Car Seat use?

[Royally Ready to cruise]

Hi fellow experienced cruisers who travel with Toddlers!  Flying in to Seattle for Alaska cruise this summer with our large family.  Take a car seat? 
we plan to use hotel shuttle service to hotel and to port next morning.  thank you for the help!

[klfrodo]

Legally?

A child up to 80 lbs requires a booster seat at minimum in Washington.

Reality? 
My opinion only would be that you’re looking at a total of 1 hour seat time. I’d accept that risk and go without.

[Royally Ready to cruise]

Ty and I didn’t know how to drag it on board ship or most airport shuttles don’t have seat belts and yada yada 

[Grankm21]

How old is the toddler? Would you feel comfortable with a booster seat as opposed to a car seat?  Booster seats are much easier to pack/carry/store. 

[jenkscubfan]

Check with the hotel to see if they provide car seats….or if they require them and require you to bring your own.   If it is a Washington state law, the hotel shuttle may require.  If they do, see if you can rent one in Seattle. 

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Legally?

A child up to 80 lbs requires a booster seat at minimum in Washington.

Reality? 
My opinion only would be that you’re looking at a total of 1 hour seat time. I’d accept that risk and go without.

Completely agree with your "reality".

[time4u2go]

10 hours ago, Royally Ready to cruise said:

Hi fellow experienced cruisers who travel with Toddlers!  Flying in to Seattle for Alaska cruise this summer with our large family.  Take a car seat? 
we plan to use hotel shuttle service to hotel and to port next morning.  thank you for the help!

Are you asking in regards to seats on the airplane? Seats on the shuttle? Seats on potential shore excursions? All of the above?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

10 hours ago, Royally Ready to cruise said:

we plan to use hotel shuttle service to hotel and to port next morning.  thank you for the help!

if you are not planning on using any taxis or ubers at the port or the destinations, then I'd go without.

 

If you are planning on taking any cars at all, how old, tall and heavy is the toddler? How mature? What seat do you have at home? Do you have a travel seat? Will he or she have her own seat on the plane?

 

I cover these topics a lot in the https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/28-family-cruises/.

 

Also useful:

 

https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a10635/traveling_with_children

https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a7645/car_seat_questions

[Itchy&Scratchy]

10 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Reality? My opinion only would be that you’re looking at a total of 1 hour seat time. I’d accept that risk and go without.

my husband's car was totaled about a mile away from our house. He didn't even travel for 5 minutes before his car was t-boned by an unlicensed, uninsured driver. How's that for reality? Didn't even take an hour of driving. If our kid had been in his car unrestrained, what do you think would have happened?

 

Laws of physics apply even if you are on vacation.

[teddie]

10 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Reality? 
My opinion only would be that you’re looking at a total of 1 hour seat time. I’d accept that risk and go without.

 

Reality:  No child's safety is worth that kind of cavalier risk. 

 

Was just reading this article yesterday;  flight attendants have been lobbying for child safety seats for over 30 years!  

 

"Flight attendants want to ban lap-babies on planes"

https://wapo.st/40tCE8F

 

Teddie

Edited March 23, 2023 by teddie

[mjkacmom]

12 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

my husband's car was totaled about a mile away from our house. He didn't even travel for 5 minutes before his car was t-boned by an unlicensed, uninsured driver. How's that for reality? Didn't even take an hour of driving. If our kid had been in his car unrestrained, what do you think would have happened?

 

Laws of physics apply even if you are on vacation.

But buses and shuttles usually don’t even have seatbelts, what is one going to do with a car seat or booster? If the shuttle has seatbelts I’m guessing the car seat will be required, they should ask (here in NJ it’s 8/80 too, we had a 10 passenger private van hired to take our family to the airport, had to bring 2 boosters for our almost 5 year olds).

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Just now, mjkacmom said:

But buses and shuttles usually don’t even have seatbelts, what is one going to do with a car seat or booster? If the shuttle has seatbelts I’m guessing the car seat will be required, they should ask (here in NJ it’s 8/80 too, we had a 10 passenger private van hired to take our family to the airport, had to bring 2 boosters for our almost 5 year olds).

I am talking about taxis and ubers/lyfts. Private vans would apply as well, but not large shuttle buses. 

On our last cruise after 1.5 hours of waiting for a hotel shuttle, we gave up and took a taxi... Thankfully, our kid has 5-stepped out of the booster about 2 years ago (being 4'9+), so we no longer have to use it. But we brought a booster with us when traveling since he was 4.  I'd rather be inconvenienced than regretful.

 

Do others take this risk? Yes, undoubtedly.

[mjkacmom]

14 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I am talking about taxis and ubers/lyfts. Private vans would apply as well, but not large shuttle buses. 

On our last cruise after 1.5 hours of waiting for a hotel shuttle, we gave up and took a taxi... Thankfully, our kid has 5-stepped out of the booster about 2 years ago (being 4'9+), so we no longer have to use it. But we brought a booster with us when traveling since he was 4.  I'd rather be inconvenienced than regretful.

 

Do others take this risk? Yes, undoubtedly.

In that case I’d take a blow up, there were 1 1/2 years when all 5 of our kids needed to be in car seats/boosters legally, so when traveling I’d make sure we had options not requiring them.

[poocher]

I think it’s called a bubble bum?  If the child is old enough or big enough for a booster.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 minutes ago, poocher said:

I think it’s called a bubble bum?  If the child is old enough or big enough for a booster.  

yes, bubblebum and the child has to be at least 40# and tall enough for a good seat belt fit. A great option for preschoolers and up.

[cruiselvr04]

Accidents happen even on vacation.  Please don’t take the risk.  Also think about any excursions you’ll be taking that involve a shuttle bus or van.  Only big busses are exempt from using car seats. It’s also worth the cost to use an approved seat on the plane.  Our DD purchased a seat for her under 2.  Our granddaughter was happier on the plane because she’s used to sitting in a car seat on car trips.   

[poocher]

2 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Accidents happen even on vacation.  Please don’t take the risk.  Also think about any excursions you’ll be taking that involve a shuttle bus or van.  Only big busses are exempt from using car seats. It’s also worth the cost to use an approved seat on the plane.  Our DD purchased a seat for her under 2.  Our granddaughter was happier on the plane because she’s used to sitting in a car seat on car trips.   

When we took our, then, 2 1/2 year old grandson to Disney, we took an FAA approved car seat.  Jumped right up & slept both ways.  I agree it was what he was used to.

[Royally Ready to cruise]

thank you every one. The kids are 3 and use regular car seats and do have their own seats on the plane.  I’m not sure of their weight.  I’ll do some more research on that.  We plan to use the bus transfers the morning we get off the boat to the airport and hotel shuttle from airport to hotel.  The bumble bum sounds interesting but I don’t think the girls are tall enough.  And agreed accidents can and do happen everywhere. 

[gluecksbaer]

If they are at least 30lbs the Cosco Finale makes a great lightweight travel seat.  We took the Cosco Scenera Next on our Alaskan cruise when my twins were 4 and they stacked nicely in the closet on board, but my kids are extra tiny and that seat is usually outgrown at 3.  I understand the Finale stacks similarly though, which was nice for storing on the ship.  (My daughter was 7 before she was 30lbs and had been otherwise booster ready for over a year, so we never had a second Finale to try stacking them.)

[Joseph2017China]

I see people with car seats all the time.  Why is it an issue to bring?  They don't weigh much, and easily checked on airlines etc.

[poocher]

Car seats are cumbersome and awkward to cart around, especially when you are also managing multiple pieces of luggage.  That having been said, if you have children they are a necessity.

[njkruzer]

Whenny you board the ship attach luggage tags and check them.  They'll show up in your cabin.  I think airline will also check them at no extra cost..

Edited March 24, 2023 by njkruzer

[Ret MP]

On 3/23/2023 at 7:45 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

my husband's car was totaled about a mile away from our house. He didn't even travel for 5 minutes before his car was t-boned by an unlicensed, uninsured driver. How's that for reality? Didn't even take an hour of driving. If our kid had been in his car unrestrained, what do you think would have happened?

 

Laws of physics apply even if you are on vacation.

Exactly!  I was going to ask, "accept the risk", for what?  Not getting a ticket or the child not being injured or worse?  

[Cigar King]

On 3/23/2023 at 7:45 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

If our kid had been in his car unrestrained

Presumably everyone wears a seat belt...even kids.  There's a big difference between being unrestrained and not using a car seat.

[njkruzer]

Some taxi drivers won't take you if the child needs a car seat and doesn't have one.