Tearing my hair out over the travel seat decision- any advice?

[Snow mom]

I'm looking into buying DD (9 mos) a travel carseat. She is 18 lbs and 26 1/2 inches and we expect her weight to level off now that she is really moving. We'll likely be traveling by air with her 2-3 times a year and want something small to travel with but still safe. The travel seat will also be used as a second seat if we ever get a second car that DD can ride in. Cost definitely is a consideration, but I think mainly I'm being turned off by the fact that I got her MA for $179 and spending that much on a smaller travel seat therefore seems ridiculous to me. Last night I thought of another possible use for the smaller seat which is if we have a second DC we might use it instead of a bucket. I know I've heard that the britax seats don't fit small newborns well. Do any of the other seats work well for newborns? I'm considering either a Britax Roundabout, Combi Coccoro, or Cosco Scenera. Which seat is likely to last her the longest? Any other pros/ cons to consider (especially in terms of install and safety)? The Scenera is the most attractive in terms of price, but I worry about it being less safe (maybe I'm being crazy) and less comfy. Thanks for any advice!

[AnnieW625]

I don't think the Scenera is less safe, it's just basically a plastic shell with a cover on it. It just looks uncomfy to me, but we know plenty of people who use them on an everyday basis and are happy, I just wanted DD to have a little more padding. I would honestly just go with the Scenera and then worry about what you are going to do with the future kids seats once it's born.

We used the Graco Snugride 22 with Elisa and if I was to ditch the infant seat option for a newborn I think I would go with the Cocorro only because it most mimicks an infant seat (lots of plush looking padding, but I think it gets removed at 15lbs), but is a convertable. KWIM?

[niccig]

Look at the Safety First Avenue - about $80 at Kmart/Sears. We have the earlier model, an Uptown, and have used it as our travel seat/spare for a few years. Our other seats are Safeguard, Recaro, Britax, and we LOVE the Uptown - the Avenue is very similar. DS says he prefers it over our other much more $$ seats.

It's padded, so comfy. Has a from of side impact protection all over the seat. It's very light. I strap it to the stroller or luggage cart to wheel through the airport. I've installed it in plenty of cars and planes - we travel 2-3 times a year. DS has sat in it for our annual 14 hour flight to Australia and no complaints. It's not as easy to install as a Britax, but not really difficult either. I've installed it plenty of times, and I can do it in a couple of minutes. DS is about to outgrown it - it has a 40lb weight limit but tall top slots. My friend's son is average height/weight and he go to 4 yo in it. My DS is smaller and has a short torso, he will be 5 in December and he still fits.

RF, you might need a towel or pool noodle - I would throw one in suitcase outer pocket. When it's RF, it can be a little difficult to reach the lever to loosen harness - again not a big deal for me as it wasn't that difficult. DH didn't complain about it, and he would if it was a real issue.

ETA. I think the Avenue has taller harness slots than the other seats you mentioned in your OP. This is important as most children outgrow a seat by height before weight. That means that their torso gets too long and their shoulders are over the harness slots when FF. I'm lucky in that my DS has a short torso and all legs, so he's lasted longer in seats than other children would.

[arivecchi]

We just used a Scenera for a 5 hr plane trip for our 7 month old. Worked great and he slept a lot in it.