To walk dark, lonely-ish road to multi-storey carpark at 4am, with toddler?

[QS90]

Have been at hospital with toddler for 10 hours, he's likely to be discharged in next few hours. No sodding car park at hospital, so have had to park a third of a mile away, at creepy multi-storey down dark alley. Would be loathe to go alone, let alone with toddler. However do need to get home.

Partner has offered to meet me at hospital, however he's looking after our baby. Car seat is in my car - he doesn't drive. He could get an Uber, but would have to take our youngest without a car seat. Mainly 20mph roads, but into town with associated Friday night drunks.

Aibu to risk the walk alone? Or is baby without car seat more unsafe? Which is the least bad?

It is not illegal to travel with an unsecured child on a short & unexpected journey. Otherwise children would never be able to travel by taxi.

Hope you got home safe OP.

A&E absolutely do discharge at anytime and no one cares how or if you can get home. I found my 85 year old dad wandering down the middle of the road at 3am after no one told me he was being sent home. I only set off once I realised his phone had died.

I’ve been chucked out at 2am too, after having a blood thinning injection and told to ring at 8am to get a scan the next day for a suspected blood clot. No one cares what time it is or how you are getting home, you are on your own.

There is absolutely no way I would have done that walk from our hospital to the nearest multi storey at night. It is about that distance but the car park feels sinister at the best of times and the stairwell always stinks of weed.

I wouldn't think twice about walking such a short distance to a car park, but I lived in a dead rough area of Croydon for the first 30-odd years of my life, so my fear threshold is possibly higher than most.

I wouldn't worry about the homeless people, either. Statistically, they're far more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

100% this

I realise OP will hopefully already be home, but she's missed a trick here. Taxi back home, then in the morning taxi back to collect the car, leaving kids with DH at home. Then car journey home with a diversion via a coffee shop for 20 mins peace!

Hope you made it home ok OP. Were you at BCH and parked in Trenchard Street by any chance? I've done the same walk with small child, though not quite so late. I was worried more about the car park stairwells than the walk itself but there were a surprising number of people about and all was well.

Hope your little one is on the mend.

They do from A&E - no-one is going to hang around in there hours longer than they need to. I've been released at 1am with a sick toddler before.

Partner doesn't drive

I'd be amazed if you were discharged in the middle of the night! But an Uber sounds sensible.

Hope your ds is ok and you're soon safely home.

You might not be discharged from a regular ward in the middle of the night but if the OPs son was in an observation ward off a&e then it might well happen. I was once discharged at 3am when ds (4) rallied after a nasty bout of croup and they decided he didn't need admission after all.

In any case if you don't think the OP is genuine then report to Mumsnet, don't troll hunt on a thread where someone needs support.

@QS90 what did you do? Hope you’re both home now.

Of course they do, it happens all the time.

If we are talking about the NHS in the UK, then they do, yes. They don’t have capacity.

Partner doesn’t drive.

In this situation I would get a taxi home and collect the car the next day. It isn't ideal without a carseat for the toddler, but needs must.

If they’re in A&E yes they would.

I think posters saying it is a non issue must live somewhere that is very safe.

It is totally understandable that a woman with an unwell toddler would feel vulnerable when walking back to her car in a multi storey car park in the early hours.

Unfortunately there is never enough parking at hospitals.

@QS90 I hope you got home safely, and your child recovers well.

Yes in a&e of course they would discharge at any time including in the middle of the night. There are people coming and going all night long. Fortunately my hospital has a car park nearby.

Yes you can be discharged at any time.

No you don't have to leave the entire premises immediately on discharge, so you can wait/doze somewhere until its light enough to feel more confident

Jesus just wait till morning

This. If there a a problem with parking fee email the parking company and explain the situation. Similar-ish thing happened to me and car park were great as I had to arrange for friend to collect my car.

Taxi home, sort out car tomorrow

Hope you got home safe and well. I don’t think they’d discharge him during the night anyway. From experience, they wait until shift change and discharge when the doctor has done their rounds so it wouldn’t be until at least 8am when it’s light.

When I was discharged from A&E just before 5am, I sat and waited in the waiting room until the buses started running at 7:30. So in your shoes @QS90 if you really are too scared to do the walk, then I'd do that.

Or call your dh and have him on the line while you're walking?

Moot point now, hoping you and toddler are home now and toddler feeling better.