It’s 2026, and parents of toddlers have yet to come across a perfect solution for a perennial headache: traveling with a car seat.
As the father of a rambunctious 2-year-old, I’ve learned this the hard way. My wife and I have tried every popular approach discussed on Reddit and parenting forums, including schlepping my own car seat through airports and renting one along with a car. Every option had downsides, and the struggle made some family vacations exhausting.
Yet, like many parents who want expose their children to the world, I’m eager to continue traveling with my little one, so I asked experts on car seat safety for tips.
They agreed on one thing: The safest — and by far least convenient — idea is to bring your own car seat.
Convenience and safety are “like two north poles of a magnet that are just pushing apart,” said Dr. Alisa Baer, a pediatrician who runs the Car Seat Lady, a safety consulting firm. But safety is nonnegotiable, she added: “The car seat is the only product that you will have on your trip that is for the sole purpose of saving your child’s life.”
None of the tips or workarounds were perfect, but here are some of the best.
Rent a Car Seat? Maybe Not.
Many parents who are turned off by the idea of navigating the airport with a seat simply choose to rent one at their destination. It’s an understandable approach, but renting has its dangers.
For one, a rental seat will probably be unfamiliar, which could lead to improper installation, and they aren’t always clean. Also, there’s no way to know the history of a rental, including whether it’s been in a crash, said Emily Thomas, an auto safety expert who leads the car seat program at Consumer Reports.
Leaving your seat at home would still limit your options for safely transporting your child to the airport. It would also leave you without a car seat on the airplane — not a great idea, Dr. Baer said — especially with growing concerns about the safety of air travel and questions about flying with children in your lap.
Buy a Lighter, Thinner Option
If you’ve decided to buy instead of rent, you have two main options: Get one seat for home and travel, or purchase a second just for trips.
For dual-use seats, look for narrow options that can squeeze through an airplane aisle, typically 17 inches, Dr. Baer said. Chicco’s Fit3x and Clek’s Foonf, for example, are just slim enough. However, they’re heavy: 21 and 33 pounds.
If you decide to go with a separate travel seat, one popular option is Cosco’s Scenera Extend, which weighs about seven pounds, said Dr. Thomas of Consumer Reports. (It’s 19 inches wide, however, so careful on the plane.)
Put It on Wheels
Now, you have to figure out to to easily transport the car seat. A miniature wheeled dolly, like the Britax travel cart, can help. Another option: Put the seat inside a travel bag with shoulder straps, like one from Gorilla Grip, and wear it on your back.
During a recent family trip to Hong Kong, I tried the rolling strategy, loading my Chicco Fit3x into a bag with wheels. On the plane, the weight of the car seat made removing it from the bag and installing it in the window seat a challenge — but mission accomplished.
After arrival, I encountered another stressful situation: Taxis in Hong Kong do not have the lower anchors for installing car seats that U.S. cars typically provide. That meant I had to consult a YouTube video to learn how to install the seat using a seatbelt and a tether. (The cabdriver was not very patient.)
Later, I found a workaround: In the Uber app, I could select Uber Car Seat, an option to summon a vehicle with a car seat installed for a small extra charge. (Lyft has a similar option called Car Seat Mode, available only in New York City.) This feature spared me the indignity of hauling a car seat into museums and temples.
Uber Car Seat is currently offered in only about 30 cities, including Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Taipei and Vienna. An Uber spokesman said in an email that the company planned to expand the program.
Parents should resist the easiest, and least safe, option in cabs or ride-hailing cars: putting your toddler in your lap, Dr. Baer said. That’s because in a crash, an unrestrained child is likely to fly forward into the divider screen, or the windshield.
If you must go somewhere without a car seat, the best option, Dr. Baer said, is public transportation. Riding a bus may be time-consuming, but it can also be entertaining. Who doesn’t love singing “The Wheels on the Bus”?
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