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Original poster

3 week old - 3 hour car journey Help!

76 replies

Hiphopopotamus · 18/06/2020 20:24

Looking for some advice - we have to take our (will be) three week old on a three hours car journey next week. How often do we need to stop to get her out of the car seat? I’ve seen everything from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Obviously every 30 minutes would mean a lot of stops! Is there any official guidance o this anywhere? And what have other people done?

OP posts:
NameChange30 · 19/06/2020 10:49

"Or does everyone just stay home for weeks after they give birth?"

Pretty much, yes.

I can't think of many reasons for driving 3 hours with a newborn...

  • Essential medical care for the baby that can't be accessed closer to home
  • Mother needs essential medical care as above and is breastfeeding so can't be separated from the baby for the duration
  • A house move that can't be delayed
  • To visit a close relative who is dying if it is important to the relative and/or to you that they see the baby before they die

If I had to travel for one of the reasons above I would either take the train (with precautions ie face mask, hand washing etc) or would go by car but sit in the back next to baby and take lots or breaks ie every 45 minutes max.

Moonshine160 · 19/06/2020 10:50

Babies aren’t meant to be in car seats for prolonged periods, the same advice as bouncer chairs etc, but OP providing you’re sat in the back with baby and have regular stops (I would say after an hour each time, at the most) then I’m sure it’ll be fine. We took a two hour car journey when DS was three weeks old for a family funeral. We had one 30 minute stop for a feed, nappy change etc and it was fine. Lots of unnecessary and judgemental responses on here.

zaffa · 19/06/2020 10:51

I'd highly recommend a lie flat seat - I had one for DD and they are brilliant. She could drop off to sleep in it and all the concerns about stopping etc were irrelevant because she was in a safe position for sleeping.

I still sit in the back with her on every journey that I'm not driving even though she's now over six months though

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zaffa · 19/06/2020 10:53

The guidance re the half hour limit is for babies under six weeks I believe. We live over half an hour from the hospital which meant that without the lie flat seat we couldn't have brought DD home easily!

I think I got the info from the NHS website but do ask your health visitor if you're unsure

zaffa · 19/06/2020 10:57

This fat sheet from the lullaby trust does say 2 hours though

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/9-car-seat-factsheet-2019-09-09-1.pdf

worriedmama1980 · 19/06/2020 10:58

Honestly OP I did lots of reading around this as we had to basically drive across Europe with a six month old. It changes as they get older, can hold their head up etc, but at that age, I really would stop every 30/45 minutes, the studies suggest that there is a significant effect on their breathing that isn't necessarily perceptible looking at them. The thing is, newborn babies have lots of little quirks and weaknesses that you can't see - ours ended up in hospital for a week after an infection, you don't really know if they'd be fine or not, and its not obvious unless they're in serious trouble, at which point you're probably going to be on a motorway somewhere.

See what form they're in, but I'd be planning to do it over 5 1/2 hours. Maybe bring a tummy time pillow and a blanket, stop somewhere they can stretch out. For you that close to birth, making sure you can stop, take a drink, have a little walk would be good. I know if will be tough, and if you stopped less frequently it would probably be fine but for peace of mind I think you're best taking the breaks.

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 19/06/2020 11:10

Thanks all - I’m looking at doing a quick order on a lie flat car seat. Expensive and money I don’t really have but it’s just not worth the risk is it? And for peace of mind even I suppose it’s worth it. At least it means she’ll be safe and comfortable and we can then do the journey and only stop when she needs feeding/changing rather than me spending probably six hours panicking about her oxygen levels!

Phew I bet child rearing was so much easier back when all this stuff wasn’t even thought about - I remember my parents saying they travelled when I was a tiny two week newborn from London to Newcastle with me in a Moses basket in the well of the car!! 😱😂

OP posts:
Comtesse · 19/06/2020 11:14

Some ummm interesting comments on here. How is driving in a car going to lead to anyone catching Covid?

ItsSpittingEverybodyIn · 19/06/2020 11:22

Hi op, just had a look on ebay there is Jane Matrix available for buy it now you may get in time, I had one of these with my second, it was a very good seat, there are others on there as well there might be one near to you, the one I'm looking at is item number 283905435921

Jojobythesea · 19/06/2020 11:24

Ok. When my DS were three and five months we travelled down into France, them in the back and us in the front checking every now and then. We just carried on until they woke up, they didn't so we did the whole six hours in one go. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Jojobythesea · 19/06/2020 11:26

This was some years ago I will add and they are fine after and always have been

Horehound · 19/06/2020 11:40

@Hiphopopotamus

Thanks all - I’m looking at doing a quick order on a lie flat car seat. Expensive and money I don’t really have but it’s just not worth the risk is it? And for peace of mind even I suppose it’s worth it. At least it means she’ll be safe and comfortable and we can then do the journey and only stop when she needs feeding/changing rather than me spending probably six hours panicking about her oxygen levels!

Phew I bet child rearing was so much easier back when all this stuff wasn’t even thought about - I remember my parents saying they travelled when I was a tiny two week newborn from London to Newcastle with me in a Moses basket in the well of the car!! 😱😂

Yes, and what do you think happened to any of those babies if there was a car accident?! That's the point. That's why it IS thought of nowadays
zaffa · 19/06/2020 11:49

I had a Jane transporter and it was excellent! I think Jane are one of the first companies to do the lie flats.

When I was little we got strapped in with seatbelts onto the backseat in our carry cot. Which actually is very similar to how the lie flat ones work!

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 19/06/2020 12:45

@Horehound oh I know - I was just being a bit lighthearted with thinking ignorance can sometimes be bliss - but obviously it’s far better to be aware of all the risks

OP posts:
Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 19/06/2020 13:51

Right - a lie flat seat has been bought! Thanks for all the advice - I’m happier knowing we can travel safely and our DD will be comfortable. Hope it also allays some of the fears of some of you on here that we were going to put our child in a dangerous situation - we really would never do that - we want the best for her, but we’re very new parents still figuring everything out.

OP posts:
ohoneohtwo · 19/06/2020 13:57

People are really hard of thinking, aren't they?

'Oh we did X in my day, I was fine'

Yes. But others were not fine. This is how we learn. This is why advice changes. This is basic and obvious information.

covidco · 19/06/2020 15:04

We couldn't have done such a journey with DS at that age. We had a lie flat car seat but he screamed and screamed in the car until he upset himself so much he stopped breathing. It was terrifying. The one hour journey to see my parents took 3 hours on a good day. We wouldn't have attempted a 3 hour journey, though appreciate you have to.

So just be prepared for lots and lots of stops.

The 30 minute guidance comes from a test done generally on premature babies before they can be discharged - they need to be able to last for 30 minutes in a car seat without their oxygen saturation dropping. This is considered what a non-premature baby should be able to do. Newborns have not been tested in car seats for longer than 30 minutes (or at least no significant tests).

Crockodoodle · 20/06/2020 13:13

Brilliant, the lie flat seats really are excellent especially as if they are asleep in it you can just remove from car and leave them to sleep, I found them a God send. Plus they retain their value so you can sell it on.

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 20/06/2020 16:30

It arrived today and looks great - it’s one of the Jané Matrix ones. Genuine thanks to everyone who replied here as I didn’t know such things existed and I just feel so much happier with it than be worrying about a traditional one.

OP posts:
Tfoot75 · 20/06/2020 16:41

Fgs, a 13 day old baby died 'with' covid the other day, not 'of' covid, the cause of death is unknown, try actually reading news articles before you use them to beat other people with!!

OP, just use your common sense, if you want to get the lie flat seat for peace of mind then get it, pretty sure it was 90 mins in a car seat when mine were babies (they are 7 and 4), the change may be from a single isolated case, or it may not be, but a 3 hour car journey with 1 stop is going to be pretty low risk. I know its hard when you have a newborn, but you can't possibly make the ideal, risk free decision every time, just be practical and aware that a small risk is there.

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 26/06/2020 18:56

Just for anyone who still cares we’ve done the journey there and home again (on different days) and it was an absolute dream with the lie flat seat. I sat in the back next to DD so I could put my hand on her to settle her when she needed and she slept most of the way both times with no stop needed! Easy journeys and nice to know it’s totally doable.

OP posts:
Crockodoodle · 26/06/2020 22:04

I care! So please that it all worked out well and that it was worth it to buy the lie flat. Enjoy your gorgeous baby

Emmacb82 · 27/06/2020 09:42

Glad it went well!

BakewellGin1 · 27/06/2020 09:54

We took DS on a 3 hour trip at that age...

We broke it up by... booking in for pub lunch on way, found somewhere with a nice village and had a small walk with proper pram so he could lay flat and get some air, also added in a coffee and fuel stop so I could get him out, change nappy, feed. He was fine.

adagio · 27/06/2020 09:55

So happy it went well 😁
My mum said that when we were little the carry cot strapped in to the car - kids car seats were for after kids could sit up. She always glared at my scrunched up little newborns in a maxi Cosi as ‘they don’t look at all comfortable’! Hopefully you’ll get plenty of happy use out of your (expensive!) lie flat seat 😁