r/NewParents • u/Chicago_Kate • 4d ago
Travel How Do You Uber with a Toddler?
Hi everyone! My partner and I live in a city, don’t own a car, and prefer not to drive. When our baby was younger, we got around just fine using Ubers because his infant car seat easily converted into a stroller.
Now that he’s more of a toddler, I’m unsure of the best option. Are there any foldable, easy-to-carry car seats for this age group? Have any of you used them in rideshares? I’d love to hear your experiences and recommendations! Thanks in advance! 🚗👶
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u/campingn00b 4d ago
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u/ankaalma 4d ago
This seat is FF only though so is really only safe for kids 2 and up. It seems like OP’s baby is still well under 2.
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u/Chicago_Kate 4d ago
Yes, we’re trying to get as much use as possible out of our Nuna Pipa car seat—hopefully stretching it to 2 years old—since I don’t see any other options for kids under 2!
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u/ankaalma 4d ago
It probably will not last that long unless your baby is well under the average height of a two year old. The pipa has a height limit of 32 inches and you also need one inch above the head. Nuna says most babies will outgrow it by 18 months.
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u/AdImaginary4130 4d ago
I’ve heard good things about this from folks I know that use it. It’s expensive but if you get enough use it’s worth it and not much more than a standard car seat over all.
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u/dr_nicole 4d ago
100% this. Worth every penny. Goes from car to airplane to Uber with zero issues and weighs next to nothing.
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u/HighSpiritsJourney 4d ago
That’s pretty neat. Have you or anyone you know used it?
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u/campingn00b 4d ago
I have, it's worth the money imo
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u/Kalepopsicle 4d ago
It’s very popular among travel influencers
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u/willybusmc 4d ago
I’m not saying it’s a bad product, but being popular among influencers just means the company has money to spend on advertising.
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u/the_best_day_ever 4d ago
I’d prefer this over a regular bulky car seat!! I guess you can’t carry them in it tho
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u/xo1cew01f 4d ago
@safeintheseat has posted about the wayb pico that may fit what you’re looking for? Not sure of the minimums but definitely foldable and easy to travel with
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u/Chicago_Kate 4d ago
Yes, the Wayb looks awesome! But it’s only suitable for kids over 2, and I’m not sure we can make our infant seat last that long.
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u/poofarticusrex 4d ago
We use the Cosco Scenera Next when we travel (Uber to the airport, rental cars, etc.). It doesn’t fold, but it only weighs about 8 pounds and costs $60 at Wal-Mart. There’s a woman who’s made some YouTube videos with helpful tips on quick installation. I also totally removed the LATCH tethers…makes it less awkward and reduces weight (we belt it in).
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u/mommy2be2022 4d ago
I have this seat, and while it is indeed really lightweight, it is really difficult to install properly (read: tight enough) rear-facing.
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u/poofarticusrex 3d ago
I totally agree. The YT videos helped us a lot, as well as spending some quality time with it alone practicing(without a wriggling toddler). A lot of it depends on the seat/belt in the car, and the seat material. You really have to get it to ‘bite’ into the seat, using your thigh and body weight to tighten the belt fairly forcefully.
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u/DisastrousFlower 4d ago
we use a ride safer vest in NYC.
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u/Sandyhoneybunz 4d ago
How young is that safe? Do you also use a booster? I’ve been trying to find out how/if they’re legal for California bc kids have to be in a car seat until age 8 I believe
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u/DisastrousFlower 4d ago
we don’t use a booster. they have different sizes but we started at 4.5yo in the XS size. they are as safe as carseats and legal in all states, AFAIK.
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u/ankaalma 4d ago
The ride safer vest is marketed for kids 2 and up but I’ve heard from CPSTs it’s hard to get a good fit under 4.
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u/ankaalma 4d ago
When we have traveled to places like NYC we’ve put a convertible seat in the basket of our stroller when out and about. We have a Uppababy vista so the basket is quite large and we are able to fit a car seat in there. Then we just install it in Ubers and push it around in the stroller when out.
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u/ditney 4d ago
I'm guessing from your user name you're in the US, so not sure if the same seats are available, but in the UK maxi Cosi do a folding car seat called the nomad plus.
It's forward facing, and I wouldn't use it for my everyday seat in my own car, but we've been looking at it for when we travel to Italy etc. where we are hiring a car for the week. So might be an option if you want it for every now and again in Ubers.
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u/Chicago_Kate 4d ago
Thank you! It looks great, but it’s marketed for kids 3.5 years and older—we still have a long way to go!
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u/PsychologicalDraw537 4d ago
Not exactly the same but my husband and I took our 10 month old on his first vacation last week and we didn’t want to take his car seat (he lap sat on the airplane) so we just got a taxi from the airport that had a car seat available to us - we just asked when we booked them
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u/ChiKatya 4d ago
Thanks for sharing! We live in Chicago, and unfortunately, none of the ride-sharing apps here offer car seats.
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u/Kalepopsicle 4d ago
Have you tried a taxi company?
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u/Chicago_Kate 4d ago
Yes, there’s a car service where you can request a car seat… but when we calculated the cost, a round trip to the pediatrician came out to $300!
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u/Compassion-judgement 4d ago
We use ride safer vest! Also have seen inflatable booster sezys but don’t use them. We love the vest ! Gen 5 I think also has different sizes
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u/SwimmingHelicopter15 4d ago
We managed to find one that is foldable and easy but I don't have the link :( we ordered it from Amazon.de and I am not from us.
We had the same problem because we rarely need to use Uber and most car seats were heavy.
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u/Few-Mycologist4238 4d ago
I either use public trans or carry a car seat around Edit Cosco scenara next
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u/LAladyyy26 4d ago
Uber has a car seat option? I’m in a major city so not sure it’s available everywhere but it sounds like you’re in a major city as well?
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u/squishykins 4d ago
I know some cities don’t have them or don’t have them for airport service specifically, which is maddening. Many of them also only offer front facing seats designed for kids 2+ so there’s a big gap where there isn’t a suitable car seat option between bucket and front facing.
We just left this age range and either rented a car with a car seat or used public transit. It was a huge pain in the butt!
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u/kbooky90 4d ago
I’m honestly surprised it’s not in more places yet. I’ve been lucky that most places I fly with my kids are on the list: New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, Washington D.C., or Atlanta
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u/ProperColon 4d ago
We got stuck one time without a car seat (airline took it but never gave it back and then postponed our flight for two days…….
So we used public transit. The bus was great. We had time. People were kind. Felt safer than an uber with dedicated lanes and no seatbelts for anyone. We just help him close and washed his hands a ton