Aibu to wonder how people do the school run with a new born?

[SuzanneSays]

Second baby due in a couple of weeks, drive to school is about ten mins, then couple of mins walk from parking area. My plan is to just unclick car seat and carry baby in that, DH says it will be too heavy and we need to buy a travel system so I can unclick car seat and wheel baby into school on buggy. Realistically can’t see myself doing that in a rush on a cold January morning! Aibu to wonder how other people manage it? ( not really much of an Aibu- sorry!)

[isadoradancing123]

Doona

[100YearsOfVote]

I have been known to BF baby in sling while walking DD1 to nursery.

[user1490298596]

My wee girl is 16 weeks and I carry her in her car seat whilst carrying my two year old to the car, not to heavy yet.

[LexieLulu]

Travel system? Click car seat into pram base then go... no disturbing baby getting in and out of seat xx

[Xmasbaby11]

I'd use travel system if you'd use it other times. Used the car seat clip onto buggy base absolutely tons with dd2. Just so quick and easy, no disruption. Total lifesaver!

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

I live in northern Scotland and I have 2 January babies (and a September one). Sorry but our roads and pavements are often terrifying slippy, any morning from October to April. No way would I use a sling or just carrying the baby...!!!

[babybythesea]

I had a travel system. It was fine - DD2 often slept through the whole thing because I wasn't moving her around on her own, but the whole seat she was in.
Word of warning. Do not pop in to talk to your child's teacher, stowing your baby safely in a corner out of the way of rogue footballs etc (because you can't get the buggy up the steps and you'll only be a minute, and she's fast asleep anyway) and then skip back to your car thinking about your conversation. I sat in my car thinking something was wrong but I couldn't quite figure out what. As I returned, very ashamed of myself, to the playground I realised that the Head had found the baby and was standing there wondering what to do with her. She was lovely - said that she thought that at 3 weeks old she was a bit young to be staying at school just yet and I'd have to wait a few years before I could leave both my children at the school! But honestly, forgetting your baby?? At least I couldn't have done that if she'd been in a sling...

[babybythesea]

GingerbreadMa - kind of depends where you live. I'm ten minutes drive from school. Very rural. Two minutes to get kids in car. Rarely see other cars until we get into the next village where school is. Drive most of it between 30 and 50 on rural roads with no pavement at all. Pass several farms where the road is caked with mud. Kids would need wellies and probably still get muddy - and when the road floods as it often does where it crosses a stream I suspect they'd end up wet as well. Park in the village car park. No bun fights as its a small school and everyone fits. Walking would take around 45 minutes. I don't know for sure, I've never walked it. It's also very hilly - we live at the top of one hill and you have to go right down into the valley and up the other side. At points the road is very narrow with high hedges either side and nowhere to stand if a car comes. You'd have a total nightmare with a buggy.
It's a beautiful school run and I thank my lucky stars that this is what I do every school morning, but walking? No thanks.
Don't assume that just because you are city based everyone else is too!

[BusyBeez99]

That Doona would be good for you as it's a quick trip. But for longer trips out and about you should use a proper pram. It isn't good for a baby to be in a car seat for hours

[peneleope82]

Bear in mind that your second baby will probably have to nap more out and about fitting into the older one's routine so clipping the car seat onto the buggy wheels when they're asleep can be a godsend rather than potentially waking them whilst putting them from car seat to pushchair.

That was my experience anyway.

[IamPickleRick]

babybythesea

[IamPickleRick]

Sorry, didn’t mean to press send! Just wondered how you would get to school if your car broke down? Or if you were no longer able to drive? (I had to surrender my license due to a disability I developed in my 30’s)

Is there any provision for pedestrians at all, like a bus? I would have had to move if I’d not been in a city or be house bound.

[RedastheRose]

Car seats with newborn are just about manageable but they are cumbersome and difficult even then. Once the baby is a bit bigger they are impossible to carry for a long period of time. Easier to pick baby up and carry then pop back into car seat.

[GoodluckJonathan76]

I am due in June with DS3 and our nanny will finish when I go on maternity leave. I will need to do school run with DS1 and DS2 and newborn. I will pop newborn in sling or buggy and walk. Same for pick-up. Had not even occured to me to worry about this. You'll be awake from around 5am anyway so bags of time. YABU. Classic psot by someone with one child!

[waddleslikeapenguin]

We have a Chico London umbrella buggy and if baby is asleep I just plonk the maxi-cosi on top for a quick walk to and from the car. Probably not very secure for manoeuvring kerbs, steps etc but it manages over cobbles alright. I do prefer my travel system but the umbrella buggy does also work for a quick and smaller solution.

[sadie9]

Buy a second hand travel system from a website. Save yourself a fortune. You won't be doing your pelvic floor any favours in the long term, by carrying the car seat. You may end up carrying other stuff some mornings too, your other child's bag or something they need for school.

[Louiselouie0890]

You can get a car seat that is a pram. Just unclick the button and the wheels come out.

[DeStijl]

Had not even occured to me to worry about this. You'll be awake from around 5am anyway so bags of time. YABU. Classic psot by someone with one child!
Genuinely one of the most patronising, smug comments I've read on here.
I have three kids and I'm yet to get up for the day at 5am. I was concerned about managing the school run with a newborn, it's a perfectly natural worry. Fortunately it's turned out great and baby just goes along with the routine.
It sounds like you get more and more superior the more kids you have. Stop at 3 or your head might explore.

[MagicFajita]

I agree Destijl , there's a lot of rudeness towards the op here.

Doing the school run with a newborn can be a bit of a nightmare. Especially if it's 7:30am and they're sleeping soundly in their cot and you have to wake them, stuff some milk into them then wrestle them into their snowsuit and pushchair.

[field10]

Both my girls are February babies. Yes it might be cold but for the couple of seconds it takes to put the push chair up it is well worth it. And you won't kill your back, it's also smoother for the baby I've seen mums carrying the car seat and they get swung around abit as you walk. Also your baby can stay nice and warm in the seat if you take them out to carry they will get cold quickly. Modern travel systems are so quick and easy I would use one every time.

[skincarejunkie]

Oh, please have an alternative to carrying a car seat! I could have cried so many times carrying a car seat once DS2 got past a couple of months. But the pram base wouldn't fit in my Aygo. And then I discovered a sling! Heaven.

Please have a plan B! And choose a pram / system wisely. I didn't and I still regret it and get pram envy to this day! (DS's are at school!) A one handed, one movement frame that folds to nothing and faces you not the road once it converts to a buggy!

[Facelikeaslappedarse]

Baby bjorn

[HopefulForToday]

Had not even occured to me to worry about this. You'll be awake from around 5am anyway so bags of time. YABU. Classic psot by someone with one child!

Genuinely one of the most patronising, smug comments I've read on here. I have three kids and I'm yet to get up for the day at 5am

Agree with this. I have 3 dc, including a 7 month old and I wouldn't recognise 6am if it smacked me in the face, never mind 5am

I was concerned about doing the school run with a breastfeeding 4 week old when dh went back to work. Nothing odd about that.

Op, others have said it but I have to chime in with DO NOT rely on carrying the car seat every day. Yeah a newborn will be fine probably. But newborns grow! I totally forgot just how heavy a baby in a car seat is this time and nearly broke my back before using a travel system from about 8 weeks.

[TheDrinksAreOnMe]

Oh, please have an alternative to carrying a car seat!

I agree with this but for other reasons. Children spend too much time in car seats just on journeys as it is. Products like the Doona encourage that. I think we all understand why we have to consider guidelines about how much time is spent travelling in a car seat, but we seem to have a culture of carrying about car seats and letting babies sleep in them while we go shopping. Its all for our convenience!

[GoodluckJonathan76]

I think you all have too much time on your hands if this genuinely worries you. How can you be concerned about breastfeeding on the school run? They don't need to be attached to your boob every minute do they?

I've received far more smug and patronizing comments on here for raising far more serious concerns.