Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Can a newborn travel in a car?

214 replies

northerngirly · 31/01/2025 10:55

For various reasons it looks like I will be giving birth in a hospital 2.5 hours from my home. It looks as though that will be the best option for my pregnancy.

What I’m confused about is can a newborn travel in a car for that long home? Obviously we will stop a lot but is it dangerous? What happens if I have no choice but to do that?

Can anyone give any advice?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Zone2NorthLondon · 31/01/2025 20:58

I see some posters are still fixated on car seats. Op can buy a lay flat carrycot car seat. Car seat isn’t the only option

bakewellbride · 31/01/2025 20:58

I'm going to guess this is a first baby. You've thought about the baby but don't forget you. I had a second degree year with stitches and every second of sitting for the half an hour drive home from hospital felt like an hour! There is no way I would've coped with a journey any longer than that and tearing is really common and I had a textbook labour. Please rethink your plan. Yes of course there is the baby to consider but YOU will be in a lot of pain, sore and probably changing a huge maternity pad every hour. 2.5 hours is not practical.

BeNavyCrab · 31/01/2025 21:05

Whilst there are guidelines on traveling long distances with a newborn, they are only that. Babies are quite resilient and a healthy newborn will let you know if they are uncomfortable by crying. If it were me I would travel in the back of the car with your baby so you can monitor them more easily. This is as much for you as for them, so you don't have to worry about something happening when you can't see them. Many people have to travel extended times to get home from hospital and they won't discharge either of you if you aren't well enough to do the journey. However if you do feel sore after the c section, you can always book a Travelodge for a few nights. I think it's more likely that you will find the journey more uncomfortable than your baby will in a quality car seat designed for a newborn. Good luck to you and congratulations. 😂

biggreenapple24 · 31/01/2025 21:10

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 31/01/2025 11:09

Look at a car seat that can lie flat - the cybex cloud for example.

have some stops along the way to take them out of the car seat and also see if they need feeding.

The Cybex cloud cannot lie fully flat and not flat at all when in the car, only slightly reclined. Don't think it would be suitable for this length of journey with a newborn. Stopping every 20-30 mins would be ok, but it would still worry me a bit.

The train is an option, but probably not one you'd appreciate 3 days after birth, especially if you've had an emergency c section. I found a 15 min walk a few days after a section was enough to need a 2 hour nap.

In your situation I'd get a proper bassinet car seat. Nuna and Maxi Cosi do them.

FlyingHighFlyingLow · 31/01/2025 21:24

biggreenapple24 · 31/01/2025 21:10

The Cybex cloud cannot lie fully flat and not flat at all when in the car, only slightly reclined. Don't think it would be suitable for this length of journey with a newborn. Stopping every 20-30 mins would be ok, but it would still worry me a bit.

The train is an option, but probably not one you'd appreciate 3 days after birth, especially if you've had an emergency c section. I found a 15 min walk a few days after a section was enough to need a 2 hour nap.

In your situation I'd get a proper bassinet car seat. Nuna and Maxi Cosi do them.

Show quote history

It's not fully flat, but a decent recline, even in the car.

I had a cybex cloud t, very healthy 9lb baby. Would have been absolutely fine for a 90 min nap in the back of the car, with me sat next to him watching for any sign of respiratory distress. The car seat tolerance test done on premature babies is 90 mins long.

Unless OP has a 3/4lb baby that's had some breathing difficulties a 90 minute one off journey will likely be fine in any reclined infant car seat.

Teateaandmoretea · 31/01/2025 21:41

Ceecee2422 · 31/01/2025 16:55

What does it matter how many? 348 died, if someone wants to make it 349 because they can’t be arsed to take their baby out of a seat enough times that’s up to them but I’d rather not risk my own child’s health when midwives and hospital now tell you to not leave them for more than 30 mins, they’ve not just brought those guidelines in for no reason……if someone else wants to risk their babies life that’s up to them but the fact a lot of people are arguing against it suggests to me they are not concerned if their child struggles breathing or not so maybe they should think about why they are even having children if stopping during long journeys is too much for them to undertake………

Show quote history

You aren’t very good at statistics are you? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Littlemisscapable · 31/01/2025 22:58

Your baby and you will be perfectly fine just plan a few stops..the actual thought of even considering getting on a train instead of driving in a car is soo crazy. That would require so much more effort on your part and would be so inconvenient (obviously there are people who may get a train who live in a city and that suits their circumstances) . Not sure where all the hysteria is coming from..... lots of people drive long distances with newborns and they are OK.

Ceecee2422 · 01/02/2025 08:49

Teateaandmoretea · 31/01/2025 21:41

You aren’t very good at statistics are you? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Show quote history

You aren’t very good at looking after babies are you? 🙄

rainbowunicorn · 01/02/2025 09:07

bakewellbride · 31/01/2025 20:58

I'm going to guess this is a first baby. You've thought about the baby but don't forget you. I had a second degree year with stitches and every second of sitting for the half an hour drive home from hospital felt like an hour! There is no way I would've coped with a journey any longer than that and tearing is really common and I had a textbook labour. Please rethink your plan. Yes of course there is the baby to consider but YOU will be in a lot of pain, sore and probably changing a huge maternity pad every hour. 2.5 hours is not practical.

It's not like she can just choose to give birth somewhere closer. She has explained this already.

Tiredalwaystired · 01/02/2025 09:15

Ceecee2422 · 01/02/2025 08:49

You aren’t very good at looking after babies are you? 🙄

Show quote history

Well, that was a baseless comment!

The poster is correct - you clearly don’t understand statistical analysis at all, as you have evidenced.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 01/02/2025 09:21

Ceecee2422 · 01/02/2025 08:49

You aren’t very good at looking after babies are you? 🙄

Show quote history

The harsh reality of life is that there are very few normal activities that babies haven’t died from. As parents we need to reduce risk as much as is reasonable but we can never fully eliminate it and sometimes we have to apply judgement about what’s best to do (weighing up the various risks associated).

planning a couple of stops at motorways services is sensible and most people here agree with that. Stopping every 20 minutes is seen as overly cautious and could be putting the baby at more risk if it means you need to stop in an unsafe place.

Teateaandmoretea · 01/02/2025 09:26

Ceecee2422 · 01/02/2025 08:49

You aren’t very good at looking after babies are you? 🙄

Show quote history

There are literally risks in everything people of any age do every day. Life is about balancing them in the best way you can while living it. It’s really quite worrying that an adult (I assume) doesn’t know that 🤦🏻‍♀️.

SoapySponge · 01/02/2025 09:27

We bought all our DCs home in the car. 25 miles. Last one in a snowstorm.

Teateaandmoretea · 09/02/2025 09:34

Teateaandmoretea · 31/01/2025 14:06

Well interestingly boomers didn’t put babies in the safest option of backward facing car seats and instead carried them in their arms or put them in carrycots. We seem to have gone full circle based on 3% of SIDs deaths (aka a tiny number) being in car seats.

My kids are a similar age, I seem to remember 2 hours for car seats.

Show quote history

https://www.mumsnet.com/articles/2-hour-car-seat-rule

It seems it’s still 2 hours according to mumsnet 🤷🏻‍♀️.

What is the 2-hour car seat rule? | Mumsnet

We explain the 2-hour car seat rule, why it's important and whether it's a legal requirement if you drive a car in the UK.

https://www.mumsnet.com/articles/2-hour-car-seat-rule

New posts on this thread. Refresh page