Best Travel Car Seats: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents on the Go
I’ve included my Google sheet round-up below of the Best Travel Car Seats for Families if you’re just looking for a quick glance - or keep reading for a more in-depth discussion.
**note we included FAA approved seats in this round up. Be sure to verify FAA approval if you intend to buy a seat and install the car seat in the plane.
To transport toddler seats through the airport:
1.)This cart to help you wheel it through the airport
2.) This large carabiner to connect your car seat to your stroller
3.) This strap to connect it to your luggage
4.) This bag to wear it like a backpack and gate check it with ease. (our choice)
Let my first say a few things on the topic of Why You Need a Travel Car Seat:
1.) We love the car seats we have for daily use in our cars (Graco 4Ever DLX and Graco Extend2Fit) They are just seem very bulky to travel with, so I started looking into other best travel car seats, portable car seats for travel and other compact car seats. I’ve seen the Cosco Kids Scenera recommended all over the internet and wanted to dig in more.
2.) Best Travel Car Seats for Families selection really depends on the age you are going to start traveling with your child and how much you’ll be traveling. Purchasing a seat for travel (or with the thoughts of removing it from your car for travel) for babe from infant AND beyond are so wide and exciting. For us, now that our babe is 1 and still needs to be rear facing the options are more limited (IMO) but still pretty good. My biggest influence here is that babe is 90% for height/weight and I don’t want to buy a car seat she’ll grow out of before we use it more than twice. Had I known we’d be wanting to bring a car seat with us on three trips this year back when she was born I probably would’ve gotten the Cosco Kids Scenera in the beginning… but I didn’t know that then, the joys of parenthood. If you’re reading this and thinking of traveling with an infant, I’d suggest thinking about the Cosco Kids Scenera for sure.
We loved our Nuna Pipa RX (though we had the regular one and not the RX which for some reason isn’t easy to find/link?) for when baby was an infant. Infant car seat possibilities are endless and are impacted by what you plan to do with baby and what stroller system you want/need. We traveled with the Nuna Pipa & base in the Nuna travel bag once (and my cousin used it once) and it was great. It’s bulky, it’s heavy, but she was little and we did it. If we were planning on traveling all the time with an infant I’d have put more thought into it. All of the infant seats on the list below include the ability to install without a base, which is helpful for airline travel and quick install in rental cars/rideshares etc.
When I originally wrote this article in May I was pretty motivated to grab a new seat. In fact I was leaning towards the Baby Trend Trooper. However, after spending a lot of time reading reviews and doing research, we decided just to use our exisiting seat, the Graco 4Ever DLX . This was mainly due to the fact that babe is in the 90th percentile for height and every car seat review I read for the more compact ones seemed like they would be uncomfortable for her size or not last us very long. Also, I just decided I didn’t feel like spending more money and storing another seat!
We did not buy her a seat on the flight (unpopular opinion: I’m glad we didn’t) so we gate checked the car seat both ways using this bag. It held up well and did not show any signs of damage or wear.
FAQ’s About Best Travel Car Seats
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Yes, you can bring a car seat on a plane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends using a child safety seat that is approved for air travel to ensure your child's safety during the flight. The car seat should be FAA-approved and properly labeled for use on aircraft. It's best to check with your airline beforehand regarding their specific policies, as some may require a separate seat purchase for the car seat.
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Look for a lightweight, compact design that's easy to carry and install. Ensure it's FAA-approved for air travel if you plan to fly, and check for safety certifications like side-impact protection.
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Yes, but it may be bulky and heavy. A travel-specific car seat is often more convenient, especially if you’re flying or frequently switching vehicles.
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FAA-approved car seats have a label that reads: "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft." Always check for this label before flying.
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Bringing your own car seat ensures it meets your safety standards and is familiar to your child. Renting may be convenient, but there's no guarantee of the seat's condition or suitability. If you are going to rent, we suggest renting from a BabyQuip provider instead of the rental car location. You can use this link for $20 off your first rental.