1

We are heading to Iceland with our daughter. We just hired a car seat. Even though I read many recommendations on forums recommending people to carry their own baby seat because the ones you rent might not be in great shape, I was too afraid of having ours broken during the trip (you've seen how luggage is handeled...) Also, in many countries, the baby seat must have a valid safety seal.

I don't think the regulation is that strict in Indonesia though. It seem that most children travel on their parents lap.

Could you rent one or buy a cheap one once there?

2

Hi,

You may think I am a bad mother but I don't worry about taking one when travelling.

I would check the car seat as it may get damaged but you can take it on the flight. You will just need to check with your airline on procedures and standards that need to be met. Consider whether your toddler will remained strapped in the car seat for the flights duration.

If you are planning on using the seat in Bali taxis I doubt that many of them will have the required anchors for the car seat. The newer private cars you may hire with a driver probably will have the anchor but take a strap to reach the anchor as it may be located in the boot area.

Happy travels

3

Agree with number 2 - most Indonesian cars don't have seatbelts let alone places to fasten child safety seats.

4

Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean that the laws of physics and the realities of driving with an unrestrained child change.

Before deciding on bringing a car seat, first check your airlines' policies on this subject. It's usually on the website. If not, email (don't call) them and get the skinny on it.

Also, check your car seat. I can say universally, if you're in Canada or the U.S., it's airline approved (very few on the market aren't). There will be a sticker somewhere on the seat saying that it's airplane approved. By contrast, if your seat requires a shoulder belt to install it, then it probably isn't, as is often the case in Europe. Airplanes only have lap belts. The manual will solve this mystery if you're unsure.

Then, research your destination. Any way that you can avoid taxis and personal cars while there? Is there a shuttle to your hotel? In some places, local buses aren't secure so visit elsewhere on this site and find out. If you can avoid small vehicles, even if your child is not restrained, you still have the statistics and physics on your side.

The lap belt on an airplane isn't going to restrain a 2 year old very well so it's much safer to have the car seat on board. But if you can avoid road travel in general, than taking the "risk" in the airplane might be worthwhile. Commercial air travel is very safe so there's little chance of anything going wrong (the logic behind lap babies).

Never use a car seat from a car rental company. Many parents claim they're "fine" but there's no way to really know. There's also a hygiene issue with these seats.

Never check a car seat as luggage. Bringing it on board and using it is the smartest plan. If you can't do that, gate-checking is preferable to luggage checking. Remember, car seats are only built to withstand ONE accident.

I simply put my car seat on a small, metal luggage cart and pulled it behind me as I went through the airport. They sell specific gizmos for the same purpose but they're basically just overpriced luggage cart.

I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three kids. Lots of flying tips on the net but few from actual airline people. Mine is totally non-commercial (I'm just sooooo altruistic ;)

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

5

If it is of any help to you, especially if you travel frequently, there is an inflatable car seat that is fully approved. It is called BubbleBum and we have been using it for some time with much success. It is designed for kids 4-11 yrs old, and 40-100 lbs. When not in use it rolls up deflated into a nice small package.

6

Hi FinchOpal,

I am currently in the process of doing some research for an article about hiring baby equipment and the availability of delivery made to airports.

I often suggest to people on the forums to consider baby hire with the next person saying they won't deliver.

So yes some companies will not deliver to the airport. Yet some will.

Do a Google search for "baby equipment hire and your destination". I have found for Bali "Bali Baby" http://www.balibaby.com

Hope that helps
Happy travels