Inflatable Car Seats

[Peetle]

We're taking our twins (3.10 when we go) abroad for the first time soon - flying and hiring a car. We've been quoted 5euro per day to hire a car seat with the car - which for 14 days is more than buying a new one (plus, we need two of them). So I was wondering if any mumsnetters have any experiences of inflatable ones ?

I've seen those Easycarseat ones and the girls are too small for the bubblebum ones. Are there any others and are Easycarseats any good ?

TIA.

They seam very expensive for something that is a basic car seat offering little more that a booster seat protection. Is this a one off trip or do you travel often will you be doing lots of traveling while you are there.

My friend just bough 2 of these for her twins in their second car they are really good not good enough for main car but for a holiday would be great

They also do this one the back will come off so it might pack smaller.

and this one without the harness.

If you wrap them together it will only count as one bag you could always leave them there if you needed the room coming back then you haven't really lost out as your kids were safe on the holiday and you knew how the seats worked. Have a good holiday.

I always look for a car hire company that doesn't charge for car seats. We're going to Lanzarote again this year and book with Auto Reisen - they don't charge for car seats. It pays to do your research - Holiday Autos is a good place to start if you haven't already booked.

Thanks, walesblackbird, didn't even realise that was an option. I'll certainly look for that next time.

We anticipate doing a bit of driving while we're there, just for the freedom of going to different beaches, waterparks, etc, but three year olds aren't that interested in a big fly-drive... And since it's Spain I'm assuming the same EU rules about car seats apply as here.

The girls are quite happy in boosters which use the car's normal seatbelt at home, which is why I thought the inflatables might work.

check with the airline - i think quite a few allow you to take the car seats on board to use on the plane - if you don't want to use them on the plane i think some let you put them in the hold for free?

(although getting through airport with twins, normal luggage plus two car seats could be quite challenging!)

i have the trunki backpack seats and am very impressed with them, better than a normal booster as you can adjust the height of the shoulder seatbelt.

impressed with them as boosters i mean, as backpacks they are quite wide and awkward.
could you get two lightweight high back boosters and put them in a bag in the hold (put them in a golf bag and you don't pay... with many airlines anyway). who are you flying with?

We have the trunk backpack, which I was also impressed with apart from it's a bit too heavy for a child to carry.

We have a Trunki backpack car seat and have been impressed with it. DD is now just turned 9y but I still prefer her in a booster, and this is still working very well.

I have recently bought a couple of inflatable child booster seats from www.jetboosterseats.com and they were brilliant and my girls 8 & 6 were really comfortable in them and prefer these to the regular booster seats they had and I use them all the time now!! They packed flat in my case and as a single parent I only had one case and these took no space at all. Go for the wine red ones they look really good too. Made a real saving when hiring a car and didnt need to waste money hiring kids booster seats. Got charged 30 Euros each last year. These seats will last a very long time and I will get my money back time and time again. Also useful when the girls are picked up by friends as these setas fit in their school bags! Strongly recommend this company fast delivery too.

Just thought I'd add a "post holiday review" to this. The jetboosterseats are exactly the same as the easycareat ones and I agree with AnnitaD - they're fab.

You can get a taxi to the airport, deflate them and stick them in your luggage, then blow them up and stick them in the hire car, all in a couple of minutes. All they have to do is raise your DC up to a point where the seatbelt is across their chest rather than their neck and for that they're great. They also have a pressure release valve so if (when) your car gets really hot they won't expand and burst (though you will have to blow them up a bit the next morning when they've cooled down again).

They cost slightly less than hiring a seat for a fortnight, cost nothing to fly with and will last for years so I recommend them.

Bubblebum seats are from 3 years / 15kgs - should be fine. We have them and they are brilliant - DD1 uses hers in rental cars, then DD2 (nearly 3 so not using in car yet) uses it as a booster seat in restaurants.

i would use it for an older child,but not for a 3.10yo,they offer no side impact protection at all,and if you are planning to use the car a lot personally i would do as suggested and buy 2 cheap high backed boosters and leave them in the hire car when you return it!! i would rather lose out on £50 than risk my kids lives!

I was wondering if I could just sit my 3yr old on his Elmer suitcase instead of hiring a booster seat. Would that be legal in France?

Regardless if it's legal or not it's just not safe to use a suitcase as a booster.

However, according to the AA:-

''A child between 9 and 18kg must be seated in a child seat and a child from 15kg up to 10 years can use a booster seat with a seat belt or a harness.

It is the driver?s responsibility to ensure all passengers under 18 are appropriately restrained.''

You can get a http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8GRW/ref=asc_df_B001TH8GRW1695665/?tag=nextag17434-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B001TH8GRW&linkCode=asn folding high back booster for £60 - assuming your 3y/o is over 15kg, if not then they need to be harnessed in a proper child seat.

A suitcase?! Buy a basic booster and leave it behind if you don't want to carry it.

Sorry folding high back booster

I didn't notice you meant a 3 year old. No way should you use a suitcase. i reckon it would be safer with nothing at all. I'd get something like this for £24 and leave it at a charity shop or something if I didn't want to carry it back. Assuming you're not driving back that is.

Or TruthSweet's suggestion.

But isn't a booster seat just about height?
We are flying with just hand luggage and collecting car from airport so no way to get cheap ones. Am going to investigate the Bubblebum thingies as our carhire place is wanting £30 a seat for a week!

No, it's not about height. A booster seat is to retain the adult seat belt in such a position as to keep the child as safe as is possible.

This is by the lap portion of the seat belt being held over the thighs of the child rather than riding up over the stomach which would cause serious internal injuries in an accident.

A high back booster also allows the shoulder belt to be held over the chest of the child away from the neck or face which again could cause serious injury/death in an accident.

A suitcase wouldn't do any of those things. It would how ever shoot out from underneath a child in an accident (or even sharp braking) which wouldn't exactly be safe.

I though you didn't have to pay to take a child's car seat on a plane. I may be wrong because I've never done it.