Help please! Going to Paris for the weekend by Eurostar but need a carseat at the other end - any ideas?

[LadyBiscuit]

The friend we're staying with has suggested I bring mine but there is no way I can carry it plus our bag plus the pushchair (I don't think). Or I could but it is heavy. Can I hire one from Gare du Nord? Or any other bright ideas?

I bet there's a rental company that does baby equipment in Paris - there are ones in London at any rate. Just to rule out the obvious, if you're renting a car at the other end you can rent a carseat with...

Thanks iskra. Anyone have any suggestions? We aren't renting a car - they have their own otherwise I'd do that but assume you can't hire the seat without the car from car hire places!

How old is your child? Old enough for a high back booster? If so then you can get some with detachable backs, that make them easier to transport.

He's only three hully I've looked online for hire places but no joy in Paris central. I wonder if they have a friend we can borrow one from? Or alternatively, anyone got any bright ideas how to carry a carseat and a rucksack with a child in a Volo?

Shoot me for being a bad mother but unless your ds is tiny could you not make do with a booster cushion type seat for the weekend? You can get quite light ones. Otherwise see if your friend can borrow one.

Or could your friend buy a cheap one and re-sell it afterwards?

He's not tiny at all. I could put him in a booster I guess but my friend's husband says he needs to be in a carseat by law. If he was in a booster, wouldn't that count as not complying?

She doesn't actually live in Paris so that might be a problem. Hmm maybe I will put it in an ikea bag and ditch the pushchair ...

How much does your ds weigh? Just googled and it says boosters are ok over 15kg

Most car seat retailers do a half decent high back booster with straps suitable for a 1 yr+ child. We bought one from Mothercare for holiday use and spare for dh's car after being stung for the cost of hiring a car seat in the USA for 2 weeks - the amount we paid to hire the seat was nearly double what we saw the car seat we got from the hire company selling for in Wal-Mart!!

The high back booster can be dismantled into 2 parts and fits into a suit case - we then just put it back together at the other end.

The other alternative - which we have also used - is to attach your existing car seat to a set of luggage wheels and take it on board the plane/train.

if he is more than 15KG how about a boostapak? look really handy for things like this...!

It had never occurred to me that he would be ok in a booster! And that boosterpak looks great - we are going away (by plane) later in the summer so not having to rent a car seat would be brilliant

Thanks so much everyone - MN is brilliant