Car Seats for 40+ pound 4 year old renting car

[Jay_G]

My son isn't 4 yet but will be in 6 months when we go to Disney. He is in a front facing car seat now. He's 41.25 inches tall and 43 pounds, I assume he will grow a bit over the next 6 months.

We will fly and rent a car, I know you can get a car seat from the rental company but it seems to cost almost as much as the car itself. I assume there is a smaller option than a full sized car seat. I've been told kids need booster seats until they are 12ish, which honestly seems exessive at least for a kid who is bigger than 94% of his peers.

Is there one that is smaller, maybe folds up for travel? I saw something that looked like a life jacket that makes the standard seatbelt work better in the car, but I'm not sure if that's legal. If the law in Florida says all kids need to be in a car seat under a certain age, and I show them that this vest is the same thing, I can imagine that not going over so well?

What would you do?

 

[Passepartout]

What would you do?

Take his car seat from home and gate-check it.

 

[wwomant]

No, a life vest option won't work. In CA the smallest thing you can do is a booster seat. You can bring his car seat from home (or a booster seat, which you can purchase at Walmart for around $15 if you'd rather carry that) and gate check it, or rent a seat from the rental car company.

Carrying and gate checking a small no back booster is pretty easy, so that is what I would do.

 

[natasha5687]

No, a life vest option won't work. In CA the smallest thing you can do is a booster seat. You can bring his car seat from home (or a booster seat, which you can purchase at Walmart for around $15 if you'd rather carry that) and gate check it, or rent a seat from the rental car company.

Carrying and gate checking a small no back booster is pretty easy, so that is what I would do.

Plus 1 for bringing the car seat from home. Thats normally what we do and there is no extra expense. Our alternative would also be to buy a booster from Walmart. They are normally $20.

 

[jehb2]

Take his car seat from home and gate-check it.

Our kids have flown a lot and we always bring their carseats. Rental car companies don't always have the right car seat no matter what they tell you. Rental car seat are not necessarily all that clean - a big no no for me. And our kids are just a lot more comfortable in their own seats. If you really don't want to take your regular car seat double check and see if your child meets the backless booster guidelines.

 

[ronparise]

My daughter travels with her sons car seat..Its this complicated contraption that doubles as a stroller. The kid gets his own seat on the plane. and sits in the car seat just like in the car..The stroller part folds up and goes into the overhead

I used to throw a small crib in the back of the VW Bus My daughter (in the crib) would slide from one side of the bus to the other as I turned corners. If I wanted to check on her, I just hit the breaks and she would slide forward...When she got older she sat on my lap as I drove....How times have changed

Bring the car seat

 

[Joan-OH]

I used to throw a small crib in the back of the VW Bus My daughter (in the crib) would slide from one side of the bus to the other as I turned corners. If I wanted to check on her, I just hit the breaks and she would slide forward...When she got older she sat on my lap as I drove....How times have changed

This makes me Laugh. How did we all survive childhood before car seats or seatbelts for that matter! I remember all of us - and there were 12 - in the station wagon going down the highway at 70-80 mph. And we didn't dare misbehave or "touch" someone because if the whining started, Dad would just start swinging from the front seat - going 80. YIKES!!! LOL

 

[vacationhopeful]

Reminds me of the time us 4 older kids told our parents that our youngest sister (about 3) was in the rear of the station wagon on our cross country trip. We were halfway thru Ohio and 90 minutes later, before Mom discovered that was NOT so.

50 years later, it is still a good sibling laugh about baby sister. She was eating ice cream when she was recovered by us and we all wanted ice cream, too.

PS She still does not think it was funny.

 

[Twinkstarr]

This makes me Laugh. How did we all survive childhood before car seats or seatbelts for that matter! I remember all of us - and there were 12 - in the station wagon going down the highway at 70-80 mph. And we didn't dare misbehave or "touch" someone because if the whining started, Dad would just start swinging from the front seat - going 80. YIKES!!! LOL

My dad and uncle used to tell my us(my sister and 4 male cousins) that if we were misbehaving in the "way back" of the station wagon, they would use the "button" which would open the back and throw the misbehaving child out.

Fortunately we have been out of booster seats for a few years. Tall DH=tall sons. I've moved on to how do I keep track of DH's casual clothes vs 15 yr olds.

 

[MichaelColey]

We always pack our own car seats and check them at the counter. I don't know of any airlines that charge to check car seats, so that's not a problem.

I've never seen the need to rent car seats or GPS units from rental car companies or strollers from theme parks -- they can all be brought from home for free.

 

[Jay_G]

Thank You,
My son is outgrowing his current car seat (his feet seem too close to the back on my seat), I'm looking at lighter boosters. I'm thinking about one with the removable back. I figure if he sleeps in the car having a back is a really good idea, even if he is tall enough to go backless. I don't see him sleeping in the car in Orlando, longest trip might be to the airport and we will probibly use Magical Express for that and only rent a car for a few days during the week.

Jay

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

If you don't need the car immediately, you probably could have you or your wife go get it and go to WalMart and get the inexpensive booster seat if he fits the requirements, sounds like about the cost of buying a beach chair in Hawaii.
Liz

 

[danb]

Car Seats

Wew just returned from Orlando and my two grandsons are the same size. My DIL bought inflatable booster seats that were rated very well. They can be deflated and put into your luggage when no longer needed. They worked great.

 

[DeniseM]

Wew just returned from Orlando and my two grandsons are the same size. My DIL bought inflatable booster seats that were rated very well. They can be deflated and put into your luggage when no longer needed. They worked great.

Be sure that whatever you choose meets the letter of the law in the state. The fines for having an illegal car seat are the same as not having one at all, in most states.