Infant without a Child Restraint Seat??
 

To all who have responded to Tosca's Question: I too am in a dilemma. I am about to head to NYC from Melbourne, Australia, and I am therefore unable to carry our own infant child restraint. (especially seeing as we will not be hiring a vehicle in NYC).
I wanted to know what anyone's views were on doing the one trip from JFK to Manhattan with a 10 month old were. I have spent weeks researching, using travel agents etc.. to try and find a car service, hire service or anything to put my daughter in a child restraint, but they are simply not provided by anyone. What are peoples thoughts about this? I am nervous about carrying her on my lap (even in a hire limo service??) Thanks for your thoughts. Emsta

Just wondering why you can't bring the car seat with you. If there is room on the plane it will make traveling so much easier for all of you. And if there isn't a seat available for your baby, they will put in in baggage for you. Then you can use it in the cab and just leave it in the hotel until you need it again. It's a bit of a pain, but safe and easy.

But maybe there is a reason why you can't bring it along!

You can check your carseat at the ticket counter and you can take the stroller right to the plane where they will stow it for you. Then it will be waiting for you when you get off the plane. When we did this the pilot actually retreived the stroller for me.

Are you not taking the car seat on teh plane for your chld to sit in during the flight? The seat belt doesn't work for an infant. How will the child be restrained during the flight? We always took the car seat on the plane.

Are you just wanting to know what the odds are that your child will be safe going from JFK and back without a child restraint?

Well....If you don't get in a collision or have to stop too suddenly, your child will be fine. If you do, your child could be seriously injured.

People get in auto accidents all the time, both on the road from JFK and on the streets of Manhattan. Odds are that you won't, but are you willing to take the chance with your child?

We can't answer that for you.

(and this is from a mom who got a 1 am call that my daughter's NYC cab had gotten in a serious collision. Luckily, she and her friends had on their seat belts....)

And don't some of the car services have child seats available? I thought my friends were able to pay extra for one...

I always brought the car seat with me. You check it with your luggage. They will cover it with a large plastic bag & when you get to NYC you will simply retrieve the car seat w/ your luggage. It's easy.

Thankyou to those who have posted replies. In Australia our car seats are fitted by specialists, that fall under legalislation here. I don't own a car seat that I can disable and carry. (I could purchase one), but in Los Angeles we have a hire car with a Child Restraint Seat, and on the plane, my daughter is allocated a Bassinet in a bulkhead seat. I would have to check any infant seat as luggage. So the only time I would need the infant seat is the trip to and from the airport. My dilemma with it is, that I am extremely nervous about travelling with her on my lap in a car (of any sort), but this is what all my friends have said is the norm in NYC, unless you have your own vehicle. In Australia, we have taxi's that have the child restraints installed. I cannot find any car company that will provide one because of the liability involved. I just cant wrap my head around it, and I am sure I am unable to get a child restraint to take with me.

As a last resort put her in a Baby Bjorn type of carrier on you.

limores.net has a spot on their reservation form to indicate a child seat required.

Wow the things you learn here. That info about car seats in Australia is so interesting. I can understand your concerns. I hope someone is able to help you with something you can use. Hope the above link to the limo works out for you.

good find, mclaurie!

Problem solved!

My grandaughter uses a combination car seat and stroller when traveling in airports or renting a car on vacation. She uses it on the plane, but you could check it at the gate because your baby is in the bassinet. They ordered it online.

http://www.strollerdepot.com/moreinfo.php?SKU=0012

Very cool item, MBnancy.

Shouldn't the baby be in a child seat on the plane? And won;t that attach to either a cab or a car service?

If, for some reason you don;t want to bring one of those convertible seats/strollers (which you'll need in the city anyway) you COULD rent a car at the ariport with a baby seat to drive into the city and drop it there. Then do the reverse on your return.

Natually it will be more than a car service - but you can get a car for the day for about $100 or less (if you reserve a small car in advance and use an affiliation such as AMEX etc) not much more than the $60 (fixed fare plus tip and toll) that a cab would cost.

Isn't it illegal to travel with a baby on your lap in NY anyway? So you will have to have something.

Mincepie - In NYC it is not against the law to let a child sit on your lap while riding in a taxi cab. The law specifically exempts taxi cabs from the child-restaint seating requirements.

Again, thankyou so much for all of your advice and suggestions. It is a daunting task figuring all of this out, and naturally I only want to do what is safest for my daughter. Regardless of the cost involved. Someone has suggested 'PARIS LIMOSUINE SERVICE' who offer transfers with Infant Restraints.. THANKGOD!! Also, the limores I will definitely check out. Many thanks for all of your help.
Hopefully, it is a safe and successful trip.

Thanks A Traveller...I did not know that.

NYC doesn't requrire car seats to be used in "public transportation", which includes busses, subways, taxis and car services, but it is highly recommended. A handful of local car services will provide car seats on request. The ones I see recommended most frequently are called Legends (718-788-1234) and New Family (212-749-7777).

Since you are in need of an infant seat, I would strongly recommend acquiring one for your use while in NYC if you are going to take taxis at all. Doesn't matter if taxis are exempt from car seat laws. I took my son in an infant seat whenever I took him in a taxi, no matter what (so long as he fit in one, that is).

Can you buy one on-line to take with you? I have heard them called "baby buckets" by non-American friends. Check out www.thecarseatlady.com for stats on babies injured in NYC taxi cabs. There is a link for contacting them, and perhaps they will have additional advice if you are still in need of some.

I would confirm both over the phone and in writing with any car service you use that they are 1) providing a car seat; and 2) providing the right size seat. You say your daughter is 10 months, but many babies here have outgrown an infant seat by the time they are 10 months old and need a rear-facing convertible seat. You will need to provide the car service with weight and length measurements to determine which seat you need. Most babies pass the length limit (often overlooked - I am always amazed at what I hear from cautious, conscientous people I know) long before the weight limit.

One other option you may want to explore is a baby equipment rental service such as babysaway.com or something similar. Maybe they can get the right seat for your daughter to the airport, and being a baby-oriented company may be more likely to get you the right product. I don't have personal experience with them.

Also, I do not like the stroller/car seat combos because if you plan to use it as your stroller at your destination, they just sit too low for my comfort level. Just think of all the car exhaust fumes that are being directed right into your little one's face, not to mention the cigarette ash that gets flicked into their face (sometimes even with a regular stroller) yuck!

If your child is big enough, check out the Safey 1st Tote n' Go. Easy to tote around and definitely better than not having a car seat.

Hope the trip goes well and that you have a wonderful time! New York can be so much fun with a little one in tow!

I am not an expert, but you might

1. Book a car service with infant seats from the airport to your hotel.

2. Notify your hotel that a package containing a car seat will be arriving for you to be held for your arrival. Most hotels are very good about this.

3. Order a car seat over the web and have it delivered to your hotel. The cost will be trivial in the overall cost for the trip.

4. When you leave the US donate it to a charity (Salvation Army?) or ask one of the hotel workers if they know anyone who could use it. Give them a letter of gift so they are not accused of stealing it.

5. I can't imagine most cabs being very happy with your taking the time to hook up a seat fully (roof straps etc) every time you get in, but a ten-month old strapped into a rear-facing, heavy duty seat will be safer than a ten-month old in your arms even if it is not restrained by seatbelts, and most seats can be used with lap belts only, though the custom installation is of course better.