Car seats

[joolz1910]

We are flying with Virgin and I would like to take a car seat and pushchair for my 5 year old. Will this be allowed?

Also, my 8 year old does not need a car seat in the UK, what are the rules regarding carseats or booster cushions in Florida?

Thank you.

 

[chmurf]

car seats (booster) for kids up to 5
older kids able to use proper built in car restraints (seatbelts) do not need a car seat.
Still they are not allowed (advised not to) ride in the front until they're at least 12

Florida Statute §316.613 is the Florida Child Safety Seat Law and it has very specific requirements regarding the proper use of child restraints and seat-belts.

Florida law requires that all kids under 5 years of age be restrained no matter where they are seated in a car or truck. For children under 3 years of age, they must be secured in a child safety seat or in the car or truck manufacturer's integrated child safety seat. Volvo makes an excellent integrated car seat in it SUV models.

For children ages 4 - 5, they may travel in a vehicle if seated in a separate child carrier, or an integrated child-safety seat. If, however, the seat belt does not fit the safety seat correctly, a booster seat must be used. We recommend that children weighing approximately 40-80 pounds and under 4'9" tall should also ride in a booster seat.

Infants must always ride facing to the rear until they are at least one year old and weigh more than 20 pounds. It is important that when placing a child in a rear-facing car-seat, the infant be in a semi-upright at an angle of no more than 45 degrees. All forward-facing car seats should but a child sitting in an upright position.

from DMV :http://www.dmvflorida.org/seat-belt-laws.shtml

State of Florida Seat Belt Laws

In a car crash you are much more likely to be killed if you are not wearing a seat belt. That is why Florida has seat belt laws. The law states that the front seat passengers must wear seat belts. This law applies to any car manufactured since 1968. in addition, all passengers under 18 years old must wear a seat belt or be otherwise restrained by a child car seat. It is against the law to operate a vehicle if all the passengers do not meet these standards.

The cost for a seatbelt violation is $30. Below is a summary of the Florida seat belt law. For a child that is not properly restrained the violation is $60.
Summary of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws

Seat belt laws apply to all cars, pickup trucks, and vans operated on Florida roads.

All passengers in the front seat must wear a seat belt.

All passengers under 18 must wear a seat belt

Florida Child Restraint Requirements

Children 3 and younger must be secured in a federally approved child-restraint seat.

Children 4 through 5 must be secured by either a federally approved child restraint seat or safety belt.

The Driver is responsible for buckling up the child.

Why is it Important to Wear a Safety Belt?

Seat belts protect you from being thrown from a vehicle. If you are thrown from a vehicle your risk of death is five times greater.

By securing you in your seat, a seat belt protects you from being thrown into other people in the car and parts of your car. In addition, seat belts keep the driver in their seat so they can control the car.
Always Wear your Safety Belt

The Florida safety belt laws apply at all times. Regardless if you are on a short trip in your neighborhood or driving hundreds of miles on the turnpike - always wear your seat belt.

Full details of the Florida Safety Belt law can be found in the Florida drivers manual.

 

[T1gger]

Last time we took a booster cushion for DD who was 6 then - took it onboard with both BA (short haul) and Virgin(long haul) with no problems at all

 

[Scillycruisers]

Didn't take a car seat or booster for our son 5 last time we went, Budget supplied one free of charge with our rental (we expected to pay, but they just told us to choose one and take it with us).

 

[joolz1910]

Thank you everyone. I might just take a booster cushion with us, as it seems that is allowed.

 

[scojos]

grace just sat on hers all the way there when she was 5ish, and then we brough t 2 cheap ones when she was 7.. josh had to have 1 too so he could "see" lmao!!
brought them home on the plane, but they never made it, only for a few quid so wasnt too bothered lol

 

[joolz1910]

grace just sat on hers all the way there when she was 5ish, and then we brough t 2 cheap ones when she was 7.. josh had to have 1 too so he could "see" lmao!!
brought them home on the plane, but they never made it, only for a few quid so wasnt too bothered lol

I'll just take one booster for DD5. Might buy a cheap one rather then use the one we have at home.

 

[scojos]

I'll just take one booster for DD5. Might buy a cheap one rather then use the one we have at home.

could u not order on line at walmart.com or something and have it delivered to okw??

 

[chmurf]

could u not order on line at walmart.com or something and have it delivered to okw??

will only work if you don't pick up the car at the airport

 

[luke]

will only work if you don't pick up the car at the airport

I think that's what the OP is doing, could be wrong though

Just to tag onto this rather than start a new thread (for now anyway ) I was wondering if anyone knows how much an infant suitable car seat will be to hire (from Dollar at MCO) as we've been told its payable locally but not exactly how much?

 

[chmurf]

I think that's what the OP is doing, could be wrong though

Just to tag onto this rather than start a new thread (for now anyway ) I was wondering if anyone knows how much an infant suitable car seat will be to hire (from Dollar at MCO) as we've been told its payable locally but not exactly how much?

standard rates vary, but with Alamo it's between $60 and $70 (don't forget 6.5% tax + 10% airport surcharge when picking up at the airport)

TBH I bought a Bubble Bum for DS ... under £20... takes virtually no space in the hand luggage once deflated.

 

[scojos]

I think that's what the OP is doing, could be wrong though

some damn woman convinced her to get a car


luke, travel with your own hun, grace was 18months old on our first trip and we took her reg car seat (which tbf was a bit tatty and well loved by this time) when we got it back to uk we gave it to nanny for occasional use and brought her a new one, the cost of renting one through budget was silly money (£300 ish off top of my head) alot more than the cost of a new one....

hth

 

[luke]

some damn woman convinced her to get a car

luke, travel with your own hun, grace was 18months old on our first trip and we took her reg car seat (which tbf was a bit tatty and well loved by this time) when we got it back to uk we gave it to nanny for occasional use and brought her a new one, the cost of renting one through budget was silly money (£300 ish off top of my head) alot more than the cost of a new one....

hth

I was thinking that, but Paula isn't so sure, if it gets bashed up in hold it's not just the cost but the safety aspect of it (as in you wouldn't buy a second hand one in case it's been in a crash).

We've got a bit of time to come up with an answer for it anyway

 

[joolz1910]

some damn woman convinced her to get a car

I wonder who that could be?

 

[orangetiggs]

With twins last year flying with virgin we had to lose a case to take two car seats and a pushchair

This year will with have the same issue as they still need the seats and a pushchair

 

[Laurafoster]

I was thinking that, but Paula isn't so sure, if it gets bashed up in hold it's not just the cost but the safety aspect of it (as in you wouldn't buy a second hand one in case it's been in a crash).

We've got a bit of time to come up with an answer for it anyway

Definitely take one from home. Last time we looked it was $10 per day plus tax. Im not so sure of the quality of them either, I've heard some reports that they were "well used".


We got ourselves a cheap one from Asda to just use on holiday - think it was £25/£30 during a baby event. That way we also had a spare one for when we were at home and it was cheaper than renting.

 

[Elise79]

I was thinking that, but Paula isn't so sure, if it gets bashed up in hold it's not just the cost but the safety aspect of it (as in you wouldn't buy a second hand one in case it's been in a crash).

We've got a bit of time to come up with an answer for it anyway

I second taking your own - not only are they expensive to rent they are not allowed to help you fit them. The last thing I would have wanted when DD was that young would have been trying to figure out a different car seat after the long flight.

We had 2 car seats at home so took the spare and left the best one in the car at LGW. This gave me peace of mind as if anything happened outbound we could rent and inbound we had a seat already in the car so could get home.

 

[Lizzi]

With twins last year flying with virgin we had to lose a case to take two car seats and a pushchair

This year will with have the same issue as they still need the seats and a pushchair

Maybe you should book your flights seperately, and each travel with one infant - I'm pretty sure Virgin said they would take a pushchair and a car seat free of charge for an infant.


That is, unless you mean physically had to leave a suitcase due to not being able to carry everything?

 

[orangetiggs]

I used to work for them and its and/or not both. Our allowance was four cases and a double Pushchair or a car seat. We took two car seats which replaced a case

 

[Jakejosh4]

hi we have flown with Virgin twice the first timewe took a pushchair, a full car seat and a booster seat. we also bought a pushchair from Walmart and brought that home as well. Last year we took a pushchair and 2booster seats each time the check in girls have put the pushchairs and seats in big plastic bags and we handed them in to oversized baggage. All have arrived in good condition, just wonder if Virgin have changed there policy since Easter 2011?