For parents, the logistics of traveling with a car seat can be overwhelming. But I’ve spent years learning from experience (traveling with 3 kids of my own) and researching the topic exhaustively that there are MANY ways to make travel with a car seat simpler and easier.

In fact, in some cases, you might not even NEED to use a car seat to help keep your child safe (see Car Seat Alternatives for Travel below).

And by “traveling with a car seat,” I don’t just mean by airplane! Though if you will be flying with a car seat, don’t miss all the tips and important considerations about using car seats on airplanes (or just getting a car seat through the airport!) in my section dedicated to Flying with Babies and Toddlers.

Here are the major “How to travel with a car seat” topics I cover on this page:

• Finding a Travel-Friendly Car Seat (Infants & Older)
• Folding Car Seats and Boosters
• Car Seat Bags & Travel Carts
• Car Seat Laws and Travel
• Rental Cars and Renting Car Seats
• Alternatives to Car Seats for Travel
• Shuttles and Ride Services with Car Seats
• Car Seat Accessories and Travel Toys
• More Help and Resources

But first… don’t forget to pin this post to your travel boards for future reference!

This post contains affiliate links to help fund this independent website at no cost to you.

1. Get a travel-friendly car seat!

Tips for the Early Months: Choosing an Infant Car Seat for Travel …

The typical infant car seat, which snaps in and out of a base in your car and some sort of stroller configuration (or car seat travel system), can be a ideal for travel during your baby’s first year.

In fact, the Evenflo Shyft DualRide (shown above) and Doona infant Car seat come with their own built-in travel system! No more need for an extra stroller or stroller frame. These ultimate travel car seats for babies have wheels built in and ready to roll when needed.

Bigger is Not Always Better

But watch out for infant car seats that boast higher height and weight limits if you’ll need it to fit in economy airplane seats or the back seat of small rental cars.

Infant car seats made to accommodate taller and bigger babies ARE bigger, and can only be installed rear facing — a challenge when legroom is limited in economy airplane and rental car seats. (And good luck if your forward neighbor wants to recline his seat!)

A Baseless Travel Tip?

Also, be sure your infant car seat can be used WITHOUT its base — and that you’re practiced in how to do that — to avoid having one more thing to lug along.

Check your car seat manual for instructions on using it with or without its base, and with latch vs. safety belts so you’ll be prepared for every possible scenario as you travel (look it up online if needed – Britax – Chicco– Clek – Doona – Evenflo – Graco– Nuna Pipa – UPPAbaby).

See my current recommended Best Infant Car Seats for Travel for more.

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For Toddlers and Preschoolers: Tips for Choosing a Convertible or Forward-Facing Lightweight Car Seat …

Traveling with convertible car seats (or forward-facing only) gets more interesting.

If you plan to use your convertible car seat rear-facing during travel, you may have unpleasant surprises when you can’t recline the seat as much as you’d hoped in your rental car or airplane seat to help your child sleep.

When flying with an FAA-approved convertible car seat, you might simply need to install it forward-facing for your flight. This also makes it easy for children to watch seat-back programming and make use of their tray table as well.

It’s especially important to remember when flying with convertible car seats and other car seats made for larger kids that even if they are FAA approved for air travel it doesn’t mean they will FIT in an actual airplane seat! The car seat shown above is one of the rare cabin-friendly convertible car seats measuring less than 17″ wide (when cup holders are removed).

See “Will your child’s car seat be allowed on the airplane?” for specifics and don’t miss the Flying with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers page for much more on flying with car seats and children.

Also, beware the bulky convertible car seat! All the bells and whistles like cup holders and comfy arm rests your child may enjoy at home and on road trips may be hard to live with in the air and in the rental car. If you’d like to use the same car seat at home and for travel, look for a car seat with removable arm rests and cup holders.

See my current recommended Best Convertible Car Seats and Forward-Facing Car Seats for Travel here.

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2. Consider a Lightweight Folding Car Seat or Booster Seat

This portable car seat and high back-belt-positioning booster seat stand out for one basic feature: THEY FOLD for travel and storage.

Meet the WAYB Pico portable car seat and Peg Perego Viaggio Flex 120 booster. And YES, they have custom travel bags for convenience (purchased separately)! Here they are:

The WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat

The WAYB Pico folding car seat is for kids 2 years and older who weigh from 22 lbs. up to 50 lbs., and are from 30″ to 45″ tall.

This forward-facing (only) car seat is FAA approved for air travel. And with its low profile and small footprint, it’s an easier fit in airplane seats than many car seats.

This lightweight car seat (only 8 lbs.) folds to 11.6″ L x 14.5″ W x 18.9″ H. And it can be easily carried in its custom backpack carrying case (optional).

Bonus: The Pico is also easier to install on airplanes than most car seats! The airplane seat belt passes easily through a back channel and has guides to slip the belt into. See more in my full review of the WAYB Pico.

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The Peg Perego Viaggio Flex 120 Booster Seat

As a high-back belt-positioning booster seat, the Viaggio Flex 120 is not FAA approved for air travel and can’t be used on airplanes (as with any booster seat).

However, when not in use, it folds down to a compact 23.5″ x 17.25″ x 9.75″ and weighs 14 lbs.

And when it’s in use? This booster has a space-saving narrow 14″ base, and the aluminum-reinforced back rest can be adjusted to 5 different reclined positions — regardless of the angle of the car’s seat back.

Viaggio Flex 120 booster can be used for kids from 40 lbs. and 39 inches tall all the way up to 120 lbs and is highly adjustable to accommodate growing kids. See more photos and get the full specs for the Primo Viaggio Flex 120 here. And see all my recommended Best Safety Booster Seats for travel here, including high-back belt-positioning boosters and booster mode only (no back).

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3. Take Advantage of Car Seat Travel Bags and Wheeled Transporter Carts

Since car seats can get easily damaged by heavy suitcases in the airport luggage system — and occasionally rerouted to the wrong airport! — it’s not recommended to check your child’s car seat at the ticket counter.

Fortunately getting your car seat through the airport and/or to your rental car has never been easier. There are so many great products to help!

Enlist the helpful wheels of a car seat travel cart like the one shown above, and you can wheel your kid strapped into the car seat right to the gate! Or employ a clever and cost-effective luggage strap that turns the rolling suitcase you already own into a cart for your car seat, too!

And don’t overlook the protective travel bags you can also load up with extra jackets and bulky items during transport. Some with wheels or backpack carrying straps make it all the easier to get them to your gate.

See all my latest Recommended Car Seat Travel Bags, Travel Carts, and related products here. And don’t miss the post: Seven Easy Ways to Get Your Car Seat Through the Airport for more help.

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4. Check Local Car Seat Laws

Before you travel with your child’s car seat overseas, be sure to check the local car seat laws at your destination. Just as we in the U.S. have our own national car seat safety standards and testing specifications, so do most other developed countries.

Age requirements, especially for safety booster seats, still vary widely in many countries. And certifications trusted at home may not meet requirements in other parts of the world — including booster seats in Costa Rica. See the next point for more advice on using car seats abroad.

And if you’re wondering if car seats are required in taxis – or if they might be provided by taxis or ride share services like Uber and Lyft – check out this post.

6. Consider Renting a Car Seat for Your Rental Car – Two Ways!

Renting a Car Seat Way #1

If you’ll be renting a car at your destination, it may be possible to rent a car seat or booster seat from the car rental agency. If you won’t need a car seat on the airplane, this could be a great convenience. However this does not always work out as well as it should.

Not all car rental companies will guarantee the car seat will be there, so it’s good to check the fine print or simply ask. It might also show signs of wear or damage (or be filthy). So I only recommend it if you’re using a reputable agency that will guarantee your child’s car seat will be there with your rental car.

TIP: Follow this link to compare rental car prices and available rental agencies at locations worldwide AND add a car seat or safety booster seat to your reservation.

Renting a Car Seat Way #2

Renting a car seat from a local baby gear rental agency may also be a good (and possibly safer) option than depending on a car rental agency. Many baby equipment hire agencies will meet you at the airport or coordinate with your rental car agency to deliver your rented car seat — and possibly other baby gear you might need for your stay.

TIP: Use the Worldwide Directory of Baby Gear Rentals to find a business providing baby equipment rental at your travel destination.

When traveling abroad, renting a car seat at your destination might also the best way to make sure the car seat will meet whatever local safety testing & standards there are for seats (as mentioned, these can vary by country — more details in the Travels with Baby ultimate guidebook).

This may also be necessary to work with the child safety features in cars manufactured for the country and required by local laws (rigid latch connectors for example!).

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7. Find an Airport Shuttle or Ride Service Providing Car Seats

Will you just need a car seat for transportation to and from the airport?

If you’re visiting a destination with great public transportation (or an all-inclusive resort!), you may be able to find a local airport shuttle or ride service (AKA car hire) that can provide a car seat or safety booster for your child.

You can read about my recommended Paris airport shuttle providing car seats and boosters in this post.

I’ve also included some New York City ride services that can provide car seats and booster seats in this post.

If you’re wondering about car seat laws and taxis or rideshare services like Lyft and Uber, see this post.

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8. Consider These Car Seat Alternatives for Travel

Depending on how you’ll travel and the age of your child(ren), you may be able to take advantage of these alternatives to car seats for your trip.

The Baby B’Air Flight Safety Vest

For air travel only: The Baby B’Air airplane safety vest (or harness) is for lap-held babies and toddlers to help protect against turbulence. The parent’s airplane seat belt passes through a loop of nylon webbing at the back of the child’s vest.

The Baby B’Air is only approved for use during the cruising portion of flights, not during taxiing, takeoff, or landing. See more details here.

CARES Flight Safety Harness

For air travel only: The CARES harness by Kids Fly Safe is for children 1 year and 22 lbs. up to 40 lbs. who are flying in their own airplane seats.

CARES is the only in-flight safety harness that’s FAA approved for all phases of air travel. It creates a 4-point safety harness with the airplane’s lap belt. See my full review of CARES here.

BUYING TIP: BEWARE of CARES counterfeits and listings of products that are not even pretending to be CARES but sellers have used it in the product title so it shows up in searches. These are not made from the same grade of materials, have not been tested to meet the required standards, and do not have FAA-approval or labeling. The real CARES is made by Kids Fly Safe/AmSafe.

The RideSafer Travel Vest

For use in motor vehicles only: The RideSafer travel vest (now Gen 5) is a lightweight and highly portable alternative to forward-facing car seats and belt-positioning booster seats.

Your child simply wears the vest, climbs into the car, and the vehicle seat belt is routed through its guides. An optional tether and crotch strap are included with each vest, and a headrest can be purchased separately.

Recommended for kids 3 years and older with multiple size options and colors available. You can see my detailed RideSafer Travel Vest Review here and see current colors, size options, and customer reviews here.

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9. Don’t Forget Helpful Car Seat Accessories and Travel Toys!

Once you have the right car seat worked out, don’t forget those extras that will help make time spent IN the car seat all the more comfortable and enjoyable for your little one. With the right car seat accessories and travel toys, everyone will travel a little more happily!

Add a travel tray like the one shown above to your child’s car seat to help keep snacks, toys, and coloring books close at hand. It’s helpful for long road trips as well as on flights where children may not be able to reach the tray table from their car seats (raise arm rests for easier side pocket access).

Infant seat support cushions and head-supporting pillows can also be added to car seats for babies through toddlers and preschoolers to make long hours and snoozing.

And because little legs don’t dangle happily for hours on end, consider the KneeGuard (above) for your forward-facing car seat companion. Unfortunately this does not have FAA-approval for use in aircraft–where it could prove invaluable on long flights.

Take a look at my latest recommended Car Seat Accessories for Travel here. And don’t miss my recommendations for travel toys and games:

• Five Favorite Travel Toys for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers.
• Five Screen-Free, Battery-Free Travel Toys
• Screen-Free Favorites for Travel for Preschoolers and Big Kids (Family Travel 411)
• Great Travel Games and Toys for Tots Through Teens (Family Travel 411)

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More Help and Resources for Travel with a Car Seat and Planning Road Trips with Babies and Young Children

There’s a whole lot more where this came from! Here are links to additional tips and resources for traveling with your car seat and planning road trips with children.

For help flying with a car seat and planning for air travel:

• Flying with Babies and Toddlers –> start here for all things related to air travel with little ones
• Five Things You Should Know Before Flying with a Car Seat
• Seven Easy Ways to Get Your Car Seat Through the Airport

Find the Best Car Seat Travel Gear and Accessories

• Best Infant Car Seats for Travel
• Convertible and Forward-Facing Car Seats for Travel
• Best Safety Boosters for Travel
• Car Seat Alternatives for Travel
• Best Car Seat Accessories for Travel

For Help Planning Road Trips with Babies and Toddlers

• Tips for Changing Diapers on Road Trips with Babies
• Three Easy Ways to Help Keep Baby Happy in the Back Seat
• Road Trip Emergency Check List
• Take-Along Travels with Baby eBook with Hundreds of Tips to Help During Travel

Safe travels,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks and Hiking with Kids Southern California: 45 Great Hikes for Families

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The post How to Travel with a Car Seat (Without Losing Your Mind) appeared first on Travels With Baby.

CHECKLIST FOR TRAVEL WITH BABIES & TODDLERS: Ten Things to Do Before You Leave Home – Getting out the door for any trip can have its challenges, but when you travel with babies and toddlers, getting everyone and everything out the door and — finally — sigh — breathe — on your way can feel like a gosh darn miracle!

And while covid risks and prevention — and hand sanitizer, and back up masks, and antibacterial hand wipes — may be top of mind this travel season, there are also still the same other to-dos in preparation for any trip with young children.

Here’s a helpful checklist to keep handy in your final days before departure. I recommend taping the printable version of this checklist for travel with babies and toddler it to the refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, or inside your front door for easy–and frequent access.

This post may contain affiliate links, which help support this site at no extra cost to you.

1. Visit or phone your pediatrician’s office.

Describe your travel plans and discuss any concerns you may have including: status of vaccinations, food safety and allergies, and finding medical assistance for your child at your destination.

If your baby or toddler hasn’t seen his doctor in a while, a check-up may be reassuring (“ears are clear,” etc.), and it could be helpful for parents of infants and young babies to have a current weigh-in and dosage of infant over-the-counter medications in case they are needed while away.

2. Update your child’s travel kit.

Check your child’s travel kit to see if any items are running low or need to be replaced. Move any non-carry-on items into a checked bag if you’ll be taking the kit in a carry-on bag.

For help determining what should be in your child’s travel kit for your next trip, see Chapter 4: Deciding What to Bring in Travels with Baby, and follow this link for help creating a cabin-friendly travel kit for travel with babies and toddlers.

3. Revisit the Checking-In Safety Checklist for travel with babies and toddlers.

Make sure you have your Checking-In Safety Checklist printable in your carry-on, suitcase, or diaper bag and list any temporary childproofing products you want to bring along on the printable (see Recommended Products for Temporary Childproofing and Travel Safety here).

4. Take inventory of the gear that will be traveling with you.

Is your car seat FAA approved for the flight and can you point to the label on it if necessary? Are the stroller wheels still up to snuff? Can you find the travel stroller sun shields, mosquito nets, or other accessories you plan to take along? The pop-up sun tent for the beach? Add the key gear you’ll be taking to this printable for this checklist.

5. Replace old sunscreens

That goes for your own brand and your child’s if you’re heading for a sunny destination. Sunscreens lose their effectiveness with time, and small children need the best protection available. Replacing sunscreens once a year is advisable.

6. Stop your mail.

You can quickly arrange to have your mail stopped while you are away online by going online to usps.com or by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777). You designate which day you would like it all delivered or when and whether you’d prefer to pick it up after your trip.

7. Call your airline within 72 hours of your departure.

When traveling with young children it’s especially important these days to reconfirm your seat assignments and, if applicable, your bassinet reservation and/or children’s meals one last time before arriving at the airport (see Airplane Bassinet Checklist).

Families getting separated on flights is all too common a theme with many airlines as is the overbooking of flights, so do what you can to avoid hassles–including checking in early to make sure they still don’t give the window seat you need for your child’s car seat to a business traveler with higher frequent flyer status!

8. Make necessary arrangements with a neighbor or friend.

Do you need someone to set out your garbage can and recyclables for pick up? Feed pets and/or water plants? Use the printable for this checklist to write in reminders of who you need to contact and for what.

9. Remove anything from your refrigerator that will not outlast your trip.

Move leftovers to the freezer, check expiration dates on dairy goods, and give the vegetable drawer the once-over.

10. Empty your diaper pail!

–> Click here for the printable version of this list to tape to your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, or front door to reference throughout the 2 weeks before your trip.

Has this book helped YOU?

Please take a minute to rate it on Amazon,   BarnesandNoble.com,   or Goodreads!
As you probably know, customer reviews make a tremendous difference and I greatly appreciate your help in getting the word out.

Previous post: Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 3 months to 6 months

Have you subscribed to Travels with Baby Tips?

More tips and advice are on the way! For help for planning travel of every kind–with babies and children of every temperament–in Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Travel with Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler.

You might also like:

How to Plan Your Best Vacation with a Baby

Need to Know: Flying American Airlines with a baby or toddler

Checking in Safety Checklist (with printable)

The 411 on Carlsbad with Kids

Need to Know: Flying Southwest Airlines with a baby or toddler

The 411 on Traverse City with Kids

Safe journey

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks

Twitter     Facebook     Travels with Baby on Facebook     Pinterest

What?! Your kids aren’t babies anymore? Head over to Family Travel 411

Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.

The post 10 Things to Do Before You Leave Home | Checklist for Travel with Babies & Toddlers appeared first on Travels With Baby.

If you use a Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, PC, Android device or Kindle when you travel, your next trip with your little one just got a whole lot easier.

Take-Along Travels with Baby – the new companion to the ultimate planning guide – has just become available in a Kindle edition with apps for your favorite devices.

Be road-trip ready!
Picture this: You are on a winding road with your baby who suddenly begins to cry, and you’ve got 4 hours of driving ahead to reach your destination. You pull up the TOC for Take-Along Travels with Baby and jump to your “Tips for a Happier Backseat Baby” and see a list of ideas that may help you make it there without ear plugs or killing each other.

While you’re at it, you jump to the lyrics of “Easy Songs to Sing in the Car” to help pass the time until you can pull over for a pit stop.

What, it’s raining and cold outside? You know I wouldn’t send you out on a family road trip without a list of “Best Bet Rainy Day Road Stops.”

Cranky toddler on an airplane? Fussy baby in a restaurant? Sick kid in a faraway country? Yep, this one’s got you covered there, too. (See the whole TOC here.)

Your best deal on the book?
And for those of you who prefer to have the pocket-size paper edition (with room for your child’s travel doodles!), don’t miss the special publisher’s discounted price available through Amazon with free SuperSaver shipping, when you buy from Travels with Baby Books.

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
 https://travelswithbaby.com/ Travels with Baby on Facebook

The post The Kindle edition has landed!!! iPhone, Blackberry, Android, get ready… appeared first on Travels With Baby.

I’m delighted to introduce “Baby Theo,” our new character in the next chapter of the Travels with Baby epic adventure. Here he is on his first-ever road trip–heading home from the hospital (part of photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com). He touched down at 7 lbs., 15 oz., and just over 20″ L.

As I re-adjust to life with a newborn (with two older siblings to keep track of now…), I will also be at work on the next edition of Travels with Baby. I would love to hear from those of you who have been using the first edition, and welcome any feedback as to:

– which sections you’ve personally found to be the most useful in your travels so far
– any thoughts or suggestions on areas you’d like to see expanded
– an experience you’ve had or tip you think could be helpful to other traveling parents
– new ground to cover.

Please head to my contact page to send me your emails with the subject line “Next Edition.” I look forward to hearing from you!

The post The new addition and next edition appeared first on Travels With Baby.

With some 5 or 6 hours still to go, we had to come up with something new and wildly different from the menagerie of toys now flung all over the car and repertoire of road songs we’d grown almost hoarse from singing. The frigid rest areas where even dogs scarcely stepped outside of their vehicles held little entertainment value for any of us at this point. We had to think of something else, and fast.

That’s when Tim took a detour on the mountain pass in a quest to reach one of the last patches of snow still accessible by car. It was on the slope beside a dirt road within eye-shot of I-5, completely iced over from recent rains with a smattering of roadside splat and tree needles. But the children were ecstatic, shouting and chanting as we set the brake, “SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!”

Although Tim and I grew up with flurries of the stuff, it’s something we certainly never get at our home in California–except on T.V. They kids could hardly contain their excitement as they reached out to see just how cold it was. Making the most of this unlikely roadside stop that we could, Tim devised an impromptu sled out of one of our car seat travel trays, and we whooped and howled like deranged coyotes as we slid down this less-than-picturesque hillside, trying to avoid the mud puddles below. In under 15 minutes, the girls had exhausted themselves from the laughter alone, and they were beginning to feel cold enough to actually welcome a return to the warm car–and even their car seats.

A mere fifteen minutes out of the car and not a nickel spent, yet we were all the better for it–and have a very fun memory. It was a good reminder of why I like to travel with my children. The simplest things we take for granted in our grown-up travels (like expired snow on the roadside in this case, pigeons or airport “people movers” in others) can be such a source of joy and wonder to small children.

Every stop of the way doesn’t have to be Disneyland on a road trip with toddlers or preschoolers. There are plenty of simple, meaningful ways to enjoy a break from the drive with your child. Here are a few ideas:

1. In unfamiliar towns: Hit the local library to use its restrooms, drinking fountain, and enjoy a storybook (or a few if there’s time) in the children’s section before climbing back into the car.

2. At scenic turnouts: Have a picnic or snack outside of the car, using your ice chest and stroller or blankets for seating (or keep your lawn chairs handy if you’ve brought them along).

3. At rest areas: Bring an inflatable beach ball or rubber ball to chase around the lawns of roadside rest areas.

We’ll always have a warm, fuzzy spot in our hearts for Dunsmuir, California–and our handy travel tray.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

The post Travels with Baby Tip #24: Think Outside the Car Seat appeared first on Travels With Baby.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

The post Travels with Baby Tip #18: Pack "Glow Sticks" appeared first on Travels With Baby.