car seats in Italy - just 1.4kg out ... what would you do!!!?

[StickleTick]

Hmmph! Have just booked hire car for 3 days in Italy, and they want us to pay over £70 for a type 2 car seat. DS has just weighed in at 16.6kg, and while I've only checked one website for advice, apparently at 18kg he can "up-grade" to a £15 booster seat. [He'll be 4 yrs old].

WHAT would you do? , [we have 3 more weeks to go to the holiday, so ... that amount of ice-cream, cake and pasta feeding, would probably constitute child cruelty - not to mention, huge optimism].

Any advice??? Any MNers out there who have risked it under similar circumstances

oops, I meant that he is currently in a type 1 car seat!

My son is 4 but only 15.5kg. He is in a Group 2-3 high-backed booster even though I think you can get Group 2-3 booster cushions for 4 year olds weighing over 15kg so you just get one of them for the trip. They are cheap and easy to carry.

www.childcarseats.org.uk/types/index.htm

cheers

I mean something like this would be legal.

www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/3996393/c_1/1|category_root|Baby+and+Nursery|33005732/c_2/2|33005732|Travel|33008428/c_3/3|cat_33008428|Car+seats%2C+booster+seats+and+accessories|33009371.htm

well, that's just brilliant. Thank you. Cos I'd already found that website [the .org.uk one] and was confused about the type of booster. I had assumed that the smaller children needed the bigger booster! [not really hand-luggage]. I assume the 15kg rule covers all EU?! Thanks so much.
And, yep, I've been up since 5am, with said-DS, screaming for hot-chocolate!! I hope you have a less trying excuse for being at the keyboard so early! .

Yep, booster seats are for over 15kg.
We got a travel one for DS1 on holiday (without the pink- all green from can't remember- not quite a HBB, but at least we knew its history for travel to a country with minimal car seats rules

I think it depends on when and how much driving you'll be doing - if your ds is likely to fall asleep in the car it is likely he will fall out of the seatbelt with just a booster cushion. My dd is 7 and i wouldn't want her asleep in anything less than a high back booster. But if he will just be sitting, awake it might be okay.

Nb i am extremely cautious when it comes to carseats.

My dsis bought one of those trunki ones and her dd is only 3. Her dh is mad, fussy about car seats so I assume it was fine.

I'd be happier with a 4 year old on a high backed booster if I'm honest - the seatbelt will cut into his neck and he's likely to slouch down in the seat which will mean that, again, the seatbelt won't be in place properly. For me the switch from HBB to booster cushion should be based on height and maturity, not weight.

I'd go for one of these options:

Take with you a "trunki" booster seat (they adjust the seatbelt for your DS' size) or a "bubble bum" (same thing but folds up smaller) - however this won't prevent the slouching and isn't as good as a proper HBB.

Rent one from somewhere like this - 30? for a high backed booster for a week.

See if you can buy a cheap HBB when you get there - I don't know the names of any big name baby shops in Italy to google but someone else might know.

A booster cushion seat would be better than nothing but a proper one would be best of all.