Car seats and taxis

[RamblingRosa]

We're going on holiday for first time with DD (22mo). Our flight is quite early in morning so we can't rely on friends/family for a lift to airport. I'd assumed we'd be able to book a cab with a car seat but DP called around a few cab firms today and none of them could offer child seats. Is that normal (I've never got a cab before with DD so have never really thought about it)?

If so, what's the answer? Do people take their child seats with them on holiday (we're hiring a car at the other end? Isn't that a bit of a faff?

Have only used a taxi a few times with the dc and the taxi firm I use does in fact provide car seats if you book the taxi in advance. Might be worth taking yours though - check your hire car contract - I know that sometimes they say although you have booked a car seat with your hire car they can't guarantee that they will have it when you get there. It might also be cheaper to pay whatever the airlines want to take the car seat than to pay for it with the car hire?

We've taken a car seat on holiday. Used it for the taxi ride to the airport. No issues whatsoever with it going in the hold, they put it in a crate and sent it on with our luggage. I'd rather use my own carseat than a hire-care one, especially as mine have always been the styles that will fit in most cars.

Hi dh is a black cab driver. He has an inbuilt booster type seat in the armrest of the back middle seat. Not sure if all black cabs have it though? We use it for dd 23mo but not often at all as have own family car which has proper car seats. When we take dd2 11mo in taxi we strap her into pushchair with brakes on and wheel it into back of cab.
None of this ideal of course but better than nothing as you are not legally obliged to put kids in seats in taxis.

Yes, I'd noticed that the hire car company had a disclaimer saying they couldn't guarantee they'd have a child seat (even though I've booked it and paid for it . Maybe I'll cancel the child seat and just bring my own then. It does seem like a huge faff but maybe the safest option.