Graco - Contender 65

I would 100% not take that car seat with you. I would get either a Cosco Scenera Next for about $70 or a Graco Contender for about $100 and take that with you and use as your travel/backup seat. The Contender will last much longer and I find it easier to use, but the Cosco is still a popular travel seat. It's safest to use the car seat on the plane, but if you stick with checking I'd get the Graco because it comes in a box that will protect it from damage and you can check it on the box. Putting it in a bag is a big gamble that it won't get broken or wet or dirty, even if you gate check it. I'd also have a backup plan for when you arrive if they lose the car seat so someone can go buy a new one.

This is what I would recommend or the Graco Contender. Both are lightweight compared to traditional carseats. I've never used it in an Uber, but we have the Graco Contender as our primary travel carseat which we pair with a backpack bag.

We used a flyaway bed on a red eye to Europe a few times with my daughter between 15 months to 2.5 and it was amazing. Now that she’s 3 I don’t see us using it again because she’s too long and prefers to stretch out in her seat and across my lap instead to sleep. We’ve also used a Grace contender car seat in multiple European countries and never had an issue. I prefer to have my own car seat that I trust vs renting one. We also use a CARES harness during takeoff and landing for added safety since we aren’t using the car seat on the plane. 

The next size of car seats are meant to stay in the vehicle. They don’t have bases to click into strollers. You would need a car seat if you’re traveling somewhere where you need a car, there are many lightweight options that people get like the graco contender for example which is what we use for travel/plane rides

We use this one too! We used it on the plane until she was 3 and then started checking it. It weighs about 15lbs, so heavier than the Cosco but more plush like a traditional convertible seat. It’s also the one we use when family is transporting our daughter.

We bought a car seat for traveling, Graco contender and we rent a car. Life with a toddler!

Can he still fit in a bucket seat? That’ll be the easiest. Otherwise the graco contender is lightweight and easy to travel with.

Lol understand. We have the contender just for traveling. It’s lightweight and easy to transport.

Graco Contender was the choice for us. Was able to rear face on the plane both trips.

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 had to buy three car seats 💀 my husband and I shared one for a while and gave one to the grandparents for daycare pick ups, but it became a problem when either my husband or I didn’t have a seat and needed to do a daycare pick up last minute. We have graco extend to fits and I ended up buying a graco contender for the third, but I wish I spent a little more to get another extend to fit since our son outgrew the contender rear facing quite quickly. Actually moving the seats between cars wasn’t that bad, it was the logistics of only having a seat in 2/3 frequently used vehicles that became difficult to manage.

Okay so here are the seats I have for reference: - Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 (RF to 50lbs) - Graco Contender Go (RF to 40lbs) - Graco SlimFit 3LX (RF to 40lbs) - Evenflo Revolve 360 Slim (RF to 50lbs) The Civic + 6’ husband is easy because I have the same lol. The Extend2Fit fits beautifully behind my husband’s driver seat—I don’t think any other seat we have would do the same. With your husband’s height, that depth measurement (not sure of the exact number off the top of my head) would be a good starting point. However, while it’s super compact from front to back, it makes up for space width wise so it’s probably not going to play nicely if you ever need to put another car seat directly next to it, even in a 3 row SUV (it would not work with the slimmest seat on the market next to it in my Pilot, for example). I’ll come back to this once my kids are in bed lol Edit—I’m back. Anywho, if you’re pretty set on capping at two kids, slim vs not slim doesn’t *really* matter (although it is nice to be able to put the two seats together and sit in an outboard seat instead of the middle when I need to be in the back for whatever reason on a road trip). If there’s any part of you that might want a third child in the future, I’d more strongly consider a seat that can go three across (16.7” is the width you’d be looking for). Even if you don’t end up installing that way, it’ll be nice to have the option to. As for rotating seats—I could take them or leave them for an suv, but every time I buckle my kids into my husband’s car I cringe because those seats don’t rotate (the Evenflo is in my vehicle—I have one seat that RF to 50lbs in each car and my kids will switch once the older one reaches the limit). My only complaint with the Revolve is that the straps tend to get twisted more easily and get uneven more often than any of my Graco seats, and the headrest could be taller since it’s an extended RF seat. Hopefully this helps give you some things to think about, but feel free to ask any other questions! ETA just for info, I replied to someone else with this so thought I’d share—the Evenflo Revolve360Slim I have is roughly 30” from the back surface of the seat it’s installed on to the back of the seat in front of it. I have it rear facing and at the appropriate recline for a child over 11lbs.

There are no car seats which attach to a stroller frame once you get out of the infant bucket seats (which most kids outgrown between 10-12 months). However this set up is very convenient for travel while they are small. Once they outgrow the infant seat, and you want to bring a car seat on the plane, we have had success with three methods: 1. A small/light seat such as the Cosco Scenara Next. This one is sufficiently low profile that you can strap it to a travel stroller and have the child sit in the car seat while it's strapped to the seat of the stroller. A hack but I see lots of people doing it. 2. A larger car seat (such as the Graco contender) which you strap to a rolling cart/dolly, allowing it to function like a stroller (albeit one that you pull, not push) for short distances in the airport. 3. A ride-one suitcase (like MiaMily or an Amazon dupe) with the car seat hooked onto the back of the seat. Kiddo can ride on top of the suitcase in the airport.

Depends a lot on kiddo's ages and whether they are tall or heavy for age. We love our Scenara and have used it frequently from about 9 months to 24 months but our 90th %ile guy will be too tall for it very soon. The next larger options are the Evenflo Titan and Graco Contender - the Graco is bigger and heavier but the trade off is the non-rethread harness and separated forward facing belt path which is useful for comfort on long plane rides when FF.

I have a 4-year-old. We came out of a 2021 X3. The Grayco convertible seat I have fits great in the i4, with the passenger front seat far enough back for me (5'7") and SO (6'1") to sit comfortably. However, this is with her seat now facing forward. If it were rear-facing, I would expect it to be more annoying, as it did rest against the back of the seat in the X3 if we moved the seat back enough that our legs weren't cramped, and the i4 has maybe 2-3" less rear room.