travel car seat wayb

Wayb Pico review: an expert and traveling parents weigh in (2024)

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This review of the WAYB Pico car seat is written by certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Melissa Conn and may contain affiliate links.

There are some amazing folding car seat options for older kids that make long-term travel and taxi-hopping a breeze. But until recently, parents of young kids who were too big for an infant car seat and still too small for a Ride Safer travel vest were mostly left out in the cold.

Enter: the Wayb Pico car seat . A team of parents with backgrounds in designing highly technical outdoor gear put their talents to work to design an innovative solution to this pain in the ass problem. You can see the fruits of their labor here :

You can see my quick video review of the WAYB Pico here:

Thanks to the marketing team’s prolific use of social media ads for the crowdfunding campaign, basically every traveling family in the US has seen a picture of this contraption. But with a steep price tag and some very real limitations, lots of parents have asked: is the Wayb Pico worth it? This is the most comprehensive Wayb Pico review you’ll find, so hopefully by the end you’ll be able to answer that question for yourself.

Pro tip: This is the cheapest place to buy the WAYB Pico. If you’re thinking about buying elsewhere, be sure to check the price first. Also read over my legit tips for getting a WAYB Pico discount .

Big thanks to Child Passenger Safety Technician – Instructor Courtney Levesque for providing some of her insights in this review! She’s mom to two lovely girls, who were kind enough to model for a way b car seat photo shoot. You’ll find some of Courtney’s feedback and photos as well as my own in the in-depth review of the Pico portable car seat below, followed by some  amazing real-world feedback  and Wayb Pico reviews from some of our parents who have been traveling with the  Wayb Pico  and covering a wide range of situations.

Is the Wayb Pico safe? The  Wayb Pico passes all federal safety testing , just like traditional car seats. But there are always subjective elements to car seats that may be in the eye of the beholder (whether kid or grown up): fit, ease of installation, price tag. Since every family has different kids and different needs, I also asked a few of our readers to weigh in with their thoughts after traveling with the Wayb Pico – you can find their reviews at the end of the article.

Check out our detailed expert Wayb Pico car seat review below:

What is the Wayb Pico car seat? 

The Wayb Pico car seat is a forward-facing foldable 5-point harness carseat. It’s currently certified for use in the USA and conforms to FMVSS213 – despite its small form factor, the Wayb Pico car seat safety standards are the same as traditional car seats sold in this country. It can be installed and used in both cars and airplanes. It retails for $380 USD and there’s a new-and-improved for 2023 carry bag available that costs an extra $95. Reader Annie uses this bag for her Pico and says it works great!

It’s about as light as other lightweight car seats for 3 year olds and 4 year olds , but its super power is that it folds in half for easy transportation.

Just how compact is the WAYB Pico? This lovely girl from our Facebook group is 40″ tall and you can see how tiny the Pico is next to her.

It’s also so compact that it fit perfectly under the bed in a cruise ship stateroom! It’s the best harnessed car seat for a cruise if your child is 2+ years old for that reason alone.

The photo below should give you a sense for what it’s like to travel with the WAYB Pico. You can see my brother-in-law casually slinging it from one shoulder while carrying a bunch of other stuff and paying attention to a kid! It’s basically the size of a large daypack.

Who is the Wayb Pico meant for?

The Wayb Pico can be used by children who are 22-50 pounds and 30-45 inches tall. The child must be at least 1 year old, but Wayb recommends the child be at least 2 years old to use the Pico. The seat is 14.5 inches wide and only weighs 8 pounds ! Because it’s so narrow, this is also a good car seat for three-across situations.

Above you can see my petite 2 year old niece riding in the WAYB Pico. She fits perfectly and will use it for several years to come. As you can see, it’s an ideal car seat for 3 across in the back of my 2022 Toyota Sienna and even allowed the older kids to use full-sized booster seats with room to spare.

In general, she’s not a fan of riding in a car seat (nor modeling them for me). But as you can see above, the Pico was comfortable enough that she had a nice long nap during a shore excursion on our family cruise!

Courtney tried out the Pico with her 4.5 year old daughter who is small for her age at 39 inches and 30 pounds. She has outgrown the Cosco Scenera Next that she used to use for travel, but is not old enough to use a booster seat. Since the FAA recommends children under 40 pounds use a 5-point harness car seat on a plane , she wanted something light and compact like the Pico instead of using a bulkier traditional car seat. The Pico seat is mesh stretched around a metal frame. It reminds me of a fancy office chair. 

Here’s my favorite model testing out the WAYB Pico just after age 5. He’s average height and weight for his age but with a slightly long torso and you can see that he’s basically and the harness height limit. The crotch buckle position was also a little snug for him.

The harness height is non-adjustable and is approximately 16 inches from the seat bottom. For the high Wayb Pico price tag, it has a fairly low harness height and will be outgrown for most kids by height before weight.  For reference, the harness height is the same as the Cosco Onlook and 1″ shorter than the Cosco Mighty Fit 65 and the Cosco Finale DX .

It’s important to know that the WAYB Pico harness adjusts differently than most other car seats. Instead of a center adjuster strap between the feet, you tighten and loosen each side at your child’s hip. It’s really important that you raise the headrest to at least position 2 and tighten the harness properly.

The short crotch buckle is one of the disadvantages of the WAYB Pico. The crotch buckle sits approximately 4.5 inches from the back of the seat (this is the equivalent distance of the middle slot on the Cosco Scenera Next ). Courtney’s daughter found it uncomfortable to have the buckle that close to her. The edges of the buckle tongues would poke her legs if she sat with them straight. Crossing her legs made the fit a bit comfier, but she complained about it the entire time they were trying it out.

Wayb Pico  install details

The Pico is shipped fully assembled and folded into its compact state. To use the seat, you need to unfold it, lock the seat bottom in place with the red metal hook, and raise the headrest. It’s a very quick process and pretty simple.

The  Wayb Pico  forward facing car seat can be installed using LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), or using the seatbelt and top tether. Since the Pico is a forward facing only car seat, there is only one belt path, marked by two red guides on the frame.

Wayb recommends  using LATCH whenever possible , since it tends to be an easier installation method. The lower anchor strap is permanently threaded through the frame and has a single adjuster on one side of the belt. The push-on lower anchors have handy storage spots right on the frame and are easy to disconnect and connect. Courtney didn’t have too much trouble installing the Pico in several different locations in my 2016 Honda Odyssey using LATCH. It even fit on the 2nd row center seat, which is only 14 inches wide. I have installed it easily with LATCH in my 2022 Toyota Sienna and even in a random tour van on St. Thomas!

Installation with the seatbelt can be a bit difficult depending on the seatbelt configuration. When installing with seat belt, only the lap portion of the belt goes into the guides, and the shoulder portion sits in front of them. The red belt guides are quite narrow. The seat belt tended to bunch and get caught in the guides when trying to tighten. Pulling the belt tight and then sliding it into one belt guide, then, while continuing to hold tension, sliding the belt into the second guide did help. It even took Courtney a few tries to get an acceptably tight install.

Watch this video to see a demonstration of how to install the Wayb Pico with a seatbelt:

In the Honda Odyssey, the captains chair seatbelts have an extra flap of webbing (to prevent the latch plate from falling all the way down), and that presented some challenges when Courtney attempted to install the Pico. The flap of webbing wanted to sit right where the belt guide was, and the opening in the belt guide was not big enough for it to fit through. She was able to slide the entire vehicle seat forward, which fixed the problem.

I pushed the WAYB Pico seatbelt installation to its limits when I installed it in the 3rd row center of my Toyota Sienna. The buckles back there are quite close to the vehicle seat and the one for the adjacent seat (not shown, but to the left in the photo below) rotates up and down for use/storage and has no flexibility at all – that really limits the position of the Pico. You can see below that I just managed to fit the seat in between the two buckles. There was some swearing involved for sure. Removing the LATCH connectors from their storage position gave me a few extra millimeters to work with but isn’t recommended. This installation may be ugly, but it worked for a near-impossible 3-across car seat situation and was safe.

Installing the WAYB Pico with the seatbelt in my captain’s chairs was a cake walk by comparison. Just watch for extra slack in the seatbelt.

Always remember to lock the seatbelt when installing a car seat with a seatbelt. For most North American vehicles, the belt will lock at the retractor or at the latch plate. For vehicles with non-locking belts, a locking clip will be needed – read all about locking clips (including when you do and don’t need them). The Pico manual does have tips on how to lock the belt.

Whether installing with the lower anchors or the seat belt, always use the top tether (if available). It’s always a good idea to test out a car seat and practice installing it at home before you travel!

Can the Wayb Pico be used on planes?  The Wayb Pico is  FAA approved , and can be used for all portions of flight on airlines that follow FAA regulations. Non-US airlines set their own rules, so you’ll need to check with your specific carrier to see if they allow forward-facing car seats.

My niece recently rode in the WAYB Pico on a plane and it was smooth sailing. Since planes have a lap belt, you simply put the airplane seatbelt into both guides and pull the tail of the seatbelt to tighten. A nice feature of the Pico car seat is the mesh seat fabric that sits in front of the frame. The buckle of the seatbelt would not poke the child in the back.  Woohoo!

See how easy it is to install the Wayb Pico on an airplane:

The  Wayb Pico  cannot be installed using an inflatable seat belt (in a vehicle or plane). In theory you’re allowed to disable the air bag using a seatbelt extender, but the bulk of the air bag in the seatbelt will be too much to get the belt through the guides. If you’re assigned to a seat with an inflatable seatbelt, you can always ask to be moved; however, most main cabin/economy seats should be fine since they usually have regular belts. It’s always a good idea to talk to the airline if you have any questions or concerns about the plane’s seating.

How does the Pico compare to two other popular travel seats?  

Here you can see the Cosco Finale on the left, Wayb Pico in the center, and Cosco Scenera Next on the right. (Please note that the harness covers on the Next are approved for use and were purchased directly from Cosco). All three seats are approximately the same weight. 

The Scenera is the only one of these three options that rear faces, which is the safest option for a 2 or 3 year old. But the Scenera is typically outgrown around 37-38″ in both directions . By contrast, the Pico and Finale are forward facing only seats that will last average kids to 5 and 6 years old respectfully.

Other thoughts and improvements

To improve longevity, it would be really helpful to position the crotch buckle even 0.5″ further forward on the seat.

I’d like to see a grab handle on the side of the frame. It would make it easier to carry. There isn’t a great place to grab the frame where you can put your fingers around it. Adding a grab handle would make it really easy to quickly grab the seat and carry it off of a plane.

It would be nice if there was an extra strap or fabric piece on the back of the seat to act as a luggage handle pass through. Thinking about the process of de-planing, it would be nice to just quickly slip it on top of a rolling carry on, and not have to fold it to its most compact form and put it in a bag or something. 

This is totally a personal preference, but I’d rather see the square IMMI buckle and square chest clip on the seat, instead of the circle button one. I find the square one easier to use.

Seatbelt installation would be easier in tight spaces if the lower anchors stored mid-way up the seat frame instead of at the bottom.

Wayb Pico reviews from traveling families

Since every family’s needs are different when it comes to travel car seats, I asked some members of our amazing Facebook community to tell us about their real-world experiences traveling with the Wayb Pico. Is it really as good as advertised? Or is the short crotch buckle a deal-breaker? Let’s see what real-world traveling families think in these Wayb reviews:

Wayb Pico car seat review from Leemor K., used WAYB car seat on a family gap year with three young kids:

I love the Wayb Pico but I also think my situation is unique. If I was taking the standard once-a-year vacation, I would not have bought it because it’s really pricey and it’s not the kind of car seat that I would use for every day (hard for a kid to nap in it). But for a round the world trip , it is a godsend.

It is so light, and incredibly easy to use, carry, and install , and my average size 2yo seems to be very comfortable in it. I also have an average size 4yo girl and she’s comfortable in it, too.

I commented in some social media groups that I chose the Wayb over the Immi Go car seat because a top tether is not required for installation, and a car seat lady gave me a whole shpiel about why a top tether is important. I get it, it’s important. The Wayb has it. But as you know, when you travel in countries where car seats are optional, you don’t get the benefit of top tethers in taxis/cars/shuttles. So at least I am able to put my 2 year old in a device that keeps him far safer than the alternative (my lap). I could not do that with the Immi Go. If you’re debating Immi Go vs Wayb Pico for your family, think hard about what types of destinations you’ll be visiting with your kids.

The bag that it comes with is very roomy and I can fit a lot in it in addition to the car seat.

Wayb review rom Candace H.-S., semi-full-time traveler at The World School :

My son is almost 4 (he had just turned 3 when I bought the seat) and is right about 50% in both height and weight (about 39 inches and 32 pounds). After watching how my checked car-seat was treated (and seeing the damage to the padded backpack it was traveling in), and a few scares of arriving at my destination and thinking that my car seat had been among the lost luggage, I am now really hesitant to check a car seat when I fly, and that was one of the deciding factors in purchasing this seat.

We do slow travel, and last year we traveled for more than 6 months of the year. I had used the Cosco Scenera Next and also the Cosco Apt 50 seats previously on travels, along with the JL Childress padded car seat backpack . While it’s great for single-destination trips, I did NOT want to travel on trains with that thing.

This year I had planned a pretty involved 3-month trip through Italy , France , and Spain , and so I ordered the WayB Pico during their crowdfunding campaign back in November of 2018. After anxiously getting every update on delayed shipping, contacting the company and begging to be among the first seats sent, and waiting and tracking it’s progress across the ocean on the slowest freight ship ever to see if it would arrive here in Dominican Republic in time for our trip, it arrived literally as we were getting on the bus to go the the airport. I was pretty stoked to be getting it but I had NO time to prepare, read instructions, etc.

We unpacked it, stuck it in the backpack it came with, and were off! I was relieved, because we had already gifted our Cosco car seat to another family member, and our backup plan was the Ride Safer vest .

The Wayb travel car seat is really lightweight and it fits in a nice backpack . It is easy to transport. The backpack has a strap that allows it to attach to the handle of your rolling luggage. It is really handy. I had no problems taking it as carry-on on multiple flights, it is easy to store in the overhead bin on even budget carriers.

I did get some questions about our Pico carseat at checkin at the airports. My child did not sit in it on any flight. We used it in rental cars in Italy, France , and Spain using the built-in lower anchors with no problem. I think maybe in older vehicles it may be harder to install, but we had only new vehicles and had no problems. I did not use the seatbelt installation. It was a little challenging to get it tight but still easier than other seats. I do feel like the tightening process could be improved upon.

The seat seems well-designed. We don’t usually travel by car at home and so my child is not accustomed to riding in car seats for long durations, always previously with other seats (Cosco and others) after a while he would complain and I’ve never seen him sleep well in another seat. This seat seems less like a ‘contraption’ and more like an extension of the regular seat (maybe because of the fabric, the low profile, the black color, same as the car seats) and so he readily climbed in.

It was easy enough to tighten the straps. Some others have said that the WAYB carseat crotch strap is kind of short, and it is, but it didn’t seem to bother my child but I found it a bit of a challenge to buckle/unbuckle without ‘smashing him’ unless I loosened the straps first (and in reverse, loosened the straps before I put him in, buckle the buckle, then tighten them).

My son found it comfortable, the shoulder straps appeared kind of high up on the seat, but he was secure in them with no wiggle room. I thought he might be uncomfortable from the straps but he fell asleep several times and the higher straps seemed to hold him/his head in place better than any other seat. He fell asleep in this seat much more than in any other seat we’ve used. We used it on short and long drives, up to about 3 hours at a time.

I’d say that this is my favorite seat to travel with by far of any that we’ve used. It takes a bit of ‘figuring out’ to get it back together and back in the bag. I think a novice traveler might find it overwhelming if they didn’t practice ahead of time.

Wayb Pico travel car seat review from Becca C., casual vacationer:

My daughter is 3.5 and small for her age at about 29 lbs. We’ve used the Way b Pico on short drives (2 hours or less). When she first used it, she had trouble sleeping in it but then figured out to tip her head back and now sleeps in it fine.

I like it because my daughter is a bit small for the Ride Safer vest and I prefer a more rigid device than the vest. I’d prefer if it could rear face as well, but for limited travel use, I will deal with forward facing. My husband greatly prefers its size and portability to our previous travel seat . We have not yet used it as a child restraint on a plane, but intend to do so on our next trip. We have also tried the CARES harness ( full review here ), but she slides out of that one and basically ends up waking up when it rides up so far it chokes her a bit.

Wayb car seat review from Natalie H., business travel family:

I really like the Way B Pico car seat . My daughter is 2 years old I think around 35″ tall and weighs 26 lbs.

Pros: it’s super lightweight and the backpack makes it easy to bring with us on trips. Super quick to set up in taxis/Uber’s on the go which is nice. The video and directions are easy to follow.

We went to Germany and needed the locking clip , the company will send them to you if you request them and the turnaround time is super fast. Their customer service is texted based which I actually like since it’s a quick reply from them.

The biggest con, besides the WAYB Pico recall, is my daughter doesn’t sleep comfortably in it since it is a low profile it doesn’t have cozy head rest for her but we also only used it for small trip so I can prop her head with a small blanket if she falls asleep with no problem (she gets motion sick so we give her meds sometimes that make her drowsy) .

WAYB review from Inza M. of SinCityMama :

We love our Pico travel car seat by WAYB. We use it during flights and in rideshares / rental cars. Super easy to transport. My 4yo daughter doesn’t complain about it being uncomfortable or anything and naps in it just fine.

Conclusion: is the Wayb Pico worth buying?

The Wayb Pico is revolutionary, but it might not be right for every family. If your typical family vacation pattern involves traveling for a week or two per year within the US to places where you’ll rent a car, you might be better served by sticking with one of these awesome lightweight convertible car seats for a younger child or a Ride Safer travel vest for an older one.

But if one of these describes your family, the Pico WAYB car seat could be an amazing option for you: -You live in (or frequently visit) an urban area and need to take Ubers/taxis often -You’re planning on extended travel like a family gap year, especially with time in the developing world -You don’t mind the price for the sake of convenience (or have more kids/cousins to pass it down to)

If the Wayb Pico had been available when our kids were 3 years old, I would absolutely have purchased it for our family’s trip around the world!

Where to get your own Wayb Pico

There aren’t many WAYB Pico car seat stores out there, and it’s been popular enough that sometimes stock runs low. Check these places to find one for your family:

• Albeebaby (generous rewards program)
• Pish Posh Baby
• Nordstrom (best return policy)
• Amazon (this is usually the most expensive)

WAYB accessories

WAYB has broadened their line of innovative family travel accessories. Some of them are specifically for the Pico, while others are awesome for families even if they’re using a different car seat solution.

WAYB Pico accessories:

• WAYB Pico Carry Bag (this is the latest, updated version)
• Deluxe Pico Travel Bag (slightly more basic than the one above)
• Vehicle Seat Protector (approved for use with the Pico + attaches to the Pico and folds with it)
• Cup holder (helpful if you’re flying with the Pico and then taking a long road trip)

WAYB Read to Roam series:

• Ready to Roam tote
• Ready to Roam catchall (attached to the discontinued backpack above, but I also sometimes use it as a belt bag on its own)
• Ready to Roam mini cooler

Key stats: -Weight 8lbs -Max harness height 16.5″ -Forward-facing size limits: 22-50lbs, 30-45″, recommended 2+ years old minimum

Pros: ✔ Compact ✔ Easy to install ✔ Keeps kids harnessed ✔ FAA-approved to use on flights ✔ Can install without top tether ✔ Narrowest car seat on the market

Cons: ✘ High price ✘ Low height limit ✘ Crotch strap too short for some kids ✘ Top tether strap too short for some cars (can request an extension)

WAYB Pico FAQs

Yes. The WAYB Pico passes all required FMVSS 213 testing for use in the United States. Individual car seat crash test results are not public information in the US.

Folding the WAYB Pico only takes about thirty seconds! You’ll lower the headrest back to the storage position and then pull the little latch at the back of the seating area to fold the seat behind the back. If you’re a visual learner, check out this helpful video of folding the WAYB Pico .

Since the WAYB Pico fabric is integrated with the frame of the car seat, you’ll spot clean and let it air dry. You can towel off any excess water from the metal frame.

In fall 2019, WAYB voluntarily recalled some of the earliest production WAYB Pico carseat model numbers. The WAYB recall was focused on headrest support tubes that broke in a small number of cases. There have been no subsequent issues with the Pico facing forward car seat.

At this time the WAYB Pico is only approved in the USA.

Yes, the WAYB Pico is FAA approved and makes an ideal airplane car seat.

Unfortunately the IMMI Go has been discontinued. But for the sake of posterity since some people still ask me… The IMMI Go and WAYB Pico weight about the same amount and fold down to similar sizes. The IMMI Go has the advantages that it fits somewhat larger kids and eventually converts to a backless booster seat (though that’s not a crucial feature since travel booster seats are light and portable). However, the IMMI Go requires a top tether ; it won’t function without one, which makes it useless in developing countries where top tethers are hard to come by and it’s also not FAA-approved.

What do you think of the Wayb Pico? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!

21 thoughts on “Wayb Pico review: an expert and traveling parents weigh in (2024)”

There is a recall for some of the WayB Pico seats right now. Their customer service team is slow to respond, which is unfortunate.

Hi Laura, Thanks for stopping by! The recall occurred in fall of 2019, but fortunately the newly redesigned product has been available since mid-December 🙂 If you’re having trouble getting in touch with the company, try their Facebook page. I’ve found them very responsive on that channel.

Best, Melissa

This looks like such a great product. Unfortunately for me, my son is too big for it. We need the 5 point but are looking for the low profile design like this. Any recommendations for a next-size up item?

Thanks for stopping by! How old is your son and what are his height and weight? I’m happy to help you pick 🙂

Does it recline?

Hi Jennifer,

The WAYB Pico does not recline. Unfortunately (off the top of my head) all of the seats that are under 10-12lbs just have a single position for forward facing.

Safe travels, Melissa

Hi – your discount code does not work on their website, I’m receiving an error, has it expired? Loved the detail of the review.

Hi Jacqueline,

Thanks for stopping by! The updated coupon code is ‘VOYAGE10’ and it’s good for a 10% discount site-wide. Sorry for any confusion, I just swapped them yesterday and it looks like I had missed a few spots.

What travel seat would you recommend for a 39 pound 43” 6yo? She’s very petite! 🙂

Sorry, I’m just seeing your question! Here are some great travel car seats for 6 year olds to consider. I would stick with the first few, as she’s under the weight minimum for safe booster riding. In particular, you may want to check out the Ride Safer Travel Vest – full review here .

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for this super useful post!

I understand that the seat doesn’t recline itself. But if the plane seat reclines, does Pico recline with it? I’m planning to take a car seat in a 10 hour night flight and really need something that my 2 year old can sleep on comfortably.

I’m sorry, I’m just seeing your question! No the Pico doesn’t recline unfortunately. I’d recommend a rear-facing seat for more comfortable sleeping in-flight. If you haven’t already, check out these travel car seats for 2 year olds . Unfortunately they don’t fold. Don’t worry, I’ve started pestering my friends at WAYB to create a rear-facing folding option. I think there’s a big market for it!

Safe travels,

I think this is the only reason why I am not purchasing this, I constantly travel cross country with my 20 month old and NEED something comfy for him to sleep in. It would be game changer if they can figure this out

Hi Carolina,

Thanks for stopping by! Ideally before 2 years old your son will still be rear facing – that’ll give him a comfy recline, and he can continue rear facing on the plane until he hits the manufacturer’s limit for his seat. A recline mechanism for the Pico would definitely add to the weight and bulk. I also found that by the time they were 3-4 my kids didn’t sleep nearly as much on planes (unfortunately).

Let me know if you need a different suggestion for your little globetrotter!

Thank you so much for this write up, I’ve been looking at the Pico for a while now and I’m finally going to give it a try because of your reviews. Does the 10% discount still work? I’m trying to enter “VOYAGE10” into their site (I got there by way of your link) and it’s not allowing me to use it.

Thanks for stopping by. Unfortunately we had to end that promotion a few days ago 🙁 We’ve been discussing a new promotion to start sometime in July, so if you aren’t in too much of a rush you can wait and take advantage of that. So sorry!

Hi Melissa, Did you ever get a new code for the wayb? I’m considering it for my 2.5 yr old son (37″, and 30lbs currently, will be 1 month shy of 3yrs at trip). Still trying to figure out what to get for my daughter for travel since we won’t uninstall her convertible seat – she will be 8 months for our trip (currently 4months, just turned 12lbs, 24″. Trip to Maui, Hawaii but another trip planned 6 months later to Mexico….so ideally seats that would work for travel for both.

Hi! I’m seriously considering this seat for an upcoming international flight with my 2 year old. This not her first flight but now that she is no longer a lap infant and more wiggly/energized, I have a couple minor hesitations that make me a little concerned with the price point. It would be AWESOME if there was another promotion that was going on to shave a little off and help me make the decision. Any such promotion going on now?

Thanks for your informative article! M

I wish I could help you out but WAYB has stopped running discounts due to heavy demand. They offer freebies with purchase now and then (like Black Friday ) but otherwise you’ll generally just get the best deal by shopping direct .

My family will be taking an Alaska Cruise Tour this year and we are trying to decide which seat to buy. Our daughter will be 3 1/2 years old and 39 inches tall and weigh 37 lbs. We plan on doing some excursions and will be in Denali on the bus tour. I have read your blog on Alaska’s requirements and am torn between the WAYB Pico and the Ride Safer Travel Vest. We would like to keep the seat small and these 2 seem to fit the bill the best. What would you recommend?

Thanks, Jeff

Thanks for stopping by! What is the transportation for the land portion of the cruise tour? If it’s bus or train, I’d consider the Ride Safer – in this review you can grab a discount and see some comparisons between XS and S. Since one of you will always be next to her on excursions, you can ensure fit and positioning plus it’ll be easier to carry around.

If you’ll be riding in cars or vans around Alaska, at that age I think the WAYB Pico is the better choice. It’s more supportive and you don’t have to worry constantly about your kiddo staying in position. It’s generally cheapest if you buy direct , and families love the newer deluxe backpack to carry it around.

Have an amazing trip!

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My Son’s Travel Car Seat Fits in a Backpack

I learned about the WAYB Pico travel car seat last spring while trying to sort out a car seat for a three-month stay in Sicily. My husband was working in Taormina for several months and our 20-month-old toddler and I were flying over to join him. After spending nearly a decade traversing the globe for my former job as a travel editor, the trip was unnerving me in a way that felt surprising. My son was born at the beginning of the pandemic, so our adventures had been limited to places we could drive. Flying long-distance on my own with such a young child felt like entirely new territory; I wanted to make sure we had the proper gear .

I’m a big researcher to begin with but tend to go the extra mile when it comes to travel or parenting , so I spent quite a few hours online trying to suss out my options. My initial takeaway: the more obvious travel-friendly car seats were not going to work. My son was tall and slim for his age and too long for the now-ubiquitous Doona . He didn’t weigh enough for the RideSafer vest , a conveniently compact option that lets young kids safely use a regular seat belt but has a 30-pound minimum. The widely beloved and gloriously inexpensive Cosco Scenera Next hit the “lightweight” criteria at just under ten pounds, but it isn’t especially compact, and I worried it would be a hassle to carry. We weren’t renting a vehicle, so booking a car seat through an agency wouldn’t be an option. And I didn’t want to lug our wonderful but extremely heavy Nuna Rava through the airport, let alone install it in the occasional taxi once we arrived. At 27 pounds, it literally weighed more than my child.

Looking for advice, I turned to women I’d met through Mysha , a platform where mothers-to-be can join “pods” with others who are delivering around the same time. A few folks in my pod swore by the WAYB. It seemed ideal: lightweight at only eight pounds, compact, fits in an overhead compartment, has a five-point harness, and most important, passes all U.S. safety standards for motor vehicles and planes . I was sold, until I saw that the WAYB is recommended for kids aged 2 years and up who weigh between 22 and 50 pounds and are between 30 and 45 inches tall. My son wasn’t big enough, so I mentally filed it away for future travels and reluctantly made plans to buy a car seat in Sicily.

Fast-forward a few months and the WAYB was an obvious purchase as my family prepared to fly to France for a wedding. Our journey from Connecticut to Provence and back would include Ubers, airplanes , taxis, trains, and a car rental. Having a car seat that I knew was safe, comfortable for my son, and easy to carry and install was really important to me. Not only was I drawn to the sleek design and quality materials — the WAYB is made of aerospace-grade aluminum and a responsibly sourced poly-wool mesh — I didn’t want to worry about booking car services with car seats or wonder what we’d do if our luggage got lost along the way.

At $380, the WAYB car seat isn’t cheap, but one of the key differences between it and other travel car seats is that it folds in half, making for an extremely compact piece of equipment. The brand’s marketing photos even show parents toting it around on the handles of their carry-on . With more solo mother-son trips in my not-too-distant future, I knew additional carry-on items would need to be small and light enough for me to manage on my own, so I decided to also spring for the Deluxe Pico Travel Bag . It costs an additional $80 but lets you wear the seat like a backpack and keeps it neatly tucked away from airport germs. There’s extra space inside, too — enough to fit my son’s mini Fjällräven . The two items combined were an investment for sure, but we travel frequently and the price-per-use ratio would ultimately be less expensive, and provide way more peace of mind, than renting a car seat.

Before we left, I practiced installing the WAYB in our car. I also had my son try out the seat so I could size the straps to his body. An instruction manual is helpfully placed in the back pocket, but I prefer this installation video and bookmarked it on my phone for easy access. The process was relatively easy; the most difficult part was installing the side connectors to the LATCH system in our car, but I find that to be hard with standard car seats too. Once we set out on our trip, the WAYB established itself as a game-changer. I installed it in our Uber to the airport in a matter of minutes. My son was happy and content in his new seat and I felt a sense of ease knowing that he would have a safe car seat for the duration of our trip. At the airport, the WAYB was so light that I was easily able to chase him through the hallways of JFK with it strapped on my back.  

Car seats are free to carry on, so we didn’t have to pay extra to keep it with us on our flight. (We stashed it in the overhead bin, but it’s also FAA-approved for use in an airplane seat.) Once we arrived in Paris, I loved that we could take an airport taxi to the train station and didn’t need to pre-book a car service with a car seat. Both the taxi in Paris and our car rental in Provence had the LATCH system, but should you find yourself in a vehicle that does not have this feature, the car seat can also be installed using a lap and shoulder belt or a lap-only seat belt .

We’ve now used the WAYB several times since that first trip — while visiting my in-laws in Michigan and on another visit to Paris. It’s also become a great backup car seat to use locally: My 2-year-old niece was able to borrow it when my brother brought her to visit over the summer. This spring, we will be taking it to Thailand, where my husband is working on another months-long project. Knowing that I have a safe and reliable car seat for my now 3½-year-old son to use while we’re there feels like a full-circle moment.

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This Travel Car Seat Is Completely Worth the Splurge

Afar parents, tired of schlepping giant car seats on trips, say the compact wayb pico travel car seat is a game changer..

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The eight-pound WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat folds into a compact unit for easy carrying.

Courtesy of WAYB

Welcome to AFAR Approved: a deep dive into the travel items that we’re totally obsessed with, never leave behind, and can’t stop telling our friends about.

As challenging as traveling with babies and toddlers can be, the benefits and rewards of bringing our mini voyagers along with us on the road are undeniable. The tantrums, while brutal, are short lived, and the memories last forever. Like so many families, we have missed our flight-fueled adventures, and the people and places they brought us to, enormously throughout the pandemic.

But there is one thing we didn’t miss—the car seat dilemma. Ugh .

For families just starting to get back into the skies or who are planning future travels, two AFAR staffers who moonlight as moms reveal there’s a better way to go than strapping a behemoth car seat to your back. Meet the WAYB Pico travel car seat .

WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat Review

Buy Now: WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat, $380, wayb.com (and backpack carrier, $50, wayb.com )

Michelle Baran, AFAR’s senior travel news editor: Earlier this summer, we were overjoyed to finally get back into the air, flying from California to visit much-missed family in North Carolina. But with two kids under the age of six in tow, we had to find a better way to keep them safe than bringing their enormous day-to-day car seats with us. We have been down that road—with a 25-pound Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible Car Seat strapped to our backs and a 9.6-pound Chicco Bravo Travel System car seat (plus a 7-pound base) clicked into a stroller. Never again. Carrying those monsters (the car seats, not the kids) in addition to everything else we’re schlepping while traveling with small kids (who are no help with said schlepping) is the straw that breaks the parents’ backs.

Don’t let the smile fool you. AFAR’s Michelle Baran used to travel with a 25-pound car seat—never again, she says.

Photo by Jonathan Baran

The good news is that our tall-for-his-age son Niko (age five) was in the clear with only a booster seat—we just detached the backless booster from his Graco TurboBooster Highback booster car seat . (Even these can be kind of a pain to bring along, but when compared to an entire car seat it is hard to complain.) But for our two-year-old daughter, Catalina, we needed to find a solution. First, we looked into the option of renting one through the Enterprise car rental agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, or from an independent baby and toddler gear rental outfit such as Baby’s Away . Both were a bust. There just weren’t any available for our dates (we traveled over Fourth of July week). It’s hard enough to nab a rental car at all this summer , let alone find a rental car company with decent available car seats.

After a few late nights spent researching travel car seats until I was bleary eyed, I zeroed in on—and admittedly became obsessed with—the 8-pound WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat . Many car seats weigh double or triple that. It folds into a compact 11.6 x 14.5 x 18.9-inch unit, basically the size of a medium camping backpack, that’s easy enough to lift on its own, and better still when stowed in a backpack carrier you can buy for an additional $50. As someone who has traveled alone with the kids and had to mount a full-sized car seat on my back, this is life altering.

The WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat (far left) is a lightweight game changer for traveling families.

Photo by Michelle Baran

Laura Dannen Redman, AFAR’s digital content director: Michelle and I practically had to arm wrestle to decide who would write this WAYB Pico review. Ever since I interviewed the founders back in 2018 when their patent was pending, I’ve been marveling at how handy my WAYB—which stands for “Way Better”—has been. Living up to the hype, indeed. This front-facing car seat was created by Michael Crooke, Patagonia’s former CEO from 1999 to 2005; I.S. Jung, a South Korean manufacturer who helped Crooke revolutionize Patagonia’s backpacks; and CEO Tio Jung. They used aluminum and mesh fabric instead of the more common filler, polyurethane foam, so it’s somewhat more sustainable. It all feels a little space-agey, in a good way. It’s an actual U.S.-safety and FAA-approved innovation in car seats. And as Michelle says, it changes the way parents can travel with their kids.

MB: Here’s the thing, though: The WAYB is not cheap—it’s more than six times the cost of a more affordable simple car seat such as the Cosco Scenera Next Convertible Car Seat and more than three times the price of the slightly more sophisticated Evenflo Sonus 65 Convertible Car Seat , both popular options for traveling fams. I hate spending a lot on gear like this because these life phases are so fleeting, but after comparing and mulling (and comparing and mulling), I decided to conquer my analysis paralysis with a purchase.

Best. Decision. Ever.

WAYB stands for “Way Better” and it’s true.

Obviously, a car seat is about much more than your ability to carry it. So, how did the WAYB Pico fare on a trip?

Ease of installation

MB: Car seat installation is among the biggest headaches for overtired traveling parents. After arriving at a destination totally burnt out from the flight (with the kids either fully melting down or bouncing off the walls after being cooped up on the aircraft), then struggling for 20 minutes to install the dang car seats . . . well, there is no drink too strong. Full disclosure: When I travel with my husband, I hand this part entirely and shamelessly over to him—this is where he shines. Based on his observations, there were some pros and cons to installing the WAYB.

• It’s lightweight, so less cumbersome than its Graco/Chicco/insert your favorite car seat brand here counterpart.
• It folds and unfolds easily.
• It has click-in/click-out anchors on each side, as well as a hook that you attach to the anchor on the back of the seat (so you’ll need to do some seat climbing/body contorting).
• While tightening the straps is pretty easy, loosening them isn’t as seamless as with larger car seats that have convenient release buttons. There are release buttons but they’re a bit tougher to engage. All told, the WAYB is relatively simple to install once you get the hang of it (there are easy-to-follow pictographs on the actual car seat itself).

Comfort and fit

MB: What the WAYB gains in compact size and ease of transportation, it loses a bit in comfort. The seat base (where kids put their rump) is minimal and almost flat—a unique combination of a mesh fabric and aluminum frame makes it soft and springy without the bulk—so that means your kids will be very low. Our daughter was totally cool with her new low-riding position and actually thought it was kind of funny, but I could see how some kids might get frustrated when they lose their vantage point out the window. There are also no cup holders if that’s of importance to you.

Two-year-old Catalina Baran wakes up from a car nap in the WAYB Pico car seat.

Our daughter was able to nap in the WAYB just fine, though it was clearly not as cozy as her usual ride (a Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible Car Seat , which we highly recommend for around town and longer road trips), where she is in more of a cradle position. In the WAYB she did the neck-slumped-forward thing (versus fully leaning back or to the side) and could sleep that way rather well for up to an hour or two, but it wasn’t the fully knocked-out sleep she gets in the Chicco.

The bottom line

LDR: We went from using the WAYB Pico when we take big trips to now throwing it in the back of Ubers to get around New York City regularly. We now have two Picos, for our two-year-old and four-year-old.

MB: The WAYB changed how we pack and fly with the kids, especially when we’re going to a destination where we’ll need to drive once we land. (Honestly, when we’re with the kids, that’s basically everywhere.) For an extra $50, we bought the lightweight backpack carrier for the WAYB. While it’s still one more thing to carry, it’s at least a much lighter option than the vast majority of car seats. We will happily take the WAYB with us on all flights going forward for as long as our daughter needs to be in a car seat. The one caveat is that if you’re flying somewhere where you will then be road tripping—so driving for hours on end—the WAYB may not be the most comfortable option. For us, we’re usually either road tripping from home (and can head out with our comfy bulky car seats) or we’re flying somewhere where we’ll drive a bit but not for countless hours—for that kind of travel, the WAYB is ideal.

This collapsible car seat is a game-changer for family travel

The WayB Pico is so good, I wish I had bought it years ago

Updated August 27, 2021

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For our twice-yearly trip from Lost Angeles to Boston, my family has tried everything in an effort to find the perfect solution for taking our kid from Uber ride, to cross continental flight, to cab ride, to rental car.

The Pico made our cross country flight far more comfortable for our kid.

We used it on a recent flight from Los Angeles to Boston and then in our car rentals and ride shares. Here is how it went.

What is the WayB Pico?

The Pico comes in five different colors and folds up easily to be carried or stored.

The Pico is a compact and collapsable forward-facing, five-point harness car seat. It’s made for kids 25 to 50 pounds, and 30 to 45 inches tall. When not in use, it folds up about 10 inches front-to-back and a little under 17 inches from top to bottom, and it weighs 8 pounds. To assemble it, simply click, push, and pull and it’s ready to go in under a minute. It also meets all U.S. standards regulated by NHTSA, the FAA, and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

The car seat can be used on airplanes with a lap belt. In cars it’s installed using the LATCH system (ideally with rear tether), a shoulder belt, or a lap belt. Whatever kind of car you have, the Pico should be easy to install.

Manufactured with an aluminum alloy that absorbs energy forces in a crash, as well as highly breathable mesh fabric, the Pico retails for $330. There’s a handy travel backpack that you can buy for an extra $50, or you can spring for the $70 Deluxe travel backpack, which has a contoured shape and a sleeve that slides over the handle of a wheeled suitcase. Both backpacks are great for keeping the seat clean, and if you plan to tote them around a city (which it’s absolutely light enough to do), we’d recommend them.

There are a few options for backpacks that can carry the Pico.

We, however, found that you could easily slip the Pico over your suitcase handles, if you’d rather forgo the extra accessory.

What we like about the WayB Pico

To use the seat, all you need to do is unfold it, lock the seat bottom into place, and raise the headrest. The way this seat popped open on our airplane was a three-step sight to behold and impressed everyone around us. It installed in seconds and kept our child secure, but the sides weren’t so high that he felt claustrophobic, as can sometimes be the case with car seats. Our son is 40 pounds and 42 inches tall. We found the seat comfortably cradled him and felt more ergonomically designed to a child’s size than typical airline seats, which tend to encourage kids to slump and kick the seat in front of them.

It's small and light enough for a kid to carry. For real!

As for the construction of the seat, our son enjoyed how the edges of the seat splayed out a bit, giving him someplace to rest his head when he shifted. We appreciated that the seat itself is made from a strong poly-wool mesh material that prevented him from overheating when he had to sit in it for hours on end. We were grateful to have it on our six-hour flight and for multi-hour road trips across New England.

We tested the Pico at home in our Ford Escape and Honda Prius, in Boston city cabs, and in a Toyota Versa. After an initial trial run at home, we found it to be a cinch to install in all of the vehicles we rode in. When it wasn’t in use, it folded flat and took up minimal space either in the trunk of a car or a hall closet. When not traveling, this seat would make for a terrific back up car seat for transporting friends.

We also found the tethers and LATCH connectors to be really smooth to adjust, which enhanced the ease of moving it from vehicle to vehicle quickly—a pretty important feature when traveling. You don’t want to be messing around with tricky adjustments as you move from car to car, particularly where your child’s safety is concerned.

What we don't like about the WayB Pico

As much as we liked the Pico, there were definitely some issues we’d like to see fixed to help justify the $330 price tag.

The harness height is non-adjustable. It comes in at approximately 16 inches from the seat bottom, so the lack of adjustability means it's likely to be outgrown for most kids before they meet the weight limit of 50 pounds, as was the case with two of the four children who tried the seat. Both were under 50 pounds and just under 4 feet tall.

Another issue is the very short crotch buckle, which cannot be adjusted. The buckle itself sits about 4.5 inches from the back of the seat and comes up 4 inches from the seat itself, so that makes for a very tight fit in some cases. The only way to make it work is to extend the arm straps. It’s a solution that works, but does nothing for the comfort level of the seat. Boys found it particularly constricting, and it felt pretty awkward helping other children into the seat when the strap required you to reach in areas you’d prefer to have a bit of clearance from.

Should you buy the WayB Pico?

We found the Pico easy to install and we appreciated the 5-point harness.

This Pico is the only travel solution that a parent—particularly one traveling alone with a small child—can take everywhere they need to be. And, if you spring for one of the backpacks, it’s easy to tote around on your back, making it a good solution when traveling in cities where you’re going to need to Uber, Lyft, or cab it to get around all day. While the price tag may seem steep, this is a do-it-all piece that's made from the highest quality, force absorbing aluminum alloy and a highly breathable fabric.

If your child is between the ages of 2 and 5 years old and they fit within the recommended height and weight limits of the Pico, buy this seat. It’s a lifesaver. It’s a game-changer. It changed our family travel and it'll will do the same for you.

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Function ga4_link124() { window.datalayer.push(json.parse('{"event":"default_event"}')) } get the wayb pico travel bag at the tot for $50, function ga4_link125() { window.datalayer.push(json.parse('{"event":"default_event"}')) } get the wayb pico deluxe travel bag at the tot for $70, related content.

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WAYB Pico Review: Why This Car Seat is Game-Changing for Family Travelers

By: Author Leslie Harvey

Posted on Published: September 12, 2022

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Since having my first child over 13 years ago, I began my love/hate relationship with car seats. While they do an important job in keeping my children safe, they are also a major hassle for frequent travelers like me. If you’ve ever lugged a heavy car seat down an airplane aisle or struggled with what to do when you needed to take an Uber or Lyft with a toddler , I’m sure you feel my pain.

I’ve been on a mission the last decade to find the most compact travel car seat products to make my family’s travel logistics easier. While there have been compact travel boosters like the BubbleBum and mifold, until a few years ago, there was no truly travel-friendly car seat on the market with a 5 point harness that worked for younger children.

So when I saw a Google ad in 2018 that a company named WAYB was working on a super-compact 5 point harness car seat for kids ages 2-5, I might have gotten irrationally excited. I immediately emailed the company to get all the details.

(Trips With Tykes uses affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through links in this post. See our full disclosure policy linked in the menu at the bottom of this site.)

The new seat – called the WAYB Pico – was released in spring 2019. Due my ridiculous enthusiasm at the time, I was able to get one of the first car seats off the manufacturing line (thanks WAYB for sending me a complimentary sample). I used it with my own then 5 year old to test it out at home in a variety of vehicles and circumstances. I also took it on some travels to Hawaii on Southwest , bringing it aboard for storage in the airplane overhead bin and use in our ground transportation between our hotel and the airport.

Since that time, I’ve heard from dozens of friends and readers who have used the WAYB Pico in the years that have followed. In fact, Trips With Tykes contributor Joe Cheung uses it regularly with his youngest child as well. So, I now have a lot of reports and experience with the WAYB Pico at this stage.

The verdict? The WAYB Pico  is game-changing for family travelers. I only wish it had been around earlier so I could have started using it sooner with my youngest because he outgrew it (but thankfully has graduated to an even more compact booster). The only real downside to the WAYB Pico is the high price, but since the product has many non-travel uses, it can make sense to invest in one even if you don’t travel as much as my family does.

Here are all the details parents need to know about whether the WAYB Pico is the right car seat for traveling with your child.

Essential Facts about the WAYB Pico

Weight : 8 pounds

Dimensions (when folded): 11.6” deep x 14.5” wide x 18.9” tall

Age : Children ages 2-5, forward-facing only. (The seat can be used for 1 year olds as well, but WAYB recommends a minimum age of 2.)

Weight Limits : 22-50 pounds

Height Limits : 30-45 inches tall (or whenever the shoulder straps are above the level of your child’s shoulders)

Install Method : LATCH or seatbelt path

Colors : Earth, Jet, Golden Hour, Midnight Sky, Slate

Price : $380

Optional extras : Pico Travel bag – $50, Deluxe Travel Bag – $80, Vehicle seat protector – $45, Pico cup holder – $35 (NEW)

WAYB Pico Car Seat Set Up & Installation

What makes the WAYB Pico unique is that it folds up for significant space savings. The seat is constructed of aluminum and mesh to keep it lightweight too. The bottom part of the car seat (on which your child sits) flips around behind the back of the seat and locks into place for a more compact size.

To use the car seat, you flip the bottom around and lock it into place with a red clip. You can then adjust the headrest to the proper height for your child. Once the bottom is locked into place and headrest is set, the rest of the installation process will pretty familiar for parents used to installing other forward facing car seats. There is a top tether and LATCH straps on either side that you use to strap the car seat into the car. (Seat belt installation is also possible but a little more complex.)

Getting a snug fit took me a little longer than some of the premium car seats on the market that have special features to tighten them easily. But it certainly took me no longer on average than it might with a very basic lightweight travel car seat like the Cosco Scenera NEXT .

Strapping your child into the Pico is mostly the same as with any other car seat – but with one important difference. The chest clip is the same, but to tighten the straps, you don’t pull on a single strap between your child’s legs. Instead, there are cinch pulls on either side of your child’s hips. Pull each of those to take out the slack (check out my video below for a demo).

My son complained a bit that the padded strap covers irritated his neck – they aren’t as soft as the ones on many other car seat models.

We had only one real challenge when we used the WAYB in our travels – we found that the top tether strap wasn’t quite long enough to be able to install it in a minivan bucket seat. Newer models have a longer tether so this is no longer an issue (and if you have an older one, WAYB made a top tether extender available at product launch so hopefully you have that already).

Want to see the WAYB Pico in action? Check out the demonstration and installation in this video:

What Ages and Sizes are Right for the WAYB Pico

WAYB recommends the product for ages 2-5, so you should be able to at least use it during those years. When we first tested the WAYB Pico, my son was a 5.5 year old of average height, and he still could very comfortably fit in the Pico. The recommended height maximum is 45 inches and he’s was 42.5 inches at the time. The straps were just above the level of his shoulders. As he passed his 6th birthday, he began to outgrow the seat.

So unless your child is just way off the top of the growth charts, I think it’s safe to say the Pico will work for almost all 4 year olds and many 5 year olds. That should be enough time for your child to be more mature and bigger and ready to use a travel booster instead. I certainly felt much more comfortable with my son at 6 being trusted to sit property in a booster than I did when he was age 4!

How the WAYB Pico is Amazing on Planes

So now that the basics are out of the way, here’s why I’ve been singing the praises of this car seat to traveling families for over 3 years now — the air travel possibilities. So many parents are rightfully fearful of checking their car seat with the airlines. You simply never know how the airlines will treat your car seat and whether it will sustain any damage or get lost.

On some trips, my family brought aboard our car seat for use during the flight to avoid checking it for just these reasons. But that is not without its issues too. On one trip a few years back, my son wanted nothing to do with the car seat and simply wanted to sleep on my lap. I found myself with an unused car seat taking up a ton of seat space when we needed to stretch out.

On another trip, I found the car seat positioned my son just perfectly to kick the seat in front of him repeatedly. That made for an incredibly stressful flight. There are just some times when having the car seat on board causes more hassle than it solves.

The Pico gives you so much more flexibility in dealing with both these airplane dilemmas. When packaged up in its travel bag, the seat is small enough to take onto the plane as a carry on. I had no problem fitting ours into the overhead bin of a Southwest Airlines 737-800. It’s about the same size as my usual roll-aboard suitcase.

But then if you feel you want to use the car seat on board, you have that option too. The Pico is FAA-approved for use on aircraft (several ultra-compact travel car seats are not because they have LATCH only). So if you feel your child needs the extra seat to stay restrained, you can always pull it out of the overhead bin and use it. Due to its slim size, it takes up even less space within the airplane seat than many other car seats you might bring.

Using the WAYB Pico for Uber & Lyft

The other game-changing use for the Pico is when taking ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber with kids. Except in a few select cities that have Uber Car Seat/Uber Family service , its impossible to ride in a Lyft or Uber without bringing your own car seat. It’s quite tough to do that, however, when you don’t have anywhere to store your car seat at your destination, such as when you are doing city touring.

When carried in either of the two optional backpack accessories, it’s conceivable that you can just take the Pico with you. It’s lightweight enough that you can carry it around on your back (or even hanging from some larger stable strollers) – no storage necessary. While I probably wouldn’t recommend this for a family out-and-about for a full day (as it would get tiring for many hours of carrying), it’s a significant improvement to the options for families with a ridesharing quandary.

Uses for the WAYB Pico at Home

Before you invest in an expensive car seat only for travel, most families want to make sure it has uses at home. The Pico does. I used it for two weeks in my normal routine at home. I found it was no more time-consuming to use than with the car seat we normally have installed.

The Pico revealed itself to be ideal for space-saving for anyone who has a tight fit in the back of their car. I have a small backseat in my car. Fitting two additional children in it when my son is in his normal mega-car seat is next to impossible. The middle seat is basically not usable, and certainly not usable when that another child in the back row needs to be in a booster too. When I have the Pico installed, it opens up the rest of the back seat for two children to sit because it is much more narrow.

The Pico is also a great car seat for grandma and grandpa or a babysitter who only transports your child occasionally. They can keep it in a trunk when not in use and it won’t take up a ton of space they otherwise would need.

Pros & Cons of the WAYB Pico

Ok, so that’s a lot of information. Here’s a brief overview of the pros and cons to help you make your choice.

• Incredibly lightweight.
• No other product like it for air travel – that can both fit in the overhead bin and be used on the plane.
• Kids ages 4-5 can ride more safely for longer in a 5 point harness instead of a booster on trips where bringing a standard car seat isn’t feasible.
• Narrow for tight back seats to enable three kids sitting across.
• Cost – at $380, the Pico is a premium product that may be out of the price range for many families, especially as a second or third car seat.
• A tad slow to install compared to premium car seats.

How Can You Get a WAYB Pico?

Last but certainly not least, where can you get a Pico? 

Now that the Pico has been out for a couple of years since this post was first published, it’s easier than ever to buy one. Look for the Pico available online the following places:

• Direct from WAYB (free shipping on all purchases over $100 + all color choices and accessories available)
• On PishPoshBaby (only in limited colors and not all accessories available)
• On Amazon (only available in a seat + backpack bundle)

Do you have questions about the WAYB Pico? Leave them here and I’ll answer them. And come back and comment if you buy the product and have insights to add .

Disclosure: WAYB sent me a complimentary Pico car seat and travel bag for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own.

Editor’s Note : There was a voluntary recall on all Pico car seats manufactured between February 1-May 12, 2019. All seats that are sold November 2019 and later were re-engineered to fix the issue.

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Friday 21st of July 2023

Is this a Good option for every day car seat?

Leslie Harvey

Saturday 5th of August 2023

@Julia, I honestly don't think so. It's not as cushy and padded and I could see it being uncomfortable for something like a long road trip. It takes longer to tighten straps down accurately compared to the fancier mechanisms in bulkier car seat models. It's built for compactness - not comfort or speed.

Is this a Goodyear option for every day car seat?

Thursday 27th of January 2022

Would this work as a full time regular car seat? I’ve read some reviews that say it isn’t super comfortable.

Sunday 16th of August 2020

I'm really kind of upset that your review didn't highlight a major con many mom's like myself have with this car seat. That is the extremely short and unadjustable crotch buckle. The ingenuity of the design really failed with this misstep. My 3 year old is average sized and that crotch strap digs into him. I cannot believe they though of everything BUT this crotch strap. I'm very disappointed with this car seat. It just barely missed the mark for perfection, but this design flaw ruined it.

Thanks so much for highlighting your issue with the seat! I'm going to add this to the post. We didn't have any issues with the length and my son used it up until he was approaching 6 years old. But he is a tad on the slimmer side. So may just depend on how each kid is built!

Monday 9th of September 2019

Can you use it to strap on luggage and have the child seat on it while walking around the airport?

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WAYB Pico Forward-Facing Car Seat

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Customer Reviews

It is a stellar choice for families prioritizing safety and convenience. Its lightweight yet sturdy construction, coupled with easy installation and compact design, make it ideal for travel and everyday use.

We traveled with this for the first time using the carrying backpack and it was so easy! Gate checked the backpack and used the car seat in a rental car for a week. Lightweight, easy to place and remove from car quickly!

Small and compact but sturdy and solid

I bought this product during the Black Friday sale. The color I chose was on back order until January. Customer service reached out proactively and offered to swap colors for earlier shipment and matching the sale price of the color that I chose. Although I prefer the original color that I selected, but I rather get the product asap. The new color is actually more expensive than the one I selected.

I love this car seat for travel. It’s compact and lightweight. It easily hooks to the back of my suitcase and wheels through the airport with ease. I do keep it in and travel with it in the bag it originally came in. The bag has held up great. Installation is simple either on the plane or car. I do wish they had a rear facing seat, just from a safety standpoint. This seat will last quite awhile for my petite 3 year old. For taller children this seat won’t last as long. We travel cross country every 6 to 12 weeks and I love this seat.

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Baby and Kids

Wayb pico portable travel car seat review (not sponsored).

After traveling with 2 convertible car seats, I vowed to make my recent trip to Los Angeles with my 3 and 5 year-olds easier. And I found one of the best new travel products that I am so excited about! My 5 year-old isn’t big enough for a booster seat …

After traveling with 2 convertible car seats, I vowed to make my recent trip to Los Angeles with my 3 and 5 year-olds easier. And I found one of the best new travel products that I am so excited about! My 5 year-old isn’t big enough for a booster seat yet, so I ended up purchasing the WAYB Pico seat for both girls. Traveling with a portable car seat made our travel days so much easier. I have a 9 month old, too, so we should get a decent amount of use out of both. This is not sponsored – I paid for these seats and wanted to share a review. 

WayB Pico Travel Car Seat Review

Flying with little travelers can feel like a lot of work, and the extra stuff really adds up. Safety is top priority, but I was really hoping to make navigating the airport easier. It’s such a pain getting through the airport with traditional car seats. I wanted to find a lightweight car seat that was easy to use. And I found the best travel car seat – getting through the airport was a breeze, it meets and exceeds U.S. safety standards, and it fits in the overhead bin. The WAYB Pico car seat is  great tor travel, but it’s not a car seat I would recommend for daily use since it cannot compare to a convertible seat. And children who haven’t yet maxed out in weight and height should be rear-facing. 

Travel Car Seat

Meet pico, the car seat that’s actually portable.

Pico is a forward-facing car seat for kids kids 22-50 pounds and 30-45 inches. It is not an infant car seat, and is recommended for ages 2 and older. I don’t know that I’d be comfortable with a 2 year-old forward facing, so I would say it’s a better choice for ages 3 and up. My younger daughter is 3.5, so I let her forward face, even though she’s still rear-facing in her convertible seat . 

The car seat weight is only 8 pounds and it has a much smaller footprint than a convertible seat. 

Headrest Lowest Use Position: 15.2” L x 14.5” W x 22.8” H. Headrest Highest Use Position: 15.2” L x 14.5” W x 27.8” H

Using the WAYB Pico

I did not want to spend $100 on a bulky car seat bag, so I just propped the car seat on the handle of my suitcase. Do not check your car seat! It is likely to be banged around or damaged, and then will no longer be safe for use. Either use your car seat on the plane or put it in the overhead bin. Since the Pico is so compact, I opted to put it in the overhead bin – had there not been room, I would have installed on the on plane since it is FAA approved. I decided to put it overhead and used this airplane harness instead since I thought my kids would be more comfortable on the plane.

Safety and testing

The safest car seat is installed properly, so if you need installation help, contact a certified passenger safety technician to help. I worked with the Car Seat Lady to choose the safest car seats for my kids and where/how to install each one. 

Pico meets all US standards regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This means it is approved for use while flying with a plane seatbelt.  The Pico’s safety testing meets all FMVSS 213 and FMVSS 302 standards.

The Pico is made from aerospace-grade aluminum alloy which makes this car seat superior in strength, safety, durability, weight, and environmental footprint. 

The Pico car seat uses minimal plastic components. Fabric pads are made from polyester and responsibly sourced wool, and high-performance mesh keeps little travelers cool and comfortable.

Airplane Harness

Installing the Pico

I love the ease of installation – it takes a minute to figure out so I’d recommend reading the owner’s manual and testing installation at home before your trip.

The car seat installation was pretty straightforward.

First, you’ll attach the tether.

The Pico can be installed with your car’s latch system, seatbelt, and top tether. Put the seatbelt between the seat back and Pico frame and attach the lower anchors. 

Put the lap belt through the red belt guides. 

Switch the retractor and tighten the tether, lap, and shoulder belts. 

The seat is safely and properly installed when it moves less than one inch. 

When you first open the Pico, the headrest will be in the lowest use position for storage. When installing the Pico, the headrest should always be in one of the notches in the headrest bar. I wouldn’t want to have to install it in Ubers or cabs all day, but I’d rather install and carry this than a convertible seat, so I suppose it’s the best option. 

The chest clip should sit tightly between the child’s armpits, and not above or below. 

Use and comfort

When researching the WAYB car seat, the issue of the crotch buckle kept coming up. I’m not sure why it was designed the way it is, but it’s a tight fit, so if your child is on the larger side, they may size out of this seat faster. Both of my girls are on the smaller side, so my 5 and-a-half year-old fit quite well. I imagine she will size out in height before she does fit or weight. 

I hope you found this review helpful. Safe travels! 

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The Best Travel Car Seats

By Christina Szalinski and Rebecca Gale

Let’s face it: Traveling with little kids can be a slog. But a lightweight, compact, easy-to-install travel car seat is one tool that can make trips a bit easier.

We’ve tested 17 travel car seats for infants and up, and we examined how they performed in various circumstances, including during air travel and in rental cars. The Chicco KeyFit 35 , one of our picks for the best infant car seats , is an excellent choice for both travel and everyday use. For an affordable and easy-to-use convertible car seat for toddlers and preschoolers, we recommend traveling with the Cosco Scenera Next , which fits kids up to 40 inches tall for rear-facing or 43 inches for forward-facing. For kids bigger than that who still need a seat with a five-point harness, we recommend the Cosco Finale 2-in-1 , which also converts to a high-back booster. The backless, lightweight Cosco Rise is great for booster-age kids.

If you’ll be hopping in and out of taxis or ride shares with a baby, the Doona is a unique but expensive infant car seat that converts to a stroller. And instead of purchasing a dedicated convertible car seat for travel, another option is to bring yours along with the Britax Travel Cart .

Everything we recommend

Chicco KeyFit 35 ClearTex

The best infant car seat for travel.

If you’re a frequent traveler, the Chicco KeyFit 35 is easier than most infant car seats to install securely without its base.

Buying Options

An infant car seat and stroller in one

This unusual car seat has integrated wheels that pop out to turn it into a stroller. It’s best for parents who frequently need to move their car seat in and out of different vehicles.

Cosco Scenera Next

The best convertible car seat for travel.

This affordable and easy-to-use car seat weighs 6.8 pounds and can be used rear- and forward-facing. But kids can outgrow it quickly.

Cosco Finale 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat

The best harness booster car seat for travel.

This no-frills seat converts from a forward-facing five-point harness to a high-back booster. It weighs just 12 pounds.

Britax Travel Cart

A travel cart for lugging your own seat through the airport.

This sturdy, smooth-rolling travel cart helps you transport your own convertible car seat—and avoid buying a standalone travel seat. You can even strap your child into their seat and use it like a stroller.

The best backless booster seat for travel

This basic booster seat weighs only 2.2 pounds and can work for children as small as 40 pounds. But it has a rather large footprint and will be too big to fit in most carry-ons.

How we picked

A seat that’s lightweight is more manageable to carry between multiple locations. A more compact seat is also easier to pack.

We considered the seat’s comfort and ability to adjust straps and buckles.

Ease of installation is paramount, as the easier it is to do, the more likely it will be done properly.

We looked at crash-testing scores and ease-of-use ratings. Our infant, convertible, and harness booster picks are FAA-approved for use on a plane.

The Chicco KeyFit 35 is a great all-around infant car seat—and one of the ones we recommend for everyday use. But for travel it stands out: It has a European belt path that makes it easier to get a secure install without the base than for many car seats, and it’s cheaper than other seats that have this belt routing option.

Weight of seat: 10 pounds Orientation: rear-facing only Weight range: 4 to 35 pounds Height limit: 32 inches

Parents who can’t leave their infant seat base installed in a specific car but instead need to travel by taxi or rideshare frequently may find the innovative Doona to be a convenient option. This sleek infant car seat has integrated wheels and converts to a stroller that maneuvers easily, plus the seat is FAA-approved for use on an airplane. But the versatile Doona is much heavier and more expensive than a regular infant car seat.

Weight of seat: 14.3 pounds Orientation: rear-facing only Weight range: 4 to 35 pounds Height limit: 32 inches

The Cosco Scenera Next is a notably lightweight, affordable convertible car seat that is simple to install and carry on an airplane. It receives strong safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is FAA-approved for use on a plane. But many kids will outgrow it before they reach the height or weight limit because of the low position of the shoulder straps.

Weight of seat: 6.8 pounds Orientation: rear- or forward-facing Weight range: 5 to 40 pounds rear-facing; 22-40 pounds forward-facing Height range: 19-40 inches rear-facing; 29-43 inches forward-facing

For children using a forward-facing five-point harness, the Cosco Finale 2-in-1 is a lightweight and affordable travel option that is FAA-approved for use on a plane (in harness mode only). It also converts to a high-back booster. However, it has lower height limits than some boosters, so kids may not get as many years of use from it, in comparison with pricier options.

Weight of seat: 12 pounds Orientation: forward-facing only Weight range: 30 to 65 pounds for harness mode; 40 to 100 pounds for high-back mode Height range: 32 to 49 inches for harness mode; 43 to 52 inches for high-back mode

Bringing your own car seat to the airport has one big advantage—you don’t have to learn how to install yet another seat. But your own convertible car seat is likely to be heavy (our picks in our guide to convertible car seats range from 19 to 33 pounds). The Britax Travel Cart is compatible with most convertible seats, and when your car seat is secured to it with LATCH, you can use it like a stroller to push your toddler through the airport. The cart can then be stored in an overhead bin during your flight.

Weight of cart: 7.6 pounds

If you need a cheap, no-frills booster seat, we recommend the Cosco Rise . It’s a bit too large to fit into a carry-on suitcase or backpack, but it’s easy to attach with a bungee cord to a carry-on for plane travel. It’s also a great option if you just need a spare booster for carpools or to order ahead for use at the grandparents' house.

Weight of seat: 2.2 pounds Weight range: 40 to 100 pounds Height range: 43 to 57 inches

The research

Why you should trust us, who should get this, the best infant car seat for travel: chicco keyfit 35, an infant seat and stroller in one: doona, the best convertible car seat for travel: cosco scenera next, the best harness booster seat for travel: cosco finale 2-in-1, a great car seat caddy: britax travel cart, the best booster seat for travel: cosco rise, other good travel car seats, should a kid sit in a car seat on the airplane, what about checking a car seat, the competition, care, use, and maintenance.

The authors of this guide have collectively interviewed 40 industry experts, safety authorities, and physicians. Among them were certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) such as Lani Harrison, who installs more than 300 car seats each year; Dr. Aditya Belwadi, a biomechanics research scientist who previously led the child passenger safety research team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and now works at Tesla in Crash, Safety, and Occupant Protection/Biomechanics; and Bill Horn, head sled testing engineer at Calspan , one of the country’s top crash-testing facilities. The authors also talked with dozens of parents and representatives from leading car seat manufacturers.

The original version of this guide was written by Rebecca Gale, whose reporting on policy and parenting has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Slate, and The Washington Post. Rebecca has also been certified as a CPST, completing a 40-hour training program through the Safe Kids Worldwide organization.

In 2022 and 2023, this guide was updated by Christina Szalinski, a science writer whose reporting on health and parenting has appeared in The Atlantic and Kaiser Health News . In addition to writing the most recent versions of Wirecutter’s infant and convertible car seat guides, Christina is responsible for Wirecutter’s guides to the Best Baby Formula and kids face masks .

Few people strictly need a separate car seat for travel as you can gate- or baggage-check any car seat for free with most airlines. But lugging your regular (likely heavy and bulky) seat in and out of the car and through the airport can be a major hassle. Investing in a smaller, lighter-weight option may be worthwhile, especially if you fly or use ridesharing services or taxis frequently.

Infant car seats for travel

If you’re traveling with an infant or baby, bringing along your usual infant car seat without its base (to cut down on weight and heft) is typically the best option. Our top infant car seat pick, the Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX , is relatively lightweight and, like other infant car seats, can be safely strapped in with a seatbelt only and no base.

There are two possible ways to install an infant car seat without a base: either with the belt directly across the top, called “American routing,” or with the shoulder belt placed around the back of the seat in addition to the top, called “European routing.” It’s easier to get a secure fit with European routing, and two seats we recommend in our guide to infant car seats, the Chicco KeyFit 35 and the Clek Liing , are designed to allow for that type of install. If you know you’ll be traveling with your infant often, it may be worthwhile to choose one of these as your baby’s first car seat.

Many infant car seats are compatible with easy-to-fold stroller frames, such as the Chicco KeyFit Caddy , which turns an infant car seat into a stroller and can be convenient for travel. Most infant seats are FAA-approved for airplane use, should you decide to purchase an airplane seat for your infant.

Convertible car seats for travel

When your child has outgrown their infant car seat, deciding on a car seat for travel can be trickier. Alisa Baer, a pediatrician, CPST, and co-founder of the website The Car Seat Lady , recommends bringing your own convertible car seat and using a travel cart . That way you have a seat that you’re already comfortable installing. But some people will prefer a dedicated travel car seat, as they can be significantly lighter than regular seats—as little as 7 pounds versus 20 to 30 pounds.

If you do buy a dedicated travel seat, it’s a good idea to practice installing it before your trip—you don’t want to be figuring it out for the first time when you, and your kid, are potentially jet lagged and feeling extra cranky. Installation can be the most time-consuming and frustrating part of using a car seat—and particularly a convertible car seat—and is often the point of failure for using a car seat correctly.

Booster seats for travel

If your everyday booster seat has a removable back (as with our top pick and runner-up pick, the Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus and the Graco TurboBooster LX ), you may prefer to simply bring that seat for travel, leaving the bulky back at home. But like with convertible seats, it’s also an option to get a dedicated travel booster that may be significantly lighter and smaller than the one you rely on every day.

Jessica Jermakian, vice president for vehicle research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, offered several tips for bringing along a backless booster, especially if it’s not one that’s compact: “I bungee cord them to my luggage while traversing the airport. On most flights, my kids could shove them under the seat in front of them and still have room to throw their backpack on top. On some flights, I’ve put them in a tote in the overhead compartment.”

Travel car seat alternatives

If you’re headed to a familiar destination, you could look into borrowing a seat from friends or relatives. Or, you may be able to rent one through a baby equipment rental service.

Many car rental companies also offer car seats for a daily fee, but it can cost up to $15 a day—adding up to much more than the cost of a travel car seat, which can be less than $50. And though you can reserve one in advance, rental car seats are subject to availability, so there’s no guarantee that one will be available when you arrive. The car seat provided may also be difficult to install properly, especially in an unfamiliar car. That said, you may be able to find discounts or other benefits through programs such as AAA, which offers one free car seat rental for members when they book a car through Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty. Ridesharing and airport and town car services may also provide a car seat with advance reservations.

There are hundreds of travel car seat options for infants, toddlers, and older kids. We began the whittling down process by examining online customer reviews and existing media coverage, which included going to Car Seats for the Littles , Lucie’s List , and the Car Seat Lady . We found the travel car seat category to be sorely lacking in an abundance of great options, so we also considered some “regular” car seats and alternatives.

We knew from our expert interviews that proper installation is generally a far bigger problem than the level of protection that a seat inherently provides, so we searched the NHTSA ease-of-use installation database to help determine which seats offer easy installation and come with clear instructions. We also relied on the personal experience of Wirecutter staffers, volunteer testers, and car seat techs who had used the car seats in the past.

Our research led us to conclude that the ideal travel car seat should be:

Lightweight and compact: A travel car seat will likely need to be carried between multiple locations, sometimes with a baby inside (if we’re talking about an infant). The less the seat weighs, the easier it is to deal with when combined with children and carry-on items. A more compact seat can also fit more readily in a wide variety of vehicles.

FAA approved: For parents who want to use their infant seat, convertible car seat, or harness booster on a plane, FAA certification is crucial.

Easy to install: As with all of our car seat recommendations, ease of installation is paramount, as the easier it is to do, the more likely it is to be done properly.

Easy to use: Straps should be simple to adjust to get a snug but comfortable fit in a five-point harness. The buckles should be easy for parents to clip and unclip but difficult to impossible for children to mess with. We considered the experience of both parents and kids in using the seats, as well as how easy each seat was to clean.

Safe: When it comes to travel, convenience can trump a minor safety advantage; a seat that you can bring along with you is vastly superior to no seat at all. Still, we did take the relevant government safety data from NHTSA into consideration.

Over the past five years we’ve tested 17 car seats with travel specifically in mind.

If you’re shopping for an infant car seat with travel in mind, we recommend the FAA-approved Chicco KeyFit 35 , one of our picks in our guide to infant car seats . It is lightweight and easy to use, and it can be installed securely without its base using the European belt path, a method that generally provides a superior install. (Any infant seat can be installed without its base, so if you already have an infant seat, using what you already own is likely the easiest choice.)

You can save on weight and bulk by leaving a car seat base at home when traveling. There are two ways to install an infant seat without its base. The most common is American belt routing, in which the seat belt goes over the top of the infant seat and the baby’s knees. We’ve found that it can be very difficult to secure an infant seat in the car securely using this method.

A few seats also offer the option to rely on the European belt path, the method we prefer, in which the lap belt goes over the top of the infant seat and the shoulder belt goes around the back. It’s easier to get a secure install with the European belt path, but it’s only found on a few car seat models. Of the four infant car seats we recommend, only the Chicco KeyFit 35 and Clek Liing offer the option of using the European belt path.

Beyond the advantage of the European belt bath, the Chicco KeyFit 35 has everything we love about the more popular Chicco KeyFit 30 with a few bonus features, such as an anti-rebound base as an added safety option. The KeyFit 35 can also accommodate a slightly larger baby (up to 35 pounds) than the KeyFit 30.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The KeyFit 35 is about $50 more than our top infant car seat choice, the Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX . It probably doesn’t make sense to buy this seat just for travel if you already own a similar infant car seat. But if you plan to be jet-setting with your baby, it may be worth the additional $50 or so to get a better on-the-go install from the start.

The Doona is an FAA-approved infant car seat (rear-facing only) with built-in wheels that allow it to convert to a stroller. For travel, this is about as convenient as it gets, allowing caregivers to rely on a single piece of equipment to accomplish two goals: avoid gate-checking a stroller—assuming an airline seat is purchased for the infant—and hop in and out of cabs without having to stow anything in the trunk.

Compared with a regular infant car seat, the Doona has some drawbacks. For one thing, it did not perform particularly well in Baby Gear Lab’s crash testing (there are no government crash tests available yet for this seat). For this reason, and because it’s tricky to install without its base (as most infant seats are), one of our car seat experts does not recommend this seat. At 14.3 pounds, it’s heavy and bulky to carry and maneuver when in car seat mode. The Doona also has the steepest price of any of the car seats (including infant, convertible, and boosters) that we’ve reviewed. It does come with a traditional infant car seat base that allows for an easy click in and out of a car, but the extra width means it could be impossible to fit three across in a backseat. And it would defeat the point to use that base for travel.

Switching the Doona from car seat mode to stroller mode and back requires “both hands and concentration,” said one tester, as well as “quite a bit of practice for me. It takes a rather specific, subtle motion to collapse it back and tuck the wheels.” It’s harder than taking a regular infant car seat off of a stroller with an infant seat attachment. Plus, once your child outgrows this seat, you’ll have to buy another stroller.

As a stroller, the Doona maneuvers easily, and the brake is intuitive and easy to use. But though it comes with an attached storage bag, the Doona lacks a storage basket.

The inexpensive Cosco Scenera Next weighs just 6.8 pounds, is relatively easy to carry and install, and can be used rear-facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward-facing from 22 to 40 pounds. It’s FAA-certified and easy to install on an airplane (using the plane’s seatbelt).

The Cosco sells for $60, which is a bargain compared with many convertible car seats (the Graco Extend2Fit , our favorite convertible seat for everyday use, is a little over $200). The seat gets strong safety ratings from NHTSA, and given its low weight and heft and easy-enough install, we think it’s the best option available for an on-the-go or backup car seat. We strongly prefer the (heftier) Graco Extend2Fit for everyday use. That’s because it’s easier to get a safe, secure install with that seat and to adjust it to fit the child. Plus, it can be used forward-facing until a kid is 65 pounds and 49 inches tall—a much longer usable life than the Scenera Next.

Several Wirecutter staffers use or have used the Cosco Scenera Next, appreciating its low cost, low weight, and small size. They’ve found that the seat’s slim profile makes it a great option for smaller cars (specifically, a Prius or Renault Scenic). Senior editor Courtney Schley found that the Cosco allowed her to get three seats (two Coscos and one infant car seat) across in her family’s car.

The Scenera Next’s low shoulder straps mean that a child may outgrow this seat well before they are ready for a booster. ( Shoulder straps should hit at or below the shoulders when a child is rear-facing; when forward-facing the straps should hit at or above the shoulders.) The low straps mean that many 3-year-olds with longer torsos may outgrow the seat in forward-facing mode, even though the seat’s height and weight limits indicate that it should fit an average-size kid up to age 4. With a long torso, the straps end up hitting below the shoulders, a situation that can compromise safety.

Though the Scenera Next is simple to install compared with other lightweight convertible car seats we tested, some of our testers still found it difficult to get a tight, secure install. It has hook LATCH straps that aren’t particularly easy to use—you really have to tug on the LATCH straps to get a tight fit, and getting them off can be an even bigger challenge. We preferred installing the seat with a seat belt in unfamiliar cars, which was an easier way to get a tight install (try the inside/outside trick with the shoulder belt), and made it much easier to uninstall.

Our testers also found that the chest clip on the harness wasn’t as responsive or easy to use as those on more expensive seats. The Scenera Next also has less padding than many seats, though Baer points out that the padding on most seats is highly compressible, meaning that just because a seat looks fluffier doesn’t mean it provides much more cushion.

This seat also has a few downsides if you bring it on a plane. Like most convertible car seats, it’s wider than the aisle, so you have to carry it awkwardly down the plane to get to your seat, which can be quite a challenge if you’re on your own and have other carry-on items (plus your child). Additionally, the plane’s seat belt buckle is going to be pushing into your child’s back if the seat is oriented forward-facing. Alisa Baer, co-founder of The Car Seat Lady, recommends installing any seat with this issue rear-facing, even if a kid is used to forward-facing. Or you can put a diaper or other soft item over the buckle to make it a bit more comfortable.

The Cosco Finale 2-in-1 is a solid option for kids who are no longer rear-facing but still benefit from a five-point harness. It’s affordable, weighs just 12 pounds, and is relatively easy to install using the car’s seat belt while in harness mode (it also comes with LATCH straps, though we didn’t find these as easy to use). Like other boosters, when in booster mode, this seat relies on the car’s seat belt to secure the child, so there’s no need to install it.

This bigger-kid seat can see a growing child through years of travel: It can be used as a forward-facing five-point harness booster seat from 30 to 65 pounds and then as a regular (harness-free) booster from 40 to 100 pounds (up until a child is 52 inches tall).

As a five-point harness, it’s FAA-certified and easy to install on an airplane using the plane’s seatbelt. However, when it’s in booster mode, like all boosters, it cannot be used on an airplane.

In harness mode, the Cosco Finale 2-in-1 performed well in an NHTSA crash test. And several Wirecutter staffers use or have used the Cosco Finale 2-in-1 while traveling after their child outgrew the Cosco Scenera Next—they liked the price and straightforward install. Converting the seat to a booster is fairly straightforward , and the seat has storage for the harness, crotch buckle, and chest clip. Once the seat is in booster mode, your child can’t use it on an airplane, but many airlines will allow you to check a booster seat for free (you may wish to check with your airline in advance).

A more expensive version of the Cosco Finale 2-in-1, the Cosco Finale DX 2-in-1 , is also available. The only difference between the two is the fabric—the DX has a tiny bit more cushion and a slightly less slippery texture. We asked several children to try each seat and then report their favorite (they wore blindfolds, to remove color preference as a factor). There was no clear winner between the two seats, and our adult testers could hardly distinguish a difference in the cushioning. For this reason, we don’t think it’s worth the extra $20 for the DX.

When using the Finale 2-in-1 in harness mode, you first have to install it in the car, which you can do either with the seat’s LATCH straps or with the car’s seat belt. We found the Finale 2-in-1’s hook LATCH straps difficult to use—it’s hard to get a tight fit in the car, and getting them off can be a big challenge. As we did with the Cosco Scenera Next, we preferred installing the harnessed seat with a seat belt; this was an easier way to get a tight install (try the inside/outside trick with the shoulder belt) and also made it much easier to uninstall. (When the harness is removed and the seat is in booster mode, you do not need to install it in the car, since the car’s seat belt holds it in place and secures the child.)

Our testers also found that the chest clip on the harness was a bit more difficult to open compared to those on more expensive seats like the Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1 . The straps have to be manually threaded through the car seat, which isn’t particularly difficult or time consuming, but you have to remember to do it before you install the seat. It also has less padding than many seats, though our child testers didn’t complain (however, we didn’t take it on any long road trips).

This seat won’t have as many years of use as other travel options, like the Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1, because the Cosco has a maximum height of 52 inches (most boosters go to 57 inches) and does not convert to a backless booster.

If you need to travel with a convertible car seat, you can bring the one you already have to the airport and onto the airplane with the Britax Travel Cart . The main benefit of bringing your own is that you’ll have a seat that you (and your child) are comfortable with, and that you know how to install confidently.

There are a number of similar travel carts out there, but we think this one offers the most for the price. We like that when the car seat is strapped onto the cart using the car seat’s LATCH clips, you can use the whole thing like a stroller and push (or pull) your child through the airport. The frame is also studier than other models—it can hold a total of 100 pounds of car seat and child. Plus, when it’s time to get on the plane you can fold the cart to stow it in an overhead bin.

At about $100 for the cart, it is cheaper to purchase a budget convertible car seat like the Cosco Scenera Next. However, depending on your circumstances, the Britax Travel Cart may outlive the expiration of many car seats (which are between six and 10 years), and could be used for future car seats, or passed along without as much consideration as a used car seat.

For a cheap, no-frills booster seat, the Cosco Rise is a reliable option that weighs only 2.2 pounds. It’s simple to use: Like other backless booster seats, it does not need to be physically attached to the vehicle; a child simply sits in it and fastens the car’s lap belt over their knees (under the seat’s sides).

The Chicco GoFit Plus is our overall top pick for the best backless booster seat because it’s cushy, made with easy-to-clean materials, and includes two cup holders and a LATCH system to anchor the seat to the car. But it’s bulky, heavy, and not great for travel. The Cosco Rise has fewer bells and whistles, but it offers a key safety feature: Unlike many other boosters, this seat has a strap that attaches to a car’s shoulder belt to adjust the belt’s position for smaller riders (the shoulder belt should always rest on a child’s collarbone, and not against their neck).

The Cosco Rise can accommodate children as small as 40 pounds, as long as they are also 43 inches tall, meaning it will work for most kids 5 and up but may not accommodate some 4-year-olds.

This seat is a bit too large to fit easily into a carry-on suitcase or backpack (it takes up almost all the room top-to-bottom in a standard-sized carry-on, with only a little room left on the side). There is also almost no padding on this seat, merely a polyester cover, but for short rides, our testers didn’t complain.

If you want an upgraded infant seat that’s great for travel : We recommend the Clek Liing , one of our favorite infant seats . Like the Chicco KeyFit 35, the Clek Liing can be installed without its base using a European belt path, which is much easier to get secure than the standard American belt routing found on most infant car seats. And when you’re at home, we love how easy it is to install the Liing’s base, which includes an added safety feature: a load leg .

If you want a high-end infant seat and don’t own a car: The lightweight, easy-to-clean Clek Liingo is similar to the Clek Liing but without the base. In general, we think installing a seat with the base is an easier and more secure option with infant car seats. But if you don’t own a car, the Liingo can be installed without a base in several ways. It has the same European belt path that the Liing has, which routes the lap belt over the top and the shoulder belt around the back for more security than an install that just goes over the top of the seat. The Liingo also comes with a LATCH strap that routes in the same spot as the lap belt—though we found this was not nearly as secure as the European belt path routing.

If you want a longer-lasting five-point harness seat for older kids: The Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1 is a good choice. This forward-facing-only seat has a five-point harness that holds kids from 22 to 65 pounds and up to 49 inches tall, and it can be adjusted without rethreading it, so it is easier to modify as your child grows. When your child is ready for a regular booster, you can remove the harness and crotch buckle, converting the seat to a high-back booster that can hold a child from 40 to 100 pounds and up to 57 inches tall. Finally, you can remove the back and convert the seat to a lightweight backless booster that can also be used from 40 to 100 pounds and up to 57 inches tall.

First off, a car seat must be FAA-approved—as all of our recommended infant and convertible seats are—for a kid to ride in one on an airplane. (Booster seats are reserved for older children and not intended for use on airplane seats.)

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and CPSTs believe it is safer for kids under 2 to ride in a car seat aboard a plane rather than in their parents’ arms. In the event of turbulence or rough air, a child is much safer if strapped in. Being injured in turbulence , though very unlikely, does affect a handful of American flyers each year, and recent research indicates that turbulence is on the rise due to climate change.

Many parents find that air travel is easier when their child has their own seat (though of course you have to pay for that additional seat). Children are allowed to sit on caregivers’ laps on planes until age 2, but few toddlers can sit still for a long period of time, and that extra harness and recline (as well as familiarity) provided by the car seat may keep a child seated comfortably longer, especially once they are mobile but still too young to fully understand how to sit still in a lap belt.

There are a number of challenges to bringing a car seat, especially a convertible seat designed for a toddler, onto a plane. Some smaller planes may have seats that aren’t wide enough for many convertible car seats. And even if the car seat is narrow enough for the plane, not many seats are narrow enough to easily fit down the aisle. The Clek Foonf , one of our convertible car seat picks, is one of them, but it is pricey and heavy. (The Clek Fllo , Graco SlimFit3 LX , and Graco True3Fit also fit on an airplane seat, but we did not test them.) You’ll generally have to lift a car seat above the seats to carry it to the rear of a plane.

Finally, unlike a car seat buckle, which sits on your hip, a plane’s seat buckle sits right in the middle of your lap. That means for many car seats, once you install them on the plane, there’s going to be a large metal buckle below your child’s legs or behind their back (the Clek seats are among the few without this issue). Alisa Baer, co-founder of The Car Seat Lady, recommends using convertible seats with buckle-in-the-back issues rear-facing, even with a larger child—they’ll likely be more comfortable if their feet have a place to rest, plus they won’t be trying to rest their feet on the passenger’s seat in front of them. You can also put a diaper or spare T-shirt over the buckle to make it a bit more comfortable.

Some parents may find it simpler to use a CARES harness (Child Aviation Restraint System) to help keep kids in their seats on a plane (and their kids may prefer sitting in an airplane seat over a car seat); you install this four-point harness around the child’s seatback and under the tray behind it.

Most airlines allow at least one car seat to be checked for free but doing so has several potential problems . The luggage can be handled roughly and tossed, damaging the car seat in the process. Seats, like any piece of luggage, can also be lost or misplaced in transit. Ultimately, the main reason you may want to have your child use a car seat on the plane is so that you are absolutely confident you’ll have the car seat when you arrive at your destination.

For people who do check in their car seats, Harrison recommends—ideally—using the original box and styrofoam that the seat came with if they are available or using Bubble Wrap and a garbage bag if not. Examine the seat for visible damage when it comes out at baggage claim, and be prepared to replace the seat if it’s broken or bent.

Infant travel seats

The Chicco Fit2 can accommodate infants as small as 4 pounds and toddlers as large as 35 pounds or 35 inches. Like the Chicco KeyFit 35 we recommend as the best infant car seat for travel, it can be installed with a European belt path. But because of this seat’s large size, some seat belts are too short to route over the car seat securely.

Convertible travel seats

We previously recommended the lightweight, foldable, forward-facing WAYB Pico (rhymes with “baby”) as a good travel car seat for kids who are too big for the Cosco Scenera Next but still need a five-point harness. Its adjustable seat back allows it to accommodate taller kids, and its slim design means it takes up less room in the backseat than other car seats. The 8-pound seat is exceptionally convenient to install, uninstall, and carry around, including through airports and onto a plane. In September 2019, however, WAYB announced it was recalling 4,558 Pico car seats manufactured between March 1 and May 12, 2019, due to reports of breakage in the aluminum tube connecting the headrest to the seat. You can read NHSTA’s report (PDF)  for details about the recall, how to identify your car seat’s date of manufacture, and how to inspect your car seat for damage. Since the recall, there have not been further reports of problems. Like all car seats sold in the US, the Pico was self-certified by WAYB to pass NHTSA standards (PDF) for safety testing.

The EvenFlo Tribute is a lightweight seat (9 pounds) similar to the Cosco Scenera Next and also has a weight limit of 40 pounds, but as our convertible car seat guide testing showed us, it’s not as easy to get a good install with this seat. CPSTs like Harrison recommend using a towel or pool noodle when using the Tribute to address this. It’s also more expensive than the Cosco Scenera Next.

Booster travel seats

We previously recommended the BubbleBum , an inflatable, portable backless booster seat for older kids. However, in February 2022, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety raised concerns about the safety of inflatable boosters. A study using a computerized model determined that an inflatable booster may not have the stiffness required to keep a child from sliding out from under the lap belt upon impact in a car crash.

The backless Cosco Topside is too large to fit into a carry-on or a backpack. Unlike the Cosco Rise , our favorite backless booster for travel, this booster seat also doesn’t have a belt-positioning clip, which can help the shoulder belt fit better on a smaller rider.

We liked the Graco RightGuide booster seat because it was small enough to fit inside a carry-on or backpack. But it was recently discontinued.

The Immi Go is a booster car seat with a five-point harness that folds conveniently into its own carrying bag. Due to low sales, it is no longer for sale in the US, but you may see this seat if you travel abroad.

The MiFold backless booster seat (currently unavailable) is small enough to fit into the back pocket of some pants and weighs less than 2 pounds. It works by moving the seat belt down to fit the kid (as opposed to raising the kid to fit the belt, as other boosters do). However, our testers found its hard plastic shell uncomfortable to sit on for long periods of time and said that the seat was complicated and unintuitive to set up. Also, a car seat safety expert we consulted noted that the design of the seat may encourage a child to use bad posture while they’re sitting in it—in an effort to find a more comfortable position, the child may tend to scoot forward, moving the slick-bottomed seat along with them, which could pose a safety concern.

Travel carts

The Torevsior Car Seat Travel Cart is about $25 less than the Britax Travel Cart we recommend, but it’s also less robust—the frame just doesn’t feel as sturdy. The weight limit is also lower than the Britax’s, at 70 pounds versus Britax’s 100 pounds. Like the Britax travel cart, the Torevsior cart has hooks for LATCH straps, to secure a car seat onto the cart so that your child can ride in it as you’re moving through the airport. It’s 6.4 pounds (Britax is 7.6 pounds), and extends up to 46 inches (Britax to 42 inches).

All of the guidelines for car seat care, use, and maintenance in our other car seat guides apply to travel car seats as well.

This guide was edited by Ellen Lee, Amy Miller Kravetz and Kalee Thompson.

Jessica Jermakian, vice president for vehicle research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , email exchange , August 1, 2022

Alisa Baer, pediatrician, nationally certified child passenger safety instructor, and co-founder of The Car Seat Lady , phone interview, July 15, 2022 and January 9, 2023

Lani Harrison, CPST, Car Seats for the Littles , email interview , January 28, 2019

Meet your guides

Christina Szalinski

Christina Szalinski is a freelance science writer with a PhD in cell biology.

Rebecca Gale

Further reading

The Best Travel Strollers

by Elise Czajkowski

After testing seven travel strollers on various trips and excursions, we’re confident that the Uppababy Minu V2 is the one to get.

The Best Booster Car Seats

by Rebecca Gale

After researching over 50 booster car seats and testing 13, we’ve concluded that the convenient Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus is the best overall choice.

Traveling With Little Kids Can Be Tough. The Right Gear Can Help.

by Kerry Davis McGuinness

From compact car seats and cribs to portable blackout shades and white noise machines, the right tools for travel can lead to less fuss—and more fun.

The Best Infant Car Seats

by Christina Szalinski

After extensive research and field testing, we found that the Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX is the best infant car seat for most families.

888 - Ask MoDOT (275-6636)

Child Passenger Safety Check Locations

Car seat check map.

You can click the car seat icons, zoom in/out, or click the window icon on the top left of the map to show the location listing.  The full list also displays below the map.  

FREE STANDARD CONTIGUOUS U.S. SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $75

Deluxe Pico™ Travel Bag

Whether you’re dropping off at daycare, catching a rideshare, or passing through customs, this premium pack makes it even easier to take the Pico Car Seat on the go.

Make Pico even more portable.

Exterior Features

Lid-style opening makes it quick and easy to stow and remove your Pico Car Seat

3 external pockets: hidden zippered top pocket for quick access to phone, wallet, keys, and other small items; 2 side slip pockets

Top carry handle and adjustable shoulder straps made from seatbelt-style material for durability and grip

Ergonomic design for comfort

Integrated ready-to-roll luggage sleeve

Wipeable and water resistant exterior fabric

Interior Features

Padded compartment to keep your Pico Car Seat safe while you’re on the go

General Features

Responsibly made: 100% bluesign® certified recycled polyester; no PU, EVA, or EPS foams

Backed by WAYB’s 3-year Breathe Easy Warranty

Product Dimensions/Weight

15.00" L x 11.50" W x 18.75" H

Main Fabric

Durable polyester

100% bluesign® certified recycled polyester

Wipeable and water resistant

Lining Fabric

Zippers/Trims/Foams

Durable YKK zippers

Medium volume

Spot clean with warm water and mild detergent

Do not machine wash

Do not dry clean

• 5 Stars 54 Reviews
• 4 Stars 8 Reviews
• 3 Stars 2 Reviews
• 2 Stars 0 Reviews
• 1 Star 1 Review

Lifesaver with 2 toddlers

Such a great addition to our travel gear!

Travel bag a must!

This bag makes packing the Pico so easy and convenient!

Game changer

I’ve owned the Wayb pico car seat for over a year and done several international trips with it. Just bought the backpack for my first solo trip with the little one, and it’s a game changer - so much more convenient than sticking it over a luggage handle. So excited to use it I’ve been wearing it around the house!

Very useful and easy to carry

Definitely recommend getting this alongside the car seat because it makes carrying the foldable car seat worry free. It’s also super light.

This backpack is definitely good quality nice and thick. I also like how it is padded!

“The travel bag is ideal for all kinds of travel and must. It makes going through TSA a breeze, especially if you are traveling with multiple bags. Don't sleep on it, get it!”

“We ordered this bag for airline travel. It is very comfortable and also has extra pockets to store other items like iPads and snacks which helps when trying to handle a toddler and an infant!”

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

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