childs car seat; can anyone recommend a light weight one to travel with?

Question

im travelling to the USA for a few months, virgin atlantic have child seats for there planes so i dont need it for the flight, but i need to take one with me and check it, my usual one is too heavy for the baggage alowence, anyone know of a good safe lightweight car seat for a 30month old, hes quite skinny so on the lower weight for his age.

i need something with a 3 or 5 point harness and can be lifted easily as im single parent travelling on my own.

any ideas anyone?

thanks for your imput

good point for anyone else reading this post about second hand seats, i do only intend to get a new one, im not renting a car so wouldnt have got one form a rental company anyway, but i do need a second light weight seat i can move easliy form the car for my mum to use with my son when i get back to the uk, so will want to bring it back, but otherwise leaving it to a charity was a very good idea... sadly at the moment 'i am' the charity case! i was hoping people would come up with some american sugestions of makes, as yes i think its a good idea to buy it out there and then bring it back and with the exchange rate at the moment every thing is half price with there being two dollars to the pound!

so is there a consencus that the cosato one from wal-mart looks the best deal? or does anyone know better...

point to the post about excess baggage! have you ever had to pay it! its extortion! it would cost twice as much as the seat!!

Answer 1

There are two options that I can think of right away.

1 - The Radian 65: it is a 5-pt-harness seat that be used rear-facing or forward-facing and it can be folded for travel. It has a carrying strap but you can also get a carrying back for it. It will install either with a seatbelt or the LATCH system. It can be a bit hard to install, so I'm not sure that I'd want to move it around much from vehicle to vehicle. But it is a great seat if you think you're just going to be installing it once or twice. http://skjp.com/products/index.php?v=cat&cid=5&name=Car%20Seats

2 - the SafeguardGO: This would be a great seat because it hardly weighs anything. You cannot use it rear-facing, however, only forward facing. You will have to have a car equipped with a top tether, which all cars manufactured to be sold in the US have if manufactured after 2000 (i.e., most rental cars will have it). The minimum weight of a child that can use this seat is 30lbs, however. Very lightweight and portable seat! http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm

Another seat that might work well b/c it's lightweight and inexpensive is the Cosco Scenera. It doesn't fold and become portable but it's cost at less than $50 makes it a bargain. It can be used both rear-facing (to 35lbs) or forward-facing (to 40lbs) And it's not heavy...

Enjoy your trip!

Answer 2

Please, please do not buy a used car seat. It may be crashed and unsafe, or missing parts, or not have the manual, or may be expired and unsafe. Rental seats from car companies are often just as bad (filthy, ancient, no manual). If you are visiting friends or family, see if you can borrow a seat from a trusted friend, or have them buy an inexpensive seat (Cosco Scenera or Evenflo Chase are good choices) from Wal-Mart or Target. We have 5 point harness seats here, those two I mentioned have 5 point harnesses, are easy to install in most cars, and are fairly easy to use once you read the manual. Can they buy it for you and meet you at the airport with it?

Well wishes for smooth traveling!

Edited to add: Here's the link to the Cosco Scenera we have recommended... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=4083774&sourceid=1500000000000001353000
It will feel fairly flimsy and unpadded to you, in comparison to the seat you are probably used to using, but it IS a very safe seat, fits many cars easily, and is easy to use properly, which is why many of us like it. It passes our strict testing requirements here (as do all seats), and kids never seem uncomfortable in it, despite the lack of padding. So while it's 'bare bones', it's definitely a seat I'd use for my own kids (and I usually use Britaxes, so that's saying a lot, lol).

Answer 3

If you can get a Cosco Scenera, it is a great light weight seat. They are around $40 at Walmart. Do not get the overhead sheild one - it is not as safe as the 5 point harness. It goes up to 35 lbs rearfacing and 40 lbs forward facing. I like the idea a previous poster had of donating to a crisis center after you leave the states.

Answer 4

I have gave you the link below for he spec on the chair which I have. My baby was extremely comfortable in this seat it also clicked into the pram so you didnt have to waken the baby when moving them out of the car into it. The only thing I would change would be the weight of the stroller as it felt a little heavy just after I had the baby for a little while. But rating it out of 10 for the whole system I would give it 9 1/2

Answer 5

Car seat manufacturers have to maintain the safety standards which ultimately means all the car seats are more or less equally bulky and heavy. Yes, there is a weight resistriction when flying but you can pay for any additional baggage at check in should you exceed that maximum --- you can call or go online with your airline and find out their rates. Additionally, if you ask for assistance with your luggage, you can arrange that as well...they're usually more than happy to assist if they want your business.

Answer 6

See if you can rent one from a car rental place once you get into the US. Then you can go to a Walmart (they're easy to find, you can't throw a stone without hitting one) and buy one for around $50 (that would be maybe 30 euros) and then donate it to a pregnancy crisis center when you go back to your home country.

Answer 7

If you are visiting family in the US maybe you can get them to find a free one on http://www.freecycle.com or http://www.craigslist.org at least if it is waiting for you in the US you won't have to deal with it on the plane.

Most convertable seats are heavy and large.