Our group will have 4 adults, a 3 yr. old, a 4 yr. old, and a 5 month old. We aren't planning on bringing car seats (infant is flying as a lap baby), so I'm wondering what our options will be for transportation from airport to DLR/hotel.

Can we take a van cab without carseats in California? or would we need to take a shuttle van?

Any tips and info welcome! Our trip is in early December...

Sonja, I'm not sure that van cabs offer car seat options, nor do I know if the Shuttle service vans do.. But in california all 3 of your children are required to be in approved car seats, so I'd be making some phone calls, or checking your car seats as luggage to have them available when you land... good luck!

With four adults, it should be relatively easy to check three car seats and maybe a stroller into luggage.

We went to Hawaii for a week long trip with two kids and we packed the seats along with our luggage. The stroller went with us to the gate and was packed into cargo just before boarding. The whole process was manageable, not effortless, but manageable.

Sorry, I know nothing about van cabs or the Shuttles ability to accomodate kids.

OK, I read a little California Vehicle statute, and I called an Anaheim cab company. The gal I spoke with said "you're not required to have a car seat, but it's under your responsibility."

Which is half-true, according to the statutes I read. The DRIVER of the vehicle is NOT commiting a crime if the (non-driving) parent or guardian is also in the vehicle with the unrestrained child. So legally, the parents ARE required to use appropriate vehicle restraints, and it's YOUR responsibility (and legal risk) if you fail to do so. From here, it becomes less clearcut, though. The implication of the cab company's statement is that law enforcement is not making a habit of pulling over taxis full of tourists just to enforce this law. The fine's only $100 bucks anyway.

"But the children will be safer!", I hear you saying. Well sure, they will be safer while you're riding in the shuttle or taxi. But "safer" at what cost? If you're overwhelmed with gear and not keeping as close an eye on them as you would if you just had a rolling suitcase and a stroller, are they really "safer" when all the statistics, covering all the risks you face when you take your children on a trip, are tabulated? I certainly don't know the answer to this.

Lots of devastating things can happen while you're travelling, and you just have to decide how many precautions you want to take. Not EVERY precaution, certainly, or you would just stay home. Motor vehicle accidents are frequent and dangerous, but so are motor vehicle/pedestrian collisions; who had the kids under control while you were installing the car seats at curbside? So you've just got to find the definition of "every REASONABLE precaution" that you're comfortable with.

Another option with a group as large as yours would be to hire a limo. We had a group of 7 and found that a limo at $100 was only a tad bit more than 7 shuttle tickets. The limo company might be able to arrange car seats for you, or if you brought your own you would not feel rushed. It was so luxurious to have our private limo waiting for us and take us directly to our hotel. On the way we all enjoyed soft drinks. It's a thought.

I'm tempted by the limo...I've never ridden in one and I bet the kids would love it!

Originally posted by Tiptoes
OK, I read a little California Vehicle statute, and I called an Anaheim cab company. The gal I spoke with said "you're not required to have a car seat, but it's under your responsibility."

Which is half-true, according to the statutes I read. The DRIVER of the vehicle is NOT commiting a crime if the (non-driving) parent or guardian is also in the vehicle with the unrestrained child. So legally, the parents ARE required to use appropriate vehicle restraints, and it's YOUR responsibility (and legal risk) if you fail to do so. From here, it becomes less clearcut, though. The implication of the cab company's statement is that law enforcement is not making a habit of pulling over taxis full of tourists just to enforce this law. The fine's only $100 bucks anyway.




Ok, I'm not going to argue that traveling with kids is very stressful, any parent that has done it KNOWS this. Will the cab driver refuse to transport you without the car seats, probably not. However, that fine you mentioned.. is PER child, and that's ONLY if the officer is in a very very very good mood, otherwise a call gets made, and the arrest charges will read Child endangerment. More and more of the CHP and local law enforcement officers are so tired of picking up the pieces of little ones improperly restrained/car seat issues that they are now exercising the law to it's fullest capacity. Seat BELT tickets are inexpensive, NOT having a minor properly restrained is NOT the same issue. You are totally within your rights to make your choices which laws to follow, how safe you want your child to be. But if you put those 3 kids in any moving vehicle without an approved car seat, I hope my nephew is on duty!

Originally posted by Tiptoes
"But the children will be safer!", I hear you saying. Well sure, they will be safer while you're riding in the shuttle or taxi. But "safer" at what cost? If you're overwhelmed with gear and not keeping as close an eye on them as you would if you just had a rolling suitcase and a stroller, are they really "safer" when all the statistics, covering all the risks you face when you take your children on a trip, are tabulated? I certainly don't know the answer to this.

You know, I have to say, if I was in a car accident, the guilt that I would have to endure for having not properly secured my child, would be far worse than the short-term cost of being overwhelmed at the airport.

Maybe it's because my sister is a ped at Children's LA. She's taken me on a tour of the hospital. Nothing's worth putting my child in that kind of risk, if I can avoid it.

Yes, the carseats will be inconvenient to carry. If it were me, I'd drag my carseats or find transportation alternatives that will provide them for me.

I think the Limo sounds like fun, myself! I hope they can provide carseats!

Adrienne

One Step Ahead makes a car seat bag. You put the car seat in, zip it up, and sling it over your shoulder with the carrying strap. Yes, you're a bit loaded down, but it's infinitely safer.

We have flown with our son since he was ten months old. He has always had his own seat (in the car seat up until the last two flights). He has frequent flyer miles on three airlines, and has earned enough miles that he just flew on a free ticket, so I think that we can speak from experience.

BRING THE CAR SEATS! We have installed the seat in rental cars, in the Super Shuttle from LAX to DLR and DLR to SNA. While he's now big enough to ride in the airplane with the seat belt fitting correctly, he still needs it in the cars/shuttles. We have flown with the car seat from upstate NY to Florida, Washington, DC, Disneyland, San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans. If the older kids can ride in the plane with the standard seatbelts, put the car seats in the car seat bags and check them as luggage. (Make sure that they're correctly tagged to be checked through to your final destination and not as gate-checked, or they'll be sitting on the jetway in your connecting city, and you may have to wait a bit for them to catch up to you. This has happened to us before.)

The car seat bags are invaluable. It makes them so much easier to carry, and they fold up small enough to easily stow in the overhead bins. Yes, it'll take a while to get them back in the bags when you land, but since you have four adults, you've got enough for some to keep an eye on the kids and the others to bag the seats. If you're gate checking the stroller, put the car seat bag(s) that are being installed on the plane on/in the stroller and have someone carry the child. Roll the bags down the jetway on the stroller, gate check the stroller, carry the bags on, and set up the seats. This is what pre-boarding is for.

Best wishes, and enjoy your trip.

Originally posted by miss_sonja
Our group will have 4 adults, a 3 yr. old, a 4 yr. old, and a 5 month old. We aren't planning on bringing car seats (infant is flying as a lap baby), so I'm wondering what our options will be for transportation from airport to DLR/hotel.

Can we take a van cab without carseats in California? or would we need to take a shuttle van?

Any tips and info welcome! Our trip is in early December...

By the way, when we flew, we checked our car seats, my two and a half year old had his own seat which he shared with his 1 and a half year old sister (she was booked as a lap infant, i.e., free). With our three seats abreast, we folded up the arms so we had more room. It worked reasonably well. The existing seat belt worked for him and we just carried the little girl on take off, landing and turbolence.

We made sure to bring a FULL backpack of activities, snacks and things to keep kids busy. My wife was great in metering out the activities so that they were always busy. Even so, the five hour flight was pushing it. Don't forget to get them to drink a little on ascent and descent! That will help with the ear popping problem associated with air pressure changes.

As far as to car seat or not. . .I'm in the camp DEFINATELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT. My wife, who is alone with the kids the whole day can handle the tots while I schlepp cargo around and install the seats. It is a failure of my parental responsibility to not ensure their safety at every turn. Keeping your children safe is not subject to a "risk-reward" analysis. Period. It's more work, but I can sleep at night.

If you take the bus (there is a large, full size bus that does shuttles between the hotels and airports), then you wont need car seats. They arent required, and I dont really think you would need them. However if you take something smaller then the bus I would probably recomend car seats.