Question This is the car seat for rent in Mexico

Hi there;
We are traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with our 2.5 yr old on & 8 month old daughter. Like others who have posted, we are trying to find the balance between keeping our kids safe and realistically carting all the STUFF with us.

We are renting a car and they have car seats available. I'm concerned with the "toddler" seat for my daughter (14.5lbs, 25"). Are these seats even legal anymore? What about rear facing?

Here was the answer about the weight ranges for the seats:
"The toddler seats are 10 to 35lbs and the booster seats are from 35lbs and up."

My son is right around 35 lbs, so could go in either the "booster" or "toddler" seat.

We are thinking about taking a bucket seat for her & renting the "booster" for him.

I've posted the pictures they sent me at the following link:
http://min.us/m2LZYYxfb20AB#1 I did try and hunt these down on the Graco website. The "booster" seat appears to be the Graco CarGo Booster Seat. I can't find the "toddler" seat anywhere!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. So far, this is the most stressful part of traveling with them!

Thanks,
Susan

The bigger question as to "what is it?" (it's a Comfortsport overhead shield, likely outgrown rear and forward facing, and 2.5 years old is far too young for a booster), is has it been in a crash? Well maintained? Recalled? Peed in? Pooped in? Thrown up in? Cleaned with bleach? The answer to all of these is likely to be, "I don't know." Do you want your son sitting in a seat with an unknown history with who knows whose puke so you can leave his carseat at home?

Besides, what will he sit in on the plane?

Take his carseat. What is it? The Traveling Toddler is my favorite way to get a carseat around an airport. Others like the GoGo Kidz, or a cheap luggage cart and a bungee cord.

Wendy

What Wendy said. You don't know if the seats they provide are truly safe. [Never mind this part, since the "booster" is the Cargo and does have a harness... Your son is waaaay too young for a booster seat, both physiologically and in terms of maturity to sit properly, and vacation is no place to start booster training.] Bringing seats is really not as huge a deal as it sounds if you plan things out well. The Cargo they are showing for rent is not only sight-unseen and might be crashed/misused/etc. it is also rear adjust if the picture is accurate, so you would need to uninstall to adjust the harness if he fit a bit differently between morning/night, etc.

I agree that bringing your DD's bucket is the best plan for her. It will be easy to carry/put in a stroller or frame, it will give her a comfortable, familiar place to rest while you are dealing with luggage, etc. and ideally you would have a seat for her on the plane so she can be safe there as well.

If your DS rides in a seat that is too heavy/big/expensive/wide/whatever, I would buy a light travel seat. If he still fits in the Scenera, I would get that (then use it for baby on future trips when her bucket is outgrown). Otherwise, I would look at the Evenflo Maestro (unless you want to have him RF) or another lighter seat. What does he normally ride in?

I know it does seem daunting at the idea of traveling with two kids and two seats, diaper bag, snacks, toys, etc, etc, etc. But it is do-able. You just have to plan it out and think about what you will be carrying and how. Get a GoGo Kidz or a folding luggage cart that you can strap the carseat(s) to. You can either sit a kid in the seat stroller-style or pile your other carryons in the seats then. Do you babywear? That could help with the little one.

And yes, it takes longer at security unpiling and repiling everything. But, just allow extra time for this and take several deep breaths. You CAN do it

1st question is..... have you ever driven in PV before?? We were there in Nov, and both of us are very experienced drivers, and NO WAY would we drive there. Everything we walked to, or took a taxi.

2nd in the 7 days we were there I did NOT see a single child in a car seat

So that being said, they are not up to child safety at all, so I would NOT rent a seat from them. Also all the taxi's and vans I was in, NONE of them had locking belts, so be prepared to use a Locking Clip, or bring a seat that has a built in LC.

I also see plenty of small children in the back of pick up trucks, going down main roads, at high speeds

We travel with 3 kids and bring seats for them on all trips. It is totally doable with 2. Bring your infant bucket and then a scenera or other lightweight travel seat for the 2yo. If you bring a double stroller, then you can put the car seats on that (with other carry on bags) to lug through the airport and wear the baby (and possibly the toddler).

You might look into the safe rider vest for your older ds and use the bucket for the baby.

Thanks for all the responses! Lots of good input.

I'll respond to all questions/comments in this post. First, here is what I have found out. The owner/operator of the rental place is Canadian & has links to the Canmore area; so I feel better knowing that it's not some Mexican guy pushing blankets on the beach & car seats on the side! They have a clue about car seats and why I'm asking all my questions. They have been terrific answering my emails.

Second, my chiropractor rented a vehicle from them in February & said they were great. So, it's reassuring that someone I know & trust has seen the "store" & experienced their customer service. (not a dive in someone's garage!)

Finally, a woman who lives in the community (via tripadvisor) has offered to go and check out the car seats for me. A second tripadvisor member responded that they rent them for their grandchildren when they travel to the area.

1) As for the peed/pooped/puked in comments...no, I'm not overly concerned about that, based on the above.

2) He will be sitting in his seat on the plane--not his car seat, his airplane seat with seat belt on. I'm okay with that.

3) DS is in The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat. We have 2 now (1 in the truck & 1 in the van) and the third is on it's way (for DD). We love them!

4) mommycat--thanks for pointing out about adjusting the CarGo booster. I think the ComfortSport is more his "size" anyways.

5) DD does NOT have her own seat on the plane. We will definitely have our Beco Carrier with us. However, I need to be cautious how much I wear her, as I am prone to migraines & any excessive shoulder "stress" could trigger one. This is another reason we are trying to travel as light as possible--the more stuff to "lug", the more risk for me getting a migraine. Not good.

6) We won't be driving right in PV. Our resort is on the north shore of the bay. We have transport from the airport to the car rental place in Bucerias, then a short drive out to our resort.

7) I really don't want to bring the double stroller--it's a beast. I was hoping to get away an umbrella stroller & the Beco. BUT, if I'm taking the bucket, I'll be bringing our single Graco stroller to hold the car seat in the airport. I'm also freaking out about sleeping arrangements. It doesn't help that the resort can't/won't guarantee we'll have the crib we requested. So, we have to bring 1 playpen for sure (it's not a huge one, but 1 more thing). If there is no crib, I'm not sure what we'll do. My son is still in his crib--I'm not about to try him in a bed for the first time on tile floor! lol

8) christineka - I'll look into the vest. That might be a viable option.

As it stands now, we are taking a bucket seat for DD & renting the ComfortSport for DS. I'll look into the vest and decide accordingly.

Thanks again!

Have you thought about a PeaPod for your DS instead of the playpen? They are super light, fold up so small (you could take it to the beach too, providing both kids with sun protection) and it zips, so no skeeters can get the kiddos. Snugglebugz (the forum sponsor) sells them and you'd have it in no more than 4 days. I take mine everywhere because it is so small and light an provides my DS a great place to sleep wherever we may be. They have larger ones that fit kids up to 4 or 5 years old too!

Another thought is if you take DS's seat with the GoGo or a cheap luggage rack, it serves as a stroller in the airport...I strap my oldest into her seat and wheel her on through. She loves it and then I don't need the stroller in the airport...it can get checked. And, its certainly handy to have her in a seat if I have to get up and run to the washroom or change DS' bum, leaving her with a flight attendant. I hauled my BV on the plane and it wasn't as challenging as I'd thought it was going to be. It was actually more of a relief!

Maybe it would be a good idea to take your kiddo to the store and try out the Comfort Sport before deciding to rent one. A lot of kids outgrown them by age 2. It's a very small seat with very low harness slots.

Just a reminder - the harness needs to be at or below the shoulders for rear facing, and there should be an inch of shell above his head. For forward facing, the harness should be at or above the shoulders.

How much are they renting you these car seats for? You can buy a Cosco Scenera and have it shipped to the addy of the car rental place for $40. If that is less than the seat rental will be, I'd do that and just donate the seat to the car rental place when you leave. I can't imagine they won't let you ship a car seat to them if it means they get to keep it, and then you get the peace of mind of knowing the history for sure.

I'd also like to point out that the weight limits of the "toddler" seat pictured are 5-40#, and the "booster" (which is actually a combination seat, not a booster at all) are 20-40#. This leads me to believe that the folks, while having good intentions, may not be as car seat savvy as they claim.

safeinthecar said:

the "booster" (which is actually a combination seat, not a booster at all) are 20-35#.

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Is that a typo? Isn't the US version harnessed to 40lbs and (not great) booster to 80 lbs??? But aside from that, yes, the limits don't make sense unless they are marketed in Mexico with different limits.

It's not so much the cleanliness of the seats I would worry about as the safety aspect - do they follow manufacturer instructions when cleaning the seat and straps? has it been crashed or dropped by a previous renter? etc. These potential issues would not be something you can determine ust by looking at a seat. It is your call whether you are comfortable with that.

And I second the need for a trip in to check the Comfort Sport for fit since it is such a small seat that is often completely outgrown (by height) at a very young age.

If you decide to bring a Scenera after all (if your DS still fits in it, of course), you can rig it up with the latch straps and/or bungee cords so that it fits in a larger-style umbrella stroller. DS was 23 months, 25 lbs and just shy of 33" and rode this setup through the airport right up to the gate. The seat was easy to install (while technically a misuse, I left the FF foot folded under to give him better recline for sleeping on the plane) and the umbrella stroller fit in an overhead bin so we didn't need to gate check or wait for anything to reassemble the "travel system" at arrival:

I'd also try to get your baby a ticket. You're not allowed to use a sling during taxi, takeoff, and landing, which are the most dangerous times of the trip. You'll also turn her into your airbag, or she'll go flying. You also then must check her carseat without someplace to put it, and when you get it out of cargo I'd consider it crashed and it should be destroyed. You can't trust that Bob in baggage didn't drop it, throw it, it got crushed in the hold, etc. It's not safe to hold a baby on board loose, it's not safe to check a carseat, so your only safe option for your baby, your carseat, and those seated around you who your baby will hit and injure, is to buy a ticket and use a carseat. That's also in line with the FAA and NTSB's recommendations that every child to the age of 40 pounds use a carseat on board.

I still wouldn't use a carseat with an unknown history. I don't care how nice it looks. Covers can be washed. That's the issue with checking a carseat as well. It may look great, and there's internal damage you cannot seat that will fail in a crash.

Wendy

I would just add that you can likely check one "safety item" (a car seat or booster) per child, free of charge, without counting against your baggage. Clearly I haven't checked all airlines, but that's the standard I've encountered both internationally and domestically.

Simply put - a used seat where you do not know with 100% certainty the history of it - is not safe for your child to ride in.

You cannot visually inspect a seat to determine if it's been in a collision.

KaiLing said:

I would just add that you can likely check one "safety item" (a car seat or booster) per child, free of charge, without counting against your baggage. Clearly I haven't checked all airlines, but that's the standard I've encountered both internationally and domestically.

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And then you end up with a potentially crashed and untrustworthy seat at the other end. NEVER check a carseat.

Wendy

wendytthomas said:

And then you end up with a potentially crashed and untrustworthy seat at the other end. NEVER check a carseat.

Wendy

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I wholly agree. But it is something the airlines allow. This does not make it safe. These ladies are techs.

If you have not felt this way, then just ignore me! but... I just wanted to come back and say, please do not feel attacked or pressured. I know it can feel that way sometimes since everyone here is very passionate about spreading the information we know and balancing the "general" info out there which is often not up to date and does not reflect what is safer. We mean to help you make an informed decision - no one means to make you feel upset IF that is how you are feeling.

As for the Scenera/stroller I posted, if you want to only bring one stroller for the carrier you could also bring rolling carry-on and use the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304439499&sr=8-1"]Travelling Toddler attachment [/ame]to wheel DS's seat. And, he could still ride in it:

mommycat said:

Is that a typo?

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Yes, it is. I was replying to the thread and a telling my kid that writing the 2 backwards makes it look like 4 X 8 =35 at the same time.

I've spent lots of time in Mexico with the family. Sometimes for several months at the time. A few thoughts:

- Driving in Puerto Vallarta is no problem. It's a modern place. I have never thought of it as anything but normal

- I have never found bringing car seats in Mexico being a problem. Staff at airports take good care of them, we normally gate check the seats. Service at the airport is in my opinion far better than in most other places in the world.

- We have been to PV several time with two children and car seats. When kids were small we used infant seat/Britax Hi-Way (rear facing to 55 lbs) and in later years it was two Britax Hi-Way. For quite some time we also brought a travel bed. In total I would carry our car seats about 50 feet during the whole trip which I don't see as an issue.

- Kids in Mexico don't use car seats. Rich or poor. I spent two months in Mexico in March-April 2010. I took three weeks before I saw a child in a car seat regardless of age.....

- I would be very comfortable renting a car seat over here in Sweden but not so in Mexico. There is no way of knowing what you will end up with. Using a car seat is seen as paranoid/stupid/un-manly/ridiculous

- Flying without a car seat is extremely safe and should never be a concern. Stats, data and real life experiences show this is safer than anything in everyday life. Data from FAA show this very clearly.

- Bringing a car seat on board is a good idea if possible to make sure it's in good condition and gets there on time

- Checking a car seat is fine. Use a car seat bag and protect your seat with bubble wrap, clothing, diapers, etc.

- Your seat could theoretically be run over by a truck at the airport although risk is basically zero. Gate check your seat if you fell better about it. Car seats are not delicate glassware and can handle a lot without compromising safety.

- Hypothetically, even in a worst case scenario with something happening to your car seat during transport it will still be far better than anything you rent down in Mexico.

Enjoy your trip and don't forget sunscreen for the kids (and yourself)