What to do with one year old when getting taxis?

[PerpetualStudent]

Perhaps I'm missing something. I live in London, and find myself wanting to travel in different ways when out and about with DS, who will turn 1 in a few weeks. I.e. have the option to walk, take public transport or a cab as needed (we do have our own car, but much never practical to use it within the city traffic and parking being a PITA)

I used to have his carseat always attached to the pram, so if for any reason I needed to jump in a taxi/uber with him we were sorted. But he's nearly outgrown his stage 0 carseat, and I obviously can't lug a normal stage 1 seat about with us.

What's the answer, I feel like I'm missing a trick, what do other people do? Does anyone know of portable stage 1 car seats? Do I just have him on my lap for cab rides? (my understanding is this is technically legal, it would feel very dodgy for me though) Or is that the end of grabbing a quick uber home?

[arandomname]

I think it's the end of a quick Uber home I'm afraid, unless you can find one with a car seat? Is that possible? I don't know.

I know it is legal to jump in the cab without a car seat but it's tempting fate if you do it as a seni-regular thing IMO.

[arandomname]

I used public transport with DS when we lived in London. Sure it's more of a faff than jumping in an Uber but it's doable.

[ceeveebee]

I used to leave my twins in their double buggy and push it straight into a black cab (obviously can't do this with a mini cab)

[ceeveebee]

(That makes me sound like I travelled by black cab all the time - it was only occasionally, usually I walked or took the bus/tube!)

[NancyDroop]

Uber don't do car seats, I know this is their policy. I end up on train or bus.

[Bambooshoots14]

I sit him on my lap. Some ubers have car seats (the built in type) but don't think you can specify when booking

[PerpetualStudent]

sounds like it could be the end of ubers then! I don't mind public transport faff-wise, it's more that DS is pretty much guaranteed to fall asleep in a car - which can be really useful for co-ordinating journeys with naptimes, or eking an extra half hour out by starting 'bedtime' in the car home (now I sound like a lax mum who gets cabs instead of having a bedtime routine - but again this is an occasional thing!)

[arandomname]

"now I sound like a lax mum who gets cabs instead of having a bedtime routine"

Hey, don't knock it if it works - that's effective planning in my book!

[Janek]

If you get a black cab, you can strap in your pushchair, backwards-facing, using the wheelechair seatbelts.

If you don't have a pushchair with you, some black cabs have a zip-out booster seat and/or seatbelt height adjuster in the middle seat.

If you do carry him on your lap, make sure you DO NOT share a seatbelt as you could crush him in the event of the cab braking suddenly.

[BeaArthursUnderpants]

As far as I know there's no trick, OP, but I would love to know if there is! We've done cabs once or twice but it always makes me very nervous. No uber with the little ones I'm afraid. We stick with the bus/train/walking. In the USA they have "uber family," where the driver comes with a car seat. I so wish they had it here!

[albertcampionscat]

If you're in north london lady cabs of Archway are very good at providing car seats.

[Ifiwasabadger]

I live overseas and we have a local version of uber that has car seats...it is amazing! I spend half my life in taxis, literally 10 a week.....