We are meeting my family in dc next month for a long weekend. LO (20 mo) will be a lap baby on the plane. The more I think about lugging the car seat around and installing it in taxis, the more annoying the idea sounds. Our hotel is near a metro stop, so I'm hoping to mainly stick with public transportation. Otherwise, I could call uber family to get a car with a car seat.
Is this plan insane? Should I suck it up and bring the car seat?
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@Zbug: We've been loving this travel vest, especially when on trips out of town!
coconut / 8498 posts
It depends on what you want to see. Much of DC isn't as metro accessible as you might think. Also, I'm pretty sure that vest ^ is not going to fit your LO at 20months.
persimmon / 1355 posts
@Weagle: hmm good to know. Thanks! Yeah, my LO is too small for the vest, unfortunately. I was hoping to stick to the metro (and do a day on a hop on/off bus), but it sounds like that might not work. Would you suggest renting a car?
@curlymama318: I'm sorry, but your comment is a bit rude. I'm not suggesting having my child on my lap in a car or taxi. I've never seen someone install a carseat on a metro/subway, so I'm not sure how I'm endangering my child's life.
pear / 1531 posts
I don't think it's crazy at all. I might ask locals you know about how easy it is to find uber family rides, but you can also always call a car service in a pinch.
Also while many of the sites aren't metro-able, they aren't really accessible by taxis either. You just have to do a lot of walking so definitely bring a stroller.
persimmon / 1129 posts
@Zbug: We were in DC last year when my DD was under a year. We had our car with car seat. It's certainly doable without one though, with a combo of walking, metro, and Uber Family. It just depends on where you're staying and where you're trying to go. We stayed in Georgetown and hardly used our car at all except to go out to Mount Vernon.
grapefruit / 4770 posts
@Zbug: Yeah, I've never seen anyone with a car seat on the metro in the 7 years I've been here.... If you're sticking to metro, and you're closer in the city I think you'll be fine.
pineapple / 12566 posts
I used to live in DC, granted with no kids. I think you could get away with no car seat if you order a taxi service or uber with car seats for longer rides and then just take your stroller for the rest. We went to DC for a long weekend when DS was 10 months and we took the train and never needed car transit in the city. We stayed near Foggy Bottom and walked or took the metro everywhere.
coconut / 8498 posts
@Zbug: I definitely think you can do it without a car, just know that it won't be as easy as it might seem. It's just not like NYC where the subway can get you anywhere. If you're not opposed to walking a lot and occasionally grabbing an Uber, then you'll be fine.
coconut / 8498 posts
Delivery was certainly lacking, but I think maybe she might have been referring to on the plane? It's obviously not law for kids under 2 to be in a seat, but as the rules stand now, they're the only things not required to be secured during a flight. And they're certainly more precious than the peanuts.
persimmon / 1355 posts
Thanks, all!! Super helpful. We are staying near the zoo/cathedral.
@Weagle: perhaps you're right. My question, however, had nothing to do with the airplane. Even if we bring the car seat, we will be checking it. I'm not sure how my question opened the debate in lap babies.
blogger / pomegranate / 3044 posts
@Zbug: assuming you have a solid stroller and you don't mind hoofing it around town when you want to go farther out than the metro, I actually think you'll be ok!
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
Last time I went to DC I didn't have a LO but I also never once took a taxi. So I think riding the metro exclusively and not bringing a car seat is totally doable. We actually just took LO to NYC and didn't bring a car seat. We either walked or took the subway.
persimmon / 1363 posts
@Zbug: we've done 5 day trips to Minneapolis, Chicago, London, Paris, and Toronto with no car seat, and it's been totally fine using transit.
eggplant / 11824 posts
@Zbug: we stayed near the zoo last summer and I thought it was a reasonably walkable area - LO and I walked easily from our hotel to the zoo and then up to the cathedral (about a mile away from the zoo). Does your family have any car seats your LO could borrow for your stay? We met up with a friend while there ( who has no kids), and he borrowed a friend's car seat for the day we went further out exploring.
Ps! There is a really good Afghan restaurant very close to where you're staying, if that interests you at all. 
grapefruit / 4321 posts
Y'all, she didn't ask for any opinions on traveling with a lap child. Despite what the crazies on Car Seats for Littles would say I'm sure the LARGE majority of people on this site opt to take the risk of a lap child than paying an additional $200-$300 for a seat for a baby.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@anbanan15: Or perhaps if you didn't have a response that would be helpful to the OP's actual question you should've just moved along?
grapefruit / 4321 posts
@anbanan15: no, no she did not. She stated a fact and asked for no opinions on that point. By your logic I should get to give my opinions on someone's family planning choices every time an announcement is posted because "they opened themselves up to it". I'm pretty sure that wouldn't go over well.
persimmon / 1355 posts
@anbanan15: again, my post has nothing to do with the flight. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I'm not sure why you feel the need to debate an issue that wasn't asked. If someone asked what formula to give their baby, would it be appropriate to say that they really should be breastfeeding? Or if someone asks about Ferber, is it appropriate to say that you think cio can cause attachment issues? If a poster asks a question about whether or not to fly with a lap baby, it is perfectly appropriate to state your opinion. That, however, was clearly not the point of this post. By the way, the extra ticket would have been $515 - not that it's relevant to this post.
persimmon / 1355 posts
@Mrs. Tiger: @lawbee11: @yoursilverlining: @Truth Bombs: thanks, guys! I appreciate your input. I think we are going to give it a shot!
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
I lived in DC for 4 years and dh's family is from there so we spend a lot of time with lo there so I know it really well. Metro isn't super reliable on the weekend-- there can be long waits for trains. But by the zoo, you're also near good bus lines that will take you downtown. I think it depends on what you want to be doing/where you will be going. You can definitely get by without using a car but it's not as easy as other cities with better public transportation
persimmon / 1355 posts
@anbanan15: you basically called me stupid (your word, not mine). I think that would cause most people to become defensive. For the third time, this wasn't the point of my post, so let's move on.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
@anbanan15: what do you mean that's not what you said? You FLAT OUT said flying with a lap infant rather than paying for an extra ticket (which is what the OP is doing) was stupid. If you want to judge people's choices and be high and mighty at least own it and don't try to pretend you weren't attacking her choice. Would be interested to know how many times you've actually paid for a plane ticket for a child under two or if this is all hypothetical for you.
persimmon / 1355 posts
@anbanan15: you didn't hurt my feelings, but here is exactly what you said: "Opting to take a "risk" with your child's life over paying an additional $200-300 for a seat, as you put it, is just well..stupid."
And with that, I'm done. Thank you so much to all those who actually answered my question.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
And now I'm going to move on because that's what @Zbug: wants and it's her thread.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
We don't have many rules, but being civil is one of the big ones!
Since the OP's question has been asked and answered, we will close this thread for now.
This thread has been closed.
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