Do you rent carseats or bring your own?

[snowangel72]

We need one small booster and one forward facing 5 pt. harness.

At $20 a day through the car rental companies, I think it is worth it to throw two of our seats into a box and check them with our luggage?

What do you think? Good idea?

What do other people do who stay off the park in a villa/home?

I really don't like the idea of dirty, used carseats, but I could be convinced otherwise....

MElanie

 

[jamstew]

You don't even have to put them in a box. My daughter put hers in a large laundry bag, and the baggage handler said that was definitely the best way to go.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Don't rent. You have no idea if they have been in an accident.

 

[snowangel72]

Awsome that I don't have to put it in a box! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Simbee3]

We purchased a carseat bag out of Target last year. We didn't even check it we actually took both the carseat and the stroller right up to the gate and everything was fine. We plan on doing the same thing this year.

But, that laundry bag is a great idea wish I would have thought of that one.

 

[emh1129]

Definitely don't rent. I was shocked by the mountain of carseats in the storage closet at the car rental agency- all thrown in there, some looking very, very outdated and not so clean. You'll feel much better if you bring your own!

 

[JenEeyore]

We always bring our own too - we bought a carrier bag years ago, and though it is worse for the wear from all our trips, was totally worth it. It doesn't count towards your luggage allowance either, so I agree about bringing your own so your kid is comfortable, and you know they are safe. You can't use them on the DME busses or the Disney busses, but if you end up with a taxi or a shuttle car or rental car, it is very worth bringing it.

 

[tinkandpan]

I would not use the car seat from the rental agency but rather bring my own. However, I have used the booster seat and thought it was fine. Those things are just basically glorified higher seatbelt holders. Ours from hertz was very clean.

 

[isla bonita]

I take our on the plane.

 

[all4fun]

If your child in the 5pt harness is under four then I recommend bringing the harness on board (make sure it has a sticker on the side that says it's "approved for use in vehicles and aircraft". The FAA recommends using a car seat on board the plane up to 40lbs. Not only is it safer but you won't risk you car seat being damaged (which happens from time to time).

Boosters can't be used on board so you'll have to check it. If the back comes off, then pack that piece in one of your suitcases or a checked bag and you can carry on the bottom piece and stow it - this way if a bag gets lost you'll at least have the booster part.

You can always gate check both if you want and sometimes you can even get plastic bags from the airline check in counter to put them in, or buy a car seat bag for travel. I always worry about the car seat being damaged because of some stories I've heard both gate checking and baggage checking. But still, I think it's the lesser of the two evils, so to speak. You definitely do not want to rent car seats - it's expensive, and you don't know the history of the seats or what condition they'll be in, or if the rental company will even have an appropriate size/type seat for your LO. Bring your own and I think you'll be much happier.