Maxi-Cosi - Romi

Bring the seat. It’s worth the effort. Board early and get it set up. Make sure it’s FAA approved, there should be a sticker on it. We purchased a super light one for traveling and it’s been a lifesaver for long flights.

We bought this one off Amazon, it looks like it’s out of stock right now on there. https://maxicosi.com/products/romi-2-in-1-convertible-car-seat-cc228

I would not bring our normal carseat on a plane since it's huge. We have a maxi cosi romi travel seat we use with out 2.5 yr old that is lighter. I try to schedule flights during her nap so she can sleep strapped into the seat. That said, I just did my first flight with just the CARES harness and it was great! Super easy to use. It's definitely allowed to just use the lap belt at her age but I feel like there is no way it would actually keep her in her seat with bad turbulence. Also she could crawl out, which she can't with the harness.

We got the Maxi Cosi Romi and it is by far my favorite travel car seat. Easy to install for quick trips and travel. It is also cheap.

We got the Maxi Cosi Romi. It is super light and we have checked it many times for flights! The pull strap to adjust the harnesses is a pain and doesn’t glide well. But it is tolerable since it’s not our every day car seat.

Will both babies be lap infants? There can only be one lap infant per row so just keep that in mind! The Cosco Scenera Next is an amazing travel car seat - definitely my top choice as it’ll fit your 4mos well and will last most kids to about age 3, all for $60. Or the Maxi Cosi Romi is an “upgraded” Scenera next that is identical but offers premium lower anchors for an easier install- that may be worth the upgrade price or not, but it’s otherwise the same and also great for travel! Stroller wise, how much are you wanting to spend? If in budget I’d look at a Valco Slim Twin, Nuna Trvl Double or Silver Cross Jet Double- they’re all pretty fancy but they’re all much lighter and smaller than the donkey, and they all fold in one piece. They all also recline enough that I’d be okay letting 4 month olds sit in the stroller seats. I wouldn’t want to check a multiple-piece or huge stroller either, but I have gate checked my Valco Snap Duo Trend dozens of times without any issue whatsoever. There are also cheaper umbrella style double strollers but I would be hesitant to use them at 4 months because they don’t have the same deep level of recline and most of them probably list 6 months and/or sitting independently as the minimum requirements for kids to ride in them.

We have liked using the maxi cosi romi for travel with babies until about age 2, then switch to the wayb pico. Honestly the romi looks very similar to the scenera, I’m not sure it’s much nicer but it might be a little nicer. It’s extremely light and easy to install quickly. It’s also made in America so no tarrif impact. I have traveled a ton with kids though and I wouldn’t get a seat for a kid under 2 on the plane tbh - even if it’s long haul. If they are like mine, they won’t sit in it anyways; I use a hippie Joey wrap so I can be hands free while baby sits/sleeps/nurses in my lap.

Maxi Cosi Romi. 7.8 lbs, flame retardant free, fits a child up to 40 lbs or 40 inches.

Not hard at all. You just clip in the straps to the car anchors, tighten it and slide the seatbelt through the seat and pull to tighten. There are a lot of videos on how to install it. I have done it multiple times in an uber.

You mean the Cosco scenera one? We have the maxi cosi romi, which is basically the Cosco wrapped in some cushier fabric. I think it’s a little more cumbersome/less luxurious/parent friendly than our nuna pipa infant seat, but my baby actually really likes it. She sits in it well and doesn’t yell when she’s put in the seat, which she used to do in the infant seat. So I can’t speak to the cosco specifically, but if you are looking for a seat you can use every day that is also good for travel I think maxi cosi is worth the $40ish extra dollars.

The Guava Lotus is great! It meets carry-on dimensions for most airlines so you don't even have to check it. We used it between bassinet and being ready to move our son to his own room, too. He's 2.5 now and still loves it for travel. We like the Maxi Cosi Romy as our travel carseat. The Cosco is also lightweight, but he wasn't comfortable in it and it just didn't seem sufficient (despite of course meeting standards).

A convertible car seat is what babies move to next once they outgrow infant seats (the bucket kind with a handle that comes out of the car each trip). A convertible seat is called that because it is made to rear face when the child is young, and then converts to forward facing when they are ready. It is currently recommended that you max out the rear facing limits of the seat for safety before forward facing if possible. There is nothing like a Doona for convertible seats. We have a nicer seat for our every day use that has extra features because it seems comfier for baby and easier for us. However, we also bought a light and easy to install seat for travel and also to leave in situations like grandparents babysitting at their house. Here is a video from a local car seat technician who helped us pick out our seats on travel car seats: https://youtu.be/IOjf1XiNxtc?si=tbcODm3o7jxFDpTN If you look through her channel, she has a ton of reviews where you can see the differences in seats and determine what's important to you. For us, we ended up getting an Evenflo 360 Revolve Slim in the Green fabric. We wanted a rotating seat for easy use for a family member who watches baby. We also wanted something that wasn't overly bulky and that would have the highest weight and height limits for rear facing since baby will be safer rear facing as long as possible. We also liked that it was a no rethread harness (you don't have to take the cover off to adjust the height) and straightforward to install since it has extra helpers to ensure it was in properly (Windows that go from red to green in a few places and bubble level) For our travel seat, we went with the Maxi Cosi Romi since it is light and simple to install in rental cars or on the go. It is also worth considering looking up a CPST near you to get more personalized recommendations and to make sure your seat is installed properly.