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Original poster

DH insisting I take a car seat on holiday. AIBU?

106 replies

Sammy6388 · 20/08/2023 21:33

DH is going to Australia for 3 weeks to volunteer at a sporting event, so I have booked a holiday to lanzarote with my Mum and 2 children. DS will be 4 months and DD will be 3.5 (easier being on holiday with them than managing both on my own at home).
DH is insisting that I take a car seat for them both. It's a 15 minute transfer by jet2 coach from the airport, so I don't think it's necessary.
We are staying at an all inclusive hotel on the beach so it is unlikely we will get a taxi when we are there.
We will have 3 suitcases, 2 prams, a trunki, changing bags and hand bags so my point is adding 2 car seats is too much to carry.
I've said I will compromise and take a car seat for the baby, but am I being unreasonable to refuse to take one for our 3y old?

OP posts:

supersonicginandtonic · 20/08/2023 21:36

I wouldn't take them personally, but that's a lot of luggage for 3 people 🙈 I wouldn't manage that without the car seats 😂
I only take car seats when we're hiring a car.

BiscuitsandPuffin · 20/08/2023 21:38

Jesus I wouldn't even contemplate letting my kids go in a car without a car seat unless it was an emergency and they needed A+E. For a holiday? You need to get your priorities straight. Why on EARTH do you need 2 bloody prams?!

Boymummyofone · 20/08/2023 21:40

Don't bother! We took ours to Egypt when DS was just turning 1 last year and regretted it. Having to lug it around to the airport and back as well as luggage and pram was too stressful. We didn't use it as we were at an all inclusive. We took a taxi once and decided not to take it, just kept DS on my lap and put the seatbelt around us. This year we didn't take it at all and got a taxi to and from the airport. Again, he sat on my lap when we arrived and on the way back, the taxi driver had a booster seat for him.

Absolutelynotfor2019 · 20/08/2023 21:40

Hire a car seat in Lanzarote.

StillWantingADog · 20/08/2023 21:40

I don't think either of you is unreasonable but most people would not take a car seat in that scenario. Car seats are only really useful if there are seatbelts and here may not be any seatbelts on the coach so in that case it literally would be pointless.
But also not sure why you would need 3 prams. We went away several times with children similar ages but never took more than one buggy.

GetToTheChopperrr · 20/08/2023 21:40

I did a transfer in Portugal when DS was about 9 months. Kept him in the sling/carrier. Was fine!

StillWantingADog · 20/08/2023 21:41

Absolutelynotfor2019 · 20/08/2023 21:40

Hire a car seat in Lanzarote.

i doubt you could do this for a holiday transfer, only if you hired a car. and it doesn't help the fact that OP will not hae enough hands.

HerMammy · 20/08/2023 21:42

Car seats aside, forget trunki, change bags and handbags, just have a backpack and your mum
her handbag, the less items the better with small kids.

Mumofteenandtween · 20/08/2023 21:42

Is this for on the coach? I’m not sure that car seats would work on a coach. Also the baby won’t probably have a seat on the coach - they would be expected to travel on the adult’s lap.

When we went on holiday with the kids at that age we just sat with the baby on our lap. If I remember correctly the forces are different in a coach to in a car anyway.

Augend23 · 20/08/2023 21:43

I think I'd probably try to take less luggage whether or not you take a car seat as that sounds stressful to me!

PP makes a good point re the bus and seat belts as well

DNAwrangler · 20/08/2023 21:43

You can get back packs that turn into a booster seat - might be good for your three year old?

Bruisername · 20/08/2023 21:44

To pp saying they held baby on lap and put seat belt around both - that is incredibly dangerous. In an accident you would crush the baby between you and the baby.

unlikely car seats will fit in bus

Problesolving · 20/08/2023 21:45

HerMammy · 20/08/2023 21:42

Car seats aside, forget trunki, change bags and handbags, just have a backpack and your mum
her handbag, the less items the better with small kids.

I agree. And only one pram.

BlueWhale47 · 20/08/2023 21:45

BiscuitsandPuffin · 20/08/2023 21:38

The transfer is a coach transfer & she says it's very unlikely she will be using a taxi.

The baby wouldn't have their own seat on the coach and would be expected to be on a lap anyway so I personally wouldn't bother.

When we went away recently we didn't bring a car seat though in the end when we got there decided to hire a car which came with one.

BageyeAtTheWheel · 20/08/2023 21:45

I have a trunki booster for my 3 yr old, it doubles as their hand luggage. They're not as safe as a car seat but might be a compromise? No ideas re the baby though, I wouldn't bother with one in that scenario.

pamplemoussemousse · 20/08/2023 21:45

Coaches don't generally have seatbelts, how would you fix the car seat to anything?

Would your DH take a car seat on a bus?

Yellowcar2 · 20/08/2023 21:46

Could you maybe compromise and pack a booster seat in one of the cases?

LittlePumpkinPie21 · 20/08/2023 21:46

We booked a private company for transfers that included the age appropriate baby seats- joined a Facebook page for the resort before hand and asked on there for recommendations.
Have a fab holiday

screentimehelpplease · 20/08/2023 21:46

BiscuitsandPuffin · 20/08/2023 21:38

She's not going in a car, she's going on a coach that is likely to not have seatbelts and probably won't even have a separate seat for the baby.
Stop making out the OP is an irresponsible mother.

OP, I'd speak to Jet 2 to see what they say. I can pretty much guarantee that they'll say a car seat won't work for the coach transfer. Then just tell your DH that.

Mykittensmittens · 20/08/2023 21:48

God no.

one buggy. You will not need both. No car seats at all.

and I’d loose the trunki too frankly- pain in the arse plastic brick with no value - the toddler will
be enamoured with the whole airport experience without that to impede. We took ours once and it swiftly went on eBay afterwards. A little backpack with own teddy/game/book was a better option as I could hang it off the back of said single buggy when they got bored (they did).

ThreeFeetTall · 20/08/2023 21:48

Get your DH to call the people providing the coach to ask what normally happens in this scenario. If he is the one with the strong opinion why are you doing the logistics?

Businessflake · 20/08/2023 21:49

This is why I personally wouldn’t take small children on a coach transfer and would always book a private transfer including appropriate age car seats.

NannyR · 20/08/2023 21:49

pamplemoussemousse · 20/08/2023 21:45

Coaches don't generally have seatbelts, how would you fix the car seat to anything?

Would your DH take a car seat on a bus?

I thought it was pretty standard for modern coaches to be fitted with seatbelts. They certainly are in the UK and the transfer we used in Spain last year had them too.

bellac11 · 20/08/2023 21:50

Perhaps its just me but that sounds like the right amount of luggage, a suitcase each and a buggy for each child, there will be 3 adults there so 2 people pushing 2 children in the buggies sounds ok for when the older child needs it.

I wouldnt take a car seat

screentimehelpplease · 20/08/2023 21:50

Plus OP you won't need 3 suitcases plus a trunki. You should be able to fit yours and your DCs clothes into one case + Trunki. And why two prams? 1 pram plus a sling would work (I took a 14 week old plus 2yo to Lanzarote many years ago)

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