do we need 2 car seats?

[aelittleb]

we are cruising to the western carribean in nov 2012 (i know, so far away!!!) and we will have a 13 month old and a 3.5 yr old. we are flying to miami and then a taxi to the ship. we plan to bring a costco scenera for the 13 month old but will we need something for the 3.5 yr old? i dont really know what kind of seat he will be in at that point. im assuming a booster though. we are going to cozumel, roatan and costa maya. we will be going to nachi cocum in cozumel so we will have to take a taxi there but im not sure about the other ports. either the kids will stay on the ship (w grandparents) or we will most likely go somewhere within walking distance. thanks :D

[boulders]

According to MA law, a child must be in a car seat (not a booster) until they're at least 5 years old AND 40 lbs.

[vicarella]

I had the same issues traveling with a 11 month old and 3 year old to the Caribbean. We opted not to take the car seats but what we did instead was found car/taxi places that provided seats via the Internet. For the most part the seats were okay we usually had to adjust them or strap them in. The cost was a bit more but it was nice to have our own transportation and be on our own schedule. We also hit the beach everyday with the kids and they were great. Again, do research before you go :) This forum is great!

[milton333]

I think there's two issues I'd like to address here. One is what you'll do on vacation, and the other is how to restrain your little ones the rest of the time at home.

 

Please do not place a 3.5 year old in a booster for full-time use at home. A child's spinal vertebrae do not complete the process of "ossification" or hardening until between 4 and 6 years old. Until then, their bones have more "give" to them than adults. The spinal cord, unfortunately, does not give. This puts youngsters at significant risk of spinal cord injury in car accidents, where the heavy head is whipped by the force of the impact. A child that age is also highly likely to "submarine" and slide under a belt, even with a booster. Unfortunately, you can google or search youtube for information about 3 and 4 year olds who were lost in even minor accidents. Weight and body structure simply place children who are restrained in a seatbelt at much greater risk of injury, even with a booster.

 

The safest way to restrain a child is in a rear-facing carseat for as long as they meet the weight and height restrictions of the seat. This is what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. Where they do this regularly, in Sweden, their risk of serious injury or death in children is a tiny fraction of what it is in the U.S. I second the PP about 5 years and 40 lbs as the minimum safe time to put a child in a booster. There are many seats available that allow you to rear-face a child to 40 lbs, including the Cosco Scenera (40RF model) that is sold at Target and some Walmarts for $35.

 

There is no question that it is inconvenient to bring carseats for your kids on vacation. I'd suggest that you consider bringing a Scenera for your 3.5 year old, too, though. They are lightweight and relatively easy to transport. Keep in mind that rented carseats have an unknown history (they may have expired, been in a serious accident and not replaced, may not have the straps threaded properly, might have suffered damage to the straps or other parts, etc.). If you're unfamiliar with the seat, you may not install it properly.

 

Good luck to you. It's certainly a pain hauling carseats around in airports and around the world, but it's so important to keep our kids safe. Car accidents are very common, and I don't know how I'd live with myself if my son were seriously injured and not properly restrained.

[aelittleb]

thanks everyone! i havent done enough research for the years too far ahead yet so i was just guessing that he would be in a booster seat by then but he sure wont be now. hes 21 months now and still rear facing and will be for awhile to come. i guess our tentative plan for now will be to bring 2 sceneras. they are inexpensive enough that i dont mind buying one (my parents have one). it will be interesting at the airport, thats for sure!!! we will have the 2 kids with us plus all of our luggage and a stroller. i will most likely wear the little one and put the bigger one in the stroller. we are going to do everything in our power to make sure my parents are on the same flight so they can help us. we are crusing with a huge group of people so maybe we can have even more helpers!!!!

[milton333]

As far as what to do with the carseats in the airport, if the older one can walk, you can fit the two Sceneras together (like shoes, top of one against the bottom of the other) and strap them into the seat of the stroller with a bungie cord.

 

Alternatively, you can look into a lightweight luggage cart kind of deal, the kind that collapses up flat to go into the overhead bin, and hook the seats to it. There are also solutions that allow you to strap the seats onto your large rolling suitcases, if you have them.

 

With plenty of time, you can research to see what might work for you.

 

Our carseat is the Radian XTSL, which can be worn as a backpack and the seat folds up to make it less bulky for travel. It is FAA approved. It's heavy and more expensive than a Scenera, though. As an all-around seat, it's got the highest rear-facing weight limit on the U.S. market right now, but it takes up a lot of room front-to-back and is challenging if you've got a smaller vehicle. I thought I'd toss it out there, though, as another option for traveling. When we've flown, DH has warn the carseat as a backpack.

 

You've definitely got the right idea with bringing a carrier, when we've vacationed with DS we've gotten good use out of both the carrier and a lightweight stroller.

[c-cruise]

Check the wait limit on the Scenara. If it is the same one we have for traveling then it only goes to 40 lbs. Your 3.5 year old may be at or near that limit.

 

We just got back from the Southern Caribbean with our 10month old and 4yr old. We brought a Scenara for the baby and a booster for our 4yr old. This was our first cruise with two kids and carrying the seats around wasn't as bad as we thought. We checked the booster onto the planes and ship so didn't have to carry it around with us much. The Scenara we used on the plane so had to carry it through the airport, but were able to check it onto the ship as well. We just brought one stroller for the baby and the 4yr old walked.

[Mom2B&Z]

I'm going to ask one more question :) What seat do you use at home? I know the Scenera is dirt cheap in the US, but there is some value to bringing other seats too. IMHO I love travelling with my Britax Marathon, because the built-in lock offs make it a breeze to install in any vehicle. We are travelling to the same ports in Jan/12 when our boys will be almost 7 and just turned 4. The 4yo will be in the Marathon, and knowing the ports I'm not counting on finding UAS/LATCH bars or automatic locking retractors on the seatbelts. That's why I love the Marathon, I don't have to be wrestling with a locking clip installing a car seat in a taxi.

So...if you already have a Britax it may be worth bringing with you rather than buying another seat. Plus installing on the airplane is so easy and my boys always fall asleep lol!

Others have given great reasons for why you should not use a booster with a 3yo, there are lots of "readiness" lists on line that can help decide when your child is ready for a booster. Most suggest children are at least 4 if not 5 yrs old, as well as well over 40 lbs and able to sit in the seat, not undo the seatbelt unless vehicle is stopped, fall asleep without "hanging" off the harness, amongst others.

Enjoy your trip!

[truchattycathy]

Thanks so much! My grandson will be 14 mo on his first cruise and someone on the main boards referred me to this family section to answer my car seat question. No one on the main board sees the need for one, but we certainly do!!! Will it be possible or advisable to check the carseat with our luggage? It would make for a much easier boarding, but I don't know if this is good or not. I have seen how they move the luggage.

[c-cruise]

Thanks so much! My grandson will be 14 mo on his first cruise and someone on the main boards referred me to this family section to answer my car seat question. No one on the main board sees the need for one, but we certainly do!!! Will it be possible or advisable to check the carseat with our luggage? It would make for a much easier boarding, but I don't know if this is good or not. I have seen how they move the luggage.

 

If your grandson has a seat on the plane then you will want to use the car seat on the plane. Otherwise if he is traveling as a lap infant (being held) then you can either check your car seat with your luggage or drag it through the airport and gate check-it. When we have a car seat we aren't using on the plane I always just check it with the luggage. Much easier than carrying it through security and out to the gate. Figure the seat is designed to survive a car crash so certainly the baggage handlers can't do worse than that. I would highly recommend buying some sort of carrying bag for it with a handle. Otherwise they will just give you a plastic bag to put it when you check it.

[Mom2B&Z]

If you have two seats for the kids, definitely bring the car seats on the aircraft. It is so much easier for the kids to sit in their car seats, as they know what's expected. Mine also tend to fall asleep, which is always a good thing! Our DS1 who is now 6 finds airplane seats huge, but unfortunately he's too big for a car seat :(

About checking the car seats: I disagree with the previous poster, and would say to gate check them if not using on the aircraft. While they are designed to withstand a collision, they are ONE USE ONLY, so they MUST be disposed of if in ANY collision. This includes a drop from table height. You don't want to go to the trouble of lugging these things around the airport just to have the luggage handlers ruin the seat. They also cannot be carried by the harness straps or top tether, just the plastic bits.

I've never had trouble either carrying on a child restraint (including a booster for DS1) or a car seat, just read the airlines rules, know them when you board and ask that they be followed. I've never had a problem asking them to follow their own rules ;)

 

Thanks so much! My grandson will be 14 mo on his first cruise and someone on the main boards referred me to this family section to answer my car seat question. No one on the main board sees the need for one, but we certainly do!!! Will it be possible or advisable to check the carseat with our luggage? It would make for a much easier boarding, but I don't know if this is good or not. I have seen how they move the luggage.

[c-cruise]

I disagree with the previous poster' date=' and would say to gate check them if not using on the aircraft. While they are designed to withstand a collision, they are ONE USE ONLY, so they MUST be disposed of if in ANY collision. This includes a drop from table height. You don't want to go to the trouble of lugging these things around the airport just to have the luggage handlers ruin the seat.[/quote']

 

The problem is when you gate check something it still just gets thrown underneath the plane with the rest of the luggage. I have watch as we waited for our gate check items to get chucked up to the jetway after a flight. They don't handle gate check items any more carefully than items checked at the counter. Also, think about when you check the car seats onto the ship. I am sure they don't handle them any gentler at the cruise terminal and on the ship than at the airport.

 

I am more worried about a car seat getting lost by the airline than damaged. We bought cheap seats that we just use for travel, that way if we do get one lost or damaged its no big deal.

[Mom2B&Z]

That's why I always suggest people bring the car seat on the aircraft :) I agree with you completely, although sometimes you can ask the gate check people to handle the seat with care.

My seats don't leave my posession, we even carry them on the ship ourselves. I'm not replacing a $300 car seat because someone isn't as careful with it as they should be. (Yes, car seats in Canada are very expensive...the Scenara is on sale this week for $80!)

 

The problem is when you gate check something it still just gets thrown underneath the plane with the rest of the luggage. I have watch as we waited for our gate check items to get chucked up to the jetway after a flight. They don't handle gate check items any more carefully than items checked at the counter. Also, think about when you check the car seats onto the ship. I am sure they don't handle them any gentler at the cruise terminal and on the ship than at the airport.

 

I am more worried about a car seat getting lost by the airline than damaged. We bought cheap seats that we just use for travel, that way if we do get one lost or damaged its no big deal.

[c-cruise]

I'm not replacing a $300 car seat because someone isn't as careful with it as they should be. (Yes' date=' car seats in Canada are very expensive...the Scenara is on sale this week for $80!)[/quote']

 

That's why we use different seats for traveling than the main ones we use at home. I think of the car seat and booster we use for traveling as "disposable" in the event that they got damaged. Even with rough handling I would think it unlikely that the hard plastic shell or the belts would get damaged. It would only be the energy absorbing foam that I would be concerned about. Unfortunately you can't really visually tell if the foam has been damaged or not.

[Mom2B&Z]

You can't visually tell if the plastic is stressed either. Some seats get "stress marks" (they show up as white lines) in the plastic right out of the factory and are still considered fine to use. Others get it as a result of too vigorous handling during installation and we tell parents they must be replaced. There is no visual inspection technique for certifying a seat as safe. This is from Transport Canada (I know...everything I say is from the Canadian perspective :))

Unfortunately having disposable car seats is cost prohibitive for most Canadians. After we pay $7000 for our trip, more costs are just not possible. That's why we keep our seats in our posession at all times. I still do consider Britax to be the best seat to travel with, mainly because of the built in lock offs and the difficulty most people have installing a seat with a locking clip, or knowing what to do with locking latchplates etc.

 

That's why we use different seats for traveling than the main ones we use at home. I think of the car seat and booster we use for traveling as "disposable" in the event that they got damaged. Even with rough handling I would think it unlikely that the hard plastic shell or the belts would get damaged. It would only be the energy absorbing foam that I would be concerned about. Unfortunately you can't really visually tell if the foam has been damaged or not.

[c-cruise]

We traveled with our Britax seat once - never again. To big and bulky, a pain to use on the plane, a pain to remove the cover for cleaning afterwards, etc. Love it for everyday use at home though! Went to the Scenara for traveling for the light weight and cheap cost in case of loss or damage. Older child is now in a booster and the baby now uses the Scenara for traveling. Gotten a lot of miles out of that $50 seat. Probably out to think about replacing it since it has been checked onto a lot of planes and ships.

 

Wish we could keep our seats with us at all times, but with needing two of them and all our other gear something has to get checked onto the plane or we would never make it to the gate :p

 

Know what you mean about the locking clip. Never used one and wouldn't have a clue what to do with it. Every vehicle we have ever rented has had LATCH.

[milton333]

I've never used a seat with a lockoff, and only use a locking clip to keep my son's seat from tipping a bit from the shoulder belt in our regular car. It's not that hard to install a car seat, and it's a good idea to practice before traveling.

 

With a lap belt, most cars you'll see are like what you have in the airplane - you fasten the belt and then tighten. It stays tight.

 

With a lap/shoulder belt, you feed the belt through the car seat's belt path and fasten. Most cars on the road today are set up so that you pull the shoulder portion of the belt all the way out and then feed it back in (you may hear a ratcheting or clicking). This locks the belt and takes the tension out.

 

Rarely, an older car may not have locking lap/shoulder belts, so you'd need to use a locking clip right near the buckle to keep the lap portion tight during normal travel - any collision will cause the belt to lock, but you need to keep the car seat in place until then.

 

Just read through your manual and practice a bit before traveling, you want to be comfortable with the process.

[MustSailNOW]

I just came across this product on Amazon and think I will give it a try. You just strap the car seat on to your luggage and wheel it around. For $13, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Some of the reviewers also state that they were able to use things they had at home to achieve the same result. We currently use a Combi, but I think we will purchase a Cosco from Walmart (on rollback for $39) just for traveling.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS