Travel Seat for 4 year old?

[kbud]

My dd will be 4 in 2 weeks. She's 40 inches and 37 pounds. My dh works for the airlines so we travel/fly a lot. We've been using the Scenera for travel and love it! But she is getting close to the 40 pound weight limit so I'm trying to plan ahead. We almost always need a seat for her at our destination. At home she is in a Wizard but I don't want to travel w/that, way to heavy. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Kim

[ellies mom]

Our plan is to go for a Radian 65 as our second seat/travel seat.

[sarsah]

It will probably take longer than you think for your DD to hit 40 lbs. At that point, I would probably get a booster for travel. Your DD will probably be close to age 5 and should be fine in a booster and she'll be big enough not to need a car seat on the plane.

We have a Compass B510 for travel and it works very well. It folds up and the model I got came with its own travel bag, although a duffle bag would work just fine too. It's a nice comfy seat with EPS and side impact protection. My 7 year old loves it -- it's his primary seat, at least for the next few months until he gets too tall for it, and so does my 4 1/2 year old who occasionally rides in it for carpool, etc. (his main seat is a Britax Marathon).

I don't know a lot about the Radian 65, but that would probably be a good choice too if you don't mind spending the money. Personally, I would wait until your DD is right at 40 lbs. before getting a new seat.

Sarah.....mom to Jason & Devin

[kbud]

Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot to include that I also have a 3 month old in a Snugride. She is in the 97% so will be outgrowing it soon. I figured I'd put her in the Scenera for travel but maybe I should just get another Scenera since they are so cheap and great for travel.

Thanks for pointing out that my dd may not be 40 pounds for quiet sometime. It seems close but she did only gain about 2 pounds in the last year. I travel a lot by myself so I'm trying to figure out how I'd manage 2 carseats alone. I'm not sure she is mature enough yet for a booster and I do like having her in a seat on the plane simply so she stays put.

In doing some research I was considering the ride safer vest and maybe a CARES harness. But the CARES says only to 40 inches which is where she is now.

Any other thoughts considering this additional info?

Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

DO make sure your 4 yo's dd's shoulders aren't going above the top slots in the seat...that's another way to outgrow a seat besides weight. The Radian is heavy, but very compact when folded, and installs brilliantly in plane seats (you can even use the tray table with it). Maybe consider a larger infant seat? The Graco Safeseat 1 fits kids up to 18-24 months old, in general, and it's as easy to use as a snugride ($89 if you can find it on sale...not cheap, but not really expensive...).

[stillplayswithbarbies]

We love our Radian 65 for travel. It folds up for easy carrying, it is easy to install on the plane (even easier than a Britax!) and it sits low enough that she can us the tray table on the plane.

[JBaxter]

We are another 4 yr old using a radian. I would NEVER consider not using a car seat on a plane with my guy.