Carseats

[chimommy]

Hello everyone! So I have three kids who will require carseats/booster seats on the next trip... My oldest will be 5... We will be staying offsite/ renting a car. Anyway... Just wondering what others have done with carseats while on vacation. I really don't want to bring all three of the seats with us at the airport... So I thought about maybe renting a booster for my oldest (but I'm not sure if that is a good idea anymore) I've all thought about just getting a small backless booster for the trip (but I'm not sure how safe that will be for him... He is on the smaller side, his normal booster actually has a harness) so I'm leaning towards just bringing all three seats and checking two of them at the airport (I'll only put the 1yr old in one on the plane) just wondering if anyone else has a suggestion? Have any of you navigated the airport with three carseats, kids, bags ect...? How did you do it? We do have backpacks for two of the carseats (which has worked out well for us in the past)... Why does traveling with kids have to be so hard

Thanks!

 

[stephm0188]

I have a BubbleBum inflatable car seat for my son. It rolls up in a bag and is super easy to travel with. My little person does meet the recommended 40lb weight mark suggested for booster use.

We've always gate checked our carseat otherwise.

 

[Crl1817]

Check and see if any of your kids meet the weight requirements for the ride safer vest. We bought one for my then-three year old who was just barely big enough at the time. It's very handy for travel and car pooling.

If your five year old meets any height or weight requirements for the bubble bum, that's also very handy. Usually the biggest factor in moving to a booster is ability to stay awake and comply with rules to sit properly. If you think he can do that, I'd seriously consider a bubble bum.

Also, if you'd like to research further, the forums at car seat dot org have a wealth of information.

 

[chimommy]

I'm pretty sure he is over 40lbs... However I wonder how safe they are for ones on the lower end of the requirements? Everything I've read said even though they fit the requirements they really should still be in a harness/booster with a back. We are going to be driving to marco island... I'm sure the chance of us actually getting into an accident is so small... But I still want to take precautions. But The bubble bum does look like a good option (would be nice for travel.. I'll have too look into it some more)!

 

[chimommy]

Has anyone used one of the suitcase carseat straps? I found one on amazon. I'm thinking this might be a good option... I'm mostly concerned with getting in and out of the airport, since we are going to check two of the carseats.

 

[usagibuffy]

I am a car seat nut and am already planning out what we'll do when we go in February with kids ages 5m, almost 3y, and 5.5y. Although my 5yo will still be harnessed in our cars at home, there's no way I'm going to try lugging her heavy Frontier for the shuttle to/from the airport on our end and one day of rental in FL. I will get her a Bubble Bum and have her practice with it around town for a month or so before we leave. She's already 43" and 43 lbs, so she meets the minimums for the seat. If you would rather a high back booster, you can get something like the Graco Turbobooster, pack the back in a well padded suitcase, and have him carry the lower part on as a carry on, stored in the overhead compartments. The baby will have his baseless infant seat. Still debating what harnessed seat to bring for my middle, who will turn 3 a few days after we get home. He is average height but only 23 lbs still at 2y4m. I may pick up an inexpensive lightweight harnessed seat for traveling with him. He will still be rear facing at home and likely in the rental car, but will forward face in his seat on the plane. The Ride Safer vest is also a consideration, if I'm willing to spend the money and forward face him in the rental. If he were already forward facing full time and we were planning to have a car for our entire trip, that is the route I would probably go.

You really want to avoid renting car seats, as you have no way of knowing what the company will provide you with, whether it is expired, suitable for your child, has been in any kind of crash (for most seats, even a fender bender counts), is filthy, etc. Also avoid checking your seats with luggage; they will certainly be quite abused, which may cause damage, seen or unseen, that could cause them to fail in a crash. You also run the risk of the seats not making it to your destination - lost luggage. If you can't use them on the plane, gate checking is the safest option.

As far as transporting them in the airport, consider a luggage cart and bungee cords. My Target has luggage carts for around $15 in the luggage section. Kids can ride on them that way as well, which will be nice for us as we aren't flying with a stroller.

 

[abinormal]

^wss.

I would not ever rent a seat, just not worth the risk. I'm personally not a fan of checking a seat, at the gate or otherwise, but I'd especially never put it in cargo. If I'm already having to take the seat to the gate, and the kid has their own seat, I'd just as soon use their seat on the plane (except a booster, of course).

My kids will be 5 and 2 when we go. I plan to start having my five-year-old practice in a Turbobooster before we leave so I can see how she does. At 5, the issue isn't size so much as fit and maturity. Mine will definitely fit and she's the type who will listen to me when I tell her how to sit appropriately. So I figure I'd pack the back in a well padded suitcase, and have the seat in a carryon.

My son will probably have to FF by then because I would guarantee he'll be over forty pounds by then. I have a Complete Air which is nice and narrow, or if that doesn't work I would get a Sureride. If he happens to be under forty lbs I have a Scenera.

I've seen the accessories for airport travel and they look promising. Or even allowing extra time and going old school with a luggage cart and bungee cords.

I second car-seat.org.

 

[thatgrljme]

My son is 2 1/2 and still rear facing in his Diono Radian. We brought it on the plane with us on our recent trip to DLR. I had a luggage cart and bungies to drag it through the airport. I think he did so well on the plane in large part that he was sitting in a familiar seat. He did forward face on the plane which is fine as he is of the age to do that, but I prefer him rear facing in a car.

I think if you're having to bring a car seat you might as well bring it on the plane because at least on the plane you know it won't get damaged as it very well may when checking it, whether you gate check it or luggage check it.

 

[MSSANDRA]

While I did occasionally did use a backless booster for very short trips by the time DS was 5, he was mostly in a 5 point harness booster and he was tall for his age. Being off site is going to require a lot of time in the car, in a busy/heavy traffic area. I would do my best to avoid going the backless booster if you can. Maybe use the younger two's seats on the plane and just check his or look into using his as well. I know boosters are not allowed but this has the 5 point harness and might be ok. We never flew with ours so not sure at all. Would not rent. Just too many unknowns. Good luck with your choice. There are tons of 40 lb 5 year olds in backless boosters so while it might not be the safest, it's not a unreasonable choice.

 

[Happyjen27]

Even with all the risks to renting seats, we rented from the Avis in MCO and got seats that were fine. True, there is no way of knowing whether they were in an accident or not, but, truthfully they didn't even look like they had ever been used. My 5 year olds were small too, and they were still in toddler sized seats with 5 point restraint. My preference was to use a seat that appeared fine and functioning from the rental company rather than a booster or HBB, because I liked keeping them in 5 point.

The thought of dragging our enormous Britax Marathons onto the plane in addition to everything else we had was enough to push me toward renting, with the comfort that the gift of sight would help me determine whether a seat was filthy, expired or had no hope of properly functioning. Of course, there was no way of knowing whether it had ever been in an accident, I could only do my best to assure it appeared in good working order with no hairline cracks.

Judgers gonna judge on my choice to rent car seats, but, it really worked out fine for us.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

while waiting for our plane to board, spent time with grandsons watching luggage being loaded on other planes, saw a couple of seats fall off belt to ground as they were loaded. handler just picked up and tossed into plane. I am sure parents never knew, one I would guess was gate checked as it was with strollers, none of which were handled gently, just tossed on belt. in fact gate checked seemed to be handled rougher and in a hurry tossed on

 

[abinormal]

The unknown history is a biggie but I honestly would be just as concerned about there even being appropriate seats available when you show up. That's one I've heard tons of times.

 

[Crl1817]

Yes, I am uncomfortable trusting the rental scenario as I have heard about no seats or no size appropriate seats, as well as other bad outcomes. (Though I am glad to hear it did work out well for someone!) I am also uncomfortable checking a car seat in any way because of how luggage is handled. And I find that past about age three my kids are uncomfortable on the plane in a car seat because there isn't enough leg room for them. That leads to kicking the seat in front of them and general bad behavior.

So I was really thrilled to find the ride safer vest. It was not out yet with my oldest, but it's been great with dd. It is easy to pack in a carry on suit case and also easy to leave on the coat hooks at my daughter's preschool so it is perfect for both air travel and car pooling. I think the minimum weight is 30 pounds, but you should definitely check that. It's available on amazon.

 

[msmama]

I don't know what kind of seats you have, but you could always purchase lighter seats for travel. I had the Cosco Scenrera and have seen it mentioned several times on the boards. I got mine at Big Lots for under $30 (they have lots of clearenced car seats there).

The good thing about buying new, is that you have the box and packaging it came with. I fly with my sons booster seat (he's 6 now) in it's original packaging (then put the box in a carseat bag), usually with jackets or something as extra padding.

It's not the cheapest option, but it's an option.

 

[tourguide81]

I would never rent a seat - besides not knowing it's history, I've heard too many stories about the right seat not being available, being expired, not having manuals, etc. I'd rather have my seat that I know are fine and that I know how to install. We do have a bubble bum and a cosco scenera specially for traveling/back up. I never drag my heavy marathon or next fit.

Part of traveling w/ kids means you have some extra stuff. We make our lives easier by reducing other things - 2 big suitcases that we all share, 1 smallish backpack w/ toys & books, no other baby gear usually, etc.

 

[sprousehouse]

I agree with those who said they wouldn't check a carseat.

My 6 year old still rides in a 5 point harness and we take it on the plane with us. It might not matter in most situations but I remember thinking how much better off the kids in that plane that crashed on the runway in SF would have been if they had been better restrained.

We do own 2 of the Cosco Scenera seats and they are great for travel. In fact, I set them in my sit -n-stand stroller and put the kids in them to push them through the airport. Then I gate check the stroller and take the seats on the plane. (Yes my 6 year old is very small and is still under the weight limit for that seat!)

 

[laughinplace199]

We always brought our own car seats and used them on the plane, but I only had 2 kids in car seats at the same time, never 3. However, I'd be hesitant to check car seats due to the fact that they could be damaged/banged up by being tossed around with the luggage.

If your 5 yr old is over 40 lbs, he could use a backless booster, which you could easily bring on the plane and store it on the overhead bin or even under the seat. Then you could bring the other two car seats on the plane with you and put the little ones in them for the plane ride.

My oldest 2 kids had Britax Roundabouts, which were heavy but not super big and we used them for travel with no issues. My third had a Marathon, which was too big and heavy to travel with, so we bought him a Cosco Scenera to use when we traveled.

My youngest is 7 and last summer was the first time we were able to travel without the car seat (he didn't hit 40 lbs until we was 6 yrs old). I brought a backless booster for him and it was so easy!

 

[Lupeix]

I always balance the carseat with the stroller situation, because a lot of airlines only give you one of them for free and you have to pay for the other one. So I will either rent the carseat or the stroller for a Disney trip. Last year on our Disney trip we rented a car seat with the car, and it ended up costing the same to rent one than to check it. Almost all rental car companies in the US have Cosco scenera, not sure about the boosters. They are basic and usually very clean in our experience. We wanted to take our stroller, which is good for napping and it worked out well. I will definitely rent a booster for your 5 year old. For younger kids I will take a carseat attached to a carry on, or with a stroller if your one year old still rides on and infant seat. Although for a 3 year old renting may be a good option too.

I do have one of the straps to carry the carseat attached to the carry on, I have travelled with it quite a bit internationally and love it. Renting a a carseat with your rental car is not a good option outside of the US. Your carry on has to be heavy for this to work, books toys and wipes do the trick. DS rides on it through the airport, which requires some strength to push around but it is doable. It takes practice to strap and unstrap, so practice how to do it before going through security if you go this way.
I usually gate check my carseat when I bring it with me, the only time I tried to put it on the plane seat, I realized that the buckle of the plane belt ends up right in the middle of DS back and he refused to sit on it. I will only bring the carseat on the plane if rear facing.

 

[thatgrljme]

I usually gate check my carseat when I bring it with me, the only time I tried to put it on the plane seat, I realized that the buckle of the plane belt ends up right in the middle of DS back and he refused to sit on it. I will only bring the carseat on the plane if rear facing.

You can get a seat belt extender from the flight crew to avoid this problem.

 

[Corey127]

I am a car seat nut and am already planning out what we'll do when we go in February with kids ages 5m, almost 3y, and 5.5y. Although my 5yo will still be harnessed in our cars at home, there's no way I'm going to try lugging her heavy Frontier for the shuttle to/from the airport on our end and one day of rental in FL. I will get her a Bubble Bum and have her practice with it around town for a month or so before we leave. She's already 43" and 43 lbs, so she meets the minimums for the seat. If you would rather a high back booster, you can get something like the Graco Turbobooster, pack the back in a well padded suitcase, and have him carry the lower part on as a carry on, stored in the overhead compartments. The baby will have his baseless infant seat. Still debating what harnessed seat to bring for my middle, who will turn 3 a few days after we get home. He is average height but only 23 lbs still at 2y4m. I may pick up an inexpensive lightweight harnessed seat for traveling with him. He will still be rear facing at home and likely in the rental car, but will forward face in his seat on the plane. The Ride Safer vest is also a consideration, if I'm willing to spend the money and forward face him in the rental. If he were already forward facing full time and we were planning to have a car for our entire trip, that is the route I would probably go.

You really want to avoid renting car seats, as you have no way of knowing what the company will provide you with, whether it is expired, suitable for your child, has been in any kind of crash (for most seats, even a fender bender counts), is filthy, etc. Also avoid checking your seats with luggage; they will certainly be quite abused, which may cause damage, seen or unseen, that could cause them to fail in a crash. You also run the risk of the seats not making it to your destination - lost luggage. If you can't use them on the plane, gate checking is the safest option.

As far as transporting them in the airport, consider a luggage cart and bungee cords. My Target has luggage carts for around $15 in the luggage section. Kids can ride on them that way as well, which will be nice for us as we aren't flying with a stroller.

all this is great advice