Question Car seats for international travel?

We're planning to do some traveling with our 3 kids for a few months. We'll be based in London and will primarily be using public transportation. But I know that there will be occasions when we need to hop in a taxi.

My oldest is 8.5 and can safely ride in the backseat with a regular seat belt. But my (almost) 5 year old and my 1 year old still use car seats (obviously). I know that legally they do not need to be restrained in a taxi if no restraint is available, but I am not willing to compromise their safety.

I'm thinking of getting the Ride Safer vest for my 5 year old, since that seems fairly easy to carry around. But I'm a bit stumped about what to do for the baby.

The only real option I see is the Combi Coccoro with the Flash stroller. With this it seems I could have the car seat with me and use it in taxis as needed.

I realize these seats are not approved for use in Europe, but it seems that they would be safer than using no seats at all. And I'm not going to be buying new seats in every country we visit.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any other alternatives? Or should I get the Ride Safer and the Coccoro? Just trying to figure out what would be my best option.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Jen

I like the options you have come up with. :thumbsup: I was thinking along the same lines for your situation. (I wish we had the Coccoro here in Canada, it seems like such a handy option and they are so cute, too!)

I'm guessing that you are from the US or Canada. I currently live in Italy with the military and we are allowed to use our car seats (US made) since we are US citizens. As long as you aren't planning to move there permanantly you shouldn't have a problem. The only time I have heard of anyone having problems is if they are traveling on non US carrier planes with them.

Another choice might be a Graco SnugRide and the Snugrider. I loved it for traveling with my DD and DS up until almost age two for both and she was very tall for her age.

Unregistered said:

We're planning to do some traveling with our 3 kids for a few months. We'll be based in London and will primarily be using public transportation. But I know that there will be occasions when we need to hop in a taxi.

My oldest is 8.5 and can safely ride in the backseat with a regular seat belt. But my (almost) 5 year old and my 1 year old still use car seats (obviously). I know that legally they do not need to be restrained in a taxi if no restraint is available, but I am not willing to compromise their safety.

I'm thinking of getting the Ride Safer vest for my 5 year old, since that seems fairly easy to carry around. But I'm a bit stumped about what to do for the baby.

The only real option I see is the Combi Coccoro with the Flash stroller. With this it seems I could have the car seat with me and use it in taxis as needed.

I realize these seats are not approved for use in Europe, but it seems that they would be safer than using no seats at all. And I'm not going to be buying new seats in every country we visit.

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I was in London right after Christmas and travelled by taxi twice (From & to where we caught the bus to the airport). Actually, it is the law and very clearly posted that passengers MUST wear seatbelts. I was amazed. The Black cabs have awesome 3pt seatbelts that the way the seat fit, my 7 year old almost successfully passed the 5step test. She just couldn't fully touch the ground, but since the interior was crammed with our bags and her feet were resting on one, I really didn't fuss about it.
I'd say that you could easily get away with a backless booster for your 5 year old.

The interiors of the vehicles were fascinating. No trunk/boot space. rear seats were almost touching the back window area -- broad open space for luggage & stuff, and then 2/3 jump seats facing the rear with 3pt seatbelts.
DH perched on these seats, but they would fit a 7-10 year old kid and make them rear facing

You would definitely have to install with a belt clip on any US infant/child seat. The seats retract without locking. If you're there for several months, it might actually be worth it to get a British seat just due to ease of installation. Don't know. Sorry

A lot really depends on how much taxi service you plan on using. To travel 4 blocks (3 minutes) was 8 pounds. The cost adds up quickly.
For us it was worthwhile not hauling our baggage from the bus to our rented flat and back again. In fact, what it would have cost by Tube to travel two stops, it was the same fee delivered with cheery service. London Taxi drivers are awesome. :thumbsup:

On the other hand, to purchase a single daypass "offpeak" which means after 9:30am on weekdays/all day weekends, was just over 6 pounds to go within zones 1-4. Handy and money saving.

Oyster cards and day passes purchased by adults save money in comparison to buying a single trip fare at 4pounds. Children under 10 accompanied by parents on Tube & Bus are free.
You can find more info at the London Transport Ticket site

Totally off topic, but handy to know as good news is that smoking indoors is pretty much banned. It was so NICE at eateries & casual spots! Made up for the crappy dollar combined with the uber expensive city.

hth a little.

I'm a US citizen living in Italy as well but you're citizenship has nothing to do with what car seats you can legally use. The EU regulation is that all seats used in Europe must be EU approved. It doesn't matter if it's only for one day. Members of the military are exempt from this rule. I think this is in large part due to the fact that the actual base is considered US territory if I'm not mistaken. There are no seats approved for both US and EU.

Since the OP will not be buying an EU seat her only option is to use a US seat and run the next to nil chance that she'll be "caught".

To the OP - I'd consider actually buying an EU bucket seat for the infant. They can click into a stroller frame you may already have. Both my strollers were bought in the US but have adaptive suitable for my EU bucket (we have a bug bee and a BJCSelect and a cabriofix). The cabriofix doesn't require lockoffs as most cars in the EU don't have them and it can be installed with a 3 pt seatbelt.

newyorkDOC said:

I'm a US citizen living in Italy as well but you're citizenship has nothing to do with what car seats you can legally use...... It doesn't matter if it's only for one day. Members of the military are exempt from this rule. I think this is in large part due to the fact that the actual base is considered US territory if I'm not mistaken.

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Policies on car seats & shipped US spec vehicles overseas for those US citizens/military members employed on bases/posts in Europe/Pacific has to do with individual country negotiated with the US set under each applicable SOFA. "Status of Forces Agreement". Has more to do with the fact that American personnel are here on the US government's behalf than the actual location of the bases. For instance, SHAPE in Belgium is NATO leased, not US owned or leased, iirc.

Thanks for the replies and all the detailed information!

Do the EU infant bucket seats accommodate older/bigger kids? Whatever I get needs to work for him from about 13-18 months old. I just assumed he'd be too big for any infant buckets by then. I know he won't fit into his keyfit30 by then as he is very near to the 1 inch mark in headroom right now (at 9 months old).

Or, does anyone know of any convertible EU seats that can attach to a stroller like the Coccoro does?

Jenny

If you were interested at all in a backless booster for your five year old, the Bubble Bum in sold in the UK. I'd love something that portable for my school-age kid ...

Not that I can think of. I missed his age when I suggested the bucket. You're probably better off with the coccoro in that case.

Hi,

I'm in the UK and live in on the outskirts of London, regularly using public transport to get around the city. Hopefully the information below will be helpful. I rarely get a chance to contribute to the forums as our seats / vehicles / regulations are quite different, so hopefully the information below will be some return for the helpful advice I have been provided recently.

The London Underground (Tube) is excellent but regretably not that reliable. The system is well over 140 years old and at times it shows. Be aware that major engineering work takes place on weekends on most lines (including the new overground network) and this frequently results in planned closures. You can find out about planned closures by visiting www.tfl.gov.uk.

This will show both planned closures and live delays/problems. If you have an iPhone or similar I suggest bookmarking the page so you can check whenever you deem it necessary.

Information regarding these closures can also be found at all stations on a large whiteboard near the ticket barriers. The phrase "Planned Engineering Works" covers a multitude of things ranging from complete line closures to reduced escalator services (which maybe important if you have a pushchair).

Secondly, the stations vary greatly with regard to ease of use. Many of the newly refurbished stations (Kings Cross St. Pancras for example) have very wide tunnels, good lift services and modern systems which make life very easy (although at King's Cross St. Pancras you might feel like you've walked halfway across London when changing lines - it is huge!). Nonetheless older stations can be a real hassle to navigate fluently; not only are some of the walkways and tunnels fairly small but often escaltors can breakdown and you are forced to use the stairs.

For this reason I suggest studying the map in detail. Although it is a wonderful piece of visual communication and design it's one criticism is that it does not paint an accurate geographical representation of the city and as such some tourists can easily find themselves paying for a tube journey when it is easier and quicker to walk.

Examples of such include Leicester Square and Covent Garden which are only 250 yards apart at street level (which in my opinion is most definiately not worth paying the Tube fare for as it is quicker to walk) and Bank and Monument which are actually the same station (technically this is indicated on the map but can be easily overseen).

Forgive me if I'm rambling but my point is that a comparison between the street map and the Tube map is well worth doing as it can save you time and a significant amount of money.

I highly recommend buying an Oyster Card. They are easy to use, easy to top up and most importantly will always charge you the lowest fare as well as being universal to all of modes of transport run by TfL. And as I'm sure you have no doubt seen, the Tube is VERY expensive when buying regular tickets.

Also, I don't recommend bothering with Travelcards. The rules were changed in December of last year so that you cannot spend more on an Oyster Card in one day than the cost of the equivlient travelcard. Therefore there is no gain in purchasing a Travelcard. Does that make sense?!

Finally, be aware that due to the age of Tube, the journey is often hot and noisy. Always have a bottle of water with you because no trains or stations are air conditioned.

Having said all the above, I love the Tube and it provides a fantastic service for the majority of the time. I would recommend it to anyone over buses for its simplicity and efficiency when it is running smoothly.

Buses are much the same. The old joke of "It's like a London bus - none for a hour and then two turn up at once" is unfortunately quite true. They have made huge improvements over the last few years and generally the drivers will help you out if one asks nicely (some can be quite short in their response but I assure you it's not purposefully inpolite - driving in London can be stressful!)

Black Cabs are expensive but generally very good as previous posters have stated. Don't forget also there are some areas of London which have trams which are also very efficient.

With regard to car seats I can't really help too much but the law here is that all children younger than 12 or less than 135cm (53") must travel in some form of car seat, be it rear-facing, a forward-facing harnessed seat or a booster seat. If you need more information on this visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/Roadandtravelsafety/DG_10037077.

I hope this is not too much information and that it is helpful. If you need anymore information on getting around London please let me know and I'll do my best to help out. My apologies if I have mentioned that of which you are already aware!

I hope you enjoy travelling around London, it really is an incredible city. The UK might be small but there is so much we to have offer!

Thanks,

Gary.

I would just to say thank you for all the helpful information. It's much appreciated!
Jenny