I’ll admit it. I’m that mom that’s a car seat freak. I’m up to date on all the latest best-practice updates and follow Facebook groups that advocate for keeping kids rear-facing for as long as possible. I’m super anal about car seat safety (maybe to a fault) and have always done everything I can to keep my daughter, M, as safe as possible in the car. But one of the things that has always scared me about international travel with M is her car seat. Which is why I’m writing this post. I feel like it’s such a huge topic/concern for parents these days, and honestly, there isn’t a whole lot of talk about it out there. Maybe because it’s touchy subject, maybe because people don’t want to talk about what they actually do, or maybe because some people don’t think it’s an issue. But it’s a big thing to me, so I wanted to take a minute to talk about it candidly.
Whenever I thought about traveling with M, it was always in my head and something I constantly worried about and wondered. I didn’t want to wait to backpack with M until she was out of car seats, but how could I realistically do it before? I’ve traveled enough to know that car seats don’t really exist in most parts of the world. I mean, come on, in Asia entire families from newborns to grandparents will ride on one scooter without helmets, dog included. It’s not like I didn’t know that reality and understand that millions of kids all over the world get by just fine without a car seat. But as a Canadian parent, this was something I struggled to come to terms with for my own child. If I let my 4 year old ride in a car in Canada without a car seat I’d be ticketed and probably hauled off to jail. (If not for real, at least by the online community should anyone see a photo of it.) But with a last minute trip to Guatemala booked, what was I to do?
Well, I researched. And researched. I read blogs. I looked at what other people did. I looked at compact, backpack-friendly options and read tons of reviews. I also had multiple conversations with other parents. And what did I find out? Well, first of all, there are no car seat laws in Guatemala. Car seats don’t even seem to be readily available. Public transportation options are either shuttles, school buses (chicken buses), Ubers or tuk tuks. None of which (except for Ubers) would even accommodate a car seat (and then only if the car had seat belts. Trust me, it’s a thing. I’ve been in my fair share of cars around the world where the presence of seat belts in seemingly optional). We did look at renting a car, which would have worked to bring my own car seat from home, but it was incredibly expensive and we were going places where it would have sat unused or been unable to get us to where we needed to go. Plus, how do you realistically backpack with a 4 year old, who doesn’t carry any of their own stuff, and a car seat? With both of us carrying our own backpacks, and hers (and probably carrying her too), who would carry the car seat? Where would we store it?
So, what did we do in the end? We become local and went without.
And I’m sure some of you are judging me for this decision, but please keep those opinions to yourself. At the end of the day I want to travel and be able to show M the world from a young age. And in some places that requires that her car seat stays in the car… at the airport in Canada. Trust me, if you really knew me, you’d know I care a great deal about safety and that it nearly broke me to not have it. I was scared the whole time. BUT, we did everything we could to reduce the risks. We walked when we could. We took public transportation (boats and tuk tuks). And when we took Ubers we asked them to drive slower and educated M as much as we could on sitting properly, wearing a seatbelt, etc. (And of course at one point we did end up in a car without any seatbelts… so there’s that.)
But the point of all this is to say that at the end of the day you have to do what’s right for you. Do what you’re comfortable with and do it in the safest way possible. It seems to be such a touchy subject amongst parents (and those who just like to have their input on how to raise kids) and I think there’s a lot of judgement out there. I’m just here to say that it’s entirely possible to travel with kids while they’re still in their car seat era. And while I’m not a CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) and definitely not an expert on the topic, for those of you wondering how to do it, here’s my take:
- Although car seats are required by law in Canada, up to a certain age, many other countries do not have these same laws and requirements. Always make sure you check what the required laws are in the country you plan to travel to so you know what you’re going into.
- Look for other options and alternatives. Maybe a lightweight car seat if you’re going to use one on the plane and at your destination (I use the Evenflo Sonus 65 for airplane travel because it’s really light) or the Ridesafer vest (which in all honesty I would have bought and taken with me to use, but due to the last minute nature of the trip I couldn’t get it delivered in time. But please note, I’ve never used it before so can’t speak to ease of use, weight, etc.. I’ve only read reviews and it looked like an interesting option). Or perhaps a small, lightweight booster seat.
- Take public transportation whenever possible – buses, trains, boats, etc.
- If feasible, bring your car seat and rent a car. This takes all the worry out of renting a car seat in country (not recommended as you don’t know the state or condition of the seat you’ll get, but potentially an option if you want a car seat and don’t want to/can’t bring your own) and gives you the freedom and flexibility to travel whenever and however you want. It may also help your little one to feel more comfortable as it’s something familiar to them (and hey, maybe they’ll even nap in the car for you!).
- Do what you’re comfortable with. Although car seats are definitely the safest option, it might not always work for you, your family, and in the country you’re traveling to.
Overall, you have to do what’s best for you and your family. And if, for you, that means delaying traveling until your kids are older, that’s perfectly fine and respectable. But if you make the decision to take safe alternatives to a car seat in your worldly travels, that’s also perfectly fine and respectable.
So, whatever your decision, I hope this post has been of some use, or at least brought up a new perspective.
Happy travels!
Teryn Warnke 