# harness instead of car seat for cab rides?



## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

I will be going to NYC for Christmas and will be taking a few cab rides with DS (2.5 years old, 36", 33 pounds) and I think I remember a harness that can be hooked to the seatbelt in a car when you can't have a carseat with you. I can't remember where I saw it, or how much it cost, or even if he could use it.

I will be driving down to NYC, then I will put his seat (Complete Air) into my friend's car and she is going to drive us into the city. We will park the car and take cabs to a few places. I know that most people don't belt their children in at all in NYC in cabs, but I am totally freaked out to do that. I can't carry his seat with us around the city all day, so figure this is the next best alternative for those few rides.

Help!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The RideSafe Travel Vest or the EZ-On vest! I cant remember the weight limits off the top of my head but I think one goes down to 30 lbs now.


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

It looks like the EZ-On vest needs to have a tether used at all times. I don't think I will be able to tether him in the NYC cabs. I am planning on only having a lap and possibly a shoulder belt available. Not ideal, but I can't plan to have a tether available and then get there and not have one and not be able to use his vest.

The Ride Safer vest starts at 35 pounds and 3 years. He won't be 3 until the end of March, but it looks like this is my only option. Luckily, he is tall, so I think I will go with this. I wish he weren't riding in cars at all without his RF'ing seat, but I can't put him in with nothing at all.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

for this reason, i always skipped cabs and did trains and buses. just this last october we did cabs. ds was 7.5 and my niece had just turned 8 and we let them do seatbelts only but it was just from south ferry to the top of chinatown


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## Momily (Feb 15, 2007)

I had a travel vest when DS was little, because we took cabs a lot, and I never felt like it stayed still at all -- he could lean over, touch his toes etc . . .

At that weight (DS was already 3 when he hit it) we used a backless booster, which I could carry through the outside straps of my backpack. The biggest safety problem with a backless seems to be kids getting out of position, and in a cab I always sat right next to him.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Momily* 
I had a travel vest when DS was little, because we took cabs a lot, and I never felt like it stayed still at all -- he could lean over, touch his toes etc . . .

At that weight (DS was already 3 when he hit it) we used a backless booster, which I could carry through the outside straps of my backpack. The biggest safety problem with a backless seems to be kids getting out of position, and in a cab I always sat right next to him.

A backless booster is not a safe, appropriate, or in many states a legal choices for a three year old. Not an option in this scenario.

OP, your son is too small for the RSTV. I would recommend the Safety First Go, which is essentially a collapsible carseat that comes in a portable travel case. You do need a top tether anchor, but all cabs should have them...that shouldn't be an issue


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Maedze* 
A backless booster is not a safe, appropriate, or in many states a legal choices for a three year old. Not an option in this scenario.

OP, your son is too small for the RSTV. I would recommend the Safety First Go, which is essentially a collapsible carseat that comes in a portable travel case. You do need a top tether anchor, but all cabs should have them...that shouldn't be an issue









Yowza! $200 is a bit steep.... It looks great for what I need, and I do want to keep him safe, but honestly if I have to spend another $200 for a couple of cab rides, I might skip going into the city altogether. I would really not be using this beyond this trip most likely for a very long time.









Also, what if I do get into a cab that doesn't have a top tether anchor for some reason. Do I skip that cab and hope for another one with a tether, or do I use the seat anyway without it? Dang, this is just so frustrating.

Are there any other possible options? Also, I realize he is too small for a booster, and I would never put him in one otherwise, but if I were sitting there with him to keep him properly positioned, is it that much more dangerous than a vest that is a bit too big?

There has to be a solution...


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Yeah, a booster really is just plain not an option. He's too small for the RSTV. The nice thing about the Safety First Go is it does convert to a backless booster, so it could be an option for many years to come.

It's really, really unlikely that a New York cab would come without tether anchors. The cabs just don't last that long...it's been almost 10 years since tethers were required







Cabs don't tend to be more than a few years old because they get junked really quickly. The Go just plain won't work without the tether, so you can't 'skip it'.

If you can't stick to municipal transport (subways, cabs), and you don't want to haul a typical shelled seat, I think the Go is pretty much it for options


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

Dang, I just don't know... I really have no idea what I am going to do. I am pretty sure we will be taking at least one or two cab rides. I know that a car seat is not required in them, because they are considered "public transportation", but I am so freaked out about him not being in a seat.

I know it is not ideal at all, but if you were to get into a cab with a 2.5 year old and had no seat, would you not buckle him in at all, or use just a lap belt? I realize neither of these is legal, safe, or appropriate, but if you had no other option, what would you use? Assuming you needed to get back to your car at night and couldn't walk through a safe part of town or get to a subway or bus station. Just a hypothetical here, I have no idea what is going to happen there.

Also, he has a Complete Air, and with his growth curve and body shape, I am pretty sure he will be in that seat for a LOOOOOOOONG time to come. I really don't want to buy a seat that he can potentially use as a booster 3 or 4 years from now once he outgrows this seat. I would MUCH rather buy a seat at that point with whatever new technology is available at that time.


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## Jackies Ladybug (Jun 19, 2008)

i would look into how much it would cost to just rent a car while out there, it would possibly be less than buying a travel seat. i just would not trust a cabby with my kids life, have you ever ridden in a new york cab? scary enough without a properly restrained kid.
if you dont have any other option, maybe the harness could work, i mean, it would definitly be better than having the kid bounce around with nothing.
this is why i hate to travel.
sorry you have to go through this.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

Is there any reason why you need to take cabs? We've travelled to NYC several times and never needed one. The subway goes most anywhere and we've always been able to take the commuter rail to visit friends/family who live quite a ways out in the 'burbs. The whole carseat thing sorta takes away the convenience factor for taxis. And driving seems like it is rarely the fastest way to get anywhere in the city...


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## Momily (Feb 15, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Maedze* 
Yeah, a booster really is just plain not an option. He's too small for the RSTV. The nice thing about the Safety First Go is it does convert to a backless booster, so it could be an option for many years to come.

It's really, really unlikely that a New York cab would come without tether anchors. The cabs just don't last that long...it's been almost 10 years since tethers were required







Cabs don't tend to be more than a few years old because they get junked really quickly. The Go just plain won't work without the tether, so you can't 'skip it'.

If you can't stick to municipal transport (subways, cabs), and you don't want to haul a typical shelled seat, I think the Go is pretty much it for options









Are you sure about the tethers? Because here (another major East Coast city) cabs are often reconditioned police cars that are at least 10 years old -- it's not uncommon to get in a cab and find no shoulder belts in the back, and those have been required way longer than tethers. In addition, given that you're buckling your child in while the car is sitting in traffic, and at risk of being hit, it's important to be able to do a fast install. Searching for tether anchors in an unfamiliar car doesn't fit that description.

I'm curious why you feel so strongly about the booster, given that you're choosing between a carseat used according to it's description (there are plenty of boosters that say 30 lbs and up), as opposed to a vest that's the wrong size and for which you might not have the appropriate anchors.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

OP, a one-day metrocard is like 7 or 8 bucks, just take the buses and trains so you can enjoy the planning and execution of your trip


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

For a short cab ride in the city with low speeds (do you expect to be in traffic alot?) with me sitting right next to my kid, I would probably do a backless booster - I know it is not ideal, but it is better than nothing. I would post your question in the NYC area of finding your tribe to get an idea of what real new yorkers do in your situation.
I would think most parents in the city have been in situations where they needed to take a cab without a carseat at least a few times. I can see many unplanned situations where this could happen - which would you pick with a suddenly sick vomiting toddler or being caught unprepared in a snowstorm, etc. a 10 min cabride with no carseat or a walk to subway/bus station, waiting for subway/bus, riding subway/bus, walking home.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Momily* 
Are you sure about the tethers? Because here (another major East Coast city) cabs are often reconditioned police cars that are at least 10 years old -- it's not uncommon to get in a cab and find no shoulder belts in the back, and those have been required way longer than tethers. In addition, given that you're buckling your child in while the car is sitting in traffic, and at risk of being hit, it's important to be able to do a fast install. Searching for tether anchors in an unfamiliar car doesn't fit that description.

I'm curious why you feel so strongly about the booster, given that you're choosing between a carseat used according to it's description (there are plenty of boosters that say 30 lbs and up), as opposed to a vest that's the wrong size and for which you might not have the appropriate anchors.


I'm sure about the cabs. New York's cabs will be new enough to have top tether anchors. Furthermore, the Go is not a vest, and it is in fact the correct size for the child.

The booster is sheer fact. There is no such thing as a three year old that is safe in any kind of booster, let alone a backless.


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## NicaG (Jun 16, 2006)

There is a lot of helpful advice here: http://www.thecarseatlady.com/taxis/using_taxis.html

If I were you, I'd probably go with the Ride Safer vest. Correct me if I'm wrong, someone, but I'm pretty sure you don't need a top tether if you are using a shoulder belt. All NYC cabs have shoulder belts. If for some reason you find a cab that doesn't (very unlikely), just hail a new one. NYC cabs are generally all very new model cars (there has been a big push in the past couple years towards hybrids), not reconditioned police cars, etc. as someone else implied.

You really shouldn't need to take a cab--everything is very accessible by subway or bus. Have you talked to your friend about your concerns? I'm sure she can route you only on public transportation if necessary. I lived in the city for 6 years and only took a cab a handful of times, mostly very late at night.

Also, depending on where you're going....if you're going to opposite ends of the city or something, your friend could just drive her car and park when you head to a different area. There is a fair amount of street parking, depending on the neighborhood, day, and time of day.


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