Local car services that rent car seats (prices subject to change):

Eilat: 800-453-4528, $20 each car seat
Legends: 718-788-1234. $5 each car seat
Tri State: 212-529-5555, $25 each car seat

What can one use to secure a child in a car when a car seat is not an option, such as quick cab rides in the city with children too big for a snap ‘n go?


Try the Tote ‘n Go carseat harness. There are Cosco and Safety First versions, with different weight minimums. Read instructions carefully.

There is also the Dorel Eddie Bauer convertible carseat for children 22-40 lbs.

Thoughts on the above portable car seats...

We got them for a trip when my guys were 20 months. We loved them. The boys seemed comfortable. They were easy to install, and lightweight. I thought they were great. Perfect for a cab ride or a trip where you can’t bring the big ''real" car seats. I would not use them as an everyday car seat because, of course, there is no side impact padding etc. They are, however, a HECK of a lot better than nothing!

I’m not a fan of the Dorels.  And Amazon will not give a full refund – so I’m stuck sending them back and waiting to see how much money they will give me. In theory they are a great idea, but the one time I tried them in my car, I wasn’t thrilled. They just seem flimsy (for lack of a better word).  My friend’s son was in one in the back of my minivan, and when I went to take him out, he was almost on the floor – the seat itself isn’t big enough or heavy enough to keep the belt tight (in my opinion). Perhaps I used them wrong, but I just don’t feel safe having other people’s kids in them (which is my primary use for spare seats), so I was going to return them.  They were a pain to install.

I have used the Tote 'n Go myself and maybe I was just lucky but I always buckled th seats into a cab's lap/shoulder belt, buckled my daughters into the 5-point harness and they looked as well strapped as in their regular car seats.  Obviously, their full car seats are more substantial and preferable in a God-forbid situation, but I'd say that about a full car seat versus a lap/shoulder belt booster, a no-back booster or a lap belt only, too, yet at some point the kids will graduate to these other options...

The Dorel product is the same as the Cosco Tote 'N Go--Dorel owns Cosco.  As you may have seen on our website, we don't recommend this product because we have not been able to use it safely.  With any forward-facing car seat, the goal is to keep the child's head from traveling forward in a crash. Unfortunately, we have not been able to satisfactorily install the Tote 'N Go in any car – a child riding in it would be able to bend all the way forward, their chest touching their thighs, allowing the head to travel dangerously far forward. --Emily Levine, emily@thecarseatlady.com, www.rideonthesafeside.com.