Do I even need a car seat?

I know it sounds like a stupid question but we live in Manhattan and don't have a car. When we go visit my family on LI we rent a car, but it looks like Avis provides the car seats for free with each rental...which I guess I never thought about before. When everyone goes on vacation and flies somewhere and rents a car they don't lug the car seat with them right? They rent a car with the car seat?

I also noticed that women in manhattan with babies often hail a cab and throw the stroller in the trunk and just hop on in the backseat and they don't have a car seat with them...so I guess you don't need to ride with a car seat if you have the baby in your lap in a cab? So confused right now...

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I thoght or maybe Im confused one was required for you to leave the hospital (or you can rent from them) -no?

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

as far as car rentals, you can definitely rent a car seat with the car...i think there is an additional charge...its not much though.

as far as cabs go, i never thought about that, but good question???

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

good question...i'll be interested to know the answer!

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Aren't cab like buses. No seatbelt in the back is required.

I don't know how they would provide transportation for an infant.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I don't think I'd trust the rental car seats. I'd always wonder if it was ever in an accident.

There are a couple of girls on the parenting board who live in the city and would know the hospital and cab policies better (Shelly). I always thought a hospital would not allow you to leave w/o a car seat. I've even heard of programs where they supply car seats to people who meet certain income guidelines.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Do car rental companies have infant seats though? I know they have boosters and regular carseats. I think I would buy one anyway, because like someone else said, you don't know if it's been in an accident. Not to mention the icky factor of using a carseat that a bunch of other babies have spit up, peed in, etc.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

You have to have a car seat to leave the hospital no matter where you live. We were also told that legally, you are suppose to have one to ride in a cab also. That doesn't mean that some cabbies don't ignore that law, but you might find some that won't take you if you don't have one.

I know that is seems silly to get one if you don't own a car(we also live in the city and don't have a car), but fact is a car seat is the safest way to transport your child even on those occasional cab rides. Plus, if you also get the snap and go it can double as a stroller for the first few months.

Message edited 2/20/2007 2:38:47 PM.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

A couple that we know (live in the city) just mentioned that they had to get a special car seat for the taxi.

I found some links that might help (car seat is not required in NYC taxis)

The Car Sear Lady

Q&A - Ask Moxie

Message edited 2/20/2007 2:42:51 PM.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

My friends with babies in the city hold them on their lap. Not the safest thing, but if you are going somewhere (like lunch or to a museum, or even shopping) then you have to lug a car seat with you - doesnt seem feasible all the time.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

We live 5 blocks from the hospital so we would either walk home (if I can) or take a cab.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Okay, after a little research online I found that taxis are exempt from the car seat law. YOu might want to check out a site called "The Car Seat Lady". She makes some very good points about why even though they are exempt you still might want to use one and also if not using one where you should place the child.

I would call your hospital and ask if you need one if you plan on walking home from the hospital. They may still require one.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I would just buy one... I've rented a carseat before, I found it to be really gross and outdated. I vowed I'd always travel with our own carseat whenever we rented a car.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I would buy one or put it on your registry anyway. U never know when u are gonna need it.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I am always wondering about cabs - i grew up in the city - no one ever used a car seat, and I see women go into cabs all the time with their babies.... I guess no one ever got into an accident, so everyone looks the other way?

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I was really curious about this as well.

For taxis, buses, ambulance, and mail letter carriers Effective July 1, 2006 (scroll down to page four):
National Health Traffic Safety
(yes, I know a ton of you really need to know about the mail letter carriers)


In a regular car:

Children under the age of 16 must wear seat belts in the back seat. Children under the age of four must ride in safety seats. Children age four, five, or six must ride in child restraint systems. Safety seats and child restraint systems must be certified according to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. Note: The effective date of the requirement to use a child restraint system for a child age four, five, or six is March 27, 2005.

Children less than 4 years old but weighing more than 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a lap shoulder belt.

Children ages 4, 5 and 6 must be properly restrained in an appropriate child restraint system, one that meets the child's height and weight recommendations according to the child restraint manufacturer.

Source

Message edited 2/20/2007 5:38:15 PM.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

It is illegal to hold a child on your lap in a cab. Many drivers know they will get in big trouble and refuse you the ride. I would NEVER put my child at risk like that either. You need a car seat. I also would not trust a rental car seat. They could continue to use a seat that was in an accident, which is a big No-No.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Here is the revised law.

New York

http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/boost-new.htm


NEW YORK STATE CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINT LAW
Beginning March 27, 2005 -
Children ages 4, 5,and 6, riding in any seating position of a motor vehicle will be required to be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system.
What does "child restraint system" mean?
A child restraint system is any device, used in conjunction with safety belts, designed for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position children and meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. 571.213.
What are they?
It may be a child safety seat or harness/vest or booster seat. (The vehicle's safety belts are not a child restraint system.)
What does "appropriate" mean?
An appropriate child restraint system is one that meets the child's height, weight, and size according to the manufacturer's recommendation for that restraint system.
What is the fine for a violation?
Fines will range from $25 to $100 for violations.
What is the occupant restraint law for children who are under the age of 4?
Children under the age of 4 are required to be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat when riding in a motor vehicle. If the weight of a child under the age of 4 exceeds 40 pounds, the child may be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system, allowing the child to use a booster seat.
Does the new law apply to school buses?
No. However, children under the age of 4 must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat when riding in a school bus. Liveries, taxis, and public transportation buses are exempt from the occupant restraint law.
Once a child turns 4 years old, should he or she be in a booster seat?
Not necessarily. Choose the restraint system that will fit your child's weight and size. Read the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations for that particular seat. For maximum protection, keep a child in a forward-facing child safety seat with full internal harness until they reach the manufacturer's recommendations for upper size limits. The harness provides upper body, head, and neck protection.
Who should use a booster seat?
The next step of children who have outgrown a forward-facing child safety seat is a booster seat, usually when a child weighs more than 40 pounds or grows more than 40 inches in height.
What type of booster seat should you use?
There are two major types of belt-positioning booster seats:
1. Backless or low-back booster seats are used in vehicles with a high seat back in which the child's head can be supported by the vehicle seat back or head restraint.
2. High-back booster seats are used in vehicles with a low seat back where there is no vehicle seat back or head restraint to support the child's head and neck.
Booster seats must be used with both the lap and shoulder belt. A booster seat should never be used with a lap belt only.
When should you move your child from a booster seat to an adult seat belt?
Your child should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits him or her properly. This is usually when your child reaches 4'9" in height and is about 8 years old. Please make sure that your child meets all of the following requirements for a proper seat belt fit:
1. The lap belt should be low across the upper thighs or hips, not across the abdomen.
2. The shoulder belt should lie across the chest and shoulder, not touching the neck or face.
3. Your child should be able to sit with his or her back straight against the vehicle seat back with knees bent at the seat's edge without slouching.
4. Your child should be able to ride this way for the entire trip.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I would not trust rent-a-car carseats either. If they have been in an accident or stored improperly they can be impaired and you may never know it. Besides I doubt they look into consumer reports or anything for the best ones to buy or recalls.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I live in the city too and I'm definitely getting a car seat. First of all, what stroller do you plan on getting? Many of the strollers ppl are using for the infants are the car seats snapped into the frame. Secondly, unless you plan on walking home, your hospital will not allow you to leave with your baby w/o a car seat. At first my husband and I were told that no matter what you had to have a car seat, but at the Lenox Hill hospital tour, the nurse advised us that if we are walking home we do not need one. With regards to taxis, I think it's crazy to not use a car seat. Cab accidents happen all the time in the city..... Just heard of a story where a cab stopped short and the person in the back had their two front teeth knocked out......can't imagine what would happen to an infant.....

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

I live in Manhattan with my daughter. We have a car, so I got a car seat. But unless you are walking home from the hospital, they can't let you out without a car seat.

The infant carrier (car seat) is so great for a number of things- especially cabs. I just strap it in with the seat belt and she's set to go. It is also perfect for a plane ride. When I went to Cali, I didn't buy a seat for her, but I was able to use an empty one since I brought her car seat. In fact I am trying to squeeze her in it when I go to Florida on Friday.

The rental car seats for infants are basically just an infant carrier without the base, so if you have one- you don't have to deal with renting one.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

Why even quibble about it? I mean, you don't have to get the most expensive one and people use them in restuarants and when you travel you will want your own seat. My SIL didn't bring her seat the last time she rented a car and figured she'd just rent the seat and it was a GIANT booster (her DD is 16 months) and it was totally unsafe, you can't count on what a rental company would offer you.

Re: Do I even need a car seat?

My SIL in lives in Manhattan and ended up using a Sit N Stroll in the beginning. She said it was really handy.