Alison

Hi,

We are travelling from Edinburgh, Scotland to California in May 2002 and are keen to bring our two year old's booster seat with us. Mainly, it is to give her more comfort on the 11 hour flight, but also, we thought it might save a few pennies (sorry, dimes!)with our car hire. We hear that US car seat laws are quite stringent, are booster seats ok?

sister

What do you mean by "booster seat"...a booster seat here in the US is about 10 inches thick..no sides..no backs..just a huge cushion..is that what you mean? if it is, then NO that will not work here in the US. If your 2 year old is too big for the standard car seat(the kind that have the bar that comes down) there are seats made that do NOT have the bar(but have the sides and back). They sit directly upon the car cushion..and you strap them in using the car seat belt to securely fasten your loved one in. Many have strap adjusters so your toddler won't fall out. You are a brave soul to drive here in the US (steering on the opposite side et al) and to come with kids..Good luck!

nina

Most states will allow booster seats for children who are 4 and or over 40 pounds. I would think that a 2 year old, unless she is very large, would be riding illegally in a booster seat. Until she meets those size and age requirements, she should be in a childs car seat, not booster seat, by law. Whether you want to take the risk is up to you. I was only stopped once to have my car seats checked. This is done very infrequently.

Of course you may want to check with the rental car agency as they probably will require you to rent a car seat for your daughter anyway, for insurance purposes. If you had an accident and had no car seat, there would be trouble.

ryan

Alison,
Each state has different rules regarding child seats.

I might suggest that you look on the California Department of Motor Vehicles website for their specific laws. The rental car agency might also be able to help you with this.

Suzie

California requires a car seat for children who are 40 pounds or 4 years old whichever is LATER. Then from 6 years to 60 pounds, whichever is later, they are required to be buckled into an approved booster seat. Some of my daughter's fellow second graders, who were out of car seats for awhile now, had to get into booster seats in January to comply with the law.

Lexma90

Just in case your usage of the word "booster seat" is different from the meaning in the U.S.:

infant seat: rear-facing seat for children up to 22 (or so; varies by manufacturer) pounds. The seat is attached to the car by means of the car seat belt. The child is buckled into the infant seat.

car seat: forward-facing seat for children up to 40 or 45 pounds (varies by manufacturer). The seat is attached to the car by means of the car seat belt; the child is buckled into the car seat by means of straps that are part of the car seat.

booster seat: forward-facing seat for children 40/45 pounds to 60 pounds. The seat is NOT attached to the car, and the kid and seat are buckled in using the car's lap/shoulder belt.

It is possible to have a combination car seat/booster seat - that's what I have. When my son hit 40 pounds, I removed the straps from the seat and he sits on that seat, using the car's lap/shoulder belt.

California law will not allow you to use a booster seat (U.S. definition) for a kid under 40 pounds. Many (all?) car rental places do provide car seats (and booster seats) these days, though usually at a rather steep price (I paid $5/day), and they won't guarantee that they'll have the car seat, though you can reserve it.

If your booster seat complies with California law, bring it with you - my youngest child is much comforted by being in her own familiar car seat during plane flights, and it also allows her to see (a bit) out the window.

D

Check your car seat/booster has a sticker that it is approved for airplane use. Some (or most?) airlines check for this before they will let you use it in flight.

Suzie

I'd check with the car rental company on what car seat would be available. The car seats we were shown were unacceptable to us. If the car seat had been in an accident prior to your use you would not know that and could be restraining your child in an unsafe seat. Although the car seat shows no physical damage once it has been in an accident is should be discarded due to possible stress factors that would render it unsafe. I have taken our child's car seat on the plane in the past and have buckled them into it on the plane. I had no problems. This was prior to 9/11 so I would definitly check with your airline carrier.

Sue

Hi Alison! Here is the web site from the US Dept. of Transportation on car seats for more info.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/

In most states it is mandatory you use a car seat and they do check and fine. As to rental car seats, they are oftentimes not cleaned off after usage and could be damaged. Better to take your own and use it on both the plane and in the rental car.

travellyn

If possible, bring a car seat from the UK. The car seat you rent with the car may be unacceptable in terms of being outdated, overpriced, and filthy. (This is what happened the first and only time I tried renting one.)

If this is the case, and all you have is the booster seat, you may want to use the booster seat long enough to drive to a discount store like Wal-Mart to buy a new car seat.

shecky

Just remember we drive here on the right side of the road.

Tracey

Booster seats are not allowed on U.S. flights. We brought our 2 children on a flight to Florida. We brought a car seat for one and a booster seat for the other. We got it on the plane and buckled the kids in. Prior to takeoff, as the flight attendant was doing her checks, we were informed that car seats were okay, but booster seats not allowed. We had to take if out and they put it in with the luggage.

liz

Ditto Tracey's response. My son is 3 and a half and I figured I would move him into a booster seat for our upcoming trip to Florida. I went on the manufacturer's website and picked out a booster seat but when I read the details, it said "not approved for airplane use". When I called they said booster seats are not allowed on planes because they use shoulder belts which planes don't have. I asked what happens when my son reaches 40 pounds and cannot use his carseat anymore on a plane. Kids over 40 pounds should only use the airplane's lap belt. Sounds odd to me.

gail

I think kids are safest in a regular car seat on a plane. Boosters seats will not meet legal requirements in most states for kids of that age. Another option is to buy one here - I know that sounds silly, but it is often far cheaper than renting one from the car rental company.

N.M.

I don't think any of the states permit 2 year olds to be in just a booster seat. You might want to consider just buying a carseat for your 2 year old while you are here. You can get one for about $60. That might cost less than renting one with your car.

Maureen

We have a booster seat that says it is FAA approved. This booster is different from those described above. It is a seat (platform) with a bar across the lap - no back. It was purchased here in the US, but is similar to one we rented in France. We used it for our son when he hit 40 pounds at the age of 2. (He was way to big for a car seat!!)

We were still not allowed to use it on a plane, though. As the stewardess explained, it did not have a back - when a plane crashes the seats fold forward which would crush him between the seat and the lap bar. With that in mind if yours is like this you may not want to use it at all.

Monica Richards

Just to add more probably useless info about carseats, the type with the bar that comes down (called "overhead shield carseats") are much less safe than those with a five-point harness. So if you do buy one in the states, don't buy an overhead shield one!