Shuttles, Taxis Disney Express carseat rules with 4 year old?????

[daffidyll]

Can anyone tell me how any of the Shuttles (Super, Express) and The Disneyland Express and taxi’s work in regards to 4 year olds? We are flying from Australia and won’t have a carseat with us. We will really only need transport to and from LAX to Disneyland and back and also from the Vegas airport to our hotel and back. Has anyone had any experience with this? What would be our best option? For what ages are carseats required???? Do they specifically have to be requested? If they are required and we don’t have one what have most other people done in this situation?

 

[Beth76]

A carseat or booster will be required in a taxi. Probably not on the bus. Busses and shuttles usually don't have seatbelts, but I can't say for sure about the ones in DL. I bet you could get a car service that would provide a car seat for you.

Or, do you have these kinds of booster seats? http://www.target.com/Graco-Turbobo...ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k:booster seat&page=1 These are small enough to fit in a suitcase or you could just check them separately.

 

[bumbershoot]

Shuttle Express had seatbelts, and their website mentions that you need to follow state laws. Since I go beyond what the law allows, I hauled that 5 point harness carseat on the plane and on the shuttle.

But Disneyland Express is a bus, and buses have no seatbelts, so no carseats are allowed or even possible to use.

If you were just going to DLR I'd say to just use the disneyland express bus and don't worry about it, but that Vegas one is the hard one. You'll have to find out what the exact option is in Vegas.

 

[Kimberlina]

We've traveled with DD (4.5) a lot. We always take her carseat with us. As a matter of fact, we bought an inexpensive second seat that we really only use for travel. Even if you decide at the last minute not to use it on the plane, the airline staff will take it and check it for you. I just feel safer and find it easier.

For this trip, though, I think I will be buying her a new booster seat. She is about a pound away from the weight limit in her big carseat, and the new booster seat will take up less room.

So I have no answer for your question, but I wonder why you don't want to bring it. Is it just that you don't want to have to haul the big thing around? Maybe you could try a booster seat instead.

 

[madfelice]

Australian car seats don't fit in American cars. They require a special bolt in the car to anchor them that American cars don't have. Therefor there is no point in bringing a seat from Australia cos it wont fit. You could buy an inexpensive one there and pass it on to another family who needs one at the airport when you leave.

 

[Kimberlina]

Australian car seats don't fit in American cars. They require a special bolt in the car to anchor them that American cars don't have. Therefor there is no point in bringing a seat from Australia cos it wont fit. You could buy an inexpensive one there and pass it on to another family who needs one at the airport when you leave.

Aha- very interesting. Never knew that.

The first time we flew with DD, we bought a very inexpensive car seat to use. Since all car seats in the US have to meet the same strict safety standards, we are safe buying any NEW inexpensive car seat- price really doesn't have an impact on the safety (though it does impact the comfort oftentimes.)

I don't know nearly enough about California law to know if this is feasible (though I am sure someone here knows when a child can go from car seat to booster in CA) but booster seats sell at Wal-Mart for only $15. The problem, of course, is how do you get to Wal-Mart (or other similar department store) to get said seat with the child and no seat?

 

[daffidyll]

Thanks everyone....No, I really don't like the idea of travelling without a carseat but like Madfelice said, our seats don't work in american cars (at least as far as I know). I did email Super Shuttle and they did confirm all their seats do have seatbelts but they definitely don't provide carseats. A car seat, although of course highly recommended, isn't required for a 4 year old. Shame that they don't provide carseats.....I think that would be a brilliant idea for shuttles to do that even at an extra cost it would be so worth it and helpful to alot of people I'm sure. In reading some taxi laws I found online mostly it states that if it's public transport such as taxi, bus, shuttles then carseats aren't required. Again, it's not about trying to be lazy as I most definnitely DO CARE about my daughter. It's just that unfortunately I have no way of having a seat for her from LAX to DL. Once we are there maybe there will be somewhere around there I can go buy a booster or something for the rest of our trip. Anyway, just wanted to post any info for anyone else who might encounter this problem....and of course, if anyone out there has any helpful tips on what they have done I'd love to hear them!

 

[disneydreamerbelle]

We use DL Express solely so we don't have to worry about car seats!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm a child passenger safety technician and with my children I go above and beyond the state laws. My 7 (almost 8 yr old DS) rides in a 5 pt harness still, my 4 yr old DD was rear facing until her 4th B~day. My DD's travel seat is a Cosco Scenara, light, easy install, cheap ~ pop it in a stroller or sling it over your shoulder and DS uses a backless booster, DD used her seat on the plane this past Sept and DS's booster was gate checked with the stroller. We used a taxi van from and to LAX so we had seatbelts.

This special bolt ~ are you referring to a top tether anchor? All new cars in the US have them and even without a top tether the seat can be used.

You could visit sites like www.car-seat.org for advice.

 

[madfelice]

You could try this toget to Disneyland, they provide seats for little ones on request
http://www.bestlaride.com/ourcars.html

 

[kylieh]

For Nevada/Las Vegas - we investigated as our daughter will we just be 6 when we arrive:

http://www.giveemaboostnv.org/welcome.html

Child safety seats are already required for children under 5 and 40 pounds. Booster seats are now required for children from 40 – 60 pounds and under age six. Booster seats do not require ‘installation.’

On the same page it mentions that this doesn't, in Nevada, apply to taxis.