Getting from airport to hotel without a car seat?

[sashasmommy]

My daughter will be 4 years old when we go in Sept. I'm traveling without my husband, and I suck at installing her travel car seat. It takes me like 14 times to get it tight enough and sometimes I still can't. I bought the Ride Safer Travel Vest, but it's too big (she's really skinny.) I looked at the Disneyland Resort Shuttle and it looks like it's going to take FOREVER, what with it only leaving the airport every hour and then stopping at all the resorts along the way. Are there any other options?

 

[ddwlms]

Limo, but a lot more pricey for just 2 people.

 

[sashasmommy]

I looked at Lansky Enterprises and they offer car seats, but they say the passenger is responsible for installing the car seat, which doesn't help. If I can't even install my own car seat, I'm going to be useless with one that I've never used before. Grrr, I wish I wasn't so car-seatally challenged.

 

[SMD]

A limo or town car that provides car seats or public transportation. Public transportation is going to be a lot slower. A limo on its own still requires a safety seat.

 

[lalasmama]

How heavy/tall is she? Would you consider a booster for the trip?

I'm one of the harness-them-until-you-can't-find-a-harness-big-enough people, so I totally get it if you aren't comfortable with the idea of a booster seat for the trip (or if she's not heavy enough for it!). Just an idea

 

[lcp9]

^^ yes, is she tall enough for a booster? like PP, I harness for a long time, but just now at 6yo I take a booster for my daughter because the harnesses are so inconvenient. Other than that, all the other options aside from a bus require a car seat.

 

[kaosin3d]

We've done the Disneyland Resort Express twice with my daughter and will be doing it again this summer now that we have 2. It does take a little longer than other transportation but they play movies on the bus and my daughter was excited to ride without a car seat, so she didn't complain about the ride at all.

It's worth the extra time to us to not have to drag 2 car seats through the airport and store them in a tiny hotel room!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I agree about the booster -- if there's a chance she's big enough, now would be a great time to try it. So much easier!!

Otherwise, the DL Express isn't bad for kids as kaosin3d mentioned above, even if it is a longer trip. My kids love it because they get to watch the movies and the seats are comfortable. You could always grab a snack while you're waiting if you happen to get there right after the previous one leaves. Are you flying into SNA or from LAX? If it's from SNA, the ride doesn't take long at all.

 

[nikkislaght]

look up Bubble Bum.. its an inflatable booster seat that is very small and fits in carry on bags when not inflated..

number of places online sell them.. linking this one for convenience, not to advertise the company

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BubbleBu...75035&wl11=online&wl12=26845741&wl13=&veh=sem

 

[sashasmommy]

She'll be just over 4 and she's really tiny, so a booster is not going to cut it. I will have to wait an hour and a half in the airport to get on the bus, and then leave my hotel 4 hours before my flight on the way back. Not looking forward to it, plus I read some reviews on how sometimes the bus doesn't even show up. I ended up finding a black car service that comes with car seat installed. It's twice the price of the bus, but I feel like it's worth it for me to not have the hassle. Thanks for the replies!

 

[bcla]

At that age a booster is typically legal. California child seat laws don't really address when a booster can be used as long as the kid is at least 2, so you'll legally be covered by just using a booster.

https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-services/programs/child-safety-seats

When can a child graduate to a booster seat?

California law does not address graduation time from a five point harness to a booster seat. In the interest of safety, do not rush to move a child into a booster seat before they’re ready. Each time you “graduate” your child to the next seat, there’s a reduction in the level of protection for your child. Keep your child in each stage for as long as possible.

A child is ready for a booster seat when they have outgrown the weight or height limit of their forward-facing harnesses, which is typically between 40 and 65 pounds. Read the forward-facing car seat’s owner’s manual to determine height and weight limits, and keep your child in a harnessed seat for as long as possible.

Children at this stage are not yet ready for adult safety belts and should use belt-positioning booster seats until they are at least 4’9″ and between 8 and 12 years old. Safety belts are designed for 165-pound male adults, so it’s no wonder that research shows poorly fitting adult belts can injure children.​

 

[sashasmommy]

At that age a booster is typically legal. California child seat laws don't really address when a booster can be used as long as the kid is at least 2, so you'll legally be covered by just using a booster.

The boosters that I have looked at require the child to be 40 lbs and my daughter is barely 30 lbs.

 

[BriannaRuth]

The boosters that I have looked at require the child to be 40 lbs and my daughter is barely 30 lbs.

I sympathize with your situation! My daughter was tiny like that and once she finally got in booster, she had to be in one until she was 13. Did not make for a happy camper on the car ride to middle school. She's the one on the left in my avatar, standing with her sister who's 4 years younger than she is.

 

[maleficent55]

I have a tiny petite girl too, she's 6 and still in her 5-point harness that goes up to 65lbs.

We have used 4MostCoach twice now. They provide ready installed 5-point harness car seats or booster seats.

We've used them from SNA to the Disneyland hotel and Best Western Park Place inn.
Super easy to work with, prompt and reasonable price.

 

[starshine514]

The boosters that I have looked at require the child to be 40 lbs and my daughter is barely 30 lbs.

I did a quick web search and found that the Evenflo Big Kid Amp (oddly enough, the first one that came up in my search results, I didn't really look for others) goes down to 30 lbs in high-back mode. A high-back booster is a lot to lug around, but so is a full-size car seat.

They sell a backless model as well. So, just putting in a link so you can see the seat (not endorsing TRU or anything): http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...lab_21147218&eESource=CASHOP_DF:62715676:TRUS

 

[bcla]

The boosters that I have looked at require the child to be 40 lbs and my daughter is barely 30 lbs.

I get that. However, that really just a recommended weight. Just using something like a Graco TurboBooster backless will make your kid legal in California in a car. The only requirement in California is that a child be at least 2 before using a belt positioning booster. Also the weight is really just a blunt tool. Most kids don't really max out on weight, but on height. We had a 30 lb rated infant seat, but our kid outgrew it on height well before reaching that weight. The most important thing with a backless booster is that the kid's height is enough that the seat belt is placed correctly. I'm not really suggesting a backless booster as a long-term solution, but perhaps as a temporary compromise out of convenience so you can take a cab or Uber without getting a citation.

Otherwise you'll need to find a bus which doesn't require that anyone be belted or placed in a child seat, and I don't consider that a better option as far as safety is concerned. Cabs and car services (Uber, limos, etc) aren't exempt from child seat laws.

Around that age we were using an Evenflo Maestro. It was a bit bulky, but it was mostly a plastic shell and weighed around 8 lbs.

 

[sashasmommy]

Great ideas, everyone, thank you!

 

[SCmom3]

They are heavy but Britax clicktight seats are so easy to install. I am terrible at getting a tight install with a belt but with the clicktlight seats I can install in two minutes flat.

 

[Muskrat191]

Have you met with a CPST (AKA car seat tech)? I'm a CPST in Canada, and when I do a car seat "check" the goal at the end is to have the caregiver be able to install/use the car seat correctly. There may be some techniques, etc. that will make it easier to install the seat. If there aren't any local CPSTs, one of the online car seat groups may be able to help.

 

[bumbershoot]

I ended up finding a black car service that comes with car seat installed. It's twice the price of the bus, but I feel like it's worth it for me to not have the hassle.

Just make sure they aren't putting in booster based on her age.

I would recommend looking at getting a different seat at home though. A seat you can't secure isn't good. I remember actually putting my knee into the Britax to make sure it was solid.

Ds is tall and has always been solid for his age so he's not little like your girl, but we went ages in the 5point harness. For travel we used the Cosco Scenera convertible, which was sooooo easy to install. Once he reached the limit of the at-home roundabout, we went to the Nautilus, which went from a 5 point to a high back to a low back. At 6+ when we started going to WDW and renting cars we got the BubbleBum and used it until he fit properly in every rental car we got.

But I really recommend finding a seat you can install! That way you don't have to pay so much and have to deal with unknown seats.




The Disneyland Resort Express can definitely be annoying depending on when you land. When we've taken it and have a wait we walk up to terminal 1 so we're first on the bus and have something to do. The littler DS was the less pleasant that was, though.

Once onboard you go to all the terminals picking up, then you hit the road. Stop at Disneyland Hotel, then go to the other stops. Not sure where you're staying or where it falls in the list of stops.