Can I take my 2 year old in a taxi?

[morningpaper]

CRAP my car's broken down and dd is stuck at nursery four miles away! Can I pick her up in a taxi or can't she travel without a childseat? My childseat is stuck at the garage...

It would happen today when it's -20 degrees outside!!!

[wild]

I have done this before in similar circs. Not surely what law is on this, but simply had no alternative. After all, when you take them on a bus there's no carseat. Just had ds on lap

[alexsmum]

i've done this loads of times through lack of choice.either just held them on my lap or had them strapped into pushchair if it was a black cab.

[coppertop]

Can you get a London-style cab? If so you could put dd in her pushchair and face the pushchair towards the back end of the taxi. It's safer than sitting on your lap.

[Gwenick]

I have on rare occasions taken both my children in car without a carseat. In those 4 times I really did have NO other option. I won't deny that I felt awful guilty about it at the time but looking back it was the 'best' option available to me.

[morningpaper]

No black cabs around here - middle of the country. Just dodgy old men with half-rusted fords.

[Toothache]

We used to take ds home in a taxi when we did our weekly shopping. It was only 3 miles and we didn't have a car.... we just strapped him in with the seatbelt in the back. Taxi drivers didn't have a problem with it.

[bran]

Could the garage give you a courtesy car and strap the car seat into that? Then you would only have to get a taxi to the garage - alternative get a taxi and go via the garage and get the child seat on the way.

Actually, re-reading your post I'm not sure how far away the garage is, only that the nursery is 4 miles away, so just ignore me if it's not an option.

[morningpaper]

No chance of a courtesy car and I don't think I can remove my filthy car seat and strap it into a taxi successfully in this cold. Also I've not found a remotely polite taxi driver in this area so I don't think they will be amenable to this plan...

[NotQuiteCockney]

Maybe phone a few taxi firms, some of them have their own car seats? They should be ok with you using yours, anyway - you're paying!

Alternatively, is there anyone you know at the nursery who could give your dd a lift, in return for you giving them one later?

FYI, the newer black cabs have built-in child seats that are fine for 2-year-olds. Pity there are no black cabs out near you.

[catgirl]

put my ds (2.5) in a cab last weekend, with my parents, he sat in the middle seat with seat beat on. AFAIK that is the 'safest' seat - he thought it was great, but made sure everyone was straped in first!

[starlover]

some of our local taxi firms will provide car seats.... ring round and see if any of yours do.

Otherwise I don't think it would be a problem, but make sure you put her in a seat belt... it is recommended over having a child on your lap!

[starlover]

some of our local taxi firms will provide car seats.... ring round and see if any of yours do.

Otherwise I don't think it would be a problem, but make sure you put her in a seat belt... it is recommended over having a child on your lap!

[morningpaper]

Hurray the garage has rung and fixed the problem - I'm SOOOOOOOO relieved!

But thanks for all the great advice! I will know what to do next time (hopefully there won't be one!).