Strollers and car seats at SEA
SEA rents strollers and car seats at Smarte Carte, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. by Carousels 9 and 10. How security screens them, and what SEA's pages leave out about gate-checking.
The Port lists car seat and stroller rentals at Baggage Service by Smarte Carte, a desk between Carousels 9 and 10 on the baggage claim level. TSA lets your own stroller and car seat through the checkpoint, screened by X-ray. Neither the Port nor TSA states a gate-check rule.
Renting a stroller or car seat
The Port’s Traveling with Kids page lists car seats, strollers and wheelchairs as rentals at Baggage Service by Smarte Carte. Smarte Carte’s own SEA page names car seat rental and never mentions strollers, so confirm a stroller by phone before you count on one.
| Smarte Carte desk | |
|---|---|
| Where | Baggage claim level, between Carousels 9 and 10 |
| Open | 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily |
| Closed | 11:30 a.m. to noon and 6 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Rental price | Not published by the Port or by Smarte Carte’s SEA page |
No age or weight range for a rental seat is listed, and nothing says whether a rented one can leave the airport. Unit counts aren’t listed either. Our bag storage guide has the desk’s price list if the family is also leaving luggage.
Strollers and car seats go through the X-ray at the checkpoint
TSA says strollers, baby carriers, and car and booster seats are allowed through the checkpoint but must be screened by X-ray. It also says modified screening procedures reduce the likelihood of a pat-down, and that officers won’t separate a child from a parent or guardian.
TSA lists SEA among the airports with a Families on the Fly lane. The lane is for a parent traveling with children 12 and under, and signs at the checkpoint point families to it. TSA doesn’t say which of SEA’s six checkpoints has the lane. The Port’s checkpoint directory lists a Family Lane at Checkpoint 4, which is open 24 hours. If the adults’ boarding passes show the TSA PreCheck indicator, children 17 and under get PreCheck without their own Known Traveler Number.
Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food over 3.4 ounces are allowed in your carry-on and need not fit in a quart-size bag. Tell the TSA officer at the start of screening.
The Port says any checkpoint reaches every gate. It recommends arriving two hours before a domestic departure and three before an international one. Our security wait times guide shows when the lines peak.
Ask your airline about gate-checking
Alaska says it transports your child’s car seat and stroller free of charge as checked baggage. You can check them with your other bags or wait until you reach the gate area. The same applies to stroller-wagons designed for, and actively used for, carrying children that collapse to under 90 linear inches and 35 pounds. Alaska says standard bag fees and rules apply to larger wagons not designed to carry children, or ones carried in addition to a stroller. A car seat, stroller or wagon with a battery or power bank has its own Alaska rules on its batteries and electronics page.
The Port doesn’t say where gate-checked gear comes back off the plane at SEA, so ask the gate agent.
Taxis, rideshare and rental cars
SEA’s listings for taxis, rideshare and rental cars don’t mention car seats.
| Option | Where it boards | What’s listed |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | Garage Level 3, north and south curbs | Metered fares with a $20 minimum from SEA, plus 11-seat vans |
| Rideshare | Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza, stalls 1 to 34 | Available 24 hours a day |
| Rental car | Free shuttle from the lower drive at baggage claim level | Rental Car Facility at 3150 S. 160th St., about a five-minute drive |
| Private car | Arrivals drive outside baggage claim | Drivers who are waiting use the Cell Phone Lot |
The rental car listing says nothing about car seats. Our rental cars guide covers the shuttle stops and the drive back.
For taxis and rideshare, the Ground Transportation Information Booth is the airport’s help point. Our taxi page and rideshare page show the curbs and stalls.
A family that doesn’t need a car can skip the question. Link takes 39 minutes to Westlake on Sound Transit’s timetable, and the walk starts at Carousel 16. The airport lists baggage storage on the back of the free Train-to-Plane cart between the station and the garage. The cart page doesn’t say whether a stroller fits. Our light rail guide walks the route from baggage claim.
Once you’re through
The Children’s Play Areas are near Gates A1 and D25. Family restrooms and most other restrooms have changing tables, per the Port. For formula, diapers and wipes, Hudson stores sell diapers, and a Baby Foodie vending machine by Gate A1, next to the Children’s Play Area, stocks snacks, formula, diapers, wipes and pacifiers. Our families and kids page lists the play areas, and our nursing rooms page lists each nursing suite, room and pod.
Who to call
| Question | Call |
|---|---|
| Stroller or car seat rental, stock and price | Smarte Carte desk, (206) 248-3645 |
| Anything the Port’s pages leave out | SEA Customer Care, (206) 787-5388 or (800) 544-1965 |
| Taxi, rideshare and other ground transportation | Ground Transportation Information Booth, (206) 787-5906 |
| Help through the checkpoint | TSA Cares, (855) 787-2227. TSA asks travelers with a disability or medical condition to call at least 72 hours ahead |
| A quick TSA answer | Text AskTSA at 275-872 |
Sources
Pages on this site:
- Luggage storage
- Families and kids
- Nursing rooms
- Security checkpoints
- Taxis
- App-based rideshare
- Rental cars
- Where to leave a bag at Seattle airport
- SEA security wait times and when they peak
- Rental cars at SEA
- The Link light rail from SEA
Official pages:
- Smarte Carte, Seattle-Tacoma page
- TSA, Families on the Fly page
- Sound Transit, 1 Line
- Sound Transit, fares