Holiday hire cars: is it better to take your own kids seats?

[Lochie]

We are taking our first trip abroad later this summer (Mallorca). I've seen several comments about there being a large cost when booking child seats, and also some comments suggesting that the standard of the seats can vary.

- Does anyone know approxmiately how much extra it is to hire child seats with a hire car? We would need 1 x booster seat for 4 year old and another seat for an 18 month old.

- Depending on cost we may buy a bubble bum seat for my eldest child (which costs ?30) and take our child seat for my daughter (a large, heavy Britax). Does anyone know how easy it is to check in one large child seat (we are flying with Monarch). Is there an extra charge?

I don't mind lugging a child seat through the airports if it provides a safer option and saves us alot of money.

Any advice appreciated! :-)

[enjoy]

Hi,

It delends on the airline and the company you're hireing from.

Check out the costs with both.

Booster seats are often very expensive to hire, we often drive to

The nearest store and buy a cheap booster seat there and give it to somebody else when we fly home. Still cheaper.

[snowboarder]

It seems to vary depending on hire companies - but after a series of rubbish hire car seats we bought 2 v cheap group 1-3 car seats from kiddicare (?30 each) and took them this year (to Mallorca!). They are really light so not too much hassle to take, free on the plane, can double up as spare/grandparents car seats at home and we knew they were ok and easy to fit.

Edited to add - we flew with monarch and all was fine, we just checked them in as we did the buggy and not part of our luggage allowance...

[Lochie]

thanks for advice both. And useful to know about Monarch too. Defo think will take our own...

[Mrs Bigsy]

I bought a nania car seat from asda for ?25 when my boy was about 15 months old (they regularly promote it in baby and toddler events)

It's light and really easy to put in and out of the car. We got a sunshine kids car seat bag for ?15 from amazon and have taken our own ever since. He's now 3 and still fits in it. We also strap nappies, wipes, blankets etc into the car seat within the bag as airlines don't check. We've flown with monarch, Thomas cook and BA with it as part of luggage allowance and no problems

[SebsC]

Also recently flown with Monarch and brought our car seat with us. Along with a buggy, it's an allowed extra. It gets booked in as oversized luggage but you are not charged any extra - it's worth either wrapping it up somehow to protect it though or buying a car seat 'bag' (saw a couple of other flyers with these putting them over their car seats).

[Polly D]

We took our first son to Mallorca when he was 7 months old, hired a car from Gold (I think!) and were given a very rickety old forward facing car seat, the kind for 9 months plus really. The bloke told us we should stop worrying as when his kids were little they didn't even use car seats... Def take your own if you can, from a safety perspective rather than cost.

[Redbus66]

Does anyone know what easy jets rules are re: buggy and car seats - I'm guessing they probably charge for both!

[LuisaS]

We're flying easyjet next month so had already checked them out. You can take a car seat and a buggy free of charge - see http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5552

[Al&Em]

Last summer we were quoted ?70 for the week to hire one, so we bought one for a tenner from here and threw it away afterwards (it was pretty worn). We actually meant to just ditch it in Italy, but realised we needed it for the taxi home so ended up lugging it back as well. Would do the same again.

A

[canela]

I think it depends on the car hire company. I've not been charged extra in Spain.