Rental Cars & Children's Car Seats

[DVCinderella]

We will be renting a car during our next trip to WDW with our 20-month-old twins. I've never seen the car seats provided by rental car companies (we're going with Avis). What should I expect? Are they dirty? Not as safe as store-bought car seats?

We have Britax Marathons at home, which I love. Is it worth it to buy protective cases, and check them on the flight?

 

[4formickey]

they may be safe but not as clean as you would want it to be. The cost for a rental is about $7 per day, it may cheaper and cleaner to bring yours. If you don't use it on th plane, you can always check it. If you check it try o wrap it in clear plastic to keep it clean.

 

[all4fun]

I take it they are flying as lap babies? If not, then I would take the Marathons and use them on the plane. You can buy a couple of car seat bags (some have wheels) or you could put them on a cheap set of luggage wheels and use them like this ($15@Walmart) or go the more expensive but possibly easier route of buying two sets of Gogo Kidz wheels (gogobabyz.com) to get them through the airport (& just check their stroller). This thread here discusses rental car seats.

Orrrr...you could buy a couple of Cosco Sceneras to use as back up/2ndary seats and they make great travel seats. Walmart has them on sale right now for $39.84.

Just some food for thought. Personally, I wouldn't ever feel comfortable with renting car seats because you just don't know what you'll end up with , if it will be the right kind of car seat for your kid, you don't know the history of the seat, it might not be clean, etc. Plus you don't know the ins and outs of how to use an unfamiliar seat and it's just a whole lot easier to use one you're familiar with. If you buy a couple of Scenera's - you could practice with them at home, and IMO they are really easy to use (nothing really compares to Britax in the ease of use dept but I never had any trouble with my Scenera). jmho.

hth.

 

[tadamom]

For me personally, I would take their carseats and check them. I don't know how often rental car companies clean their car seat but you just don't know what might be hiding in that material. I cringe just thinking about it.

 

[dismom301930]

We reserved a car seat for my DD (then 2) in Dec. 2003. It was awful! It was really old and more of a "baby" seat - she didn't fit in it well at all even though we specifically requested a seat for an older child, not a baby. It was also really dirty. When we complained about it, we were told that's all they had available. I forget which car rental place this was, but it was a well-known company right at the airport.

We told them we weren't going to use it for the week because it wasn't safe but we needed to use it to get to a store to buy a new one. We ended up keeping it for the whole week (but not using it after that initial trip to the store) and they didn't charge us for it. Buying a new seat probably ended up being around the same price anyway because I think the rental was $7/day for 7 days. I should have just put her in her carseat on the plane (it is airplane approved). That is what we plan to do this Dec. for our third DD (2.5). We will check booster seats for our 2 older DDs (5 and 6).

Good luck!

 

[becca011906]

if it was me i would have the kids ride in the thier marathons down there on the plane they will sit better and be more comfy, if they are lap kids then I would for sure check our own seats. Marathons are airline approved so you can use them, but it's just better to use a seat you know the history of vs a rental one that someone might have had a car crash (as minor as the crash might have been) that then the seat shoudl be destroyed in any type of car crash....

 

[DVCinderella]

Our twins will be 20-months-old for our next WDW trip. Since the seats are 3 on each side of the aisle, we purchased 3. One baby is booked as a lap baby, and the other has a seat. We've flown twice before with them (7-months and 10-months) and both times we booked it this way. It was worth it to have the extra seat, and not worry about annoying the poor person who got that 3rd seat.

I'm looking at the size of these Marathons and thinking, "How did you guys do this?" Were they difficult to get on the plane (down the aisle)? Did the flight attendants let you board early?

When they were 7-months and 10-months, it was tough boarding. But then again, we had to carry the babies, in addition to diaper bag, 2 infant carriers and carry-on bag (no way I'm checking expensive digital & video cameras). Now they're walking, so at least they can walk down the aisle.

Since we've only purchased 3 seats, we'd only be able to bring 1 Marathon on-board, and would have to check the other. I would definitiely buy a protective travel bag for it, because our Graco Duo Glider got banged up during our last two flights. But that means 1 baby is in the car seat, and the other is "free"...I know whichever one I put in the car seat will not be happy to see the other one "free".

Maybe I'm just better off buying 2 protective travel bags, and checking both of them. After take-off, I imagined the twins could sit together in the extra seat and watch their portable DVD player.

 

[becca011906]

I think i would check both of them to save you the trouble of having them fight over who has to sit there... BUT i think when the seat belt light is on only one can be in the seat the other much be on our lap as a lap child... not sure but i think i remember that. Also every time we've flown they call for thoes with special needs and young children to board first... I would definatly check them atleast for the car while you are there, might seem like a pain but better safe then trying to get your kids in a nasty seat!

 

[littleEinsteins4]

We rented a car with a car seat (well if you could even call it that) it was plastic, no cover she was sitting on plastic,we had to cover it with a towel (you could only imagine how hot it was in the florida heat) the car seat was like a million years old I had it out with the car rental people but they said that was all they had I was only in Fl. for 3 days so I just went out as little as possible. I was Never again if we rent a car we always take our car seat it is well worth buying the cover.

 

[Kahana-ri]

I island hopped with my son from Maui to Honolulu. Since the flight was only a half an hour and DS was 15-months, I decided to hold him for such a short flight and rent a car seat once we go to the island. I believe we rented from Alamo? The car seat was very basic, nothing fancy, but served its purpose. It seemed clean and it was easier than lugging our usual car seat we had brought on vacation. Since it was just my son and I for this quick trip, I was grateful I was able to rent a car seat.

 

[ChrisAlli]

We took to Britax Marathon with us last Oct and will be this Oct as well. It wasn't easy, but worth it. My kids are now 2 and 4. This year though I think we're getting the travel bags that have a shoulder stap, just to get through the airport.

Checking the double stroller though this time, so that should help.

They do fit in the seat. Tight, but it does fit.

You could send your DH on plane first to install the seat and then bring the kids last. And then just be the last off the plane.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

For week long trips or more, we've always just brought our own. For long weekend trips, we've either rented a mini-van with built ins or rented them with the car. They haven't been the best seats, but they were always clean and reasonably comfortable. The kids never complained but we never drove really long distances with them either.