We don't want to lug our car seat across the country through airports and such. So, we are looking for a reputable car/taxi service that provides car seats in their vehicles for travel from the Orange County airport to the GCH.

Any ideas? Super Shuttle does not have them.

Thanks!

I'd call every cab company until you find one. You could also try the limosine services (FAQ #1), which might be a bit more accommodating. No, it won't be that much more expensive. Isn't your child worth it? (Guilt, guilt.)

I don't believe you are required to belt yourself in a cab, so it is highly unlikely that a random cab would have a car seat as a general rule.

All I can say is that I felt bad for the numerous parents I saw lugging car seats through the Airports on our last trip. I saw one family with 2 car seats and a booster seat :eek: My daughter was two at the time and we knew we were doing the Mears Shuttle thing so I did not bother taking ours. My daughter will be 5 1/2 when we go back and definite booster seat age/ almost able to be buckled but I would not haul mine around. Then again, I am not sure what sort of service we will be using to get from MCO to WDW either. I will have to see if there are any special WDW programs at that time or if a Towncar would be best for us. I would like to avoid Mears if I can.

I would highly recommend taking your own carseat. What kind of carseat are you using? If it's just a booster, you won't use it on the plane, but it also won't be much to lug around. If it's a regular restraint carseat I wouldn't even consider flying without buckling my child into it, and I wouldn't want to use some dirty carseat provided by a taxi service either... you would have to make all of the right adjustments to it to fit your child and since it wouldn't be your carseat it may be hard to figure out how to do it all. I'd feel much more comfortable taking my own.

I would highly recommend taking your own carseat. What kind of carseat are you using? If it's just a booster, you won't use it on the plane, but it also won't be much to lug around. If it's a regular restraint carseat I wouldn't even consider flying without buckling my child into it, and I wouldn't want to use some dirty carseat provided by a taxi service either... you would have to make all of the right adjustments to it to fit your child and since it wouldn't be your carseat it may be hard to figure out how to do it all. I'd feel much more comfortable taking my own.

We have an Evenflo Triumph 5. My daughter is nine months old, so she will be sitting on my lap on the plane. As for bringing my own car seat vs. using a taxi service's car seat, I think it may be more difficult to install my car seat than learn how to use theirs. As for the car seat being dirty, I plan to wipe it down. I can't protect her from every germ - that would make her crazy. Thanks for the advice, however.

We have an Evenflo Triumph 5. My daughter is nine months old, so she will be sitting on my lap on the plane. As for bringing my own car seat vs. using a taxi service's car seat, I think it may be more difficult to install my car seat than learn how to use theirs. As for the car seat being dirty, I plan to wipe it down. I can't protect her from every germ - that would make her crazy. Thanks for the advice, however.

The dirt would actually be the least of my worries... I personally just wouldn't fly without a carseat with a child that young. I've got a Triumph V also, it's a great seat.

The dirt would actually be the least of my worries... I personally just wouldn't fly without a carseat with a child that young. I've got a Triumph V also, it's a great seat.

We just graduated her to the Triumph 5 from her infant seat. She's very long and seems more comfortable. We will be flying out near her bedtime and she will most likely fall asleep on my shoulder for the duration of our flight. Transferring her may wake her. However, safety should be my main concern. A lot to think about.....
thanks again.

We just graduated her to the Triumph 5 from her infant seat. She's very long and seems more comfortable. We will be flying out near her bedtime and she will most likely fall asleep on my shoulder for the duration of our flight. Transferring her may wake her. However, safety should be my main concern. A lot to think about.....
thanks again.

I would very strongly suggest purchasing a ticket for your child and buckling her into a carseat during the flight. It is simply dramatically safer than trying to hold the child in the seat. If the plane hits significant turbulance, you might not be able to hang on to her well enough. Even though it makes travelling more costly and a bit less convenient, I really think a child's safety is worth the difference. Personally, I'm of the view that it is long overdue for the laws to be changed to mandate children of all ages having their own seat on a plane.

We actually have the same car seat that you do and you should be aware that it is physically one of the larger models on the market. We were able to manage with it on a flight last December, but it is pretty cumbersome to carry (it wouldn't fit very well in our carseat bag) and a little hard to get positioned correctly in the airplane seat. The design also makes it fairly difficult to secure it with a seatbelt and I ended up actually cutting my hand a bit doing so. We have another trip coming up next month and actually plan to purchase a smaller carseat for travel use.

-Jeff

Most airlines charge less for a baby's ticket than for an adult ticket. Flying from Michigan won't be a short flight either, so I would think you might be more comfortable with your daughter in a seat, too. I'm probably a broken record on this issue, but flight attendants call lap sitting babies in turbulance: Footballs.

Another thing to consider- If you arrange for a carseat and then arrive to town and find out that for whatever reason it's not available or not the right size for your daugther, then you'll be in a bind, whereas if you have your own carseat with you, you'll know at least that you're covered.

This is one of my soapbox issues so I hope I don't come off as too harsh! I'm just sitting here feeding my 9-m/o as I type this and I know you don't want to be stuck in a situation that isn't safe for your daughter anymore than I would want to be with my sons. They're so little and so cute! :) (Ok, he's cute because he just ate so he's not screaming at the moment... I admit it!)

Adrienne

Oh my gosh, I feel like such a bad parent! :( I guess the importance of a car seat on the PLANE didn't occur to me. I don't think I've ever seen a baby in a car seat on an airplane. But, I probably wasn't looking at the time. Thank you everyone for your wisdom.
Sorry, I'm new at this!

Please don't feel bad... it's completely understandable that you wouldn't know that you need one, airlines don't require them, and sometimes they're a pain... but they really could save a life. I pretty much always fly Southwest, they don't require that you buy a ticket for your little one, if they have enough seats you can just put them in their own seat in the carseat without buying a ticket. I'm not sure if all airlines will do this, you might want to check with them. Max is three now, so he has to have a ticket at this age... but when he was still an infant I would just check with the airline ahead of time to see if there were a lot of empty seats on the flight to get an idea of whether he could use a free seat in advance.

Oh my gosh, I feel like such a bad parent! :( I guess the importance of a car seat on the PLANE didn't occur to me. I don't think I've ever seen a baby in a car seat on an airplane. But, I probably wasn't looking at the time. Thank you everyone for your wisdom.

Please don't feel bad and please don't apologize! This is the kind of thing we parents learn from practice and from other parents. That's why we're here! To share our experiences! I only learned this stuff because I read message boards before we took our son on his first plane trip!

Most airlines try to cram as many people on the planes as possible so really the only way to guarantee that there will be a seat for your daughter's carseat is to buy a ticket. Even on Southwest, you can use a seat you didn't pay for, if one's available.

Sadly with the state of the industry post-9/11 they're less generous than they were before, out of necessity.

Most airlines charge less for a baby's ticket than for an adult ticket. Flying from Michigan won't be a short flight either, so I would think you might be more comfortable with your daughter in a seat, too. I'm probably a broken record on this issue, but flight attendants call lap sitting babies in turbulance: Footballs.


Former flight attendant and a traveling mom of 2, we fly at least once a month, with 2 kids and 2 large, both Britax models, carseats (my DH is a commercial pilot) and I HIGHLY recommend putting your baby in a carseat on the plane. I always tell people, would you hold your baby in a car going over 200mph? If the answer is no, then why hold him/her on the plane? I would say this too, even if my family didn't fly for free. :D It is much safer. Even in light turbulence they can be hard to hang on to, not to mention a rough landing. If you can afford the ticket, buy it.

large, both Britax models, carseats

We're a mulitple Britax family, too. In fact, we currently have two five point harness Britax booster seats and a Britax carseat in Honda Odyssey, the greatest minivan ever.

FYI and a tad off topic: You can "refurbish" an older Britax model through their website. Our carseat was looking a little old, especially the fabric cover/"upholstry," but was still in fantastic condition. We definitely couldn't justify the cost of a brand new Britax. But we went to their website and bought a new cover and new seatbelts for our existing frame. They even have replacement cushion material if yours needs it. (We bought it but when we took ours apart, we didn't need it afterall!)

For a much lower price we have a "new" carseat for the baby! (And the newer seatbelt/harness is a lot easier to use than the old "puzzle" kind was!)

Adrienne