To ask advice on newborn car travel (don't know where else to post)

[Mammajay]

The baby will be 8 days old Saturday, quite small, and still adjusting to life(jaundice e g.) The parents would drive here, one hour each way, spend two hours. My worry is that such a tiny baby shouldn't be in a car seat for that long. It is for a birthday get together. I think we should postpone the get together 4 weeks. Hopefully the baby would then be old enough. Do other mumsnetters have any advice??

Is it your baby? They could always break up the journey and stop for a drink/to feed the baby

I think the general recommendation for car seats for a newborn is no more than half hour at a time. To solve this they could just take a quick stop halfway through the journey to take the baby out the car seat for a little bit, and take the baby out the car seat on arrival.

Some people won't follow this recommendation and would be happy for an hours journey without a stop. That is totally their choice.

Totally up to the parents. If it was my baby I would probably do the journey with the stops.

It sounds like this isn't about your baby? In which case I would let the parents decide. I made a 5 hour car journey when DD was 8 weeks, we stopped every hour and even then I thought it was overkill, the risk is unproven and if it exists it's miniscule. I'd have been really annoyed if someone had forced us to postpone.

Up to the parents really, at that age it's recommended they are only in it for 30 minutes at a time. Would the parents stop on the way?
Depends how the baby reacts in the car seat some of them love it. My first did but my second doesnt even doing the school run descends into madness.
Ultimately it's the parents decision and they will do what feels right, they might be offended if you try to make that decision for them despite what might be good intentions.

It’s fine and it’s not your call

Up to the parents.

If the parents are happy to do the travelling then let them get on with it.

Personally I would have done it, though possibly with one of the adults in the back to keep an eye on the baby.

Dd was a week old and we made a 4 hour journey. Midwife said it's absolutely fine, as long as we stop every hour or so to give her a stretch and feed etc

Newborns aren’t meant to be in a car seat for more than half an hour, the position compromises the airways.

Thanks. I am anxious for the parents not to feel obliged to come (close family). We were thinking of moving the date so they could come later.

It’s fine and up to them - they can just take their time and stop on the way

My SIL had to drive 6hrs with a 4-day old, obv BIL drove and it was a family urgency. Niece is teenager now :-)

I drove 3 hours when dd was 11 days old, you simply stop half way or as needed. Let the parents be the judge

Just speak to the parents and see how they feel. Explain that you don't want them to feel obliged if they aren't comfortable, and you're happy to move the date if they would prefer. Let them decide

That’s fine. But they are parents now. Don’t start making the decisions about their child for them...

The research suggesting half an hour maximum in a car seat was done primarily in the context of premature babies leaving SCUBU.

The research suggesting half an hour maximum in a car seat was done primarily in the context of premature babies leaving SCUBU.