Do You Take the Car Seat with You for Vacation

Updated on February 19, 2009
R.H. asks from McKinney, TX
10 answers

We are traveling to Flordida to Walt Disney World in May and we are NOT staying on the property. We have never traveling before with our 4 year old. What do we do about the car seat? Do we check it in on the plan? Do we rent one for the car rental place? Do we totally do without? Any advice helpful. I did not want to check in with baggage, do Not want it damaged.

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C.R.

answers from Dallas on

Take the carseat with you. If you don't use it on the plane you can check it with your other luggage, most airlines even have a really thick plastic bag you can put it in and then tag it.

Have fun!

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J.R.

answers from Dallas on

I would not rent one from the car rental place. My sister rented one last summer when we were all on vacation together and it was such poor quality, as were the others they had,that she refused to put my nephew in it (and she is not picky). She ended up going to Walmart and buying a cheap one to use, but it was an extra stop to make and extra expense (but worth it to make sure he was safe). Plus think about it, you don't know how long the rental place has used the seat, you don't know if it has been involved in car accidents, plus unless they have the manual you might have a hard time figuring out how to use it properly.

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E.W.

answers from Dallas on

We always carry ours on and strap our little one into it. It helps her realize that we cannot get up and move around. She just assumes that it is like a car, and it makes it so much easier for travel. If you do this option I suggest you have your husband preboard so he can put in the seat. Then you guys can board last so the seat is in and you are ready to go. This also is less time on the plan for your little one. I have seen people check them, if you did I would just make sure you put it in a travel bag made for car seats. I would just worry about the quality of renting one from a rental agency.

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L.C.

answers from Dallas on

We took our two boys (youngest had just turned 4 years old) to Disney World last summer and took his car seat and our own stroller. I borrowed a car seat bag from a friend and just checked it at the airport along with the stroller. Both arrived fine in Orlando. We stayed on Disney property but still rented a car. I was glad we had our how car seat and stroller. It was just one less thing to worry about. I highly recommend taking your own stroller, too. I was worried our 4 year old would be too big for a stroller but we used it the entire time. We also took a small cooler inside the parks with water, juice and snacks which was a life saver since it was so hot (we went the first week in August). We stored it in the bottom of the stroller so it was easily accessible. Have a great trip!!

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

It has been a long time since we used a car seat since my daughter is now 14.

We fly a lot and we always bought a plane ticket for her personal seat as well. When she was very small, we used the car seat and when she was older, we used a booster. There is no doubt you will be able to use one of them on the plane since you bought her seat.

Have fun at Disney......We are going for Spring Break in March. This will be our 6th and probably final trip until we have grandchildren someday!

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K.G.

answers from Dallas on

get a booster seat...
or bring it on the plane and if it he is not allowed to ride in it on the plane then store it in the compartment above

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S.

answers from Dallas on

tAKE IT -- sometimes they let your child sit in it on the plane (must be in the window seat sitting next to an adult) - otherwise - check it at the gate when you check your stroller. Be sure your name is on everything, with a contact (cell) number. You might also want to tie a ribbon on it, since so many seats and strollers look the same. I have travelled with two seats and a stroller alone. It is not that difficult. I would strongly recommend a bungi cord so you could attach the car seat to the stroller (and anything else you could fit in there). It makes getting around the airport so much easier. Also, be sure to arrive very early, because you will need to take everything apart to go through security. The earlier you are - the less stress.

Have fun (we actually went to Disney World with two seats!)

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M.N.

answers from Dallas on

"Florida state law requires children under age 5 to be protected with an approved and properly used child restraint device. For children under 3, Florida law requires that they be in a separate car seat or a car seat that is integrated into the vehicle. For children ages 4 and 5, a separate car seat, integrated car seat or seat belt may be used."

I would bring a booster seat & just check it w/ your luggage. We've rented car seats from the rental car company before and they're not always the greatest. Plus, they're kind of expensive. The last time we went to Florida, we actually just went straight from the airport to Walmart, picked up a $20 booster seat, used it for the week that we were there and then just left it in the rental car. It made our lives much easier and it was cheaper than renting one w/ the car.

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J.J.

answers from Dallas on

We have a Sit and Stroll which really makes life easier when traveling. http://www.sitnstroll.com/

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N.J.

answers from Dallas on

We rented from car rental and turned out fine- We went to NYC and didn't need it until we drove to Penn. for Elmo World.

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