Car seat rental

[officer tigger]

Does National rent car seats?
We are trying to avoid having to drag two car seats through the airport along with the luggage.
Or if National doesn't...does any other agency rent them?

 

[NotUrsula]

They all do. The standard seat is a Cosco Touriva, and each one will run you between $6-10/day. The seats tend not to be in the most pristine condition, and they sometimes do run out in the course of the day, in which case you are pretty much out of luck, even if you reserved them.

My advice is to go to Target or BRUS and get yourself a carseat satchel. Two seats can be nested inside of it, and if you also pack it with some soft goods, such as the family's coats, you will protect it from rough handling. The satchel has shoulder straps and can be worn as a backpack when negotiating the airport. Simpler yet, just tip the skycaps to take you and your carseats out to your rental car and back in from it. One day's rental on two seats will cost more than 4 airports' worth of tips to get them carried and curb-checked. (You also can bungee the carseats to your rolling bags to get them into the airport. I'm not fond of that method myself, but a lot of people swear by it.)

 

[mudnuri]

When we flew to Montana when the girls were 10 mo and 2yrs. they each had their own seat on the plane...back then, Delta offered 1/2 price for kids 3 and under IN A SEAT!!....anyway...the flight attendants allowed me to go on board early- and buckle in their seats in the proper seat....of course, after 9/11 I doubt they would let you on early... This worked great for us..

When DD1 was 5, we went to Houston for a long weekend just before xmas- (cousin cancelled her wedding 36 hours prior to our flight- non refundable etc.. blah blah....)..anyway- DD2 did not go,she stayed home with DH....DD1's car seat was shipped with our luggage...they bagged it, similar to what they do with strollers.

I personally, would NEVER use a car seat that was not mine...how do you know if it's been in an accident?? you dont...you dont know if it's on the recall list- since by the time you know what your getting, it's already time to take the car to disney Basically- my thought, is you should come up with a way to get your own seat there...if your kids are use to sitting in a car seat, they wont mind doing it on a plane..

Now- if they are in a high back booster seat- you CAN NOT use these on an airplane...they are not designed to be used with the single lap belt ---this is why DD1's had to be checked for Houston, she would have preferred to have it- since it's easier to see out the window..

Oi- this is longer than I had planned- sorry

Brandy

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by officer tigger
Does National rent car seats?
We are trying to avoid having to drag two car seats through the airport along with the luggage.
Or if National doesn't...does any other agency rent them?

Check the luggage and use the seats on the plane, that is the safest way for children to travel.

From luggage pickup to National's garage is not that far, especially with the smart cartes.

 

[officer tigger]

Thanks for the replies.

I should have mentioned that my two daughters will be 3 and 1 when we go in April.

It doesn't look like i'm going to get around carrying the car seats through the airport.

I like the idea of having them sit in their car seats while riding in the plane.

I have been considering checking them in as luggage and installing them when we get there. The 3 year old is not as much as a concern for me to be in a car seat on the plane. But I DO want my 1 year old in a car seat.

Guess I just need to face it and say that it will not be easy.....and just lug the car seats through the airport.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by officer tigger
Thanks for the replies.

I should have mentioned that my two daughters will be 3 and 1 when we go in April.

It doesn't look like i'm going to get around carrying the car seats through the airport.

I like the idea of having them sit in their car seats while riding in the plane.

I have been considering checking them in as luggage and installing them when we get there. The 3 year old is not as much as a concern for me to be in a car seat on the plane. But I DO want my 1 year old in a car seat.

Guess I just need to face it and say that it will not be easy.....and just lug the car seats through the airport.

I think you will be happy that you did take both seats. The FAA recommends that all car seat size/age children ride in one. The lap belts are not sufficient for little kids. Rule of thumb: if you won't let them ride in a car without a car seat, then don't let them do it on a plane.

 

[NotUrsula]

I can give myself a slap on the wrist; I wasn't thinking and assumed that both children were now too old to use the carseats on board. Now that I see that they ARE the right age to use them onboard, I'll recommend that you do so. (Presuming that the older one weighs less than 40 lbs., the FAA minimum recommended weight for doing without.) My recommendation for the satchel still stands; I find it far and away the best way to transport seats to the gate. [Trick here: bring a luggage strap or bungee and use the satchel to wrap around the frame of your folded stroller to cushion it when it is gate-checked. Wrap it up while waiting at the gate and just drag it folded down the jetway.]

If you ask very nicely at the gate, the ramp agent may agree to take your carseats onboard and *place* them in the children's assigned seats before boarding starts. Tell them that you understand that they cannot install them for you; they can't; it is against the rules.

Call the airline ASAP and tell them that you wish to use 2 carseats on board the aircraft. They may have to reassign your seats to allow them to be used. There are several seat positions where carseats are not allowed.

Just a small caveat to Gail's statement re: the rule of thumb. For aircraft it only applies until the child weighs 40 lbs., unlike the 80 lbs. that is recommended for using a CRS in a motor vehicle. On an aircraft, too big for a 5-pt harness means too big for a CRS.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Just a small caveat to Gail's statement re: the rule of thumb. For aircraft it only applies until the child weighs 40 lbs., unlike the 80 lbs. that is recommended for using a CRS in a motor vehicle. On an aircraft, too big for a 5-pt harness means too big for a CRS.

Isn't 80# a bit big for a car seat?

Next time I use my "rule of thumb" I will include this:

What type of CRD is best?
The FAA recommends that children under 20 pounds be restrained in an approved rear-facing child safety seat. Children weighing 20-40 pounds should use an approved forward-facing safety seat. Children over 40 pounds should use the standard seatbelt that is attached to all aircraft seats. It is important never to place a child in a CRD designed for a smaller child. Be sure that the shoulder straps come out of the CRD seat back above the child's shoulders.

Also be sure to check the width of your CRD. Although the width of aircraft seats varies, a safety seat wider than 16 inches is unlikely to fit, even if the armrests of the aircraft seats are moved out of the way. An ill-fitting safety seat will not provide adequate protection for your child.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and, add that if you require your child to be restrained in a car, you should do the same on an aircraft.

 

[NotUrsula]

Gail, the 80# thing applies primarily to booster seats (which, of course, cannot be used on aircraft.) The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that children up to 4'9" tall ride in a CRS in the back seat while in a motor vehicle; the estimated weight/age at that point is 80# and 8 yrs. old. (The idea being that if you cannot sit up straight in the vehicle's seat with your butt against the back and feet on the floor, just the seatbelt isn't good enough.)

I didn't want people to get confused and think that the entire CRS recommendation for cars and aircraft in the US were exactly the same.

 

[JennsBabySky]

We just flew with one carseat. At the suggestion of other travelers, we bungee strapped the carseat to a luggage cart (the small, collapsible kind). This was wonderful. I have heard that you can use one cart for two seats if you invert the second on top of the first (upside down and backwards). If this would work, you would only need one hand to transport the seats. Also, I found it helpful to check as much luggage as possible and only bring my daughter's carseat and our diaper bag (with lots of toys to entertain her on the flight). The good part about bringing the carseat, my daughter was bored during the flight and fell asleep very quickly. She was very comfy in her carseat, but I think she would have been on my lap the entire time if I had placed her in a regular seat. The proportions were really wrong for her.

The first time we flew with our dd, I rented a carseat from ?? (National maybe) and it was disgusting. It was really old and slimy feeling. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Even my husband who thinks I am neurotic about carseats thought it was unacceptable.

Have a good trip and lots of luck,
Jennifer

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
Gail, the 80# thing applies primarily to booster seats (which, of course, cannot be used on aircraft.) The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that children up to 4'9" tall ride in a CRS in the back seat while in a motor vehicle; the estimated weight/age at that point is 80# and 8 yrs. old. (The idea being that if you cannot sit up straight in the vehicle's seat with your butt against the back and feet on the floor, just the seatbelt isn't good enough.)

I didn't want people to get confused and think that the entire CRS recommendation for cars and aircraft in the US were exactly the same.

Hi,
Thanks for the update, glad to see that they are recommending still more safety for the kids.
You are right, not good to confuse folks. I think between the two of us, we have it right.

 

[officer tigger]

Hey Jen......now that you mentioned the rental car seat from National, it reminds me of our last trip.
When we went out to the lot to get our car they had three car seats piled in the corner of the lot. They did look VERY disgusting.
The more I think about it, the better it sounds to bring them along.

 

[Hulabaloo]

YEP, I GOTTA ADD MY 2 CENTS IN HERE, WE HAVE NEVER HAD A GOOD CAR SEAT RENTAL EXPERIENCE S

They are usually NASTY, I don't know who did what in them but I wouldn't let my angel near them again, my wife went through1/2 a box of wipes trying to clean our last one up, as the 2 rental agents just watched, and that was the best one of the lot, i refused the first two that they gave me.

If you can take it with you DO IT!, we are going to go buy a cheapie to take with us next month, it was $60 for 7 days which is robbery in my opinion for what they are...

hope this convinces you.

T