Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Entirely, totally off topic: Car seats!

Ah... ok, he's not nearly ready for a booster yet. I'm just looking for a smaller convertible than he has now for travel purposes. He's still a little guy (~29 inches tall or so, ~20 pounds, something like), and we'd still like him rear facing. But he certainly doesn't fit in his Snugride any more.

I remember that awkward travel stage. My oldest was too tall for the infant seat very early on so we went to the fully convertable 3 way seat as well, then moved on the booster after.

We use something like this for our 2.5 yr old and have for a while. (Graco Platinum Cargo Booster Seat) Our is very stripped down, so most of the padding shown is not used.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=...%3AGraco&page=1

We used to use the Britax but agree, it's pretty big. Cosco (brand not the store) also has similar styles.

That being said, this type DOES NOT WORK on airplanes. The seatbelt is looped just underneath the back padding. This is OK when you use a car seat belt that buckles on the side. But on a plane, the buckle is on your tummy. On a car seat like this, it translates to the middle back of your kid. (Hope this makes sense.) It will not work, no matter how many creative ways (extenders/pads/etc) you try. Suffice to say that was a wasted effort bringing it back and forth to Mexico.

At 20 lbs, sounds like your kid might be too small for the true convertible booster.

For plane usage, you really have to think about where that seatbelt is routed because the seatbelt buckle is a major problem.

Let me re-rephrase--convertible as in between forward and rear facing.

So you're looking for something that's convenient for travel, but still something you feel safe strapping the kid into while you dodge idiots on the road?

We recently traveled with Gracie's Britax Roundabout. It's definitely more petite than the Marathon, but it might be overkill. Cosco has some seats that are even less bulky than the Britax that might fit the bill. The Cosco Scenera looks pretty minimal compared to the Britax models but I'm happy having Gracie in it when I take her places in my car. Also, compared to the Britax seats, it's featherweight.

I like the size of the Scenera, but the reviews aren't great. Do you actually have it?

I either have it or something like it. I wouldn't use it as a primary seat as it's not as well padded as the Britax models.