Rental Car- Rent or Bring Carseat?

Its totally up to you. Personally i would never rent a car seat. They don't have regulations on them, and you just don't know if the last person to rent it dropped it or mistreated it to cause it damage. Also you odn't know how the rental company treats them. Where are they stored? Did thye wash the harness (you can't wash the harness, it weakens the fibers), did they just stack them up? Have they been dropped, exposed to extreme temps in some storage facility, in an accident?

I wouldn't trust a stranger like that. Bring his car seat on the plane ,strap him in like in the car, and you will have the security of knowing your own car seat is safe and being used properly. And bonus he will be uber safe on the airplane.

1 mom found this helpful

I JUST had this conversation with my mom this morning. My son and I are taking a vacation with her this spring and she was saying "we can just rent a carseat with the rental car."

I tried only once to use the rental seat when my son was an infant. The seat they provided was only a 3-point harness (who knew they still made those). He road in it for about an hour while I drove to Target, bought a new seat, and drove back to the rental company. The seats you can rent are not ones you would EVER buy. They do meet minimum safety standards, but only the minimums. My son is 4 and almost 40lbs, so the rental seat would be a booster only, but i still harness him (not to mention he'd be in a seat that other kids have potentially thrown up on, peed in etc).

That said I'll be bringing his own seat along. Also, I've found that plane flights are much easier with a child in a seat he's used to. I plan to bring his seat on board with me, so while there is that lugging-through-the-airport to deal with, it'll make the flight oh so much easier.

For $12 at Ross I bought a carseat duffel back a couple of years ago. You put the seat in it, and it has wheels on the bottom, so it's easy to just pull it through the airport as an extra piece of luggage... and I'll check our bags on this trip so I don't have all of that to pull along.

Hope this helps,
T.

1 mom found this helpful

I went to Florida last winter. I asked them what they charged to rent a car seat. It was outrageous. I could by a decent one for that price so we took our own and gate checked it. So It was worth it. The airlines I flew on said we could not use our car seat on the airplane. when I called there customer service department before we left not sure why.

We always take our own seats , you can check them in with your luggage as soon as you arrive at the airport. I prefer to use my own because I have 3 kids so it get's expensive hiring them , also the shoulder straps are at the right height so no messing around getting it all adjusted.

We've done both, and preferred bringing our own. It is something extra to lug around, but they sell car seat travel bags with wheels (we borrowed one for the trip) so it wasn't a big deal and you don't have to pay baggage fees to check it. Renting one worked out fine, but it was a different seat than we were used to so it took us longer to get it secured in the car--not fun with a crabby baby and chilly weather!

I am taking my son to Florida this Wednesday. I made the choise of not purchasing a seat ahead of time for him so when I called the airlines yesterday they informed me if the plane is not full I will be allowed to take the car seat and have a seat for my son otherwise I will gate check it (not with luggage) also on the way back for some reason if I change my mind I can purchase a seat. Also I think things that babies are familiar with when not at home are probably the best and most comfortable so it may be a little extra work but it may be worth it.Enjoy your vaca!!!

When I got a car seat with the rental car it was a convertible style (one that can face forward or back) and it was really too big for my daughter.... she was 5 months, but small for her age and we had to stuff blankets in around her and hold her head at times.... I had wished we had brought her carseat!
I have seen people 'gate-check' their carseats along with the stroller and then maybe it gets banged around a bit less.....

We just went to Florida in December and wondered the same thing. After our experience, I would recommend bringing your own. For one thing it is cheaper. Also, if you are going to any of the theme parks I would recommend bringing your own stroller too.

Hi K., my experience is with travelling with a double stroller, and believe me, the airline will TEAR your car seat up. I advise you to rent when you get to Florida. Besides, you will probably have to pay extra when you check it in. You know they charge for everything now! May I also suggest purchasing an inexpensive one from Target or Walmart when you arrive. I was just sooooo disappointed when I took my double stroller to Texas. I mean it was absolutely mutilated by the time I got back home. I just fear that they will tear your car seat up and you'll have to buy a new one when you get back home. Anyways, hope this helps, and ENJOY your trip. C. T.

my only thought is did you buy a seat on the plane for your child? if so, I would take your carseat....the safest way for your child to fly is to be strapped into the carseat in their own seat. Most people I think don't buy a seat, just hold their child on their lap. Either way, if you do take your own, I probably wouldn't check it...it will get tossed around.
D.

Hi --
We actually got back from Lake Worth last week :) We went to www.babyborrowrental.com (out of Ft. Lauderdale) they delivered a crib, 2 umbrella strollers, a baby tub, a Britax Roundabout carseat, a baby gate, and a bag of 5 basic toys (drum, truck, blocks, etc.) to Grandpa's house and picked them up again after we left. Everything was clean and in very good shape. Getting the seat through them was also cheaper than going through the car rental place ($45 vs. $60) though it did mean that Grandpa had to meet us at the airport with the seat. I know they work out of other areas too. I highly recommend them -- good luck and have a good trip.

We have done both. We went to Florida when my daughter was 11 months (still rear facing) and brought our own car seat with us. It worked fine, but it was something extra to check, get, etc. We went again to Florida when my daughter was 1 1/2 and rented the car seat with the rental car. The car seat was fine. She fit in it fine and we had no issues. We are again going to Florida in June and will have a 3 year old and 10 month old. We are going to rent both seats there. Less to haul around with 2 kids. Enjoy your trip!

I would bring my own, I would not trust that thiers hadn't been in an accident. I have also heard recently that you should not check your carseat as luggage, but bring it on the plane, as it can be damaged by baggage handlers. I have no research on this, just heard it and kept it in my head to consider next time I fly. But apparently if they are dropped and mistreated by airport personnel, it is similar to having been in an accident. You might want to check into that as well.

I would personally feel better bringing my own. Just like "justplainbecky" said you don't know if the car seat has been in a crash or how it was stored. If you do decide to rent one maybe you can ask what brand/style they have available. Also car seats expire. if you rent you may want to look to make sure you check the expiration date on the car seat.

have fun on your vacation

I have 2 kids under the age of 3 and have travelled to Hawaii twice and to Florida many times. I have found a number of things to consider:
The cost of renting a carseat.
How much of a hassle is it to really carry?
It can be checked in at the gate.
Do you really want to know what happened to that rental seat before you get it???
Is your child getting their own seat on the plane?
Since I don't like to take chances, I took BOTH, yes, BOTH of my carseats with me to Hawaii. One was used on the plane, and one was checked in at the gate going there, and checked in completely coming home. I bought a carseat bag at Babies R Us, felt that it was pretty tough material, and did not have a problem. However, if I were to check it in, I would NEVER do it without a cover. The cover had a couple of small tears, but that was all. I would much rather use my own things than somebody else's, especially when I don't know what happened to it before, not do I know how clean it is.

The one's they give you at the rental are just as good. I took a car seat with us when my son was 8 months, big mistake, we had to put it in, take it out, carry it around at teh airport, the second time we went, its there and ready for you when you get there. Less luggage!