aym4Him
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 2, 2012
So my planning mind makes me crazy sometimes and then I start to worry! So my kidlets are 4 and I'm thinking car seats and rental cars! Did you gate check your car seat? Did you get one from the rental company? We have so much equipment to lug (daughter has a trach) I can't picture carrying two huge car seats! Advise please!!!
DS will be almost 4 when we go to WDW. He will be riding in his Evenflo Maestro car seat on the plane. It's lightweight. If you don't have a lightweight seat, you can try the Cosco Scenera (providing it's not too small for your kids- my DS is on the small side for an almost 4 yr old..just at 30 lbs and about 39" tall.). It's lightweight and very inexpensive. You could either hook it to your stroller(s) with a d-ring or bungee it to a rolling luggage cart and make an impromptu stroller/stuff hauler .
I've never rented a seat but I've read stories about them being nasty and inadequate.
There is controversy over gate-checking/checking as luggage. I went by the guidelines on car-seat.org and do not check my DS's. There is a thread under the "Disney for Families" part of this board about this and someone posted yesterday that new guidelines say it's ok to check/gate check. What you decide to do is up to you. IF you do check it/gate check, get a bag for it and you can even wrap towels or bubble wrap or something around the seat itself before you bag it to make sure it's protected. I would inspect it like CRAZY once you land. Take the cover off and make sure the styrofoam isn't cracked, etc.
This is what was posted yesterday but some Car Seat Technicians commented saying that they still wouldn't trust their seat with baggage handlers, etc.
MACPS, the Manufacturers Alliance for Child Passenger Safety, recently made a statement about gate checking seat:
" Car Seats Gate-Checked or Checked as Luggage
Car seats are designed to withstand most motor vehicle crash forces. In general, the MACPS does not consider a gate-checked car seat or a car seat that is checked as luggage to be one that has experienced forces equivalent to a motor vehicle crash. Once the destination is reached, it is recommended to inspect the car seat to make sure no visual damage has occurred and all aspects of the car seat function properly. (August 2012) "
source: http://saferidenews.com/srndnn/LinkC...s=&tabid=352
Good luck!