Does anyone know the specifics on Car Seat laws in Canada?

[flagger]

Specically in the province of BC. This pertains to our cruise next year. I wonder about height and weight requirements to use a car seat. If we were going to be driving around Canada and up the Alaskan coast highway, I wouldn't have a problem bringing the Marathon we just bought (and yes I am eating crow for saying I never would buy one).

However, because of the cruise and space being at a premium in a stateroom, I wonder about it basically sitting unused for a week. I wonder if there is a smaller alternative that we could consider for the airplane ride and basically two taxis from the airport in Vancouver to the hotel and from the port to the airport.

Not knowing her size at 15 months, I wonder if she could just be belted in to an airplane seat (yes we would buy one for her) and into a seat in a taxi. Yes I know some may ask how I dare consider convenience over safety but I also am the one who would have to live with myself if anything happened. However, it is not like we would be able to leave it in a car for a week or have tons of space in which to store it.

Any thoughts, suggestions maybe on a secondary seat? Blow off bringing one completely? And if anyone has knowledge of car seat laws/requirements in BC, I would appreciate hearing from you.

[Piglet]

Car Seat laws in Canada aren't very different from the States. If you are on vacation, you can use your own car seat, for sure - we drive to the US and use ours, no problem. They won't deny your entry privileges into Canada with a Marathon, LOL. I can't really comment on the rest, but you can use your car seat, for sure. The rules are only for importing car seats from the US for Canadian use and vice versa.

[KimberleyDawn]

I'll look into it for you but I'm pretty sure you can't just belt her in a taxi. It would seem weird to me that I couldn't have William loose in my car but I would be allowed to in a taxi.
I'll let you know.
Kim

[Karenn]

Hi Flagger,
I don't know about the carseat laws in BC, but I am getting ready to fly with Colin at 15 mos. and honestly, I can't imagin having him on the plane without his carseat. He is just so wiggly at this age! I'm not sure he'd stay if I just buckled him in- even if I made it really tight. Plus, he can sleep in his carseat, and I'm not sure he could in a plane seat. I don't even know if he'd be comfortable in a grown up size seat. Speaking strictly in terms of convenience, I don't think I'd fly without his carseat. Just my two cents. :)

(I'll let you know if I feel differently when I get back- 3000 miles can make a world of difference in an opinion. ;) )

[KathyO]

Car seat requirements are a federal responsibility in Canada, so they're pretty much the same across the provinces. All children under 40 pounds must be in a suitable car seat in all ground vehicles except buses/trains/subways. All seats must have a CMVSS certification sticker (our equivalent of the FMVSS).

Okay, that's the official rules. On the CMVSS/FMVSS front, you'd have to be in an accident or something for a cop to be looking that closely at your seat. And as has been pointed out, tourists who are passing through with foreign-certified seats are a generally-acknowledged exception, even if the laws don't explicitly say so. Once in a blue moon, I have known the police to have random car-seat checks, but these are largely informational in nature ("Did you know that your seat is installed incorrectly?" etc.), and I have never heard of charges being laid as a result.

On the taxi front, a cabbie won't enforce the law any more than they will force you to buckle up yourself if you don't want to. For a cop to give you trouble for having an un-car-seated child in a cab would be bloody-mindedness of a degree that I have never encountered or heard of. Not saying it's impossible, but unheard of in my experience.

On the plane front, car seats are not required for infants under 2 years old. Beyond that it's up to the airline.

These are the legal issues in Canuckland. The safety issues are something you are already fully cognizant of. One quality-of-life issue I will mention, though... we took our extremely active 18-month-old on three flights to/from my brother's wedding, and found that the car seat had a really calming effect on her in the confined space. It was kinda like, "Oh, yeah, the carseat... I sit still in the carseat, I know the drill..." We had a Roundabout, and bought an activity tray that clamps across its lap (let me know if you want to know where to get one) so she could play with toys and eat her food (the plane trays don't deploy into the right place). The tray was worth its weight in gold. In your place, I would bring the car seat.

If you don't feel like lugging the Marathon, the Cosco Touriva/Regal Ride is cheap, light, and much more streamlined in shape/volume.

HTH,

Cheers,

KathyO

P.S. - the carseat was additionally helpful when she fell asleep on the way to the airport. We were able to just unbelt the seat from the car and just transfer seat and child onto a luggage cart... she snoozed all the way to the departure lounge.

P.P.S. - I wonder if the cruise folks would allow you to stash the seat in a luggage area somewhere for the bulk of the cruise?

[KimberleyDawn]

Flagger- There is absolutely nothing I can add to KathyO's post becuase she has covered everything for you!!!
KathyO- I am constantly amazed at your knowledge on this subject!!!
Kim

[Momof3Labs]

You might check with the airline - for some reason, it is sticking in my brain that you must either have the baby in your lap or in a car seat - I don't think that it is an option to belt the baby directly into an adult seat.

That said, there is NO WAY that I would fly with Colin at this age (a very mobile, active, walking 12 month old) without a car seat. There's no way he'd sit still in an adult plane seat, and we'd be exhausted if we tried to hold him the whole way.

[etwahl]

i just put in a call to my girlfriend who took their 1 year old on a cruise last year. i'll find out where they stowed their carseat and get back to you.

ignoring the law, regulations aren't what make me buckle my child safely into her carseat, wanting her to be safe is (i'm sure you feel the same way). i wonder if someone didn't buckle their child into a carseat and then that child died in an accident - could that be considered manslaughter? imo, i don't see how that's much different from drinking and driving and someone being killed as a result.

if taking a carseat proves too difficult for you on this particular vacation, are you able to choose another vacation (where space isn't an issue) until she is older and doesn't need a carseat? or maybe you could leave her with some other responsible caregiver, grandparent, godparent?

i actually grew up in alberta, and have spent a lot of time in BC because of relatives. it's beautiful and peaceful there. lots of trees. when i first moved to NC, the first thing i said to evan was that it reminded of BC!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Calmegja]

Cocoa wouldn't be able to sit in a regular seat of a car without a carseat at 15 months, so she would face the same risks in an airplane or a taxi from being belted in the manner you describe. I would never do it.

If you're concerned about the Marathon going unused, what about a Sit and Stroll, that would do dual duty as stroller/carseat?

It's not a fabulous chi-chi stroller, but it's comfy, and would get the job done for you......

[flagger]

>If you're concerned about the Marathon going unused, what
>about a Sit and Stroll, that would do dual duty as
>stroller/carseat?
>

We are looking into that or the stroller backpack combo. I found out on a cruise board that you can have the steward store it for you for the week. Some people apparently bring way too much luggage that does not fit in a closet or under the bed.

[egoldber]

Just a few thoughts.

I can't imagine flying without a carseat. In addition to the safety reasons, I second all those who say that a child strapped into a carseat on a plane is a different animal than a child in your lap on a plane. Latpime is playtime, whereas carseat time is quiet time. I don't think we realize how incredibly ingrained that habit becomes for children these days who just KNOW that when buckled in your carseat its time to sit quietly. And the carseat also gives them a place to nap while in flight. (With apology and sympathy to all those who have children that are carseat screamers.)

We went to Vancouver when Sarah was 11 months old. We took our Roundabout and had a car service from the airport to the hotel. It was cheaper than a taxi and the driver was very patient about the time we took to buckle in the carseat (which taxi drivers, in my experience, tend not to be). I freely admit though, that Sarah and I took a couple taxis while we were there sightseeing (without DH, who was there on business and tied up all day), and I didn't use a carseat then and the taxi drivers didn't blink.

Are you spending any time at all in Vancouver? Its a beautiful city, very child friendly and we had a fabulous time there. We stayed at a hotel that faced the cruise ship docks and Sarah adored looking at the ships. If you're in Vancouver at all to sightsee, I would definitely take a stroller that is a bit heavier duty than either the SitnStroll or the stroller/backpack combo. You'll do a good bit of walking and the city is mildly hilly.

HTH,

[flagger]

Thanks for the tip about the car service. We were always planning to get Cocoa a seat on the plane. There is no way of knowing what size she will be and if strapping her in to an airplane seat will work. However having been told that the steward could store it, we will more than likely bring it. (We are not at the income level yet to afford a huge suite 'huge being relative on a cruise ship LOL')

We will most likely just have a day or two in Vancouver. Because we are coming from the east to west, and not knowing about airline delays, we want to give an extra day so the ship does not sail without us. Plus we are doing shopping in Vancouver unless I convince an online friend in Vancouver to shop for us and leave it at our hotel. There is just no way we are bringing a week's worth of diapers, disposable bibs, wipes, etc. on the plane with us.

The only reason we are considering the stroller/backpack combo is again a space issue. Some have said that their umbrella stroller was perfect for some of the tighter spaces aboard ship. Also, mamahill said the backpack was perfect for Ainsleigh at 15 months for all the trekking she did in the mountains near Asheville.

[egoldber]

There are several stores convenient to the hotels near the cruise ship docks. There is a large-ish grocery store (but for the life of me I can't remember its name) and also several chain drugstores. I do distinctly recall having to buy Huggies instead of Pampers, because the store was sold out of her size in Pampers. It distressed me at the time, LOL! Funny, the things you remember.

And we got Sarah her first pair of Robeez while we were in Vancouver. I was appalled at myself at the time for the price, but in retrospect I am really kicking myself for not buying more pairs. With the exchange rate, they are quite a "bargain" in Canada.

If you only have one day in Vancouver, go to Stanley Park! Sarah adored the petting zoo there and also the aquarium. A nice-ish umbrella stroller would be perfectly adequate there. We walked to Stanley Park from our hotel, but it was quite a long-ish walk.

I assume you are doing an Alaska cruise. My ILs just got back from an Alaska cruise in August. My MIL was very surprised at how cold it was and how much it rained. They took a Princess cruise.

[flagger]

Yes we are doing an Alaskan cruise next September. It just worked out for the best for us price and time wise for Ms. Flagger's work. The weather really is a cr*pshoot. There have been cruises all summer where it rained everyday for a week and then the next it was gorgeous. The only bad part is that late in the season dusk is around 7:30 instead of 10PM, but that is ok as well since we are only in one port that late anyway.

I will look at Robbeez while we are there and thanks for the tip on Stanley Park. I had heard great things about it, now your post just confirms it.

[etwahl]

i just saw this in my one step ahead catalog
http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=1363&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=1363&change=117

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[liya]

The difference is baisically this..The insturctions on the car seat have to be in french and they turn around their kids at 22 pds insted of at 30...

[Piglet]

That's not exactly right - it is 22 lbs AND 1 year, so essentially, it is the same as the US rules regarding keeping kids rear-facing until 1 year. The weight is really secondary to the age. The car seats are also tested differently (using different sizes of crash test dummies), so there may be differences in weights (more in the high ranges, not in the low ranges). The few times that there were major discrepancies between US and Canadian certification were in instances like the discontinuation of Fisher Price seats - Canada didn't bother re-certifying the seats to 30 lbs. rear-facing because they were on the verge of being discontinued. I have one of those seats and I "covertly" used it RF to 30 lbs., because DS was 22 lbs at 6 months. It is essentially the same seat as the US version.

You are right on the French labelling, but that has nothing to do with safety certification - ALL products for sale in Canada have to be labelled in both official languages.