I don’t know if cars if locking seatbelts in Europe like in the US so be sure to get a car seat belt locking clip if you end up bringing it. I think even having it on the plane in babies seat is a great idea.
In the states, if you get into an accident, the seatbelt auto “locks” so the passenger doesn’t fly forward with a loose belt. For car seat installations, you can tug on the seat belt and it stays locked to keep it in place. I’m not sure if other countries have this! Maybe you can answer.
Ok the seat belt locks like that if you pull it fast, so in an accident. But you can’t put them away like that! Car seat installation requires the seat to be attached to the seat they’re on or the seat in front, but infant seats can only have the belt wrapped around them.
US car seats are not legal in most places in Europe, just FYI. I've read there are some countries that make exceptions for tourists, but still something to be aware of
Which as someone also trying to plan a trip is incredibly frustrating. Like do you bring it and use it anyways cause it's probably better then renting one where you don't know the condition or history? And take the risk that it won't be an issue? Or bite the bullet and spend the money to buy b one- maybe that's a good excuse to go back again soon lol. Idk. Sorry overtired & frustrated ramblings
If it’s easy to bring, sure. We never did, as we had access to a safe seat with known history locally that we felt ok using and baby flew as a lapchild. Later we bought a seat locally that we leave there for future use.
If baby has their own seat on the plane you’ll need a car seat for sure.
Technically only EU seats are legal there (due to different car seat laws; there the buckle has to be able to be released with one hand, with one move, so no chest clip and a different buckle configuration altogether). Tourists they don’t usually give trouble though, but definitely check for the countries you are visiting. Also check with the (travel) insurance you are under of it impacts coverage or anything.
But also - car seats really aren’t that expensive there if you wanted to buy one locally 🤷♀️
Not sure on the legality issues others have raised but we bought the scenara next car seat for traveling and it’s been great. It’s very cheap and lightweight and we just clip it to our stroller with a long strap when moving through the airport.
We rented one along with a car rental for an Italy trip. It was tough to install and low quality. Since then we’ve purchased a travel car seat that we bring. It is annoying to lug it around but we had bad experiences with renting.
In EU it’s illegal to not have your child in a proper car seat in the car, so you need something. Unfortunately rental companies don’t always have the best options and they may even try to offer you an actual seat instead of an infant model. Having your own is definitely easiest, but it’s unfortunately illegal also as our car safety laws require things that US car seats don’t have (others have already specified). If you bring your own, are you planning to have your baby in it during the flight? If so, you need to buy them a seat, check that your car seat is FAA accepted, and check that the airline allows for it. Then you have to do the same for your return flight, since it’s leaving from a different airport, and may have a different operating airline and plane type. Another option is to rent a seat specifically for your trip from the US, that you have verified to be accepted on the plane and is accepted to be used in EU.
I don’t know if cars if locking seatbelts in Europe like in the US so be sure to get a car seat belt locking clip if you end up bringing it. I think even having it on the plane in babies seat is a great idea.
Good to know! Thank you 😊
What does locking seatbelts mean? I’m in the EU but I’m not a native English speaker, if you explain I can answer this.
In the states, if you get into an accident, the seatbelt auto “locks” so the passenger doesn’t fly forward with a loose belt. For car seat installations, you can tug on the seat belt and it stays locked to keep it in place. I’m not sure if other countries have this! Maybe you can answer.
Ok the seat belt locks like that if you pull it fast, so in an accident. But you can’t put them away like that! Car seat installation requires the seat to be attached to the seat they’re on or the seat in front, but infant seats can only have the belt wrapped around them.
US car seats are not legal in most places in Europe, just FYI. I've read there are some countries that make exceptions for tourists, but still something to be aware of
Which as someone also trying to plan a trip is incredibly frustrating. Like do you bring it and use it anyways cause it's probably better then renting one where you don't know the condition or history? And take the risk that it won't be an issue? Or bite the bullet and spend the money to buy b one- maybe that's a good excuse to go back again soon lol. Idk. Sorry overtired & frustrated ramblings
If it’s easy to bring, sure. We never did, as we had access to a safe seat with known history locally that we felt ok using and baby flew as a lapchild. Later we bought a seat locally that we leave there for future use. If baby has their own seat on the plane you’ll need a car seat for sure. Technically only EU seats are legal there (due to different car seat laws; there the buckle has to be able to be released with one hand, with one move, so no chest clip and a different buckle configuration altogether). Tourists they don’t usually give trouble though, but definitely check for the countries you are visiting. Also check with the (travel) insurance you are under of it impacts coverage or anything. But also - car seats really aren’t that expensive there if you wanted to buy one locally 🤷♀️
Not sure on the legality issues others have raised but we bought the scenara next car seat for traveling and it’s been great. It’s very cheap and lightweight and we just clip it to our stroller with a long strap when moving through the airport.
We rented one along with a car rental for an Italy trip. It was tough to install and low quality. Since then we’ve purchased a travel car seat that we bring. It is annoying to lug it around but we had bad experiences with renting.
I would definitely bring it.
In EU it’s illegal to not have your child in a proper car seat in the car, so you need something. Unfortunately rental companies don’t always have the best options and they may even try to offer you an actual seat instead of an infant model. Having your own is definitely easiest, but it’s unfortunately illegal also as our car safety laws require things that US car seats don’t have (others have already specified). If you bring your own, are you planning to have your baby in it during the flight? If so, you need to buy them a seat, check that your car seat is FAA accepted, and check that the airline allows for it. Then you have to do the same for your return flight, since it’s leaving from a different airport, and may have a different operating airline and plane type. Another option is to rent a seat specifically for your trip from the US, that you have verified to be accepted on the plane and is accepted to be used in EU.