One of the most common questions parents always ask CPSTs is, "Can we rent a car seat with a car seat rental?" Being a safety technician myself and a mom of two precious little beings, my answer would in most cases be, "YES, you can with the proper rental car agency."
But what's the heck? In my opinion, there is an essential question, and that is: SHOULD you rent a car seat when you set off on a journey.
The opinions are different concerning this issue, and often you can find parents sticking firmly to their previous experiences, feelings, and judgments. However, some like to experiment and make a different choice based on an offered voyage's information.
So, I was hoping you could stick with me for a little longer since I will offer my humble (UNBIASED and BALANCED opinion) and the pros & cons of car rental with a car seat to quickly decide whether you should or shouldn't rent car seats.
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To Rent or Not to Rent - Benefits
It's a common fact that millions of parents worldwide use a rented car seat. What do you think? Are they on to something new?
Here, I will list a few good reasons you should follow them and rent car seats next time you travel.
Concerning the first reason, as a safety technician and a travel blogger, I highly recommend a car rental with a car seat. You may ask why. Well, I find it better if I rent baby gear when I travel somewhere than carrying it all from the beginning.
As many people say, "History repeats itself," and this seemed to be true many times in my case. Often could you see my family and me with hands full of necessities, trying to balance between grumpy kids and staying sane. (Don't ask).
Trust me, YOU DON'T WANT grumpy children crying during the whole trip, especially on the airport control (this was me four years ago during a trip to England, and NEVER again!). That's why you should rent car seats at the airport and save yourself from unpleasant situations from the very beginning.
Fortunately, there is a perfect solution for parents who cannot handle the situation very well. Those are rental companies that deliver all you need - no matter whether your kids want a fairy tale story, a car toy, or a coloring book, you get what you need. Naturally, you will get car seats in the first place.
- 2-in-1 portable infant play space and napping spot, perfect for at home or travel with your baby
- Dome can be used indoors or out
- Gray canopy protects your baby from the sun's rays (UPF 20) and netting keeps the bugs out
- 2 cute toys hang overhead
- Folds flat with handles for easy take-along and storage
Whenever I travel with my children, my top choice is naturally BabyQuip baby car seat rental and delivery company. The BabyQuip review shows that their dedication is beyond everything!
About BabyQuip Car Seat and Baby Gear Renting Company
Established in 2016, this baby equipment rental company has addressed parents who believe family vacations can be fun, restful, and memorable.
As you can see, it's almost impossible to carry little ones through various crowded airports while lugging all the heavy and necessary baby gear for a home-like and comfortable experience when traveling. It won't happen!
That's why this rental and delivery company provides a simple solution.
1. More Convenience
BabyQuip provide parents with a wide variety of insured, clean, and, most vitally, SAFE baby equipment. Thus, you can find all parents need to keep their children happily engaged during the days and sleeping well during the nights. The ultimate goal is to relax, rest, recharge, and enjoy every minute of the journey.
As I told you previously, the company and their quality providers make sure they rent, deliver, and set up insured, safe, and clean baby gear at various Airbnbs, private residences, vacation rentals, hotels. But, most critically, they can meet you at the airport!
These people are a team of moms and dads that solve all travel problems and help other families in trouble.
The QPs are also some safety technicians who pass various training sessions before starting the baby gear rent. Their pieces of training include the perfect items cleaning so that parents meet spotless and safe baby items. Thus, they are professional, immaculate, trustworthy, and reliable.
I remember once traveling to Los Angeles for ten days with my two children. I would never forget that experience. We arrived at the airport, they had been crabby previously, and before the airport control and boarding pass, they started crying.
You can picture me: two suitcases, car seats in a stroller mode, EVERYTHING! I started crying too because I couldn't manage the situation well. And I remembered to call my friends from BabyQuip to come and rescue me.
So, you see, they rent and provide high-quality tools to make you feel at home wherever you are. Therefore, they can rent and deliver various full-sized cribs, toys, books, high chairs, noise machines, carriers, bouncy seats, baby baths, pack n' plays, jumpers, monitors, and many more available pieces of baby gear.
Naturally, their most significant dedication is to make rentals of car seats and strollers as well. So, even if you don't bring your car seat or stroller, they will rent them and deliver them to your location.
You can check the full BabyQuip location list here.
Naturally, you can rent a car seat from a rental car company; however, there might occur some issues, and I will cover them later.
It's vital to note that you don't need to take into consideration booster seat rental. You can find and use various fantastic travel booster car seats to satisfy your traveling needs and make your children's carry-ons easier.
2. Compliance With Local Laws
Concering the second reason (compliance with local laws), no matter whether you rent a car with a car seat or get one from an independent professional rental company such as BabyQuip, the car seats they provide will be from the local rental car seat market.
For various places, the laws are different. Thus, if, for instance, you travel to Europe or Australia, the rental car seats that you will use will, according to the law, be of the locally-certified car seat.
Highly notable - even though you may find a car rental with the same name as car seats, those car seats may be completely different in different countries. That's why below you can find a few of CPS differences:
Concering the second reason (compliance with local laws), no matter whether you rent a car with a car seat or get one from an independent professional rental company such as BabyQuip, the car seats they provide will be from the local rental car seat market.
For various places, the car sat laws are different. No matter whether you use an infant car seat, forward-facing, or a booster, in some parts of the world, you will need to use the car seats approved by their agencies and manufacturers. You may already know that car seat laws differ in the US and Europe, Asia, or even the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Thus, even if you find the car seats from the same manufacturers produced in various countries, you need to be careful because they might be opposite to what you're used to since the safety standards, regulations, and laws vary.
In some parts of the world, you'll need both a LATCH and seat belt system; in some others, you can use either of them without the other one; some states use tethers, others don't, etc. My advice is to dig up a little bit before choosing the destination to avoid any discomfort and complications.
Additionally, I want you to remember that the safety tests are different. Your seats can often be legal/illegal in other countries - not because they are wrong, but due to the security standards and all following rules.
If you bring your car seat from home, you might pay the fines for doing so since the "import" is forbidden according to the rental car agencies and car seat laws.
What if you find yourself in a car crash? How can you solve this when no one helps you? Maybe you'll come across some friendly people who will offer the right solutions, but you need to be very lucky.
Naturally, theory and practice are completely different things, but if you ponder for a little while, it makes sense what this CPST is explaining to you, right? So, it might be better if you stick to the local rental car seats and avoid all potential family and car seat troubles.
Parents often complain when they read about the EMBARGO of the domestic car seat in foreign countries, and they planned a vacation there. The only way I can offer my help is to advise you to either change the destination, see where you can bring your home car seat, or rent a foreign one and make sure nothing wrong will happen.
3. Car Seat Rental Is Perfect to "Fill in the Gaps"
When speaking about the third reason (the longevity of the trip), the point is that you may need a car rental only for some part of your trip, and not during the whole journey. Thus, many parents choose to rent car seats with a rental car since they might use various vehicles and need a rental car seat for a couple of days only.
For instance, when we had our travel experience in Switzerland, we took airplanes and trains for quite an extended period before renting a car service.
Of course, we took our car seat from home, but we could install it in trains when we visited Zermatt, Grindelwald, Zurich, and other cantons and cities. We used the car seat for an extended period.
But now, the situation is different.
The iSize has brought the European car seat standards closer to the USA security standards and rules; you can rent a high-quality car seat without obstacles.
Back in that time, it was worth pulling the car seat for my baby since the European and US standards differed a lot, but now they are similar to some extent; hence, nowadays, I would just rent a car seat if I revisited Switzerland.
However, I would have to check the ECE security label and other features. It could be great since I wouldn't have to carry a forward-facing car seat for my two and four-year-old children, along with the luggage and the following equipment.
I know that Switzerland is not a part of the EU; however, their car seat laws comply with ours to some extent, and we all have to research before we set off.
To Rent or Not to Rent - Flaws
And now something different - let's see why it should be smarter if you brought your own car seat instead of renting one.
We will look at each specific point in detail below
1. The Unknown History of the Car Seat
Whenever you rent baby products - no matter what they might be - you're pretty confident nothing will go wrong. I mean, they're supposed to be well-maintained, clean, but above all, SAFE!
So, what happens when this is NOT the case? I will tell you more below.
Picture this-you're driving, and suddenly your baby slips away, falls, and hits their head or some other body part.
Number two: you're in a car crash, and your baby is seriously injured because the car seat broke. You COULDN'T know; however, the date had already expired. And what can you do? Whom can you blame? The rental car agency? Yourself? Who is going to take responsibility for what happened?
Of course, these are just hypothetical situations, but when you think about them, you start calculating what would be the right option to avoid and prevent this. Therefore, please check the available car seats and their safety standards before installing them in vehicles.
What if your car seat became dirty, you cleaned them, and now the seat is falling apart due to the detergents, dry cleaners, and all other cleaning products? Who will be responsible?
What if your children were in a car seat that already had survived a car accident, and the rental agency polished it so that it could shine, and then you had a car accident and your kiddos were severely injured? Who would be guilty - you? The producer? The agency's director? Your child was hurt!
Wow, a lot of what-ifs, but for a reason. The producers and the car seat laws state that ALL car seats which took part in car collisions MUST BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY! Bear that in your mind when you want to rent one.
So, what's the significant point here? It's simple - you NEVER know what might go wrong.
If I were to set off a trip with my family and were in need, I would DEFINITELY contact my friends from BabyQuip and ask them to rent me baby gear or a car seat.
They never fail me since they always know EVERYTHING about the car seat I need. I can read the comments to make sure I will get only the highest-quality seat, and I can straightforwardly get through either them or the manufacturer to ask questions in advance.
So, please, research before you start a voyage!
2. Not Meeting the Safety Standards
The safety standards can vary from a parent to another parent, from a family to another family. This is highly unacceptable since the car seat laws and the experts claim what we as parents must do if we want our children safe on the road.
However, many parents do follow the regulations, so after their kids outgrow rear-facing seats, they use forward-facing until they are old and developed enough to use boosters.
There comes an issue with the Hertz car seat rental company or the Enterprise car seat rental and delivery company. As you might see, their options limit only to individual seats, including in most cases booster seats. The issue is that they offer booster seats for children who are four years old. When you tell them it's not correct, they don't mind, and still, you'll get a booster.
And what can you do in cases like this? Should you put your baby, two or three-year-old kiddo in a booster? What if your child outgrows the allowed weight and height? Will you place your ten months old kid into a booster? More vitally, some countries, in fact, ALLOW this. Ridiculous!
You can only rent infant car seats as a safer option since they will keep your babies within six and nine months old safe and protected. But you still won't know their history or be confident 100% about the availability.
Not to mention comfort since renting agencies can never guarantee whether the baby will be comfortable. You won't get the answer in advance because it's also subject to access. And what if the rental agency offers you a seat that you don't consider safe? You will go and buy a high-quality seat and save your baby. Will you blame them?
Some employees may not know how to install car seats despite their training. If you don't trust them, please, tell them not to do that. It's best to check the installation and assure that your children are safe and secure. And, of course, if you already know the seat in question, the setup process will be a piece of cake for you.
3. It May Not Always Be Available
If you ask whether you can rent a car seat at an airport, the answer is "YES," but WHAT IF? Many parents are asking me how to solve the problem when they ask the rental agency to rent a seat and get negative answers.
You'll be able to do only one thing - order online for in-store pickup and ask someone to go to and pick it up for you. Another option is to go by yourself and pick your seat. Again, it would be best if you researched in advance.
In most cases, it may be hard for you to rent a car with a car seat; hence, parents, please, search for the information before you start a journey.
4. Renting a Car Seat Can Be Expensive
Renting a car seat might be misfortunate since sometimes you may pay the price as expensive as it is for the new car seat. The cost can range from $15 per day to $60 for the whole rental.
Are you confident you want to do this? A two weeks holiday with $15 per each day, and you don't really know the seat...I don't think so.
If you rent the hubs at airports, the price is even more significant, including 30% of additional fees, and when you calculate everything, you can get a brand-new car seat for that money. What will you do?
5. The FAA States: "Kids Under 40 Pounds Must Use a Car Seat on the Plane."
If you travel by plane, you don't need to worry about the kids since those who weigh up more than 40 pounds can use the seat belts only, and you can freely choose flying with a car seat as an option for your little ones.
Concerning kiddos from 30 to 40 pounds, you can use various Caress harness systems for added safety and protection during the flight. So, you combine and harmonize these things well, and you can rest assured nothing will go wrong.
Is this all? Of course, NOT! Read below...
Surprise! Car Seat Delivery Service!
What is so interesting here? Well, it's the fact that you can opt for a car seat delivery to your destination. Whether you're staying in a city, a hotel, a motel, etc., you'll get the seat you want. Check the reservation, the availability, and order it!
I'm confident your hosts will happily receive the package for you in advance. Even if they don't, "the customer is always right," so there won't be any problems. Moreover, the hosts will offer them to other parents and families if you leave the seats there. You see, no complications at all!
Where to find these seats? The inexpensive car seats are now available for Amazon Prime subscribers, and the delivery services won't let you down. Trust me, I'm telling you from my own experience, you'll be satisfied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do rental cars have car seats?
You can obtain a car seat together with the car if you book one in advance and if they have it free on the market when you need it.
Unfortunately, often did I talk to parents who were left without any help for their baby.
Can you rent just a car seat from a car rental?
YES , you can. But, you have to check the information with the rental agencies and companies since not all of them will provide this service. The price varies from $13 per day to $65 per rental.
BabyQuip will fulfill all your wishes, and satisfy your needs, so contact them to learn more!
How much is it to rent a car seat from Enterprise?
The full guide is available on their site, and here are just some information:
How much will it cost to rent a car seat from Hertz?
The average weekly cost from this renting agency ranges from $150 to $325.
What are the typical car rental car seats?
Final Verdict
There are many pros & cons concerning each side, but that's completely OK since every trip may have a different impact on your family.
Suppose you choose to take your own car seat, check the safety standards, and then search the location: for CA and NY, keep your two-year-old kiddo in a rear-facing car seat. For Cuba or any other exotic destination, put your five-year-old child into a high back booster car seat.
If, however, you decide on car seat rental, see and check in advance what might possibly go wrong, and then search for the reservation at the best hotel. Prepare a back-up plan if something turns wrong! Don't forget that BabyQuip can help.
Enjoy the vacation!
