Child seats, and why they cannot be added at the kerb

Of all the things the desk asks about at booking, this is the one people most often think can wait. It cannot, and the reason is worth two minutes.

Why it has to be arranged in advance

A child seat is not an accessory kept in every trunk. Operators carry a limited number, in specific sizes, and they have to be put in the right vehicle before it leaves for your pick up.

Fitting one properly takes a few minutes and needs the right anchor points. Doing it at an airport kerb, in traffic, in February, with a tired child, is not a real option, and an improperly fitted seat is worse than an honest no.

So the answer to "can the driver just bring one" is: yes, if you asked when you booked.

The sizes

Roughly, and the operator confirms which they have:

• Rear facing infant seat, for the smallest passengers.
• Convertible seat, forward or rear facing, for toddlers.
• Forward facing seat with a harness, for older toddlers and small children.
• Booster, for children who have outgrown a harness but not the adult belt.

Tell the desk the child's age and rough weight and the right one gets requested. Guessing produces the wrong seat, which is the same problem as no seat.

Bringing your own

Entirely allowed and quite common, particularly for anyone who has just carried one through an airport anyway.

Two things worth knowing. It takes space, so it counts as a piece of luggage for the purposes of the vehicle sizing in the luggage advisory. And fitting it is your job rather than the driver's, which is normal practice and is about liability rather than unhelpfulness.

What the law expects

Ohio requires children to be restrained appropriately for their age and size, and the specifics change from time to time. This is a booking desk rather than a legal service, so the sensible approach is to check the current requirement with the state or with your own paediatrician, rather than relying on a paragraph on a transfer site.

What this desk will do is arrange the seat you ask for and tell you plainly if an operator cannot supply it.

Multiple children

Two seats in a sedan is usually impossible: the seats themselves take the width. Two children in seats is an SUV, and three is a van, whatever the passenger count suggests.

This is the commonest reason a family booking moves up a vehicle class, and it is much better discovered at the quote stage than at the door.

Arranging it

Say it on the booking form in the notes, or tell the desk on the telephone: how many children, what ages, and whether you are bringing your own seats.

It comes back in the quote as part of the vehicle class, and it goes to the operator with the rest of the job so the seat is in the vehicle before it sets off.