We'll be traveling to Germany soon and renting a car. We were going to bring our own car seat for our daughter, but the rental company told me their cars did not accept the LATCH system. They said I should add a car seat to our booking. Anyone have experience in this area? Should we take ours or rent theirs? Thanks!!
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
Even if the cars don't use LATCH, you can still bring your own car seat and buckle it in, you just won't be able to attach the top strap that goes through the top of the seat to the trunk. Just thread the buckle through the bottom of the seat like you do in your car.
And, of course the rental car wants you to rent a seat from them. It usually costs around 8-10 euro/day. You can buy a new seat for the cost it would take to rent one for a week.
I'm assuming if your daughter is young enough for a car seat, than you'll want one for the plane. We've always used one on the plane for our little ones. It's safer, plus you've got a place to strap 'em in so you don't have to deal with a squirmy kid for a whole 9 hour flight. And mine were comfortable sleeping in theirs, so that made the overnight flight a little easier. Check on the side of the car seat, there should be a sticker that says if it's airplane approved.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
JR, in the entire European Union only rigid system baby seats are allowed. The European standard is significantly different from the US standard (and the EU considers their standard to be even better than the American one). It's called ISOFIX. The LATCH standard (Lower Anchors and Tether for Children) sometimes is referred to as Soft-FIX in Europe but even though they can be installed in our cars they're not legal. That means if you're involved in an accident no insurance has to pay for any "damage" to a child that's not protected by a legal child seat. That's the reason why you might want to consider using a European child seat while over here...
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
Really? Didn't know that. I'm hoping mine will be out of them by the next time we go!
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
I wouldn't take a seat that needs to be attached to by a tether strap,, if the car will not have the tether bolt installed. It basically means the seat is unsafe,, the tether strap must be properly attached to enable the seat to function correctly in event of crash. Buy a carseat in Germany,, or rent with car, I am sure their carseats are likely superior to ours anyways.
Posted by
OP
Hopkinsville, Kentucky, USA
44 posts
Thanks so much for the info! I've arranged to rent through the car company. Better to be safe than sorry!! Looking forward to the trip!!