Transportation from Santa Ana Airport?

[pks_domer]

When our son was around that age, we got a lightweight car seat and actually installed it on the airplane. Such a life saver! He was used to sitting in a harnessed seat in the car so sitting on the plane in one was no big deal for him. I highly recommend this. We would just tether it to a wheeled carry-on to transport around the airport. Then we used it in our rental car.

This was taken when he was 5, but it's the same seat he used at age 3. We never felt comfortable using a seat from a car service since we didn't know if it was expired or had been properly taken care of. And we never wanted to check a car seat since they throw them around so much at baggage.

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Here's some good info about flying with little kids - https://csftl.org/leaving-on-a-jet-plane-the-csftl-guide-to-safe-air-travel-with-children/

As for getting to and from the hotel, something like Uber will likely always be the cheapest. But last time when we didn't rent a car, we used Lansky car service. It costs more, obviously, but it was super easy and convenient and had plenty of space for all of our luggage. (Our son is 9 now and we only needed to bring a little backless booster for the car this time.)

Great info-- thanks for the comprehensive response!

 

[Peachy0118]

Another vote for Uber. We loved it and used it everywhere on our last two trips (April 2022, Christmas/New Years 2022/2023).
That being said, we were just two adults traveling.

Found it incredibly easy, even only using wifi and all that fun traveling-out-of-the-country fun.

 

[gregorykicks]

Ah, great point, thank you. We can totally do that for the older. I need to look into that for the 3yo (not sure what the laws are in CA vs what they are here in terms of kid size vs car seat requirements).

EDIT: Looks like CA law doesn't explicitly address "graduation" from a car seat to a booster, and it's just when the child has outgrown the height/weight of their seat. So looks like we'll still need a seat for the 3yo.

I looked this up because we're traveling in June with my 3.5 and 6 yo.

Current California Law:

• Children under 2 years of age shall ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds OR is 40 or more inches tall. The child shall be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of the car seat. (California Vehicle Code Section 27360.)
• Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
• Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4’9” in height may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt. (California Vehicle Code Section 27363.)

So you would be covered by booster seats for both kids. That's my plan. We have a bubblebum I'll be using for my 3.5yo (he's 42lbs and 42 inches though, so big for his age) and a Mifold for my 6 yo.