Looking for feedback on Cosco Tote N Go - portable car seat

[michelle88]

Has anyone used one of these? I saw it in The Right Start cataloge. It says it is just 4 pounds and "meets federal motor vehicle safety standard 213". It sounds perfect for vacations...is it too good to be true?

MCT

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, it's too good to be true :(
I tried and tried to make mine work, and it only did in an 82 buick...ugh!
I think if it had lower LATCH and a tether, it'd work pretty well, but the government exempts "vests", so it needs a seatbelt, and it's just impossible to get it installed right.

Here's a good page on it.... http://www.carseatdata.org/TNG.html
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[MCT]

Julie - thanks for your input. Safety aside (I have yet to try it with our car), does you know if it is legal to use?

MCT

[Joolsplus2]

Yes, it's definitely legal.
The only testing any seat has to pass is head and knee "excursion"...that is, how far the dummies head and knees fly forward from a point behind the seatback of a 1975 car bench seat with a lapbelt only. Since the dummy's head starts so far back compared to other seats, and is allowed to fly forward a full 32 inches, it can pass the standards fairly easily...and incidentally is probably rather easy to install tightly on that bench seat with that lapbelt...no shoulderbelts tugging it up, no locking clip needed, etc...
So yup, it passes FMVSS 213 standards, and is perfectly legal to use and sell :)...It's just a bugger to get it correct :P

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Traveling Mom]

I bought the Tote n'Go for my 2-year old for use during all the traveling we do to places where we don't rent a car and take mostly taxis (i.e. SF, NYC, Boston). I would really only reccommend this seat for that type of use...short quick rides to/from airports, hotel, dinner, etc. I definately would not use it for trips to visit family, etc., where you might be doing alot of driving around. It is really great and convienient for the short car ride though, especially not having to haul a full-size car seat on airplanes (cannot be used on airplanes though!!!).

It can be hard to set up correctly at first. I would suggest that you put the car seat on a chair or couch and adjust it to your child first, making sure that you have them in the same type of jacket/clothing in which they will be wearing while actually using the seat as it is difficult and time consuming to adjust the straps. Then after you have it adjusted for you child, I would practice putting it in your own car in the center rear seat (seems to fit best there) and latching it in. It will take a few tries but it can be done, but you do have to get it in really tight, and then once you put your child in it and buckle them in it seems to have more stability.
I hope this helps. I know most of the previous posts were somewhat negative about the seat, I have really found it to be a very useful traveling tool. And it does pass all the safety standards.

[lotsofjoy]

I suppose it woudl be OK if it was your only option... but I bought it with high hopes I could take it on a trip to FL to use with my 27 lb 2.5 year old.... and then give it to grandma to use in her car.

I could NOT get the darned thing to resemble anything remotely secure in 3 different cars (Toyota Sienna 2004, Honda Civic 2003, and Ford F150 1997) If you manage to get it so the top part is tight,,, you can still pull the bottom part and have it move away from teh seat 4-5 INCHES!!!

It was totally unacceptable to us. So we ended up dragging the Britax RA to FL and telling my mom to buy something!

HTH!

-Renee