Car Seat and Overseas Travel - both by plane and rental car

[buliej]

Thanks wysiwyg and miss e -

Wysiwyg - I am interested in what airlines/car seat your friend used - we may not go this route, but it would be handy to know.

Are the bassinets in the plane clean (the one in your photo looks fine).

Miss e - that's what I'm thinking - buy the car seat online and have it waiting for us at our first destination as this won't be a one time trip to the US.

[lilmisspositive]

Hi there,

We bought one each time we went to Canada when DD was small as it is cheap as dirt to buy one over there. Trust me, taking one with you will be nothing but a hassle. As you have family there though sure they can arrange it for you. : )

Btw the bassinet was awesome for us when we first came to Aus and dd was 3 months but not going to request one when we travel over to Canada or Vietnam as this one will be 7 months old. If anything I would request one and then if you do not need it, don't use it but at least the option is there.

Good luck and happy travels. I love love love to hear about people taking their young ones travelling. You will have a ball. xx

[Miss E]

We flew qantas and air new zealand and on both occassions the bassinets were really clean and looked very comfy. Even though DS is too long for them, he's small for his age so fell within the weight guidelines. Once he fell asleep I popped him in there, his legs were curled up (they normally are though), but he was still comfy at 18 months.

[nickle730]

We have travelled to the US and round Europe with our kids. Definitely request a bassinet (check in early!) and as a PP said, you have the option to use it if you want to. If nothing else, you will have additional room at the bulkhead to organise nappy bags and such. We requested the bassinet when DS was small enough and definitely used it. We always found them clean and comfortable for DS. I did pack a sheet to put over the mattress, it reassured me that he was lying on something clean and it smelt like home! You can certainly buy a plane seat for your bub if you want to, but I reckon it would be throwing money away!! Be aware that not all airlines will allow you to take a seat or capsule on board even if it can be fitted adequately to the seat. I think it has to do with liability and with the seat becoming a projectile in turbulence should it not be installed properly.

When we visited my sister in the US I purchased an appropriate car seat from a store on ebay (brand new) and had it delivered to her place for her to fit prior to our arrival. Just make sure there is a bolt installed in the vehicle you will be using. We have found the bolts difficult to purchase in Europe so I usually pack a couple when we travel. Most vehicles in Europe and the US have the capacity for a bolt even if they are not used by the local population. Maybe because cars are generally designed for an international market?? Don't know... but make sure you will be traveling in a car which will take a bolt.

Enjoy the trip!

Oh, the car seat I purchased was a Britax which, as a PP stated, is Safe 'n' Sound. I think I paid $99 for it including delivery, much cheaper than here. It was a great seat and I was very happy with it.

[lilmisspositive]

Btw just out of curious why do some countries such as the US not have mandatory bolts and but Aus does? I remember when I arrived someone told me it had something to do with 80% of Australians do not actually install their seats correctly? Sounds like too big of a percentage to me. Hmmmm. When DD was in Canada we never had a bolt but that was ages ago so things could of changed..

[lise]

buliej, we took DS to Canada when he was 10 weeks old. We had requested the bassinet on the plane but didn't get it (some airlines allocate specific seats at the time of booking the ticket so just make sure you check with the airline if you do want it) so DS was in our arms the entire time which was actually okay (it's a 15hr flight to Vancouver...!). My SIL borrowed a capsule for half of our trip and we also hired cars with a car seat. I think it was about $10 extra per day but we certainly didn't have any trouble getting one, and they were all fine (we hired a car/seat on 4 separate occasions).

Can I ask why you have been advised not to rely on car seats supplied by car rental companies?

[buliej]

hi lise - it's just something my sister mentioned and not because she had bad first hand experience with rental car seats - only that some of her friends did. It's good to hear that your experience was fine.