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If you can, bring your own car seat. You know its history, you know how to install it, and it already fits your child. Air Canada and WestJet both check car seats for free. A rental seat is a second-hand seat, and Health Canada's advice is not to use a second-hand seat if the person lending it doesn't know its history. So if you do rent, ask questions before you book and check the seat before your child rides in it. Here's how the three options compare.
Bring, rent or buy: the trade-offs
| Bring your own | Rent with the car | Buy new at your destination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known history | Yes | Usually not | Yes |
| Fits your child | Yes | Depends on the seat you get | You choose it |
| You know the install | Yes | New to you, and the manual may be missing | New to you, with the manual |
| Hassle | Carrying it through the airport | Checking it at the counter | Finding a store and the cost |
| Best for | Most trips | Short trips when you can't bring one | Long stays, or a seat to keep at grandparents' house |
Bringing your own
Air Canada checks one car seat or booster per child up to age 11 for free, on top of your baggage allowance, as long as nothing else is packed inside it. WestJet also checks car seats at no charge. If you've bought your child a seat on the plane, you may be able to use the car seat on board instead. Our guide to flying with a car seat explains the labels and rules, and our car seat travel bag guide covers protecting it in the hold. Booster seats can't be used on board, so a booster always gets checked or packed.
Some seats are easier to travel with:
- For a baby: the Nuna PIPA Urbn ($680) installs without a base, using built-in rigid connectors or the vehicle seat belt, so there's no base to pack. The carrier weighs 7 lb without its canopy and insert, and it fits babies 4 to 22 lb and 15 to 29 inches. Our PIPA Urbn vs Clek Liingo comparison has more.
- For an older child in a booster: the Diono Solana backless booster ($49.99) weighs 3.1 lb, so it's easy to pack. A backless booster only works if the vehicle seat or headrest reaches at least the top of your child's ears, which you won't know until you see the car.
- A travel bag: the UPPAbaby Travel Bag ($149.99) is made for the Mesa infant seat.
Before you go, read your manual's section on installing with the vehicle seat belt, in case the car you get doesn't suit the way you install it at home.
If you rent: the checklist
A rental seat has usually been used before. Use the same checks as for any second-hand seat, from Health Canada. If a seat fails any one, ask for another or don't use it.
Before you book, ask the rental company:
- Which seat models they have, and whether one suits your child's age, weight and height
- Whether they can tell you the seat's history, including whether it's been in a collision
- Whether the seat comes with its manual
At the counter, check the seat:
- The label. In Canada, the seat must have the National Safety Mark. Note the model number and date of manufacture.
- The expiry date. Most seats show one on a label or moulded into the shell. Don't use an expired seat.
- Recalls. Search the model number in Transport Canada's child car seat safety alerts and Health Canada's recalls database.
- The parts. If the manual is missing, look it up on the manufacturer's website and check that every listed part is there.
- The working parts. The buckle latches and unlatches, the harness tightens and loosens, the chest clip closes and stays closed, and the connectors or tether work.
- The condition. No cracks in the shell, and no frayed or torn straps.
Then install it yourself, following the manual, and check the fit on your child before you drive away. Our used car seat guide explains each of these checks in more detail.
If you're renting outside Canada, the seat will usually be certified to that country's standard, not Canada's, and won't have the National Safety Mark. Car seat rules also differ from place to place, so check the rules where you'll be driving.
Buying a seat at your destination
Buying new means you know the seat's whole history and get the manual in the box. It's worth it for a long stay, or if you visit the same family often and want a seat that lives there.
If you buy a seat in the US or another country, plan to leave it there. Transport Canada says it's illegal to import or use a car seat in Canada without the National Safety Mark, and a seat bought abroad usually won't have one. Our guide to US car seats in Canada explains why.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Taxis are exempt from car seat rules in BC and Ontario, but being exempt doesn't change how a seat belt fits your child. Our guide to booster seat laws in BC and Ontario lists the exemptions. A baseless infant seat or a small backless booster makes it easier to bring a seat along.
Get your seat checked before you go
Bringing your own seat? We offer car seat installation and check-ups by appointment at our Richmond and Burnaby stores, free for seats bought from us and $50 for other seats. Here's what happens at a car seat check. Browse travel-friendly seats in our car seat collection, and call ahead to ask which ones we have on display.
Neo W. is a BCAA-certified Child Passenger Safety Educator at baby enRoute (BCAA CPS Educator II Course).
