Travel tips: a car seat for travel

It’s one of the few items parents are told not to buy second-hand, and one of the few that even the hospital insists you have before the birth – a car seat. So, the chances are that at home, you know that they’re safe and sound as you travel around.

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But what to do when you go on holiday abroad and you need to consider a car seat for travel? If you’re flying and planning to rent a car at the other end, there are two options – take your own as part of your luggage allowance or rent one from the hire company.

Well, why lug around heavy paraphernalia if you don’t need to, right? Except a new survey gives some worrying reasons why you might not want to rely on a rental car company.

Over a sixth of the parents surveyed said the seat they were given was ‘dirty and tatty’, but worse, over a quarter had no help to fit the seat, and 37% weren’t even given written instructions on how to do it.

Which if you’re fiddling about with an unfamiliar model after a long plane journey, isn’t just frustrating, it could be dangerous if it’s not fitted properly. And jetlag doesn’t help in those situations either…

Worse still, getting bad service doesn’t come cheap. A comparison of prices from three major car hire companies found it cost around £60 to rent a car seat for a fortnight – more than a basic model costs new in some countries.

So what to do when it comes to ensuring you have a good car seat for travel? Airlines have different policies on travelling with car seats, so it’s worth checking before you fly: many will let you check them into the hold for free, although not always if you want to bring a buggy as well.

You should also check the rules of the country you’re travelling to – a car seat that’s legal at home may not fulfil the requirements abroad. There are some great tips on taking a car seat abroad in this post.

Check in your car seat

Needless to say, if you do check it in, it’s worth making sure it’s protected – at least from dirt and the elements. A simple car seat bag doesn’t cost too much, usually made from reasonably tough nylon, even if you don’t want to fork out for something more protective.

Others allow you to take them as hand luggage or to use on the plane seat (which then means you need an extra seat for your child), but only accept certain car seats.

Take your car seat on board

Some, like easyJet, insist you bring your own if you want your child to sit in a separate seat but it has to be forward facing, while Ryanair will only accept them if they’re certified for use on aircraft and have a five-point harness, for example.

Even if you can take it along, it’s worth checking that your model will fit into the hire car you’ve requested – especially if the company can’t guarantee which car you’ll actually get.

Take a travel booster seat

For older kids, something like the Trunki BoostApak, £44.99, could be the answer to finding a good car seat for travel – the booster seat converts into a rucksack, it’s hand luggage approved, and is suitable for four to 12-year-olds (or 15-36kg).

You can also get smaller options which are easier to transport, including various versions from MiFold or an inflatable booster seat like a Bubblebum.

Check out my full review of the Bubblebum inflatable booster seat

For more details, check out this great post from Flying with a Baby on the latest rules and regulations, as well as advice.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Image courtesy Depositphotos

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