Best car seat for taxi?

Does anyone have first hand advice on what car seat (brand and model) work best for fitting into the taxi's here?


Initially I was not going to buy a car seat because we don't own a car. I was just going to use a sling/carrier if we took a taxi with the baby. Now I am second guessing that idea but I have heard that often the car seats don't work with the taxi's anyways.


It is not important for the car seat to be compatible with our stroller.


Thanks!

I would think that it's a rare carseat that won't work in a HK taxi. There's plenty of space and the seatbelts are just as long as in a "normal" car. Ask in the shop. They probably know. If they don't know, you perhaps ask to take a couple of them down to the street, flag down a taxi, pay the 15 Honkie minimum fee and try them out.


I agree that a sling/carrier is a bad idea. In a car crash the g forces can easily exceed the strength of a sling/carrier. It would rip and baby would go flying into the front seat or through the windshield. Putting your own seatbelt around yourself and baby is also a bad idea, as baby would be crushed by your weight.


I can only go from our own experience:

0-6 months - Graco Snugride worked fine. With a bit of practice it takes 45-60 seconds to mount and unmount. You just have to make sure you don't forget the little metal clip in the taxi.

6 months-4 years - Britax Marathon if you can deal with the weight of the seat. Takes 45-60 seconds to mount and unmount.

2 years+ - Compass Foldable booster - Takes 10 seconds to mount and unmount. Also folds "flat" and weight very little.


It IS a hassle to take a taxi with a kid in a car seat. But I'd rather they were safe. We take public transport as possible and sometimes rent a minivan and driver for the day.

The problem with taxis is that they never wait for us even to put our seat belts, they just take off. So, you will need to find a way to work that out. Would love to hear from people with experience on this issue.

"sometimes rent a minivan and driver for the day"- can you please give details? phone number, prices and advance notice that need to give them? even on pm is fine.

"The problem with taxis is that they never wait for us even to put our seat belts, they just take off. So, you will need to find a way to work that out. Would love to hear from people with experience on this issue."


Never had a problem actually. The trick is not to get into the taxi yourself before the kid is all strapped in. ;) Never even a frown. Many taxi drivers will get out and offer to help. Most just look slightly bemused at what the weird foreigner is doing. We will sometimes tip 10 for their "trouble".


There was of course that legendary time when our recently potty trained daughter REALLY NEEDED TO GO. We kindly asked the driver to pull up and we helped her pee by the roadside. Thankfully this was not in the middle of Central so there was some greenery. We asked the driver to keep the meter running. No problem.



omaharrison. I have sent you a PM.

I know is not the best but we are using a kind of life vest attached to our seat belt.

"I know is not the best but we are using a kind of life vest attached to our seat belt."


Those are not as good as carseats but some are ok. But only the ones built to be car seat alternatives. The ones not built for cars, for example Baby B'Air, are far too weak and loose and will rip apart with even a mild car crash. Seatbelts in cars and carseats are built so strong they only break from forces that would be unsurvivable anyway.


The much touted Joeysafe/Freedomride is in fact not so safe, as evidenced by the fact that you can't buy it in the US or the UK. The RideSafer travel vest seems like a better option. It is very sturdy compared to most vests.

http://www.amazon.com/RideSafer-Travel-Vest-Size-Small/dp/B000KCV61U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1211955634&sr=8-1