Question about traveling and carseats

[oceanbaby]

We are going to NYC with my ds (who will be 3 in May) in about 3 weeks. We are not going to be renting a car, nor spending much time in a car, so I certainly don't want to lug his big ole Britax with us.

But, I would like him to have a carseat when we take the SuperShuttle to the airport and back. I'm not too worried about taxis while in the City, because I assume we'll mainly be taking the subway.

Any suggestions? What do you NYC moms do?

I found this - what do you think of it:

http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp...363&change=117

[USAmma]

Many car rental places rent carseats-- I wonder if Super Shuttle will provide a seat for your child at your request? It's worth a shot. I was eyeing that carseat on the One Step Ahead catalog for our next trip to India, where carseats are almost unheard of still.

Darshani

[anothermama]

In my west coast experience, there are usually a number of car rental places that rent out car seats as well at the airport terminals........I guess I'd look into if you could just do that.

[melixxa]

Just got back from a trip with my baby, and ...

Well, we also have the Britax, far too big to travel with if you ask me (along with our small stroller, heavy overstuffed diaper-bag-cum-carry-on, video camera bag, small-size guitar, Ergo, and of course our DS - and all the luggage we'd checked, three large bags ... no way!). So we went to Target and bought a smaller, cheaper carseat, a Costco. $50.

OK, it's rated 5th by Consumer Reports as opposed to 1st, as the Britax is (in the convertible category). But I loooked at its detailed rating and it does not size up too badly at all, really. It's just not the best. But the best is the size of a VW bug. I even splurged and bought the tote for it (at One Step Ahead), not just for the convenient carry handle but also because I hate the idea of something like airplane grease getting on the surface my son sits on.

Long story short, we didn't take it along after all. At our destination we would need it for three taxi rides tops. Shortly before the trip, my SIL (who was traveling with us with her 7-month-old DS2 and 3-year-old DS1) reported that her pediatrician "gave her the green light" to leave carseats at home and settle for 1) the portable 5-point Tote 'n Go for DS1 (linked above), and 2) wearing DS2 in the Baby Bjorn during the car rides. We were skeptical and worried and totally waffled about our decision. Then we decided to risk the rides without carseat, too. I wore my DS in the Ergo in the taxi/airport limousine, sweating bullets the whole time and feeling pretty guilty for choosing convenience over potential safety. (We also ended up taking a few taxi rides in Mexico, which would have been scary rides even with seatbelts - which there weren't any. Thank god for the Ergo in those cases.)

Anyway. Verdict. I think I'll take the carseat next time around, even if we again don't buy an airplane seat for DS. A point made on another thread about babies and travel (posted in Life With A Babe) was that you can never be sure that rental/shuttle-supplied carseats are as safe as your own. They may be older and thus expired (don't they "expire" after 3-5 years?). The materials may have succumbed to general wear and tear. They may be recalled models (could you recognize a recall on the fly?). They may even have been in an accident and thus be no longer dependable at all.

What a pain to tote a carseat along for just a few rides, especially if you don't purchase a plane ticket for your baby, but at least it can be checked (even curb-checked). In the tote, it's really just a small, light piece of luggage. I guess if I were traveling to a city, I would eschew taxis and take as much public transportation as possible rather than lug the carseat all over creation. Sightseeting with a carseat in tow? Museum-going with a carseat in tow? I don't think so.

Re the Tote n Go: My SIL loved it. It was just great for her 3-year-old. Extremely portable and also very easy to install.

[oceanbaby]

Thank you so much for your posts - great information!

I did check with the shuttle company, and no, they don't provide carseats.

Melixxa - thanks so much for writing. I feel a lot better about getting the travel carseat now.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

The only thing I would add is to check with someone local about the laws for NY. I'm in CA, so I have no idea. I know in CA you could be looking at a BIG ticket if stopped without a carseat for a child under age 6 OR weighing less than 60 lbs. While a 5 year old might not get a second glance from a cop, a 3 YO certainly would. In fact, there are taxi companies here who won't take a child without a seat because of the liability and/or fines if they are caught. I don't think the portable ones count, but I'm not sure about that.

[nikirj]

I have one and the STUPID THING DOESN'T WORK. It doesn't work in any of the FIVE cars I've tried it in! It is too late to return it but if I could, boy would I.

It hurts my daughter (the strap between the legs is positioned poorly) it is unstable, and it is a HUGE pain to try to put in.

In other words, just don't get it. It sucks. I don't know how it got approved for anything.

At least ask to 'test drive' it first.

[Threefold]

Can you get a ride to/from the airport?
This is how we always do it to avoid the shuttle (we only have the bus up our way and there are no seat belts, so no way!).
We've never flown the 3 of us at the same time, so dh usually drives us, but friends have done so on occassion too.
We always lug the carseat though b/c we always need it during the trip too. Going to AZ in a few weeks alone with ds and *not* looking forward to lugging the carseat, carryons, and keeping him in tow while pg!