Any suggestions? (parents and Canadians, this means you!)

[vaznetti]

(Otherwise known as, "surely my friends list knows everything...")

OK, here's my problem. We're going back to Halifax next month, so that I can pack up my office, arrange for shipping to the UK, say goodbye, all that stuff. And obviously, we are taking Spartacus with us.

We don't have a car in the UK; we have a borrowed carseat, but Spartacus has just outgrown it, so we won't be taking it with us. I have a car in Halifax (which I'm planning to sell). My usual practice is to take a taxi from the airport to the city. Now, as far as I can tell, taxicabs are actually exempt from childseat laws in Canada (at least, they are in Ontario -- as so often, it's harder to find info on other provinces), but I am a little nervous on two counts -- first, that it's about a 20 minute trip, and second, that I have serious doubts that a taxi driver will take us without a carseat. Does anyone have advice or suggestions?

I've emailed a child stuff rental company about renting a carseat (and some other stuff) while we're there, but they don't seem to do airport dropoffs. I'm going to phone my usual cab company (if I can find their card!) and ask them for advice. I think I'll also email former colleagues with children back in Halifax to see what they suggest (and hope that someone would offer to come pick us up! but that seems unlikely). In the worst-case scenario, there's a shuttle bus to downtown hotels that I can take -- after all, we'll be taking a bus to the airport here, and that's a much longer trip. But generally, by the time I've arrived in the airport, I just want to get the rest of the way, and I suspect that Spartacus will feel the same.

(And yes, I know he'll be on the plane in our laps, but air travel is statistically much safer than car travel...)

Comments

[greenelephant.livejournal.com]

I have no advice to offer re: carseats, but didn't know that you'll no longer be in NS. On reflection this makes sense, of course, since transatlantic parenting obviously wasn't an option! Still, we'll miss you at the oh-so-exciting CAC panels. Good luck getting everything packed up; I imagine it will be a huge relief to be all in one place permanently.

[vaznetti]

Yeah, we offered them the opportunity of a spousal hire, but between the bad economy, a pretty messed-up history department, and an incompetent and bitchy dean, it came to naught. I have a part-time job for next year in Oxford, so it's not too horrible in the end, although my pay will probably just cover the childcare!

I'm totally coming back for the 2011 CAC, though, since it will be in Halifax!

[timesink.livejournal.com]

I can't speak to Canada, just Washington DC and parts of the US, but carseats and taxicabs don't often mix. I found that quite often the car seat (especially when the Boy was still rear-facing) didn't fit in the cab right, and he ended up flopping over his seatbelts. Frequently I just gritted my teeth, held my breath, squished him to my chest and prayed. We did fine. I'd ask your usual cab company, or the shuttle bus company; they may use vans that have built-in car seats or something.

You're going to have him in your lap the whole way from the UK? I know it's cheaper that way, but ... I applaud your bravery and endurance. ;)

[vaznetti]

Yeah, in the US I wouldn't worry about being stranded at the airport -- but the cultural difference between the US and (especially Eastern) Canada is enough that I don't feel so confident.

We're breaking the journey in Reykjavik so he can get out and crawl, but the flight from to Halifax isn't too long anyway. But I think that the relative ease of the trip to and from the west coast may have lulled me -- now he's bigger, and mobile!

[zarahemla.livejournal.com]

You might be able to rent a carseat at the airport? I seem to recall that this might be possible. And then maybe bring it back later? I don't know if it's possible in Canada. Otherwise, call the taxi company and see if they can send a van with a built-in seat. Or just hold him on your lap and pray really hard :D I have found taxi drivers to be pretty safe drivers, since their car is their livelihood.

[vaznetti]

We ended up buying a smallish and lightish one to get us through this trip and others -- it will just make things easier in the short and long run, really.

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

I would have the same anxieties. Would you consider purchasing a new seat in the UK and using it on the flight. It might give you are break to be able to put the baby somewhere else but your arms. Of course a heavy car seat on your lap is not fun for 7 hours either and that doesn't solve the problems about installing a car seat once there.

Good luck with the trip. I hope it all goes well.

[vaznetti]

We're thinking seriously about doing this; the problem is that we'd like a rear-facing seat (and in fact, that is the law in Canada, although it's not clear whether I count as a visitor or not for this purpose), and it's hard to find one that will suit us.

[cassandre.livejournal.com]

Faced with a similar dilemma, I've dragged a carseat overseas with me. This might be worth doing if you think you'll use it more than once on the trip, even though I suspect you won't want to be burdened with extra luggage. The carseat doesn't count as part of your normal luggage allowance; they normally put it with 'fragile' luggage when you check in, and when you arrive you have to wait at a special baggage collection point to pick it up. You are welcome to borrow our carseat (which we hardly ever use) if you're reluctant to take the other borrowed one over.

Alternatively, I think calling the cab company is a good idea, because some cab companies have cabs with carseats, and you can book one. I've only ever done this going TO the airport, as opposed to going from one, but in principle I don't see why you couldn't ring from the airport and get a special cab with a carseat to collect you. You might try calling several different cab companies in Halifax and ask them whether they have cabs with carseats and whether they would do an airport pickup with one.

Finally, in my experience, lots of UK taxi drivers will turn a blind eye to transporting a small child for a short distance without a carseat. Canada may be more strict - I don't know. In the US I've always used one, as far as I can recall. A 20-minute ride would make me a little uneasy. I think I'd be tempted to opt for the shuttle bus instead, miserable as that sounds after an overseas flight with a baby.

The dream option would be to collar a friend with a car in Halifax and get them to borrow a carseat and pick you up at the airport!

[cassandre.livejournal.com]

Oops, I forgot that our seat is a front-facing, not a rear-facing one. I can't remember at what age you are supposed to make the switch and whether Spartacus would be old enough...

[cassandre.livejournal.com]

I just reread your post more carefully and realized you said Spartacus has outgrown the old carseat. In that case I think ours would be perfect for him! So bear that mind if you want to borrow it. We only use it once in a blue moon.

It's not fun travelling with a baby though - regular luggage plus carseat plus stroller. At least your stroller is nice and light for travel.

[vaznetti]

Thanks for the offer -- we decided to go ahead and buy a lighweight carseat to use for this trip and other ones -- since we'll be traveling again in December/January. It just seemed the easiest thing to do -- although it was a bit tricky to find one that was likely to work for us, given how many different cars we'll be in!

Yeah, I think we'll need lots of extra time in the airport. Ugh.

[cschick.livejournal.com]

Some taxi companies will be able to provide you with a seat.

If you were currently in Canada or the US, I'd recommend that you just purchase a Cosco Scenera and haul it with (if you've got a carseat to gate check with you, sometimes the gate attendants will work with you to place you in a row with an empty seat to let you use it onboard): it's a decent but cheap carseat that you're not going to cry about if it gets banged up while being gate-checked by the airline. But I don't know that they are available in the UK.

[vaznetti]

We decided to buy a fairly small and lightweight seat to use for this trip and later ones -- it just seemed the most straightforward thing. It will be interesting to see about using it in Canada -- according to the law there he ought to still be in a rear facing seat, and although technically, as a non-resident I should be exempt from that, my car is still registered in Canada... But even so, I think having the seat will just make things easier for us.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know about Halifax, but in New York, taxis and livery cabs are definitely exempt from the carseat rule (because you know, who wants to lug a giant carseat around JUST in case you get tired and maybe want to take a cab somewhere.) I just squeeze him tight and figure that when I was a baby, carseats were rudimentary at best and nothing ever happened to me.

However, if you have a less laissez-faire attitude, perhaps you can buy the appropriate carseat for Spartacus in the UK and bring it with you (you can actually sometimes bring them ON the plane and strap the baby into it on the plane, though of course, that's probably only if you've bought a separate seat for him. If not, I've seen people with these cool things that are basically wheeled platforms for carseats, so you can strap him into that in the airport rather than having a stroller.)

Alternatively, you can perhaps contact the airport in Halifax and find out whether a) it's possible to get a cab with a carseat (I know rental car companies have them, but I have no idea whether Canadian cabs do!) or b) whether you can be sure you'll get a cab in the absence of a carseat.

[vaznetti]

Well, I don't know about Halifax, but in New York, taxis and livery cabs are definitely exempt from the carseat rule...

They are exempt, as far as I can tell. And if we were going to NY I wouldn't worry at all, but you have to remember that a major contributor to the culture of Eastern Canada were a group of people who thought, "Revolution? I don't know, it sounds a bit risky..." back in the late 18th century.

We're thinking about buying a carseat and gate-checking it, but the question is which carseat -- it has to be fairly easy to use, since we'll be hauling it in and out of other people's cars for the next few years.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

"Revolution? I don't know, it sounds a bit risky..." back in the late 18th century.

Heeee!

I don't know whether the same brands are available in England, but since we don't have a car ourselves, we wanted to get something portable and not too complicated, and the Evenflo model fit our specifications quite well!