Cosatto folding HBB for travel

[Krobus]

I have a small 5 year old. Currently 101cm and around 15kg. She tends to grow slowly. At home she has a two very heavy, large and expensive ERF seats and I expect she will be in them for a few years yet.

Early next year we are going on holiday/visiting relatives in Cyprus, flying and hiring a car. We will also need to be passengers in relatives car for some short trips.

Even though she's not yet in a HBB at home I think a folding one is best to take for easy travel and switching between cars. My older child has HBB at home but they are large and don't fold (she's 144cm and growing fast so will have a Bubblebum or nothing on holiday).

I saw the Maxi Cosi Tansa at £80 but it doesn't fold to cabin baggage dimensions and doesn't some with a bag.

I saw this Cosatto one that is cabin bagged dimensions and comes with a bag. Cosatto is not usually a brand I would choose for a car seat but the benefit is that it wouldn't need to get chucked around and possibly broken in the hold of the plane.

https://www.cosatto.com/products/ninja-i-go-r129-travel-car-seat-cherry-pie

Any thoughts on the Cosatto seat or alternative suggestions? The only folding ERF seat I found was almost £500, we don't travel that much and she's 5 and sits sensibly.

Thanks.

This looks like a booster only version of the Cosatto On the Go, which looks reasonable as a harnessed seat, but I don't know how good it will be as a booster. Looking at the photos with the model sat in it, it's absolutely tiny on an older child which makes me feel like it wouldn't do much to the point a properly sized backless booster might actually be better, although I'd be reluctant to suggest a backless booster for a 101cm tall child.

She might fit into the harnessed version, though, in which case it might be worth using with a harness? As long as she is not over 105cm, the weight of the seat itself puts the weight limit at 20kg. The only concern would be if your relatives have older cars without isofix/top tether.

You could also compare with Kinderkraft Fix2Go which is cheaper if that is a concern. The fit looks better for this in high back booster mode. Quality wise I'd put these brands around the same. Again it needs isofix/top tether for the 5 point harness mode.

Another idea might be to get your relatives to purchase a cheap/basic HBB for you to use while there - something like this perhaps? https://www.mothercare.com.cy/product/freeon-vega-i-size-100-150cm-2/

Thanks @BertieBotts
You are right the seat doesn't look very good in the picture with the model so we won't get the Cosatto seat.

I just looked at the growth charts and it looks like she is likely to be exactly 105cm when we go so that rules out harnessed seats.

My husband says to just take one of my older daughter's HBB for younger as if it gets broken in the hold then it doesn't matter as older daughter will be about to grow out of it anyway.

I'm back to thinking the Maxi-Cosi Tansa and packing it in the box it comes in with some bubble wrap if I can't find a good bag to go in the hold.

Good idea about getting relative to buy the seat or get one delivered to them. Their car does have Isofix but they would need to meet us at the airport when we pick up the hire car which wasn't the plan but I'll bear it in mind.

Thanks again.

With the heights, it's mainly to give a guide to the different age categories and to ensure that the seat will physically fit children of that stature. It's not a huge problem to slightly exceed a standing height limit, since children will have different torso heights, as long as it is not excessive and they don't outweigh the isofix weight limit which is 33kg seat + child (the Kinderkraft one weighs under 6kg, so you won't be anywhere near the limit). But obviously do what you are comfortable with.

Any seat which is folded, and most HBBs can come apart for transport, will be more protected from damage in the plane hold if you need to take a seat that way. The idea of taking one of your older DD's seats is not a bad one. Taking a HBB "loose" is risky, I had one damaged this way once. Transporting them in a cardboard box is very good though, it's how they are packed for transport to the shop and those delivery people are not gentle with boxes at all.