Which is better

My husband and I are flying into LA with our 2yr old daughter.
Who is about 14kg or 28lb and 87cm or 34" tall.
We have decided to buy a car seat once we arrive instead of hiring one as it will be cheaper.
What do you recommend?
What will be easy to travel with as we wont have the hire car the whole time?
We are also travelling to Atlanta and Memphis, If this makes a difference.

A few ideas-

The safest option for your daughter is a seat with a full 5-point harness, either a convertible or combination model. These will be somewhat heavy and bulky, unfortunately, but they do not make any compromises for safety. Also, most of these models are certified for airplane use which will also be the safest option for your air travel.

A lightweight travel option is the "Tote N Go" travel vest from Cosco. While it does meet federal standards, some parents find it difficult to use and adjust.

Please also see our "Carseat Basics" link under the top banner for some additional information.

Please ask if you have any more questions!

Darren

There's a 5 point carseat called the sit n stroll, that converts into a stroller. The company that makes it is called Safeline, and perhaps you can find a retailer in LA prior to your arrival. It will be imperative that you rent/hire a carseat so that you can drive to the shop to pick up the sit n stroll (or whatever carseat you decide on), as it is the law in california that all children up to age 6 or 60 pounds must be in an approved child restraint. Have a wonderful trip! Julie

There are some major concerns with renting or hiring a child seat.
1) How do you know for certain that the child seat has not been in a crash?
2) Are there any recalls on the child seat?

Given the possibility a rental seat is unsafe, but that they will be here without a carseat at all, can you recommend a safer alternative?

The best seats on the market are the ones with EPS (helmet) foam lining the backrest. ALL Britax seats have this, yet they are the most expensive ($200). THe roundabout or any of its siblings is a great choice as it is versatile and lightweight. It also has bulit in locking clips which make installation a snap. If you rent a car with the new latch system, expect to pay more for a latch compliant seat which makes locking clips obsolete. You can still use a regular carseat (without Latch) even if you do rent a newer car

EPS Foam-

EPS Foam is probably a beneficial feature. Even so, I have seen no studies that show it reduces the chance of injuries in a crash. While I see no downside to its use, I do not know how significant it is in regards to increased safety. I think it is a good feature, but I also think that models without this feature are still very safe if used properly.

There are also some other models with EPS foam, for example, the Evenflo Triumph, Evenflo Comet and the Baby Trend LATCH Loc come to mind offhand. The Jupiter Komfort Kruiser is made primarily out of EPS Foam.

Darren

Amanda said:

My husband and I are flying into LA with our 2yr old daughter.
Who is about 14kg or 28lb and 87cm or 34" tall.
We have decided to buy a car seat once we arrive instead of hiring one as it will be cheaper.
What do you recommend?
What will be easy to travel with as we wont have the hire car the whole time?
We are also travelling to Atlanta and Memphis, If this makes a difference.

Click to expand...

Are you flying from LA to Atlanta & Memphis? If so, here's what I think you should do.

1) Bring your daughter's current seat with you. This will protect her on the plane as well as giving her something to ride in once you land and before you've had an opportunity to purchase a US seat.

2) Before you fly out of LA, get an American seat. You probably will not be allowed to use your foreign seat on a flight originating within the US. If you find you have trouble installing your seat in an American vehicle, you can purchase this sooner, rather than later. Here are my recommendations for seats you should look at. http://www.car-safety.org/carseats.html Any of the ones listed *should* fit your daughter. Stores like Toys R Us let you try seats in your vehicle before you buy. Target and Walmart also carry child seats and have fairly reasonable return policies. Just be sure to save the receipt and the box until you know for sure the seat will work for you.

If you're not flying within the US, you could simply use your own seat for the whole trip (unless you find it doesn't fit in the vehicle correctly). When you fly back home, you may be able to convince the airline to let you use the seat you brought, even though they could technically refuse you. That will depend on the flight attendant.