Car seat help

[Princessbec]

I'm from Australia and would some help with US car seat laws. I will have a just turned 2 y.o. Who is average height but low weight and likely to be under 20 lbs. And a 6 y.o. Who will be somewhere around 45 lbs at a guess.

We are thinking of renting a car for flexibility and wondering what sort of seats we will require. Thanks for your help!

 

[Alesia]

In Florida children 3 and under are required to be in a car seat.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Did you Google Florida car seat laws? This will provide you with your answer.

 

[Princessbec]

In Florida children 3 and under are required to be in a car seat.

Wow, that's all? Seems pretty lax to me.

Are the car seat from car rental companies well maintained?

 

[4under4]

State laws and your own personal level of comfort are really two different things.

I don't care what state I'm in, my kids are/were in seats until they reached the 8-8-8 scenario - MINIMUM of Eight Years Old, 80 lbs, 4'8" tall. My oldest JUST got out of his booster a few months ago, and he'll be 10 in a few weeks.

I personally would not use a rental car seat but that's me. There is just no way to know whether it was treated properly or in a previous accident. Your 6yo should be fine in a booster which is fairly easy to pack or carry on the plane. The 2 year old, I assume, will have a seat on the plane. Having traveled with kids that age I know it is MUCH easier with them in a car seat not just in the airline seat. They can fall asleep comfortably, have toys linked to the straps to keep them off the floor, etc.

If it were me, I would bring your seats on the plane and not worry about the rental agencies' options... besides it's cheaper since I've never been charged to bring a car seat on the plane, but you would be charged to use one from the car rental agency. Probably should check with your airline to see if they have any restrictions before you leave, but it seems like the best possible scenario, especially flying all the way from Australia.

 

[4under4]

I would just use the ones at the rental agencies. After being tossed around through the luggage system, they will probably be in the same or worse condition as those at the rental agency. The 6 year old will not need a seat but it is recommended to use a booster, and the 2 year old will need a forward facing car set with a 5-point harness.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting letting a seat get bounced around by in the luggage system, but that they be part of carry on luggage!

 

[cel_disney]

Generally most states also require that a child be rear facing if they are under 20lbs...

Personally - I have always brought my own carseat on the plane (and I have always bought my infants a seat on the plane)...but you should find out if 1) thats allowed on your air carrier (and will it matter if you purchased the child a seat for the flight) and 2) if AUS carseats can be used here in the US..

Will you be heading to Disney when you arrive? If so - you might consider the following: ordering a cosco scenara (40$ online) carseat and having it shipped to your disney resort and then taking magical express from the airport (either having one member of your party pick up the car and the others ride ME or picking up your car at disney after you have the carseat in hand)..

I am leary about rental car seats, but I have been paying more attention to them on my last few trips to orlando and they dont seem to be as old/beat up as they used to be!! Maybe have ME reservations as a backup incase you find the rental seats to be unusable?


Have a safe trip!!

 

[bumbershoot]

My cousin lives in FL, and tells me the above info not exactly correct. It changed at some point last year and is more stringent than it used to be.


From http://sheriff.org/safety/carseat.cfm:

Florida law requires children under 5 years of age to be properly restrained no matter where they are seated in the vehicle. Children through age 3 must be secured in a separate carrier (child safety seat) or in a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child safety seat. For children ages 4 - 5, a separate carrier, an integrated child safety seat, or a safety belt may be used. If a safety belt does not fit the child correctly, a booster set should be used to correctly position the lap and shoulder belts once they outgrow forward facing child safety seats (generally at about 40 pounds and 4 years old). Children from approximately 40-80 pounds and under 4'9" in height should ride in a booster seat.

Infants must ride rear-facing until they are at least one year old and weigh 20 pounds or more. Rear-facing, the infant should be semi-upright at an angle or no more than 45 degrees. A forward-facing older child should ride sitting upright.

Rear-facing seat for the baby (either infant seat if baby still fits, or convertible seat like a Britax Roundabout, etc), and a seat or booster that fits the 6 year old. You won't know if the 6 year old would fit just in a seatbelt in a rental car or taxi, so it's best to have something with you.

 

[Alesia]

Are the car seat from car rental companies well maintained?

Sometimes.

My cousin lives in FL, and tells me the above info not exactly correct. It changed at some point last year and is more stringent than it used to be.


From http://sheriff.org/safety/carseat.cfm:

What you quoted isn't any different than what I said, it's just longer. The only requirement is that children 3 and under are in car seats. Booster seats are recommended for older children, but aren't required.

 

[Princessbec]

Thanks for all your help so far.

My 6 y.o. will definitely require a booster seat. She is in one at home. My 2 y.o. is likely to be over 20 lbs - I got my conversion wrong originally. Her seat here rearfaces to approx 26 lbs so given she is currently 18 lbs she will probably be rear facing.

Taking Australian car seats on the plane isn't an option sadly. I can take seats that meet the following criteria:

Comply with United States FAA design standard FMVSS No. 213 Comply with United States FAA design standard FMVSS No. 213

Have two markings: ‘This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicale Safety Standards”and in red lettering ‘This Restraint is Certified for Use in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft’.

Be approved under United States FAA process TSO-C100b

Be permanently and legibly marked ‘TSO-C100b’.

Be approved under United States FAA process 21.305(d)

Be clearly marked showing FAA approval under 21.305(d) and bear the label ‘FAA Approved in Accordance with 14 CFR 21.305(d)’

Be approved under United Nations ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Regulation No. 44

Be clearly marked with a circle around the letter ‘E’ followed by the distinguishing number of the country which has granted approval
Be clearly marked with the approval number showing version ECE R44/03 or ECE R44/04.

Be clearly marked with a label showing CRS has been certified to CMVSS 213 or 213.1

NOTE: Rear-facing restraint systems are certified to CMVSS 213.1. Forward-facing restraint systems are certified to CMVSS 213. Convertible restraint systems are certified to both CMVSS 213 and 213.1.

Car Seat Acceptance Criteria
In addition to the above, car seats must meet the following criteria prior to being considered for travel:

Be designed so they can be secured with a fastened lap belt only
Not exceed a width of 40.6cm (16 inches)
Must be in good condition, showing no signs of damage
Have a single release harness that secures your child’s lap belt, and torso and shoulder straps. It cannot be unreasonably easy for children to undo
Be quick and easy to secure or remove your child
Have a solid back and seat.

Although I have no idea what these seats might be. Are they regular US seats?
I would consider buying seats online and have them waiting at our resort. we are staying at Bonnet Creek.

What seats do you recomment I research?

 

[4under4]

My kids are all in boosters, and I'm a little out of touch with current models of harness style seats... but I'll bump this to see if you can get a good answer.

 

[deegack]

We have a spare convertible seat from evenflow that does not have any bells and whistles but was under $100 (I think around $70). We use it in dhs car and if we happen to have any foster kids staying with is that need the seat. It can be rear faced. I personally don't like the straps as they are thin and tend to twist but for the little we use it it works. We took it on our trip to Disney and it worked very well on the plane and dd was very comfy

 

[jcarwash]

For the first time this year I rented in Florida. In the case of Hertz at the Orlando airport, the reserved seat was not put in the car, but there was a rack of all the seats where I could self-select the seat I needed.

Similar experience at Avis in Cape Canaveral - there were seats in the rental office for me to choose from. In that case the seat I got was brand new; it still had all the product tags on it.

In general the rental car seats I have used, in either Orlando or other cities, have been in fine condition and do the job. I find renting the seats much more convenient, especially with Hertz the AAA rate includes one child seat.

 

[jodifla]

For the first time this year I rented in Florida. In the case of Hertz at the Orlando airport, the reserved seat was not put in the car, but there was a rack of all the seats where I could self-select the seat I needed.

Similar experience at Avis in Cape Canaveral - there were seats in the rental office for me to choose from. In that case the seat I got was brand new; it still had all the product tags on it.

In general the rental car seats I have used, in either Orlando or other cities, have been in fine condition and do the job. I find renting the seats much more convenient, especially with Hertz the AAA rate includes one child seat.

We once had to rent a seat (I actually forgot it somehow!) when we got to our destination and the seat was in fine condition.

 

[sargenca]

Thanks for all your help so far.

My 6 y.o. will definitely require a booster seat. She is in one at home. My 2 y.o. is likely to be over 20 lbs - I got my conversion wrong originally. Her seat here rearfaces to approx 26 lbs so given she is currently 18 lbs she will probably be rear facing.

Taking Australian car seats on the plane isn't an option sadly. I can take seats that meet the following criteria:

Although I have no idea what these seats might be. Are they regular US seats?
I would consider buying seats online and have them waiting at our resort. we are staying at Bonnet Creek.

What seats do you recomment I research?

You may already realize this, but the criteria in your post (items listed in the white box) I think are requirements if you want to have your child restrained in AN AIRPLANE SEAT. These requurements do not apply if you are checking the car seats as baggage or gate checking them. Disregard this info if I am off-base for the question you asked!!

 

[sargenca]

As far as seat recommendations, an option for the 6 year old could be the Evenflo Big Kid™ LX Booster Car Seat - if you are looking for a booster seat with a full back. I have this seat for my 5 year old. The back will remove if it is uncomfortable or if the back doesn't fit well in the rental car. Evenflo has similar models with just the base. Good luck!!

 

[Waybuloo]

Princessbec we've taken a Hipod Meridan around the world with us and it didn't have any of those marks. Who are you flying with? No one checked the seat/stickers and I installed it with the lap sash myself (it fit better in the plane than in my back seat!). We flew...

Singapore Airlines
Air NZ
Luftunsa
Air Canada
Qantas
And someone else who escapes me.

We're going to buy a booster type seat when we stop at Dallas first

 

[cel_disney]

The Cosco Scenara or slightly more padded twin the Safety 1st Onside Air is a great cheap seat for your little one! It is lightweight, fits on the airplane and in cars easily!! The Scenara usually goes for 40$ US...

Evenflo Big Kid or Graco Turbo Boosters would be good choices for your other seat if you want a high back, but or a 6 year old, I would consider just a low back for this trip...

Not sure the logistics of you getting it though - would you order it before your trip and have it ship to