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Original poster

Baby car seat

13 replies

Rhianna1980 · 03/04/2014 18:21

We are travelling in The summer and I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle of taking a car seat with us or renting one from the car rental place.
My friend is selling her maxi cosi pebble for 30 pounds so I'm thinking of buying it. What do you think

OP posts:

Original poster

Rhianna1980 · 03/04/2014 18:26

Thinking about it, we will need one for the taxi that's taking us to the airport . So I guess we def need one .

OP posts:

AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/04/2014 18:48

The taxi firm should be able to provide a suitable car seat.

As for your friend's car seat, I would not buy such a seat even from a friend. Safety first and always with such things. You do not know its full history, a second hand car seat may have been involved in a crash even if you cannot see any signs of it and this will have weakened it.

Original poster

Rhianna1980 · 03/04/2014 19:26

Thanks for the reply .
Surely a second hand car seat from a trusted friend is safer than a taxi firm's seat (and car rental company ) which might have been damaged too?

OP posts:

WhatsTheWordHummingbird · 03/04/2014 19:31

Dont you own a carseat?

cakeymccakington · 03/04/2014 19:36

if it's a trusted friend then yes, i would buy it

pookamoo · 03/04/2014 19:43

Whereabouts are you going?
Check the law in that country.

We went with DD1 when she was 5 months old to Germany, and despite us ringing the car hire company the morning of the flight to check they would have a suitable car seat available, when we arrived, there wasn't one. It took 3 hours with a very crotchety baby for them to sort it, which they did by borrowing one from the other car hire company in the airport.

Then we had to go to Hungary when she was about 7 months old, where we hired a people carrier with 2 car seats, one for DD and one for our friends' older child (2) who was travelling with us. They looked astonished when we asked for rear facing for DD, and they wanted the older child to go without. The ones we ended up with (no idea where they found them!) were out of the stone age and, although better than nothing, I was on tenterhooks for the whole 8 hour drive to our friend's wedding!

pookamoo · 03/04/2014 19:43

But also, taking a car seat in hold baggage on a plane risks damaging it as they chuck them around like you wouldn't believe!

iamatwinareyou · 03/04/2014 19:50

If you were to take care seat with you then yes they put it in the hold i am doing that for my 5yr old booster seat so fingers crossed dont get damaged

Original poster

Rhianna1980 · 03/04/2014 20:23

We are going to cyprus.

Yes I agree with you that I do worry that I will get there and they won't have a seat available ....

OP posts:

TheScience · 03/04/2014 20:26

I'd rather buy/borrow a seat from a trusted friend than rely on a random one from a taxi company - almost guaranteed to be both cheap and old.

WeeClype · 03/04/2014 20:33

I'd buy the car seat off a friend too

pookamoo · 04/04/2014 18:24

In that case I would definitely take the seat myself. I imagine it would be unlikely that a taxi company would have one.... they don't even have to provide them in the UK.

noramum · 04/04/2014 21:30

Pookamo, we had the same experience in Germany and I am German so no language issues. We phone the day before, we even had an email stating the brand they use.

It was a nightmare. Since then we always take our own. We wrap it in bubble wrap and it goes into the hold. Not ideal but I am prepared to buy a new one than experience this disaster again.

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