Where You Can Use a Car Seat: A Complete Guide Beyond the Car
Wondering if you can use a car seat on a plane? A boat? In a restaurant? You're not alone. Parents ask us all the time if car seats are safe, or even allowed, in places outside of their car or stroller. This post is your one-stop resource for everything you need to know about where car seats can and can’t be used.
From ride shares to RVs and restaurants to cruise ships, here’s where car seats fit and where they don’t.
Places You Can Use a Car Seat (When Installed Correctly)
1. Airplanes
Yes! Car seats are allowed (and encouraged) on planes for young children. If your seat is labeled “certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft,” you're cleared to install it in your child’s airplane seat.
Important:
- Your seat must fit in the plane seat (most say they are 16–17” wide, but if you raise the armrest, it's more like 19-20").
- Only car seats with a harness can be used. Boosters are not permitted on flights.
- Your child needs their own ticket.
✈️️ Need help flying with a car seat? Check out our Safe in the Sky guide or tips, videos, and gear.
2. Rental Cars
Absolutely. Whether it’s a rental at the airport or a car-share service like Turo, you should bring and install your car seat just like you would at home. Not all seats fit all cars well so plan ahead.
🔎 Pro tip: Use our Car Seat Finder Tool to find seats that are easier to install on the go.
3. Rideshare Vehicles (Uber, Lyft, etc.)
Yes, but with your own seat. Most states apply the same car seat laws to rideshare vehicles as they do personal vehicles. If your child would legally require a seat in your car, they need one in an Uber or Lyft too. Some services offer car seats, but bringing your own is always safest.
🚕 See our favorite rideshare-friendly seats.
4. Airport and Hotel Shuttles
It depends. If the shuttle has lap-and-shoulder belts, you can and should install your seat. But many large shuttles are legally exempt and lack usable belts.
5. Passenger Vans
Yes, just follow the same car seat rules as you would in a car. Avoid side-facing or rear-facing benches, and only use seats with proper seat belts.
Places You Shouldn’t Use a Car Seat
1. Boats
Nope - car seats are not designed for water travel and offer no protection on boats. Instead, the U.S. Coast Guard recommends properly fitted life jackets for all children. Car seats do not float.
2. Cruise Ships
Car seats can’t be installed on cruise ships and aren’t required on board. If you’re traveling in a car at port, bring your car seat for land excursions, but not for use on the ship itself.
3. Golf Carts
Car seats don’t belong on golf carts, even ones with seat belts. Most golf carts don’t have the safety structure or crash protection needed to secure a seat. Most car seat manufacturers prohibit the use of their seats on golf carts.
⛳ Our essential golf car safety tips can be found here.
4. RVs (Recreational Vehicles)
In an RV of any class, only the front seats are required to meet federal seat belt standards. Children should never ride in RVs. If you intend to use one for travel, another adult should drive a separate vehicle that can accomodate car seats.
🚙 Read this before you plan your next road trip.
5. Coach or Charter Buses
Most large buses don’t have the seat belts needed for car seat installation. Some newer models may allow it, but booster seats won’t work without a shoulder belt.
Check with the bus company before traveling.
6. School Buses
In most cases, car seats aren’t required on large school buses due to a built-in safety design called compartmentalization. However, some smaller buses or special needs routes may require or allow seats. Also, young children who are too small to benefit from the compartmentalization, like preschool-age, should be in a car seat or bus restraint. Ask your school district for guidance.
🚌 More here:
7. Shopping Carts
Not really. Car seats do not belong on top of a shopping cart. It’s a major fall risk, even if the seat seems to “click in.” In addition, this can runi the mechanism that allows your infant seat to click into the base. Keep baby in the infant seat in the main portion of the cart or babywear.
🛒 Only put the car seat in the basket of the shopping cart and always keep baby buckled in. Read more here.
8. Restaurants
Never place it on a high chair or a cart. This is a tipping hazard. Car seats should not be used in restaurants at all.
9. Inside the House
Using a car seat at home for short periods (like when you are preparing to leave) is okay, but extended or unsupervised use is unsafe. Car seats aren’t designed for sleep outside of the car.
⚠️ Never let your baby nap in their seat outside of the car. Flat, firm sleep surfaces are safest. See Everything You Need to Know About Sleeping in a Car Seat.
Key Takeaways
- Car seats should only be used where they can be installed correctly and securely.
- If there’s no way to tightly install the seat, it’s not safe to use it, even if it feels convenient.
- Use approved products for boats, flights, and sleep time. Car seats are crash-tested only for vehicles.
Safe in the Seat Resources for Travel & More
Want help choosing the right car seat or planning for a trip?
- Take our 6-question Car Seat Finder Quiz
- Learn how to fly confidently with your seat in Safe in the Sky
- Talk to a Tech for one-on-one support from a certified CPST
📌 Bookmark this post or send it to a friend who’s wondering: “Can I use my car seat… there?”
Let’s keep every ride safe, no matter where you’re headed.
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