I need help finding a booster just for air travel.

[duckbeav]

My 3 yr. old son already has a Recaro Young Sport which we will check at the gate and use for driving. But it is not air travel approved. I just need a booster for the flight itself. I have read the posts below, but wonder if there is an alternative to what has been suggested.

Are the backless boosters appropriate for air travel? We would just rely on the lap belt.

When I originally purchased the Recaro, I did it thinking the seat would work on planes because of the seat's dimensions. It wasn't until the seat arrived, however, and I read the manual, that I realized the seat would not work.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[duckbeav]

I've done a little research and wonder if anyone has anything to say about these seats: Cosco Senera, Cosco Touriva, Cosco Regal Ride, Cosco Apex 65, and Evenflo Bolero. I just need a seat for the plane ride since the Recaro will be used in the car. It will be a major pain lugging two seats for my son and one for my 1 yr. old, but I don't know what else to do.

My son weighs 35 lb. and still uses the Recaro's 5 pt. harness. It's a shame that the Recaro won't work on planes!!

[momtoB]

The Recaro is a nice seat isn't it? It is too bad it's not airline approved!

The Scenera is the newer version of the Touriva, and the Regal Ride is also the same seat marketed under a different name (Dorel juvinile products is the parent company of Cosco, Safety 1st, and Eddie Bauer and they are notorious for doing this w/their product names). The Scenera 5-pt (it also comes with overhead sheild, which you don't want) harnesses to 40lbs. The top slots are about 15" so if your dc's seated height from bum to top of shoulder is taller than that you should just skip this seat. Plus he's only got 5more lbs before outgrowing it by weight anyway. If he were younger & lighter you'd get a lot more use out of it and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. The Touriva is what we used for a backup seat in MIL's car and for travel and it was a great seat for the price.

The Cosco Apex 65, also marketed w/a similar sounding name under the Safety 1st Brand, has taller harness slots than the Scenera/Tourive/Regal Ride and also harnesses to 65lbs. I'm not sure if it's approved for use in an airplane. If you look at this in the store, check for the white sticker on the side that should say in Red print that's it's "approved for use in vehicles and aircraft" or something similar. If it doesn't have that sticker, you can't use it on the plane.

My ds uses the Evenflo Bolero in MIL's car now and we just took it on an airplane recently. It is airline approved and it worked fine on the plane except it doesn't recline at all and my ds had some difficulty napping in it (we were flying at naptime too). The Evenflo Generations is the same seat with a small recline feature and extra padding so you might also want to look at that. About $10-20more - most people say it's not worth the extra money but just thought I would mention it. This seat also has a 40lb weight limit, then converts to a bpb like your Recaro YS does.

Then there are the Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard seats which all harness to 65lbs, have top harness slots that measure about 18" and are airline approved. The Marathon is the "no frills" version (lower price than the other two) but they are all very safe seats and highly recommended by most people who use them. They're pretty expensive though at around $250 depending on the model.

This site has a list of other higher weight limit seats if you're interested:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/Over40.aspx I'm not sure which ones are airline approved though.

hth!
Cheryl
ds-4/21/03
r/fing in a Britax Blvd, f/fing in Bolero in MIL's car

[duckbeav]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond with such a thoughtful answer. I will look into the models you suggested. We have a Marathon already for my one year old that is a handmedown from my son. I found it to be impractical for forward-facing on airplanes since there was no leg room at all for the little legs hanging over. That was on Southwest.

Again, thanks a lot!

Maria

[duckbeav]

Just curious, but we're probably only going to use the seat just once before my son outgrows it for plane travel. When he's bigger than the 40/40, do we go with a Cosco Apex or do kids just use the plane's seat belt?

[kellyotn]

Hmmm. I'd suggest taking the MA and a Scenera and skip bringing the Young Sport. Both can easily be used in the car at the destination. Can he just cross his legs in the MA on the plane (like rear facing toddlers do)? Or if the Scenera offers more leg room, use it for the older. A Scenera is pretty handy, so light, easy to install and use. With two kids and traveling, it'll get used.

I think the Apex is FAA approved, but I've seen it and cannot imagine bringing it! It very, very wide and tall and "floppy" (not solid like an MA, the headrest and the sides are movable, KWIM?). I've seen a comparison pic, and side by side its as big as a Regent!

I think it would be hard to carry and deal with. I also have a hard time seeing it fit in an airplane seat, but it must! Then, once at your destination, you have to worry if your car has low seat backs or not.... I think its a GREAT seat for use if it works in your primary car, harnessing so long is great, I just wouldn't want to travel with it at all! :)

HTH

[momtoB]

>Just curious, but we're probably only going to use the seat
>just once before my son outgrows it for plane travel. When
>he's bigger than the 40/40, do we go with a Cosco Apex or do
>kids just use the plane's seat belt?

After 40lbs the FAA recommends just using the airplane seatbelt.
Here's a link to their "tips for parents using a CRS" page:
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

hth!

[mommysammi]

We have the Regal Ride and have used it on airplanes and hosts' cars. It's very light and very easy to install. My ds is 15 months, is in the 90% tile in height and weighs almost 30 lbs. He is definitely a lot younger than your ds but thought I'd share with you how light and easy to install this seat is. It's also very reasonably priced from a seat that's used occassionally. if you do get this seat, make sure you get the newest version possible. hth.

[Joolsplus2]

I'm not even sure the Apex is approved for aircraft? (Need to read up on that... it's bulky though, and wouldn't be fun to bring, for sure...).

Maybe the Sunshine Kids Radian would be a decent choice (good for plane and car, AND folds up small if you decide to check it).

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[duckbeav]

Just want to let everyone know how grateful I am for those who took the time to point me in the right direction. The advice regarding the 17 inch height was terrific!

We went with the Evenflo Generations and rather than toting the Recaro along for the car ride, we'll use the E.G. But, I must confess, I'll fret the whole time if my boy isn't using his Recaro.

Regarding using the Marathon on Southwest, when we had the seat forward facing, there was absolutely no leg room whatsoever between the seat and the passenger seat in front of us.

Again, thanks soooooo much!