lot changed with car seat recommendations in general between kids. I bought a Cosco Scenera for him because no way I was lugging our super heavy car seat. It became our travel/backup seat, the one we used when things came up and we had to switch cars.

Some things to consider when renting a car seat - obv if it’s the only choice then do it but car rental companies may not have the appropriate seat, it could be expired, improperly cleaned, damaged (without visible signs) etc https://csftl.org/traveling-littles-renting-car-seats/ We use a Cosco Scenera on a plane ride to the Midwest to visit my in-laws and used it while we were there visiting. Seat was purchased for her and we would’ve done it if she wasn’t over the age required to buy a seat either.

Bring a stroller to the airport for both kids, check a bag (don't try to lug a carry on in addition), get a light-weight travel carseat (I use Cosco Scenera for travelling), let a gate agent know you'll need a hand boarding (you can't install the seat and hold your toddler at the same time),  practice installing the seat ot watch a tutorial before your trip, pack a million snacks, remember that if it goes poorly, the plane will eventually land 😅

I like the Cosco Scenera for a travel and backup car seat. It's super easy to install with the seat belt, I've never tried a latch install with it, but I can switch it in and out of our cars and Grandmas car in like two minutes.

We use the graco forever in our main cars and have a cheap cosco scenera seat for the occasional use for family or travel.

I agree. It made things so much easier and was worth the extra $100.

We use the cosco scenera for travel and it’s great

I mean, it would be counter as a carry on bag or personal item. Rather than specialized cart, we used to use a Cosco Scenera car seat, which is one of the smallest lightest car seats that is airplane approved. We then used bungee chords to strap it to the back of a small Recaro travel stroller (folded up to be the size of a carry on bag). The system worked and we just had to dismantle it going through security and right before getting on the plane (paid for an extra seat to use the car seat during the flight). It fell apart in Europe sometimes, because they have different rules about car seats and strollers - forcing you to check them as regular luggage and use the airport strollers. Not all airlines allow car seats onboard too. No issues with AC though.

We moved the day before my son turned three months and absolutely used his infant seat on the plane. That said, we couldn't book his ticket online, we had to actually call the airline because the assumption is that anyone under two is a lap infant We just got a Cosco Scenera in preparation for the next time we fly with him since he's too big for the infant seat and no way are we hauling the big Graco seat around while traveling.

Just buy a cheap FAA-approved car seat like the Cosco Scenera (available at Walmart for ~$60) and bring it on the plane. All it takes is one bout of turbulence for your baby to become a projectile. The car seat is light enough that I can just clip it to my rolling carry on, and we've used it on several cross-country and trans-atlantic trips.

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.

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 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....