flying with carseat? in US and Europe

[Anonymous]

when you travel with a child to Europe what do you do re: carseat, do you bring it and check on the plane and then strap it with no base once overseas? or are they more relaxed overthere, can you just hold the child in the backseat in a taxi or rental car. it seems so cumbersome to bring it along?

do cabs require you to have a carseat?

I am curious to learn info for both that of an infant under 6 months and a child 3 years. thank you in advance

[Anonymous]

We have always traveled with a carseat, but more for our peace of mind than because we were concerned with overseas requirements. I remember a cabbie in London was fairly patient with me as I installed a carseat for a three year old, but he could well have been humoring the crazy Americans. With a four-month old we brought the carseat (with no base) and then also one of those universal stroller frames we could use with the carseat.

A softsided mei tei (Kozy) carrier was also great for overseas travel at both ages.

[Anonymous]

Generally in the EU, car seats are not required in a cab. If you rent a car, you can usually rent a car seat from the car rental company, although it will be a European spec one (probably 3 point, not 5) and might be pretty old.

Might your children sit in them on the plane? I know when my children were of carseat age (they are booster age now) we always strapped them in te carseats on the plane because it was safer and more comfortable and familiar for them.

If you do take the seats on the plane, though, it could be an issue depending on the airline. Some of the European ar=irlines require an EU approved sticker on the seat, although you might be able to fight them that it's FAA approved --depends on the airline and the flight attendant.

Have a nice trip!