Scenera Next Convertible Car Seat

Highly recommend a car seat. I didn’t bring my everyday heavy car seat when I flew with my son to New Zealand from the US. Instead, I went to Walmart and got this one. It’s super light and very inexpensive -as far as car seats go). https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Kids-Scenera-NEXT-Convertible-Car-Seat-Cobblestone-Infant-Toddler-Unisex/534841958?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1103&from=/search

This is the one that I used when I brought my then one and a half year-old to New Zealand. I used a ratchet strap to secure it to my carry-on. I also made a removable contraption so that I could push his stroller that had two handles from the middle. I made it out of PVC pipe and then on my very last leg on my way home a man stole it. A flight attendant told me who took it, and I caught up to the guy and yelled at him! He told me he thought it looked cool. I told him it didn’t belong to him.

We loved our Scenera Next until my kid grew out of it. Cheap, extremely easy to install both in cars and on planes, very very lightweight, and the most important details, it fully passed all inspections and regulations. Yes, fancier seats have add on features that might make them more safe, but cheap seats pass all the same regulations and are very safe. A seat that you can install quickly and easily following all the guidelines is MUCH safer than one you struggle to get installed and give up on.

We fly a lot with our son (4.5) (25+ flights) and we haven't bothered with anything other then the plane lap belt in awhile (after 2 or so) and we've felt very safe with him even through takeoff, landing and turbulence. We tried one of the harness one time and didn't bother... it was kind of a pain to setup and it can block the tray table/screen in the seat behind you. One thing to consider is the buckles are really easy to take off, so if he's not use to it he might try fiddling with it. (If you think it might be an issue, covering it with a sock or something might help) Edit: Oh and just to add, we're very cautious with car seat stuff... he just changed to forward-facing a few weeks ago!

It really depends on the situation... * If it's minimal driving we might just use the [RideSafer vest](https://shop.saferide4kids.com/products/ridesafer-travel-vest); We'll also pack that sometimes as a backup * Sometimes we'll just pay the extra and rent the carseat with our rental car (we had a rental car in Orlando before a cruise and didn't want to have to carry the car seat on the ship) * If using a car service, sometimes they don't charge extra for a carseats. * if using lots of ride sharing services, most places you won't be able to get a carseat; The Ridesafer vest might be the way to go * In larger cities (we went to Chicago) we just used public transportation and many times he could just stay in his stroller on the Bus or on our lap on the trains * Sometimes we'll check the carseat and bring it with us. It should be free to check it. We like the [Cosco Kids](https://coscokids.com/collections/car-seats) brand car seats, they are very reasonably priced and most important very light. We had the [Scenera](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Kids-Scenera-NEXT-Convertible-Car-Seat-Cobblestone/534841958) model first and then we just got the [Finale](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Kids-Finale-2-in-1-Booster-Car-Seat-Fiberwave-Toddler/260704037) a few weeks ago. We use this [car seat travel bag](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M2A4IK1) which has been working well. Some of our key take-aways... * Make sure you are familiar with the car seat beforehand. Practice installing it at home and get the shoulder straps adjusted before you leave. Same for the RiderSafer vest, if you get it all adjusted beforehand, it's much quicker to get setup. * Take your time, we had a tendency to rush getting into a rental car... slow down, take your time! * Use the LATCH system if you can. Most newer car in the US will have that and it's much easier. (Note: there is a weight limit) * With some compact cars you might not be able to get rear facing to fit! * For pre-installed car seats I always double-check to make sure they are installed properly.

We use it as our day to day seat. Perhaps this makes it easier because our toddler doesn’t know there’s another option, but she’s never complained about it so far.

We also don’t have a car. We mostly use public transit because car seats are a pain in the butt. A couple tips: 1. We had the Cosco Scenera next. It is very lightweight and easy to install. Be aware though that it is outgrown fairly early and can basically only be used rear facing. The reason front facing is outgrown first is that the straps must be at or above the shoulders for front facing, whereas they must be at or below the shoulders for rear facing. Our petite child is freshly 3 and is too big for it. We upgraded to an evenflo titan 65. Despite the name, it’s the lightest weight seat we could find for a bigger kid. It should fit until the child is big enough for a booster seat. The smaller, lighter size of the Cosco seat was worth it for us and we’re now using it for our second child, but if money is tight you might consider getting the titan 65 right away even though it’s a few pounds heavier. 2. Not sure what uber is like in NYC, but in my city I prefer to use taxis for a couple of reasons. One is that they won’t turn you away with a car seats because they’re worried it’ll take a long time to install because they can just run the meter while you get everything set up. The other is because most taxi drivers are older and have kids of their own, so they’re much more tolerant of parents and kids.

We don’t have a car. For our first we borrowed a peg Perego seat and bought an uppababy adapter from marketplace for $10. We didn’t use it much so this time around we didn’t bother with the baby bucket seat and just got a convertible one instead. The Cosco Scenera Next is the smallest, lightest convertible. It was great but our first out grew it before age 3 (and she’s petite). For our second seat we got a evenflo titan. It’s bigger and heavier (11lbs vs 7lbs, I think) but it should fit until it’s time for a booster. Depending on your needs (lightest vs light and longest fitting) you might want to look into one of those seats

FYI the Scenera is outgrown at a fairly young age (around age 3 for our petite child and likely younger for bigger and especially taller kids). We switched to an evenflo titan, which is heavier and bigger but will fit for a long time and is still decently portable.

When my daughter would still sleep on the plane, I'd take the car seat on with me. I found that this helped her to stay calmer during the trip. I also bought a lightweight car seat for travelling as I didn't want to lug her massive convertible one onto the plane. The [Cosco Kids Scenera Next Convertible Car Seat](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Kids-Scenera-Next-Convertible-Car-Seat-Renaissance-Toddler/45983816) is fairly inexpensive if you wanna check it out. My daughter's 3 now, so we don't take with her car seat on the plane. Instead, we bought the [CARES harness](https://www.target.com/p/child-airplane-travel-harness-cares-safety-restraint-system-the-only-faa-approved-child-flying-safety-device/-/A-1002555905) so she's more secure in the seat. Honestly, traveling during naptime is ideal as the plane noise acts as a white noise machine. I say that even though my daughter hasn't napped on a plane since she was 1 😅

you're concerned your child will grow 5 inches in a month? As long as they haven't outgrown the seat in any other way (weight, one inch head rule), then I don't quite understand the question. If your child has, in fact, outgrown their infant carrier seat, there may be other infant carriers that she may fit in, but it seems like an expensive choice for a short period of time. I would instead opt for a lightweight convertible carseat (like the cosco scenera), and use the strollers typical infant/toddler seat.

Not sure how old your kids are but up until recently (my dtr is 5) we always had her fly in the plane in her car seat. Helped keep her contained and she was used to being in it so no problems there. The cosco brand sold at Walmart has really light weight affordable car seats that we would use for travel.

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!

I got the cosco secrena car seat for traveling! Easy to install and quick, even on the airplane. I do have a small travel stroller that I’ve gate checked or checked at the desk. I find it’s easiest to babywearing through the airport, and also do while on vacation!

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