Question Driving to Florida vs Flying to Florida

Hi everyone!

First post. This is a great site!

We're planning a vacation and are debating between driving to Florida from Toronto, Ontario vs flying there.

The problem I am having is trying to find out what the car seat regulations/rules would be for either option.

I am hearing mixed things from friends who have done the trip.
Some say you have to rent a car seat once you're in Florida as they say you're not allowed to use Canadian car seats there.

Others say they've brought their own car seats across the border and used them in their rental cars.

Then with the possibility of driving, if car seat laws change through states, are we legally able to use our car seat from Canada, while driving through the various states?

Any help or experience with this would be much appreciated!!

The good news is, yes, you may use your Canadian seat in the US while traveling as a tourist. That goes for traveling by plane or by car. If you do choose to travel by plane, you should bring your child's seat on board and use it during the flight. Not only will that help keep him/her safe in event of turbulence or a rough landing, but it will also ensure that your seat arrives at the same time you do and is undamaged, which isn't guaranteed if you check your seat as baggage.

Renting a seat has its own pitfalls. 1) Reserving a seat doesn't actually ensure that they'll have one for you. 2) If they do have a seat, it may be damaged, recalled, or difficult to use. You're much better off just bringing your own.

When we flew to Germany, I put our car seats on 2-wheeled luggage carts, piled our carry-ons on top, and wheeled the whole thing through the airport with one hand; I carried my toddler in a pack carrier. Coming home, I put the carseat on the stroller w/ my carry-ons, and carried my toddler in a sling. Both methods worked well, although the luggage cart gave me a free hand, while the stroller took two hands to steer.

Bring your own seats either way. I am not sure about the exact legalities, but as a visitor you would be fine using your seats, as even if it was illegal chances of anyone looking is extremely unlikely. In most cases I think a cop would just check that there IS a seat, never mind if you are using it correctly, let alone if it has one sticker over another.

I would NEVER rent a carseat. You don't know the history of the seat, if it's safe, etc. God knows what you might get.

The rules for bringing your seats on board the plane vary by airline though I think that any US or Canadian airline accepts seats from either country and has to allow you to install and use it if you pay for a seat for your child. Someone correct me if this is not the case for all US airlines.

Personally, I would FLY. But I am just not a roadtrip sort of a person. I want to get to my destination as soon as possible and enjoy being there longer, with a "home base" where everybody can settle in and wind down at night. Sitting for hours and hours and hours in a small space on unfamiliar roads (not to mention the increased risk of driving vs flying) is just not my thing. Unless you want to enjoy a slow driving trip where the journey, and not the destination, is the point.