Toddler Car Seat
Aug 16, 2014, 10:27 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: France
Programs: United Plus
Posts: 1,761
Works well strapping it to a luggage cart and pull it behind you. I have a bad back so I can't carry anything for very long. My back had no problem with this arrangement. My toddler could also ride in this contraption when tired.
They sell gizmos for car seats but honestly, they're just overpriced luggage carts so you do better just getting one at Target, etc. or at a luggage shop. Make sure it has a metal, not plastic, base and can hold up to at least 50lbs (most are much higher than that). Watch the handle height if you're tall. Try it at home first and you might need an extra bungee. Thread it through the forward-facing path on the seat.
What's great is that you can pull a Radian down the aisle of most aircraft like this. The only lifting I did was to put in in the seat.
Be sure to stow the luggage cart under the seat in front and not in an overhead bin (these can come flying out). These carts are great because they're useful later on, like for moving or taking your kids' science project to school. Not a baby-travel-specific product!
They sell gizmos for car seats but honestly, they're just overpriced luggage carts so you do better just getting one at Target, etc. or at a luggage shop. Make sure it has a metal, not plastic, base and can hold up to at least 50lbs (most are much higher than that). Watch the handle height if you're tall. Try it at home first and you might need an extra bungee. Thread it through the forward-facing path on the seat.
What's great is that you can pull a Radian down the aisle of most aircraft like this. The only lifting I did was to put in in the seat.
Be sure to stow the luggage cart under the seat in front and not in an overhead bin (these can come flying out). These carts are great because they're useful later on, like for moving or taking your kids' science project to school. Not a baby-travel-specific product!
Jan 24, 2015, 11:45 am
#17
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: msp
Programs: DL Plat, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 798
Toddler Car Seat
Our Radian worked well but I found the FF buckling and unbuckling a little tough. You have to jam the buckle and your hand inside the FF belt path slot to open/close it. Am I missing something?
Jan 25, 2015, 11:28 pm
#18
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Austin TX
Programs: Mr Swise: AAdvantage LifetimePlt/3MM, HH Dmnd, SPG Plt
Posts: 1,451
That's fantastic that the child has a dedicated seat! It makes the trip so much easier -- and it's safer, too.
You might check out http://car-seat.org for more info on car seats. They're the Flyertalk of car seats. Loooots of good info.
Another vote for the Cosco Scenera for a child that age. One nice thing is that it can rear-face, even in the smallest planes.
It only weighs about 9 lbs. Instead of a luggage cart, we prefer to just loop the tether strap on our umbrella stroller handle. This allows other items to be rolled through the terminal, and we can actually put both kids on the stroller. The little one sits in it, and the big one stands on the footrest and faces the little one and leans forward, holding on to the sides of the stroller. They love it.
Alternatively, we'll also often wear the little one and stroller the big one (they're currently 4 and 2).
We have since graduated to bigger seats, the Evenflo Titan 65, which is still a very basic, trim, lightweight seat, but it's a bit bigger than the Scenera. One letdown: it doesn't fit through the x-ray machines in security. :/
I agree that it sounds like the parents weren't familiar with the seat and how to install it using the belt path. The flight attendants get almost no training in car seat installation, so just because they couldn't do it either does not mean that the seat was not compatible with the plane. It just means no one could figure it out. I would suggest that the parents practice installing the seat using the belt path in a car, not using the LATCH straps. If you can install using the belt path in a car, then you should be able to install using the belt on a plane. It's usually the same principle. The only difference is the buckle placement. Also, if you can't get it installed forward-facing (FF), for an 18-month-old, you can install it rear-facing (RF). Sometimes the buckle can be in the middle of the back of the seat when it's forward-facing, and this can be uncomfortable. Just verify that the child is within the height/weight limits for rear-facing for the seat (at 18 months, he should be). Also, really, kids should stay rear-facing until at least age two anyway. (My 4-year-old still rear-faces. It's 5 times safer.)
Oh- and regarding the manual- Every car seat I have owned has had a special pocket or slot where the manual is to be kept. This is so that it can always be with the seat. The zip lock between the seat cover and the seat body is a good idea, but it may compromise the safety a bit, because it could interfere with the mechanics of the seat in a crash. There should be nothing between the child and the seat. Anyway, if you don't have the manual, you can always go get it on your smart phone on the googles. All of them are available on the internet. Electronic versions are sometimes nicer, because they're searchable.
Car seat installation is far from trivial. This is why something like 95% of people are using their seats incorrectly (I didn't make this figure up).
Good luck on the next trip!
You might check out http://car-seat.org for more info on car seats. They're the Flyertalk of car seats. Loooots of good info.
Another vote for the Cosco Scenera for a child that age. One nice thing is that it can rear-face, even in the smallest planes.
It only weighs about 9 lbs. Instead of a luggage cart, we prefer to just loop the tether strap on our umbrella stroller handle. This allows other items to be rolled through the terminal, and we can actually put both kids on the stroller. The little one sits in it, and the big one stands on the footrest and faces the little one and leans forward, holding on to the sides of the stroller. They love it.
Alternatively, we'll also often wear the little one and stroller the big one (they're currently 4 and 2).We have since graduated to bigger seats, the Evenflo Titan 65, which is still a very basic, trim, lightweight seat, but it's a bit bigger than the Scenera. One letdown: it doesn't fit through the x-ray machines in security. :/
I agree that it sounds like the parents weren't familiar with the seat and how to install it using the belt path. The flight attendants get almost no training in car seat installation, so just because they couldn't do it either does not mean that the seat was not compatible with the plane. It just means no one could figure it out. I would suggest that the parents practice installing the seat using the belt path in a car, not using the LATCH straps. If you can install using the belt path in a car, then you should be able to install using the belt on a plane. It's usually the same principle. The only difference is the buckle placement. Also, if you can't get it installed forward-facing (FF), for an 18-month-old, you can install it rear-facing (RF). Sometimes the buckle can be in the middle of the back of the seat when it's forward-facing, and this can be uncomfortable. Just verify that the child is within the height/weight limits for rear-facing for the seat (at 18 months, he should be). Also, really, kids should stay rear-facing until at least age two anyway. (My 4-year-old still rear-faces. It's 5 times safer.)
Oh- and regarding the manual- Every car seat I have owned has had a special pocket or slot where the manual is to be kept. This is so that it can always be with the seat. The zip lock between the seat cover and the seat body is a good idea, but it may compromise the safety a bit, because it could interfere with the mechanics of the seat in a crash. There should be nothing between the child and the seat. Anyway, if you don't have the manual, you can always go get it on your smart phone on the googles. All of them are available on the internet. Electronic versions are sometimes nicer, because they're searchable.
Car seat installation is far from trivial. This is why something like 95% of people are using their seats incorrectly (I didn't make this figure up).
Good luck on the next trip!