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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how long - baby in car seat?

28 replies

MissBax · 17/12/2017 05:58

Sorry (posting for traffic)!

Driving around 200 miles today with DD (4 months). Have been given mixed messages - some saying no longer than 30 mins in car seat, some saying 2 hours!
Obviously I'm happy to stop as often as I need to to take her out, feed etc, but does anyone know how long it should actually be?! Tia!

OP posts:
userabcname · 17/12/2017 06:01

I think officially they say 30 minutes but you can judge it. We did a 4 hour journey in August when DS was 11 weeks - I sat in the back with him and we stopped twice there and back.

ruleshelpcontrolthefun · 17/12/2017 06:11

Previous advice was 2 hours. 30mins is relatively new (the last year I think). It was 2 hours when my oldest was born 4 years ago. We rarely did more than 30mins anyway but did longer stretches on holiday including 3hours in one go when she was 13weeks. She survived!

lalalalyra · 17/12/2017 06:12

The 30 minute guidance came from a test/study on a group of newborns so that guidance is specifically for newborns. Not sure on the exact age the stop considering them newborns.

2 hours with a 15 minute stop is what I was told when my youngest was born and what we stuck too. The important bit is getting them out the seating position every now and again so just keep an eye on her and get her out her seat every couple of hours for a while.

furryelephant · 17/12/2017 06:12

From my research when I was pregnant the 30 minutes is for a newborn, I believe the general thing is “2 hour rule”. Don’t know how to link properly but there’s a page on babysafeltd website that explains better Smile

Chaosofcalm · 17/12/2017 06:12

I thought the 30 mins was for new born only.

Original poster
MissBax · 17/12/2017 06:15

Ah okay, 30 mins does sound very frequent, and a bit unsure on what they're classing as "newborn" too. I've got a mirror that sits of the rear window so I can keep on eye on her. Maybe I'll aim for 60-90min stops just to be on the safe side.

OP posts:
minniemummy0 · 17/12/2017 06:49

My HV said 30 mins for newborn then 2 hours. Newborn is up to 3 months so you should be fine with 2 hours.

AnMum · 17/12/2017 06:52

Does this honestly mean that if you live more than 30 mins drive from hospital, which large numbers of people will do, you should stop after 30 mins for a break when you take your baby home? That just seem ridiculous?

Chaosofcalm · 17/12/2017 06:58

AnMum the advice is based on new research into blood oxygen levels of babies in car seats. It was not on a huge sample mostly because the results were so worrying they had to halt the trial. It is up to individuals what they do with the results but a lot of common place safety measures, especially for babies and young children, would have been considered ridiculous 30 years ago.

splendide · 17/12/2017 06:59

The mirror won’t make any difference as it’s to do with oxygen levels so you won’t be able tell from looking

Babyisinthecorner · 17/12/2017 09:25

Owing to the fact that my newborn DD would only sleep in a more upright position, our HV said we would be ok to put her to sleep for the night in her 'bucketseat'.
This went on for 4 months.

Not ideal but better than the alternative.

(3 years on & we still have significant sleep issues with a good medical team involved.)

I

Marcine · 17/12/2017 09:31

30 minutes for a newborn because they can't support their heads and end up scrunched up with restricted breathing I think.

At 4 months I would be happy with at least 2 hours before taking a break.

Animation86 · 17/12/2017 09:33

We did the car seat test leaving NICU, it’s such a very real thing. We stopped every hour.

If a HV told me to leave mine in any bucketseat I wouldn’t accept that based on watching the sats monitor on those tests.

GrapesAreMyJam · 17/12/2017 09:47

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 17/12/2017 10:00

Grapes what seat is it?

Pengggwn · 17/12/2017 10:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bubblysqueak · 17/12/2017 10:05

Britax do a lie flat car seat. In hindsight I would have bought one as both dc were small and would have fit until 6 months. But dsil had a 10lbs baby who was very long and wouldn't have fit at all so I thought it might be a waste of money as it was expensive.

GrapesAreMyJam · 17/12/2017 10:30

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

specialsubject · 17/12/2017 11:21

A couple of very young babies have died in new Zealand due to suffocation from being left strapped upright for too long. Zero sense parenting kills.

Prusik · 17/12/2017 11:24

Ds was transported by ambulance at three weeks old to a hospital thirty minutes away. They had him in the car seat. He was hooked up to oxygen and an oxygen monitor. He started out with 98% saturation levels but within about ten minutes his levels went down to around 85%. And that was on oxygen! I was really shocked.

However, your baby isn't three weeks old so I can't comment

mustbemad17 · 17/12/2017 11:28

Sadly it's a very real thing that the chin to chest position causes oxygen levels to drop. A friend lost her 8 week old due to this, she had him in the car seat attached to a travel system whilst she did her errands.

I queried this with my MW about when is safe to do longer journeys (am now slightly paranoid) & she said after about 3 months longer journeys are fine but she recommended no more than two hours without stopping.

Birdshitbridgegotme · 17/12/2017 11:32

It was 2 hours when my youngest was born...almost 2 yrs

Namechanger2735 · 17/12/2017 12:16

30 mins sounds ridiculous. You'd be stopping every other service station if not every one on some roads. It would take you all day.

llangennith · 17/12/2017 12:20

Just Googled Lie-flat car seats.
I didn’t know they existed.
A brilliant idea!

ethelfleda · 17/12/2017 12:34

I was going to ask something similar myself as we are going on a 3 and 1/2 hour car journey when DS will be 8 weeks old... I will sit in the back with him. We were only going to stop every hour!!