Will be traveling to Hawaii with a 6 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. Any ideas for renting car seats so that we don't have to air travel with them? Also, any kid friendly events/attractions that you suggest? Thanks for the info.

Any Car Rental Agency can rent a car seat with the car rental. I can see doing that for the 2.5 year old. Hopefully, you are buying an airline seat for the 6th month old - it is much safer for the baby and more comfortable for both of you and your fellow passengers around you, so taking along the little one's car seat (that she/he is used to and will be comfortable in during the flight) only makes sense.

While I think Hawaii is a wonderful place for family vacations, I don't think flying with infants is a good idea unless it is absolutely necessary.

Perhaps you should consider going somewhere close to home for now and saving HI for when your chidren are older or leaving at least your baby with family.

If you do insist on taking the trip and want suggestions, you should specify which islands you are going to.

Andrew-Both the Department of Transportation and the Assoication of Flight Attendants recommend using car seats on airplanes. Clear air turbulence is a very real and common occurence. Unsecured children can act as projectiles during sudden, severe turbulence!

I was on a flight once where the turbulence got so bad, some poor child was bounced off the overhead bins! It really makes me mad when parents fly without car seats! You use them in your car, why on earth would you travel 30,000 feet in unstable air without your child strapped in one!

I hope you are not planning on lap flying your 6 month old. Safety experts strongly advise against it. Remember the United Crash in Sioux City, Iowa. A mother placed her lap held child on the floor and the child was ripped from her arms.

The safest way to travel with young children is to buy the extra seats and take their car seats. Children are used to sitting in them and it makes for a more pleasant and safe flight. As for lugging them around--they have carts in airports. If you fly with children, be prepared to lug extra stuff. Otherwise, stay home until they are older...

You should take your car seats with you, despite the hassle. Make sure that they are the type that will fit on a plane seat. As other posters mentioned, it is the safest way for your children to travel. Even if you did not book a seat for your 6 mth old, if there are spare seats, the airline will let you bring it on board. You can't depend on the rental car agencies to have seats of the standard that you might buy, in the condition that you would like for your children. Also,I recommend a great family guidebook, called Family Paradise Guide. I think they have one for each island. I have tried the Maui and Kauai guides and found them quite useful. I started taking my child to Hawaii when he was 7 mths old and he has loved it every time (he is 8 now). I had much more difficulty flying with him at age 2 than at 6mths, by the way. They want to move around more at 2 and may find the confinement in the seat quite difficult. I don't know what you have booked for lodging but we prefer condos, especially with children: more room to spread out, feed the children meals they are most comfortable with, etc.

We travel regularly with our toddler, and have found the Sit'n'Stroll car seat to be a lifesaver in airports. It is a carseat that is FAA approved and it converts to a stroller!

When we first used it (Panama, St. Maarten, Orlando), our 9-month old fell asleep on the plane. We were able to conver it without waking him, roll off the plane to our next flight, and drop him in the seat of the next plane, all without waking him. It was amazing.

I agree on the lap baby thing. If your kid isn't important enough for his/her own ticket, reconsider traveling with the child. If something happens, you will never forgive yourself for not ponying up the cash for the ticket. Plus, odds are, the child will sleep, and so will you.

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