Kathy Warner

If you're blessed with a small kid and plan your first vacation, I am sure you have so many questions:

"Should I go by plane? Should I rent a car? How can I transport the car seat? Where to put all these baggage?"

Well, those are the perks of parenting right there!

No, seriously, slow down first-timers. Luckily, many parents are willing to share the wisdom and help the fellow moms and dads with their valuable experience. Sharing is caring, after all.

Therefore, when it comes to car rental, down below, we composed an essential guide with all the information you need to know about car rental with a car seat!

Stay tuned and plan your trips stress-free!

A kid's wellbeing is the number one priority of every responsible parent. However, transportation of any kind carries a certain degree of risk, which parents are never willing to take.

Regulations and policies concerned with this matter are continuously changing and updating. Sometimes, it is hard to follow the advisable thing when traveling with a child.

In this informative text, you may find all the essential information on the best ways to accommodate a child in a plane safely. If you have done some research yourself, you're probably considering flying with a car seat; and you're going in the right direction. 

While holding a child in your lap is a legitimate form of child accommodation on aircraft, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mandatory restraints of children younger than two years.

To choose the safest option possible for your toddler, keep reading and get familiar with FAA and NTSB regulations, learn how to fly with a car seat safely, and what the other recommended alternatives are.

The Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program was created in 1998 to establish quality control in child passenger safety course content and instruction. While Washington is fortunate to have more than 400 Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, there is still a significant need in both large and small communities to have more trained people with the interest and the time to help parents, grandparents and other caregivers learn how to keep children safe in cars.

Child Passenger Safety Certification classes are usually 3-4 days. Certification courses combine classroom instruction with hands-on exercises. Each course concludes with a community car seat check-up event where new technicians teach caregivers how to properly install and use car seats and booster seats.

Persons who successfully complete this course receive national certification as a Child Passenger Safety Technician through Safe Kids Worldwide (the certifying body of the program). Child Passenger Safety Certification is recognized everywhere in the United States, its territories and on non-domestic U.S. military installations.

Fit & Installation

Just as every child is a different shape and size, so are vehicles. Certain car seats fit better in some vehicles more than others. What fits your neighbor’s vehicle may not fit yours. This is why we don’t encourage using second-hand seats.

It’s important you select a car seat that will accommodate your child’s growth needs, fits tightly in your vehicle and is easy to use. See the “Car Seats & Boosters” section for help choosing a car seat.

Below are tips on proper fit and installation of a car seat.

Buckling Up Older Kids

Is your child ready for a seat belt?

One of the most common questions parents have is “When can my child ride in the car using just the adult seat belt?” Whether parents ask what is the law or what is safest for their child, our answer is always the same: “When the adult seat belt fits properly." That happens when you can answer YES to all five of these questions: