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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not use car seats?

143 replies

BlueFergie · 02/04/2012 13:41

Ok not as bad as it sounds.
We are going on hols in June. This will be third year in the same place. We stay on a campsite with amazing facilities and very close to a village with good bus and train links so we don't hire a car. The only issue is the trip from airport to camp site.
First year we got a coach laid on by travel company there and back. Last year coach there but thanks to a fuck up on the travel company's part had to get a taxi back. Kids were 4 and 2. Obviously no seats with us. Not ideal but what could we do, needed to make the plane. We strapped them in and off we went.
This year. Connecting coach charges have gone up and are charged per person so actually cheaper to get taxi there and back. We have a baby now who will be 9 months.
So what to do? I can't really bring three seats with me in the plane. A small booster for Dd who is 5 is fine but DS who is 3 is still well below recommended weight for a booster, and of course the baby is in the rear facing one which I don't want to put in the hold in case it gets damaged and won't be allowed as hand luggage I imagine?
We could pay extra for coach but is that any safer they won't be in car seats there either. Plus coach on way back just about gets us to airport an hour and half before flight. Airport is horribly disorganised and the first year we were stuck in horribly long queues for check in and security do it was awful and rushed and panicky. Last year we were fine because we got taxi and got there early but other people on coach had same experience as we had in prior year. I just don't fancy doing it again with three kids.
So AIBU to get a taxi with no car seats? Or what should I do?

OP posts:
NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 03/04/2012 10:23

sorry to be a total bore but I have reported that car seat, I totally feel for the parent who buys it believing the blurb. In an accident it wouldn't save the baby

IDontWantToBeFatAnymore · 03/04/2012 11:18

Of course if you don't bother with a seat then you won't need to worry about future use.

There is no excuse for not using a car seat. Accidents DO happen and kids do die. Just because no one has yet means you got lucky if you travel without using a seat.

Original poster
BlueFergie · 03/04/2012 11:34

Ok well thanks everyone. I am gong to call the travel company today and see if they can help me in relation to getting a taxi with seats. Otherwise I am going to look into buying one if those mother car seats for the baby and taking two portable boosters in hand luggage for the older ones.
Thanks for all your suggestions and help. I really appreciate them.

OP posts:
SoozyWoozy · 03/04/2012 12:26

OP, for what its worth, I think that you've been entirely reasonable and you've made the right choice.

Sometimes it is difficult to see the wood for the trees, and exploring your options here, listening to the advice and then taking it deserves a :) and [flowers}

SoozyWoozy · 03/04/2012 12:27

Or Flowers would be better!

SoozyWoozy · 03/04/2012 12:27

Or not... argh!! Thanks

Kiwiinkits · 03/04/2012 18:46

Hey Clytaemnestra, respect to you for your excellent rebuttal. I'm always happy to be proven wrong. I noticed that the links to Freakonomics blogs on the carseat topics were no longer working - perhaps the authors have now realised that their analysis left something to be desired and took the material down? Or perhaps they were ordered to take the material down...

ElephantsAreMadeOfElements · 03/04/2012 19:33

The chapter in Freakonomics did state that there was an effect of carseats in preventing injury, rather than death -- I know because when I was reading it I kept thinking "Yes, but what about the risk of injuries?" and then they did finally mention it. But not in a big and attention-grabbing way, certainly.

Shelby2010 · 03/04/2012 20:52

BlueFergie , thank you for starting this thread. So far we have avoided travelling abroad with dd (17mths) partly for this reason. To complicate things further for you, I would query how useful a booster seat would be for you 3 year old. I might be wrong, and I'm sure someone will enlighten me, but doesn't the child have to be above 15kg before they are heavy enough to trigger the stopping mechanism on an adult seatbelt?

NowThenWreck · 03/04/2012 21:02

just get these.

NowThenWreck · 03/04/2012 21:05

And a portable car seat for the baby.
Some of us don't have cars, and travel in taxis all the time..

BertieBotts · 03/04/2012 21:06

I think that is right Shelby - a booster is only worth using if the child weighs 15kg, they can submarine under the seatbelt otherwise. However it's perfectly likely that a 3 year old could weigh 15kg, the weight on the 50th centile for a just-turned-3 year old boy is about 14.6kg. DS is 3.6 and he is nearly 17kg last time I weighed him, and he is more on the skinny than chunky side.

Rubirosa · 03/04/2012 21:26

If a child is less than 15kg, but too big for a portable baby seat, what kind of seat would you take on holiday? Or nothing?

Shelby2010 · 03/04/2012 21:39

Ok. I suppose they say 4 yrs for booster as most should be well above the 15kg by then, hopefully OPs ds is big enough too.

foreverondiet · 03/04/2012 23:15

I would take car seat for the baby and boosters for the 3 and 5 year old.

foreverondiet · 03/04/2012 23:16

"If a child is less than 15kg, but too big for a portable baby seat, what kind of seat would you take on holiday? Or nothing?"

My rear facing travel system seat is up to 13kg, so would take that even though he is in forward facing seat normally. And after 13kg would use booster on holiday for short journeys in taxis - or hire car with car seat. Not possible to lug one of those big car seats around.

Woodlands · 04/04/2012 15:21

Yes, that's the problem we have - my DS weighs about 13kg so doesn't fit in a baby seat any more, but is not heavy enough for a booster. Hmm!

BertieBotts · 04/04/2012 15:43

It is a pain if you don't drive, TBH. I got the Kiddy seat - it's like a high backed booster but has an impact shield, so it's very light to transport and move between cars.

If you would be prepared to carry a HBB around, this seat is just as practical. Of course not as practical as one of the booster cushion seats, but if your child reaches 13kg before they are 2, then could they even sit properly on a booster cushion?

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