Help! My child didn't grow as much as we thought we would!

[Sooner-Cruisers]

We have a 3 year old and have taken a car seat with us both times, it wasn't a big deal. We just put it in the bottom of the closet. We also take it with us in port for the taxis.

 

Our real car seat is a Diono Radian (heavy) so we bought a lightweight one special for the cruise ship, it's a cosco Scenera. Walmart sells it for around $40.

 

I'm sure your room steward could store it for you if necessary. Have fun!

 

Ps. A Puddle Jumper life jacket was the best thing we took for our 3 year old, she loves it for the pool and ocean.

[HawksFan74]

I would discount the suggestions to store anything under the beds, car seat, luggage, anything!

 

Doing so will insure that if there are any bed bugs present, you'll likely wind up bringing some home with you, UGH!

:eek: I've seen the luggage under the be tip mentioned dozens of times before on CC, and no one has ever mentioned taking home bed bugs! Has anyone reported this actually happening?

[SadieN]

:eek: I've seen the luggage under the be tip mentioned dozens of times before on CC, and no one has ever mentioned taking home bed bugs! Has anyone reported this actually happening?

 

 

We just had a 'bug on the bed' thread.

 

After 20+ years of cruising four different lines, never got bed bugs. Traveling a lot longer than that never got bugs yet. Even when traveling to NYC. For us they're like lice. I treat when if I get them, otherwise I'm not going to worry about it.

[momonthego17]

If you are storing the seat in the shower, I would bring a large waterproof garbage bag along to encase it. That way the seat will stay dry and not potentially mildew.

 

Have a great cruise!

[tea4ular]

$20 and a chat with your cabin steward can go a very long way. Let him/her stow it for you (I have had several things stowed) and simply inform them the afternoon/evening before you'd like it again, and voila! it will reappear and disappear each time, like magic! The stewards will bend over backwards to make your trip as pleasant as possible. :)

 

BTW: Never thought about using the shower as a storage space, but that's a brilliant idea.

[ncbeachteacher]

Believe me, if bed bugs were a problem on any cruise line, it would make national news. Personally, I think folks mention bed bugs to get folks upset. :rolleyes:

[bobsfamily]

Believe me, if bed bugs were a problem on any cruise line, it would make national news. Personally, I think folks mention bed bugs to get folks upset. :rolleyes:

Not on topic but I have to agree.. Never seen them on on lots of different cruise lines including 13+ on Carnival. Not a problem, now back to the OP's question.

[memecakes]

You might check with your rental company, a lot of cars have built In car seats now. that would solve all your problems.

[jmcancruise]

The shower was what I was going to suggest. Only in the way for a short period of time each day.

[katiedidthat]

STORE IT IN THE SHOWER!

 

Why did I never think of this for my stroller?! Thank you!

[Pops, Esq.]

Duct tape a bottle of liquor to it prior to boarding. Make sure they can see the liquor. They will "confiscate it," store it for the cruise and return it to you upon debarkation.

 

What? That's not the way it works?

[simplelife]

We were just on the Victory, and if I remember correctly from when we were on the Paradise, they are alike in terms of storage. There is a wall of three closets opposite the bathroom. The closet I used has a large space between the floor and the shelves that was pretty much unused space (I had shoes on the bottom and a whole lot of unused space above them.) A car seat should fit in that space, sitting on the floor of the closet, and not take away from much usable storage space.

[curious_st]

Will the car seat fit in the window in the OV cabin. Also, doesn't the cabin have a stool that scoots under the desk? Will the car seat fit under the desk? You might could pull the stool out, store other stuff under the desk, and leave the car seat on the stool.

 

Or, you could bring the rest if the stroller setup, and leave it as a stroller. I have seen tons of strollers just parked outside cabin doors.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

OP here

 

Lots of great ideas, thank you! Will definitely ask the steward to stow it (I didn't know that was plausible). If that doesn't work, we'll try the shower, under the desk, and in the closet.

 

As for why no rental car seat; in addition to the general reasons against renting a car seat, we are returning the car the night before the cruise, but need a car seat for trip to port, as well as for the taxi from port to airport after cruise.

 

Our little one is almost 4, which is why we thought he would be big enough for a booster with a back. But, he's a peanut :p

 

For the airplane, we are using CARES Airplane Safety Harness, and bag checking the car seat. We have a nice water proof bag for this, which would work in the shower!

[lizardhowson]

I would discount the suggestions to store anything under the beds, car seat, luggage, anything!

 

Doing so will insure that if there are any bed bugs present, you'll likely wind up bringing some home with you, UGH!

 

Just avoid that possibility, however slim, but not putting anything under the beds.

 

And make no mistake, if your cabin actually had bed bugs, they would also infest your items (clothing, etc) regardless of whether you put anything on the floor or under the bed.

[bobsfamily]

[quote=PrincessArlena'sDad;47387469]OP here

Lots of great ideas, thank you! Will definitely ask the steward to stow it (I didn't know that was plausible). If that doesn't work, we'll try the shower, under the desk, and in the closet.

As for why no rental car seat; in addition to the general reasons against renting a car seat, we are returning the car the night before the cruise, but need a car seat for trip to port, as well as for the taxi from port to airport after cruise.

Our little one is almost 4, which is why we thought he would be big enough for a booster with a back. But, he's a peanut :p

For the airplane, we are using CARES Airplane Safety Harness, and bag checking the car seat. We have a nice water proof bag for this, which would work in the shower![/quote]
Have a wonderful cruise... as others have said a $20 bill does wonders!

[Havingfun2010]

Here is what I would do. Take the car seat, along with all your luggage, bags, and stuff, and when you get to the room, figure it out. It's easy. You are not on a cruise to stay in the room. You will survive.

[aflyingbuttress]

[QUOTE=PrincessArlena'sDad;47378644]We're flying to Tampa on Wed and are renting a car for 5 days before boarding the Paradise. We had planned on bringing a booster seat for our 3 yr old, where the back comes off, and we could store back and seat under the bed.

But, the little guy hasn't grown enough! He still needs a car seat with a harness.
[/QUOTE]

Sometimes this isn't obvious with car seat specs but the requirement to move up to a non-harnessed seat is weight (40 or so pounds depending on the seat) [B]AND [/B]age (4 and up). I have never seen one that is 3 and up. Your child is supposed to meet [B]both [/B]requirements before moving to a booster.

I have a 3 year old too and I've definitely experienced some confusion about some of the guidelines so I thought I would mention it.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Not sure how much a car seat weighs, but you could buy a magnet that supports the weight of the empty car seat and then hang it on the back of the bathroom door. The shower was a good idea too.

[LMaxwell]

[quote name='loubetti']A lot of good suggestions above, and if you DO board with your car seat and the suggestions above don't quite work, there is one solution I know that will.

STORE IT IN THE SHOWER!

In the morning take it out a put it on the bed while everyone showers, then put it back in. Let the cabin steward know what you are doing. Yeah, perhaps a bit of a hassle, but it WILL work.

Good luck with whatever you do.[/QUOTE]
10 cent solution to a million dollar problem. Was thinking about where our darn stroller would fit. [emoji106] [emoji106]

[KITKAT0229]

Will you need it for your return after the cruise? If not you could mail it home.

[slim501]

I have cruised with a car seat 7 times and we always put it in the bottom of the closet and the dirty clothes end up piled on top of it. It has never been a problem.

[Gardeneroflove]

[quote name='7upp']??? If you rent one with your car, the whole problem is solved. What's the reason you won't consider that option?[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't. Same reason I'd never buy or use a used carseat. I have no way of knowing the history of that carseat. Was it in an accident? Has it been taken care of?

[Gallivanting Souls]

Just a thought I know you said you are using some sort of special airline harness, but it you paid for son to have a seat (any child over 3 most airlines), you can just strap him and his car seat into the seat. Airlines recommend this and your son will probably be much more comfortable being in a seat he is used to. Airlines let you bring way more stuff for kids. Just check out the website.

[ShanteS]

[quote name='aflyingbuttress']Sometimes this isn't obvious with car seat specs but the requirement to move up to a non-harnessed seat is weight (40 or so pounds depending on the seat) [B]AND [/B]age (4 and up). I have never seen one that is 3 and up. Your child is supposed to meet [B]both [/B]requirements before moving to a booster.

I have a 3 year old too and I've definitely experienced some confusion about some of the guidelines so I thought I would mention it.[/QUOTE]

This!!! When the OP mentioned a booster for a 3 year old I immediately thought that was too young. I've been taking my daughter with me on cruises since she was a week shy of 2 so I've ALWAYS brought her carseat along. She'll be 4 on our cruise in 8 days but I'll still be bringing the carseat. I've always stored her carseat in one of the closets.

[quote name='familyoutdoors']Just a thought I know you said you are using some sort of special airline harness, but it you paid for son to have a seat (any child over 3 most airlines), you can just strap him and his car seat into the seat. Airlines recommend this and your son will probably be much more comfortable being in a seat he is used to. Airlines let you bring way more stuff for kids. Just check out the website.[/QUOTE]

Also, I agree with strapping him into his carseat and then buckling the carseat in. It is really the safest option. Also, even with a cover for the carseat I wouldn't check it. They are so rough with the luggage and the carseat could be damaged.