To not want to buy a car seat

[Onfoot241]

..only for it to be used once.

I'm expecting a baby at the end of October. I don't drive, I either walk places or get a bus if it's not within walking distance.

Its not my first baby but I no longer have the old car seat (which I begrudged buying that time too) and It seems so wasteful to buy another just for the sake of getting back from the hospital only for it to never be used again. The last one wasn't.

I'm told you can't leave the hospital with baby without a car seat which is bonkers to me. Why can't I take baby home in a carrier wrap or his pram?

Ahhh you are in London then super easy- push pram into the back of the black cab, apply them brake and hold the handlebar. Just like you would on the bus. I just wouldn’t do it outside of central London as even though it’s legal, I don’t think it would be particularly safe on the motorway to Heathrow. But my babies both came home from hospital that way

Of course you can take baby home in a pram but you absolutely need a contingency plan because I can guarantee that you will not want to do a 30 minute walk just a few hours after giving birth, and that's if everything happens normally. You'll be bleeding, and walking will cause cramping and further bleeding. It won't be comfortable. I'd absolutely recommend a taxi.

Of course you can take your baby home without a car seat (if you’re not going in a car). The hospital can’t hold you hostage.

I think you will struggle to walk home. I went for a walk round the block a few days post delivery and had to come home after about 4 minutes because I was tired and sore. And that was a very short and straightforward birth.

However the "need a car seat to be discharged" thing is a myth and lots of people don't drive so much go home on taxis, buses etc. Expecially in London

It won't be just used once....
Taxis or getting a lift from a neighbour or friend - yes technically you don't need one but when you are juggling wiggly baby, change bag, other bags, coats etc it's a damm lot easier to have bubs in a baby car seat. And safer. Obviously.
You will want one when you have a dash in a taxi to see the GP (or hopefully not -go to A+E) .
Even routine appointments when you can take your time getting there - if it's pissing down with rain, snowing, heatwave - you will call a taxi. Believe me. You will.
Waiting in waiting rooms in places that don't really have space for a pram (my baby health clinic you had to leave prams outside due to space).- some babies like slings - some don't. Some parents find slings uncomfortable. But sometimes - like when you are sitting around in a waiting room for ages you just don't want to be constantly holding baby. And baby might not want to be held. Having a car seat means baby can just sit in it. Give you both a break.
There will be loads of times you end up taking unexpected car journeys. It will happen.
The winter night your heating breaks so you need to take baby to your mums - car.
The day you come out the supermarket and find the bus cancelled because it's broken down - car.
I say this as a non driver and non car owner.
A car seat will be used waaaaay more than once in the year or so baby can fit in it.
Just buy one.

But this isn’t the OPs first baby. Pretty sure OP knows when and if she’ll use it.
Black cab and pushchair if needed or taxi service that has a baby seat.

People are ridiculous. Many people live without ever having owned a car seat.

@Legoisthebest
Do you live in London? I have 2 kids and have never once needed a car seat for any of the scenarios you’ve described. We do actually have a car, with a convertible seat for the baby that doesn’t come out, but mostly use it for planned weekends away. Where I live the bus is never more than a 5 minute wait. I have tube, overground and 2 different mainlines (one even goes direct to my mums) within walking distance. A pram can go straight into the back of a black cab, which I can order from my house and have outside in minutes, whatever time of day or night. The GP is at the end of the street, the midwife clinic is opposite and the supermarkets don’t even have car parks. Obviously outside of London is very different and my friends back in the suburbs where I grew up couldn’t cope without their cars. But OP has said she’s in London and it’s so so much easier to be without a car, or a car seat, here.

If you won’t need one then don’t bother. I took mine home in the pram on the tram. I was exhausted but it was a super sunny day and I was so happy to be out of the hospital. Our back up plan was the same as yours, I’d get a taxi and DH would take the tram with the pram.

Lots of taxis provide car seats.

And if course if you won't be travelling by car you simply tell the hospital that.

This said, it can be annoying not having one.

They can't detain your baby unless there is a court order due to child protection! Pick up the baby out it in its pram walk out.

LakeShoreD yes I live in London. We use public transport almost everyday.
But when my child was in pain and I wanted to get to the GP quickly - I called a taxi. Yes I could of held her in my arms but - lets face it - it is safer. Much safer. Our car seat got used a lot.
And as regular and actually very good London public transport is - it doesn't all run 24 hours. You are not going to get a bus home from A+E at 3 in the morning when they discharge you !

I live in London and really don’t recognise the need for it unless you have a car or are in and out of a Zipcar near-on weekly.

If we’re talking about an emergency situation slings, pram, holding, borrowing or having the number of a taxi co with car seats seems a better option to me, otherwise you’re lugging the emergency car seat around with you mid-emergency surely (as in, if I’m on the bus going to A&E with my baby I really don’t fancy lugging a car seat too on the off chance that buses won’t be running later). And then come age one or so you now need a bigger car seat??

I walked out with a pram, no problems. They just don’t want you carrying them in your arms for safety reasons until you are out of the hospital. Then your aren’t their responsibility anymore.

@Onfoot241

I don't have any friends or family I can ask to borrow one from unfortunately.

I was planning on walking home with the pram as it's not very far, but failing that if I didn't feel up to it then I'd be getting the bus.

I ruled out a taxi on the basis of not having a car seat. I didn't realise you could take baby in one without.

My DD chose to walk home from hospital the day after having her 1sr child. She lived 500m away. It took her almost half an hour as she kept having to stop and rest!

Well I suppose everyones day to day life is different. We got a LOT of use out of our car seat as an non driving, non car owning, goes everywhere by public transport family
A quick look online it seems you can get ones for as cheap as £35.
£35 as a piece of baby equipment isn't a lot really. And in London you see a lot for sale very cheap (or free) on Facebook etc as "used a couple times" because - yes that's London life.
It's the OPs decision but personally I think it's a useful thing to have around the house even though you might never need to use it. Like certain things in a first aid kit or emergency torches for power cuts. You might never ever need them - but they are handy to have if you do.

I was actually scanning Facebook marketplace last week in the hopes of getting one cheap or for free.

There was one going but I missed out by a couple of hours. The others on there locally cost as much as brand new and I just begrudge paying it as I know it'll end up sat in the cupboard unused.

Posting in local group to borrow one could be a good idea I'll consider that.

If anybody is in South East London and has one laying about unused I would gladly rent it from you for the day

You should get one. This one is £40. www.online4baby.com/joie-juva-classic-group-0-car-seat-black-ink

I'm in London and walked out of hospital to get the bus with the baby in a pram after number 1 (was planning to walk the 10 mins home but ouch!) but went to a hospital further away with number 2 and we got the tube home with DH carrying DS is a sling. Nobody questioned on either occasion how we'd get home/why the baby wasn't in a csr seat. In face at UCLH they actively tell you not to bring a car because parking is so tricky. We have never had any need for a car seat whilst in London as we dont have a car. So wasteful to buy one for 1 journey. However, quite a few people on our local Facebook group borrow them for one off reasons, so am sure you could do that if needed

I think this myth came about because the hospital won’t let you just walk out carrying a baby. You need to take them in a sling, car seat or pushchair. So if you are putting them in a car seat you either need to bring it in to the hospital, or use a sling or pram to transport them in the car. But if you aren’t then you don’t need to take a car seat in!

They are very adverse to people dropping a newborn baby whilst on hospital premises!

I wouldn't buy one second hand, you don't know it's history. That's why you can't donate them to charity shops.

If you do go for a second hand one, please be aware there is a chance they could already be damaged and therefore unsafe. Make sure you have a good luck at it and test how sturdy it is before buying. It is handy to have one especially when they're little. It'll be useful when taking them to the shops as well to put the seat in the trolley instead of pushing a trolley and a pram.

Haven’t you got a friend that could lend you an infant one just in the first instance
I wouldn’t buy a
Second hand one from a stranger

It'll be fine, your idea for it you're not feeling up to it about DH walking and you catching a taxi is fine, or a bus is fine. With my second I was in town less than 9 hours later, some people are fine! But you have a contingency plan!

No local friends at all no, I'm not from here and all my old friends are back in my home town hundreds of miles away. I'm a loner now

Taken on board about second hand etc.