Renting car seat with car rental?

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

I've never traveled by air with my dd, 4. We are flying to Disney after Thanksgiving and have booked a car rental from Budget. Budget offers a car seat, which would be nice to not have to lug ours around the airport. My question is, has anyone done this before? I'm afraid it will be gross, but I'll be stuck using it. Also, when you fly with your children, do you take a car seat for the plane? She's over 30 pounds, still needs a car seat, but the airline says she doesn't have to have one on the plane.

 

[go cowboys]

We travel by plane with our children (now 9,7,5 and 2) all the time and typically bring a car seat for the kids less than 4. Not for safety as much as for their comfort. I think my sweet Lily feels more secure in a car seat than in a "big girl seat." It is a pain to haul around but makes for a quieter flight.

I never have felt that a car seat would help in a plane if something were to occur greater than a little turbulence. Just say a prayer and be glad when you see the Main Gate sign.

 

[tjmw2727]

At 4 your dd will be fine in the airplane without a carseat.

You can rent one from the car rental agencies - between $8 and $10 per day IIRC. However they won't guarantee that one will be available at all let alone one that fits your needs.

We rented a carseat for my dd once and only once and it was in such horrible condition we used it to drive straight to the wallmart and buy a new carseat. While others have had better experiences I never took that chance again.

TJ

 

[GatorGal]

I wouldn't recommend relying on a rental from the car rental agency. Aside from them not being able to ensure it'll be there for you when you arrive, you have no way of knowing if the seat has been in accident or recalled. You also probably won't have access to the owner's manual. And then there's the "yuck" factor.

Your child will be much more comfortable with your regular car seat, and you'll be more familiar with the proper installation and use. Provided the seat has been approved for airline use (it must be printed in RED somewhere on the seat) you can use the seat on the plane, the familiar seat will make for a more comfortable flight. I attach my DD's seat to my carry on suitcase that has wheels and just pull it along with the suitcase through the airport.

HTH

 

[safetymom]

The start of your vacation is not the time to be learning how to correctly use a rental car seat.

Check your carseat on the plane and you will have it when you get to WDW.

 

[tlbwriter]

I never have felt that a car seat would help in a plane if something were to occur greater than a little turbulence. Just say a prayer and be glad when you see the Main Gate sign.

That's not true - most crashes are survivable, and having a carseat greatly increases your child's chance of survivng. And turbulence is pretty common and can also cause serious injuries, so even if it were the only issue, it's reason alone to use a carseat.

OP, some people have good luck with rented carseats, and some people have horrible luck - just like a car, they will not *guarantee* a carseat is available. I've also read reports of seats that were broken or absolutely filthy. And then, of course, there's the issue of installing an unfamiliar seat in an unfamiliar car, possibly without an instruction manual. Maybe we need to start a list of people who have been able to rent seats in good condition and see if one rental company is more reliable than any other.

 

[jodifla]

That's not true - most crashes are survivable, and having a carseat greatly increases your child's chance of survivng. And turbulence is pretty common and can also cause serious injuries, so even if it were the only issue, it's reason alone to use a carseat.

OP, some people have good luck with rented carseats, and some people have horrible luck - just like a car, they will not *guarantee* a carseat is available. I've also read reports of seats that were broken or absolutely filthy. And then, of course, there's the issue of installing an unfamiliar seat in an unfamiliar car, possibly without an instruction manual. Maybe we need to start a list of people who have been able to rent seats in good condition and see if one rental company is more reliable than any other.

Where do you get this statistic from??? I don't feel like I've heard of many crashes where most people walk away.

 

[safetymom]

Are you saying you would't want to protect your child in the event of severe turbulance?

What is your reasoning for not using a car seat?

 

[adisneymama]

We recently flew with DD age 3. We were using ME so we did not need our car seat. DD did fine on the plane without it and it was nice not to have to haul it around just to use on the plane. Now had we been renting a car I would have taken our seat but gate checked it with the stroller. This way it would be there when we needed it and would be one that I knew how to install. I have never rented a car seat from a company but I have not heard of many people have good luck with it.

Good Luck whatever you decide.

 

[rrs_mhs]

We've been to WDW when our twin DDs were 2, 3 and 4. We did not take their car seats on the plane any of the times. We rented a minivan from National all three times, along with 2 car seats. They are piled/lined up in a holding area, wrapped in plastic. You can look through them and pick whichever ones you want. We never had one that was yucky or broken. I always looked for ones similar to the ones we have at home. This is the only company we use in Orlando.

 

[staci]

It would probably be cheaper to just buy one of those booster seats from walmart that are like 14 dollars? The ones with no backs? I assume at 4 you mean booster not car seat, those are much smaller to haul around the airport, and probably cheaper than renting them through the car rental agency?

 

[MickeyMomma]

Last year I took my 3yo to WDW and rented a minivan from Dollar and it had integrated child saftey seats. I had checked his carseat but it never came out of the bag as we used the integrated seats instead. We're going again in Nov/Dec and again I've rented a minivan from Dollar. I'm not taking carseats for my 2 and 4 yo as we are "banking" on getting a van with integrated seats. Several years ago I was walking through the car rental garage at MCO and saw a pile of carseats sitting on the ground. They were beyond NASTY! I remember saying to my husband that there was NO WAY I would rent one of those things for our kids. They were plastic and absolutely filthy and terribly outdated. Keep in mind, this was MANY years ago and I honestly couldn't tell you which rental company.

Another option for you might be to buy a cheap booster seat ($20ish) from Wal-Mart instead of taking your dd's big carseat. That is assuming she weighs enough and is tall enough to safely ride in one of those. It would be much less cumbersome to carry.

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

Okay, okay, everyone has sufficiently scared me enough to bring my own from home. : ) The car rental company, Budget, did guarantee a carseat would be there for us, but I realize now that I don't want to trust a stranger for my dd's safety. She's not big enough for a booster yet and if, for some reason, Budget doesn't have (suitable) one, I wouldn't even be able to drive to WalMart to get one. Dh was trying to get out of lugging our huge Britax Roundabout on the plane. Oh well, A-luggin' we will go!

 

[jeanyusjean]

We just got back yesterday and rented w/ Budget. We brought our own car seat and & used it on the flight as well for DD4. I say save the money that you would be spending on renting the car seat and carry the car seat. Or you could get a cart for $3 at the airport and push it w/ any other carry on bags you'll be taking.

 

[tlbwriter]

Where do you get this statistic from??? I don't feel like I've heard of many crashes where most people walk away.

Because they don't make the news as often as the crashes that kill everyone.

I think this CNN story says it best:

According to the NTSB, there were 568 airline accidents from 1983 through 2000, 71 of which resulted in at least one fatality. Some 95.7 percent of the occupants survived those accidents. In raw numbers, 51,207 occupants survived; 2,280 died.

Accidents in which most or all passengers die, such as TWA Flight 800, which exploded in midair off New York's Long Island in 1996, account for a small percentage of all accidents, the NTSB study shows.

"Contrary to public perception, the most likely outcome of an accident is that most people survive," the report says.

The report attributes many factors as contributing to passenger's survivability: cabin structural integrity, seatbelts, seat design, child restraint systems, fireproofing, exit design and evacuation procedures.

 

[tlbwriter]

Okay, okay, everyone has sufficiently scared me enough to bring my own from home. : ) The car rental company, Budget, did guarantee a carseat would be there for us, but I realize now that I don't want to trust a stranger for my dd's safety. She's not big enough for a booster yet and if, for some reason, Budget doesn't have (suitable) one, I wouldn't even be able to drive to WalMart to get one. Dh was trying to get out of lugging our huge Britax Roundabout on the plane. Oh well, A-luggin' we will go!

Get a luggage cart and use bungee cords to attach your carseat. The Samsonite Micromover is recommended by frequent travelers. You can also pile luggage into the seat.

 

[EthansMom]

We forgot DS's carseat on one trip and HAD to rent a carseat. The carseat itself was a cheaper brand and had some stains (had been cleaned, but was quite stained). The rental fees for the carseat came out to enough $ that we could have gone to Walmart and PURCHASED that particular carseat. Also, although the rental company provided the seat, itself, DH had to install the carseat.

On our trip in Dec., we'll be taking DD's carseat on the plane (she's under 2 and has her own ticket). For DS4, we'll be purchasing a booster seat (without the back) and will pack it in the luggage.

 

[beattyfamily]

Why don't you just check your carseat with your luggage? You don't need it on the plane. You can get a carseat travel bag at Babies R Us for $20. Then you only have to carry it to the baggage check in counter and not worry about it till you pick up your luggage and go to the rental car.

That's what we do.

 

[COmomof2]

Ditto on checking the carseat with your luggage. At 4, she doesn't need one on the plane, so you can check it, and not have to worry about lugging the thing around.

We flew with our boys (ages 3.5 and 17 months) last April. We brought one seat, and rented the second with Alamo. The car seat was impeccably clean, and wrapped in plastic. We didn't have a problem with it at all, and I think that the major car rental agencies do guarantee the availability of a car seat when you book one.

You can always do like we do...bring the stroller, pile all of your "on board" items (back pack, diaper bag, laptop, carseat) on top of it, and have your daughter walk to the gate! We were a walking circus last April...double stroller, carseat, 2 carryon bags, camera case, laptop. It's amazing we didn't lose the kids!

 

[tlbwriter]

Why don't you just check your carseat with your luggage? You don't need it on the plane. You can get a carseat travel bag at Babies R Us for $20. Then you only have to carry it to the baggage check in counter and not worry about it till you pick up your luggage and go to the rental car.

That's what we do.

I've read several reports of carseats being damaged when they were checked as luggage. I'd hate to land at the airport and realize my seat wasn't usable - that puts you in a really bad position!