Shuttles and carseats/boosters

[G&TQ]

We are driving down to Cape Canaveral a couple of day early and will be catching a shuttle from the hotel to port. I am wondering if we should plan on bringing my sons booster seat. Other then the shuttle there in FL we will not be taking ground transportation. So this would only be to and from port. What do you guys think? I don't even know if the shuttles have seat belts.

[cb at sea]

The shuttles are buses...no seatbelts. If you don't plan on using taxis in ports, then you will have no need for the carseats.

[Mom2B&Z]

Some shuttles do have seatbelts. Call ahead and see if the one you plan on using does or not. No seatbelts usually means the bus' seats are designed to protect you in a collision. Seatbelts mean they are not. In that case you'll want to bring the booster, and make sure they are 3 point seat belts, as you can't use a booster with a 2 point seatbelt.

We found a hotel shuttle with 3 point seat belts and used a booster and car seat without problems.

 

The shuttles are buses...no seatbelts. If you don't plan on using taxis in ports, then you will have no need for the carseats.

[reallyexcited]

so if I plan on taking a bus/cab in ports to get to the beach, etc am I required to have a carseat?

 

we have taken cabs in NYC, etc without a car seat..?? we wouldn't carry it around the city.

 

we were not planning on taking a car seat on the ship

[Marie51]

so if I plan on taking a bus/cab in ports to get to the beach, etc am I required to have a carseat?

 

we have taken cabs in NYC, etc without a car seat..?? we wouldn't carry it around the city.

 

we were not planning on taking a car seat on the ship

 

In some of the ports of call the cabs do not have seat belts and in fact sometimes you're lucky if they have 4 wheels.

[milton333]

OP, what's the age of your child? Might be relevant to an evaluation of how risky it is to plan not to use a booster or carseat. If you need a seatbelt, you can make arrangements for transportation that includes one.

[G&TQ]

He is six but on the short thin side. I would not let him ride in a taxi at some of the ports I have been in. Taxi drivers are crazy drivers. Not sure I would do with out in NY. It would not be a problem to carry it I can always take a bigger duffle to stick it in at the port for imbarkation.

[Mom2B&Z]

If you do a search you'll come up with posts detailing both sides of the argument.

It comes down to what are you comfortable doing? Me, I travel with boosters and car seats. I'm very well informed on the risks and benefits of using child restraints (I'm a Canadian trained car seat tech), and I know what I can live with if my children were to be in a collision. I couldn't live with myself if we were in a collision and my children were not restrained. I know they could be hurt even in a restraint, but they are much safer in one that without.

Considering he's on the short and thin side, if I were you I would bring a low back booster with a belt positioner. As you said, it's easy to bring in a duffel bag and will increase his safely immensely, plus you can use them in port if you can find a vehicle with a 3 point seat belt. He's probably fine in a tour bus type vehicle, as the seats are designed to protect the passengers. It would be similar to traveling on a school bus.

 

He is six but on the short thin side. I would not let him ride in a taxi at some of the ports I have been in. Taxi drivers are crazy drivers. Not sure I would do with out in NY. It would not be a problem to carry it I can always take a bigger duffle to stick it in at the port for imbarkation.

[Parent22]

If you do a search you'll come up with posts detailing both sides of the argument.

It comes down to what are you comfortable doing? Me' date=' I travel with boosters and car seats. I'm very well informed on the risks and benefits of using child restraints (I'm a Canadian trained car seat tech), and I know what I can live with if my children were to be in a collision. I couldn't live with myself if we were in a collision and my children were not restrained. I know they could be hurt even in a restraint, but they are much safer in one that without.

Considering he's on the short and thin side, if I were you I would bring a low back booster with a belt positioner. As you said, it's easy to bring in a duffel bag and will increase his safely immensely, plus you can use them in port if you can find a vehicle with a 3 point seat belt. He's probably fine in a tour bus type vehicle, as the seats are designed to protect the passengers. It would be similar to traveling on a school bus.[/quote']

 

B&Z's Mom -- wondering your opinion. If you had a child who was 3.5 yrs old, 39 lbs, and 39 inches, would you be okay using a low-back booster with the child for purposes of approximately 6 or so taxi rides on shore days and to/from airport and ship? I know they say 4 years old and 40 lbs (and he is just under both of those). Just curious your perspective as a car seat tech. Feel like that would be much easier to carry than his 5-point.

[Mom2B&Z]

Sorry to be vague, but it really depends on the child.

When you say 39 lbs, is that naked or with clothes? The weight limits are with clothes on, so that can make a difference. Here in Canada the booster weight limits are 40lbs because seatbelts do not engage in a collision unless there is 40lbs of weight against them. So in that case, I would wait until my child is several pounds above 40lbs before considering a booster. That being said I know there are boosters in the US that start at 30lbs, so the seatbelts must be different. The other thing is will your child sit properly in the booster. That means no fidgeting, falling asleep hanging off the harness, undoing the seatbelt etc. Honestly there are few 4 and 5 year olds who meet the behavioural guidelines for using a booster, so a 3.5 yr old would definitely be an exception. Not impossible, but definitely unusual.

I do hear you about wanting to use a booster over a 5pt harness. That being said, we're going to be in a similar situation for our next cruise where our DS2 will be 4 yrs and likely close to 40 lbs, but we will bring his 5pt seat. I'm not confident that the seatbelts will engage in other countries with his weight, and as a child gets older (and bigger) the vehicle is better able to protect them even without a restraint (i.e. in the event the seatbelt fails). It's a pain, yes, but I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him because I made a choice on a child restraint I knew was not the best for him. The other thing is I'm not a big fan of low back boosters, the ones with belt positioners are better IMHO but I still prefer the high backs. I am obsessive about this topic though, and many people on this forum disagree with my position. For the record, my car seat tech and instructor colleagues agree with me, as does the lady who does the collision investigations for Transport Canada :)

 

B&Z's Mom -- wondering your opinion. If you had a child who was 3.5 yrs old, 39 lbs, and 39 inches, would you be okay using a low-back booster with the child for purposes of approximately 6 or so taxi rides on shore days and to/from airport and ship? I know they say 4 years old and 40 lbs (and he is just under both of those). Just curious your perspective as a car seat tech. Feel like that would be much easier to carry than his 5-point.

[Parent22]

Sorry to be vague' date=' but it really depends on the child.

When you say 39 lbs, is that naked or with clothes? The weight limits are with clothes on, so that can make a difference. Here in Canada the booster weight limits are 40lbs because seatbelts do not engage in a collision unless there is 40lbs of weight against them. So in that case, I would wait until my child is several pounds above 40lbs before considering a booster. That being said I know there are boosters in the US that start at 30lbs, so the seatbelts must be different. The other thing is will your child sit properly in the booster. That means no fidgeting, falling asleep hanging off the harness, undoing the seatbelt etc. Honestly there are few 4 and 5 year olds who meet the behavioural guidelines for using a booster, so a 3.5 yr old would definitely be an exception. Not impossible, but definitely unusual.

I do hear you about wanting to use a booster over a 5pt harness. That being said, we're going to be in a similar situation for our next cruise where our DS2 will be 4 yrs and likely close to 40 lbs, but we will bring his 5pt seat. I'm not confident that the seatbelts will engage in other countries with his weight, and as a child gets older (and bigger) the vehicle is better able to protect them even without a restraint (i.e. in the event the seatbelt fails). It's a pain, yes, but I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him because I made a choice on a child restraint I knew was not the best for him. The other thing is I'm not a big fan of low back boosters, the ones with belt positioners are better IMHO but I still prefer the high backs. I am obsessive about this topic though, and many people on this forum disagree with my position. For the record, my car seat tech and instructor colleagues agree with me, as does the lady who does the collision investigations for Transport Canada :)[/quote']

 

Thanks so much for providing your insight! I'm still thinking it through, but like you, I'm reluctant to take a risk that I wouldn't be able to live with. On the one hand, I'm not worried about his being able to use a booster properly. He is a very unique child in terms of his ability to follow rules. (Our oldest would never have been able to do it.) As an example, he's never left his big boy bed without asking permission. Also, the taxi rides will likely be very short, so no worries about falling asleep or excessive fidgeting. On the other hand, he won't be 40 lbs, or might be just 40 lbs, and I have no idea how the seatbelts work in the Bahamas. Perhaps they won't engage at his weight, as you say. Sigh.

 

Another problem, from a thread I started on the Bahamas board, it didn't sound like a sure thing we would even be able to get a taxi with a working seatbelt -- so booster or 5-point might be a somewhat academic question. I certainly don't want to have lugged the 5-point if I'm not going to be able to use any carseat. Maybe I'll just look into water taxis or buses. Well, guess I'll be mulling this over for the next month until our cruise!

 

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[Mom2B&Z]

We were in Nassau in January and we used the water taxi. It made things much easier and we were still able to see the dolphins :) We did this in St. Maartin too, because the logistics otherwise were just too crazy.

I just chalk it up to travelling with young children. I can't wait for the day when I can travel with two boosters, or better yet no boosters! By then though the boys won't want to play with me anymore *sniff*

[Parent22]

We were in Nassau in January and we used the water taxi. It made things much easier and we were still able to see the dolphins :) We did this in St. Maartin too' date=' because the logistics otherwise were just too crazy.

I just chalk it up to travelling with young children. I can't wait for the day when I can travel with two boosters, or better yet no boosters! By then though the boys won't want to play with me anymore *sniff*[/quote']

 

 

Good to hear about the water taxi. I know what you mean about being anxious for the day we can travel without boosters. But you're right -- probably by then they will be just about ready to ditch their parents. Sigh.