Need advice- outgrown Roundabout

[yankinweimar]

My almost-four-year-old outgrew her Roundabout last summer. She's now about 33 lbs and 39 inches tall. When she sits in the RA her ears are over the top- maybe the earlobes are at the top of the seat, but she's definitely too tall for it.

We retired the seat and she's riding happily in a Nautilus. BUT. We're headed home from Germany for Christmas and I want to bring the RA home to the States to leave it there for good. She does not use a carseat on the airplane.

We'd like to rent a car to drive to the airport because our car here is tiny and we have a ton of luggage. But, if we rent a car, we'll have to install the Nautilus, bring the RA, and all the bags- and then carry two seats through the airport. We don't need one on the other end (Grandma has a Nautilus also) and plan to take the train home from the airport on the return trip.

How dangerous is it to have her ride to the airport in the outgrown seat for one ride to the airport? It's about 2.5 hours, all highway. My gut tells me that it's not safe and I'll have to lug both car seats... but maybe I'm wrong.

Thanks,
Monica

[AnnieW625]

Not sure what I'd do in that situation (though leaning towards it could be okay for one trip) maybe I'd look at getting another seat for travel like a Safety 1st Go. It's foldable, very easy to travel with and is harnessed. It's not good for sleepers so you'll probably have to bring a neck pillow for DD, but if you travel a lot or need it even from time to time for others cars at home it might be a good investment. If that doesn't work (IE: can't get it to Germany next week) I would call the local rental car agency you are using and ask about the seats they rent; make sure they haven't expired and such.
http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Safeguard-Go-Hybrid/dp/B002STT4Q2

[Joolsplus2]

Are her shoulders really far above the top slots? She seems very petite to be way too tall for it, unless she's got a super long torso.
If my own kids shoulders were just barely above the slots, I'd be ok with one trip, personally... About a quarter of an inch or more above, I wouldn't use it.

[yankinweimar]

Thanks, ladies. When she's awake, I'll see exactly how far her shoulders are over the top slots. Which is more important- top slots or ears above shell?

I don't think we'll invest in another seat- we do travel a lot, but are moving back to the US in the summer, and are pretty happy with the Nauti we have now and the ones the grandmothers have. We're ok with her sitting in the seatbelt on the plane as she never gets up/moves around. I'll check with the car rental company- Germans are surprisingly loose about car seats, so I'm afraid it would be a booster (and likely a low-back one at that!), but it's worth a try.

[Joolsplus2]

Being too far over the top slots is a bit worse, it can lead to excessive head excursion (if the straps are wrapping down behind the back, the kiddo can even lean forward when the car's not moving, so it allows the head to really fly forward in a crash)...the midpoint of the head should be below the top of the back to prevent whiplash (which isn't a problem if there's a headrest in the car sticking up past the top of the seat, anyway).

[AnnieW625]

OOPS, thought you'd be renting in the US. Good luck!

[GraceH]

Do you have friends that you could bribe to drop you off at the airport for $20?

[yankinweimar]

Thanks for the help, ladies. She hasn't grown nearly as much as I thought! The straps are at her shoulders- maybe a teeny smidge below, but less than 2 cm. And her ears are mostly below the shell. So we'll be able to do the easy thing and use the RA one more time for the ride to the airport. Phew!

[Joolsplus2]

Phew! I know I've mis-remembered how my kid fit in a seat more than a time or two, which is why I thought you might have some luck if you tried it again, I'm glad she still fits!!!