heading to europe and have questions!!

marykate1279

Hi all - I am going to Ireland and Liverpool next month. (DD will be 10 months old).  We are renting a car and my MIL is getting us a car seat and high chair for when we are in Ireland.  We are bringing an umbrella stroller with us and will check it in at the airport gate.  We are going to Liverpool for four days for a wedding and will be staying at a hotel.  My problem is we will probably be taking alot of taxis in L'pool.  Have any of you travelled with LO in a taxi?  What is the procedure?  I just thought of this the other day.  Should we take the carseat over from Ireland.

Any other travel tips will be greatly appreciated.  Im really stressing about this trip!!!

TIA

Gramyson

i have no idea, but omg your dd is adorable!

? Shween ?

In the UK, it is not required that infants ride in a carseat when in a taxi. Also, that would mean that you'd have to lug the seat around with you EVERYWHERE and install/re-install it every time you went out, which is actually not good for the seat itself. (so many re-installations)

Also - how are you getting from Ireland to the UK? Ferry or plane? 

marykate1279

? Shween ?:

In the UK, it is not required that infants ride in a carseat when in a taxi. Also, that would mean that you'd have to lug the seat around with you EVERYWHERE and install/re-install it every time you went out, which is actually not good for the seat itself. (so many re-installations)

Also - how are you getting from Ireland to the UK? Ferry or plane? 

 Yeah I really didnt want to have to lug the carseat everywhere.  Do you think it would be ok if I held her in my lap and buckled us in?  We are staying in the city center so prob wont have to go far.

We are flying to liverpool

CPJM

Unfortunately Shween is right, you don't need a car seat in taxis - although I think they should be pre-bookable. I.e. You say you need a taxi with a car seat and that's what you get. IMO much safer. Have you considered hiring a car, all rental companies supply them over here.

? Shween ?

marykate1279:

? Shween ?:

In the UK, it is not required that infants ride in a carseat when in a taxi. Also, that would mean that you'd have to lug the seat around with you EVERYWHERE and install/re-install it every time you went out, which is actually not good for the seat itself. (so many re-installations)

Also - how are you getting from Ireland to the UK? Ferry or plane? 

 Yeah I really didnt want to have to lug the carseat everywhere.  Do you think it would be ok if I held her in my lap and buckled us in?  We are staying in the city center so prob wont have to go far.

We are flying to liverpool

That's pretty standard practice over there (mom's just holding the baby in the taxi) since more people take public transport than drive their own cars.

When you get off the plane in LP how are you getting to the hotel? I would say rent a car, but if you're not familiar with right-drive, then I wouldn't have your first go at it with a baby in tow. 

Unfortunately, CPJM, you can't just request a taxi with a car seat unless it's one that you pre-book and MAYBE the taxi company would have one available if it's for a longer ride. But for shirt trips I doubt they'd even put the time/effort into installing a car seat. Not to mention, you don't know if they installed it correctly, or even how old the seat is to begin with. So in that respect, you may just be safer holding the child in your lap anyway. 

What I can suggest though, is trying to hail a taxi that has the dual-seat (front AND rear-facing seats) and sit with the baby in the rear-facing seat. Usually these are the 'traditional' black cabs that you think of when you think of a proper English taxi, know what I mean? 

Good luck and safe travels! 

 

 

eml569

KateB1984:

Ditto that carseats aren't required for taxis, which I don't understand because it's no safer in a taxi than a regular car. I wouldn't hold my baby on my lap in a taxi. If you're going to, I'd recommend at least putting your LO in a baby carrier of some sort.

Our Graco safeseat goes up to 30lbs and is really handy for travel because it can be installed with a lapbelt over the seat itself instead of with a base. I bring it everywhere we travel, including Scotland and London in the past.

I've never heard that repeated installation of a carseat compromises the safety of a seat. But regardless, it would be safer than nothing. I've been in a lot of taxis and always take the time to install a seat.

We have the Safeseat too, and would just opt to take it without the base. It's  very simple to install with a seatbelt and I can't imagine it compromises the integrity of the seat at all. I'd be much more comfortable with my kiddo in a seat. 

CPJM

Oh, sorry, you got me wrong. I live there, well, southern England. What I meant was that you should be able to opt for a car seat if you need one. You can ask for other special needs. OP, your trips will probably be short in the taxi anyway, with it being Liverpool the city centre is not as large as US cities. There are other options like taking a bus but there is no underground. Try looking at the Liverpool John Lennon website for info. The airport is close to the city.