Can You Rent an Infant Car Seat at the Airport?

Traveling with a car seat is difficult, as you must either carry it through airport security or check it with your luggage and risk damaging it. As a result, many parents seek to rent infant seats from the airport, as it is much more convenient. While it is possible to rent an infant car seat, The Car Seat Lady website suggests that parents learn the fact before making this decision.

  1. Car Rental Companies

    • The main location from which you can rent car seats is a car rental company. These seats will come pre-installed in the vehicle, so all you have to do is place the child in the seat and continue on your trip. The majority of these car rental companies offer a guarantee on the safety of these seats, according to the Parenting website. Rental car seats cost between $10 and $15 per day, depending on the car rental company and the location, although the fees are usually capped at between $60 and $70 per rental.

    Potential Benefits

    • Parents can benefit from renting a car seat because of how easy it makes travel, suggests the Parenting website. If you already have multiple bags, a stroller and a child to carry through the airport, adding a baby seat to the pile is a chore. In addition, if you choose to check your child's seat with the rest of your luggage, you run the risk of having it lost. When the airline loses your car seat, you could end up having to rent one anyway, but you will have the added stress of locating your infant seat.

    Dangers of Renting

    • For parents, safety is the most important thing and is the reason they avoid renting a car seat. For starters, there is no way of knowing if the car seat has been in a major accident. You should never use a car seat unless you are 100 percent sure about its history, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren.org. In addition, you run the risk of using a dirty car seat when you rent one, as you never know who has used it previously. Germs from the previous child can stay on the seat, which could make your child sick after using a rented seat.

    Alternatives to Renting

    • Rather than renting a car seat at the airport, it is recommended that parents take the car seat onto the plane and have their child sit in it. Although you will have to purchase a child's ticket on the plane for her to use the seat, it makes for a much safer and more comfortable ride. When turbulence hits during a flight, it becomes very difficult to hold onto a baby. In addition, an aborted takeoff or a rough landing could harm your baby if she is not properly secured, notes The Car Seat Lady's site. Overall, it is safer to have the child in a car seat on the plane, rather than renting one at the airport.

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