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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

How do you get baby home in a taxi??

55 replies

Morningnewspaper · 26/07/2006 16:53

Myself and another MNetter have been wondering how on earth we get baby home from the hospital if you are using a taxi?? I presume using a car seat is the obvious answer but if you don't have a car (so don't want to buy one) and are unable to borrow a car seat, is there an alternative and acceptable way?? Please help!

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FoghornLeghorn · 27/07/2006 11:25

I think all babies have to go home in a carseat. I'm sure my local hospital do not discharge you until there is a car seat there ready for the baby to be transported in

FoghornLeghorn · 27/07/2006 11:28

My DH brought the car seat up to the hospital the day after DD was born as we had to stay in over night. At the time I doubt many would remember the car seat anyway, unless it was already strapped into the car

dinosaur · 27/07/2006 11:29

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

batters · 27/07/2006 11:34

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Morningnewspaper · 27/07/2006 12:00

I was hoping I'd be going home 5 minutes after giving birth so thought it would save DH a trip if we took the car seat with us. We do have a car, so will definitely be buying a car seat - but we won't be going driving home from the hospital as it's a London hospital in an awkward spot!

OP posts:

faithb · 07/08/2006 23:42

Well, after reading about the law changing in September (and baby due in October) I asked my MW and she said there's no problems holding the baby in the back set of the cab!!

We don't have a car, and we almost never get in cars or taxis, being usually on cycles or public transport. In fact the only people we know with a car, who might want to give us a lift ever, are my grandparents, at the other end of the country. I would fear for all our lives getting into a car with my nearly-blind grandad - even without a child I avoid this preferring to walk from train station to theirs when I visit. Oh and my mum lives in a camper-van, which only has a pair of front seats anyway :-/ I've never travelled in that vehicle with her and her partner.

I'm quite happy to hold the baby and would actually feel more secure like this, than have them wobbling around in a baby-carrier... But if the hospital refuse to let us leave without a carseat, surely I can leave in a cab and DH can walk home with our baby (we are 20 mins walk from hospital)???

There's a slim chance a casual friend with car & babyseat will give us a lift, but TBH I'd rather leave hospital with just DH and baby. The friend who's offered doesn't actually drive herself, she's just going to tell her DP to, and he's not the most reliable person on earth, nor that great a driver LOL

Yet blind grandad or boy racer are both seen as a 'safer' options than me holding baby in a cab?

Sorry for the waffle, but this is something that's caused me a certain amount of confusion and a variety of feelings ranging from stress to flippancy.

misdee · 07/08/2006 23:47

faithb, even a crash at a slow speed your baby will be flung from your arms. dont risk it. borrow a car seat, or get a cheap one. its not worth the risk.

Skribble · 08/08/2006 00:00

I would go for a car seat like this This , small fairly cheap, lightweight, handy for sitting baby in, will fit most cars including taxis.

Some hospitals and prenatel groups do loan them out.

I think with the amount of traffic on the road and the way taxi drivers drive I would get something.

lemonaid · 08/08/2006 00:13

faithb -- a properly installed carseat in a car driven by a blind grandad or boy racer is a safer option. They may be more likely to have an accident than the cab driver, but if they did then your baby would almost certainly survive and would probably be uninjured. Whereas if the cab driver had an accident (yes, less likely, but the blind grandad or boy racer might drive into him) when you were holding the baby your baby would almost certainly be seriously injured and might well be killed.

mimi1uk · 08/08/2006 00:16

or look on ebay u can get one so cheap is it worth the risk

mimi1uk · 08/08/2006 00:18

if u cannot afford one from ebay what about a charity shop or even a car boot sale, i think u would be able to pick one up for £5

Skribble · 08/08/2006 00:24

Always loads at car boot as babies outgrow them before the get worn or manky.

Check all the straps are intact and not worn, not cracks, bulges or signs of stress on the plastic casing. Ensure the buckle works properly, clicks in and out Ok, doesn't stick. Important to get the proper original instructions as fitting varies from model to model. I have seen loads fitted in what looks to be the right way but is totally wrong (I worked in Mothercare). Loads of people put the small 1st stage facing forward perhaps to let baby see, perhaps because baby is outgrowing it and legs sticking out too far. They are most definatly not designed to go that way.

So get the original instructions, don't rely on the seller showing you how it fits.

faithb · 08/08/2006 09:29

It did surprise me that the midwife would say it's ok to carry the baby.

Then again, you're all suggesting that to buy 2nd hand is alright, despite all the other advice from baby websites (and manufacturers, naturally) to only ever buy new!

Thanks for the replies everyone

suzi2 · 08/08/2006 09:55

Please buy a proper car seat. Carrying your baby or putting them in a sling under the seatbelt would meant that even in a low impact accident, they would get seriously injured or be killed. A road safety officer told me that if babies are unsecured properly and hit their head in an accident then it only takes a 5mph accident to potentially kill them.

Buy a new seat - you can get them for £40. Read the instructions and don't rely on the fitter as some are pretty dim. Remember that not all car seats fit all cars so the seat may not fit correctly in a taxi. Worth trying it out in a few different taxis. Main thing to watch out for is buckle crunch - where the buckle of the car seatbelt touches the car seat. This means that it can burst open in an accident.

Don't use a carrycot. Even ones that claim they're safe for car use are not. Which? tested some a couple of years back and they were appauling. In one crash test video the carrycot propels the baby out the front window and then snaps in half...

Sorry - really negative here. But your baby is so precious please don't take the slightest risk.

lemonaid · 08/08/2006 09:55

Well, 2 people are suggesting that to buy second hand is alright. That's hardly "all". I wouldn't, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone else does. But if it were a question of choosing between having no carseat at all and a second hand carseat I'd go for the second hand one, because at least it may be OK in a crash, while holding the baby without a carseat definitely won't be OK in a crash. If you can't find one to borrow from a specialist organisation or from someone you trust then they can be bought from around £40 new, although I appreciate that's a lot of money on a tight budget.

LynnC · 08/08/2006 10:32

Hi not had a chance to read the whole thread so apologise if someone else already told you this. Some hospitals hire out car seats for journeys home in taxi's. Not sure of exact details/any cost etc as we had our own but might be worth asking and see if your hospital also have this service.

Toady · 08/08/2006 10:36

Best bet is to buy a car seat, they are useful as well at home for limited times, I rock my DS3 to sleep in his.

Just to add that the hospital can not stop you walking out of the door with or without a carseat.

EvesMama · 08/08/2006 10:36

dont know if this has been said..sorry dont have time to read all psots..but if you could order a black cab type taxi, the ones designed for prams.wheelchairs and have straps to hold pram into position plus using brake.hth

flack · 08/08/2006 10:59

Buckle-crunch isn't as simple as whether or not the buckle touches the seat. It's whether the bucklet is lying against the force of direction. Lying parallel to the force of direction is ok.

So if the buckle is lying same way as the seat (imagine it lying across your lap rather than against the side of your hip) then it's a weak point in case of an accident. That's what they call buckle crunch. If it's pointing away from the car it should be ok, even if it's actually touching the seat (this is what county expert told me).

We didn't have a car for long time after DS was born but still found a carseat very useful (and not that expensive). People are always offering you lifts or we might hire a car ourselves. Buy a popular brand because it will fit most cars, including in taxis.

foxinsocks · 08/08/2006 11:05

morningnewspaper, take the seat with you.

although I know you can't tell what your labour will be like, I was allowed to leave v soon after the birth (v quick delivery with no problems) however, we did bring the car with us (also London hospital) and I have a feeling that had a bearing on the midwife being happy to let me leave (i.e. I wasn't going on the bus!!)

faithb · 08/08/2006 17:03

I honestly appreciate the advice being given here, but just want to check a couple of things before drawing a conclusion ...

If you wear the baby in a sling, and have the seatbelt BETWEEN you and the baby/sling - is that not considered safe?

Is there a reason why DH shouldn't walk home with baby while I take the cab?

That link to a £30 baby seat is tempting, and I'm seriously considering it. I have before now put the feelers out to borrow a car seat, one from a casual friend and one from a distant cousin; both have showed willing but nobody has actually produced the goods yet.

I only waver because:
a. it will be a one-time journey - our circumstances are such that I really can't see us being offered lifts anywhere, nor will we be hiring a car (I can't drive, DH won't),
b. it seems another huge item to add to my ever-growing hospital bag/s (will I remember it all or even manage to carry it all in the throes of labour?!)
and c. there's always a chance the promised gifts/loans of a baby seat might actually materialise

lemonaid · 08/08/2006 17:09

If you wear the baby in a sling, and have the seatbelt BETWEEN you and the baby/sling - is that not considered safe?

It's not considered safe because they are not designed for that and have never been tested that way. All the slings will tell you not to use them for that purpose. Maybe some of them might be safe in low-speed crashes, but I wouldn't like to bank on it.

Is there a reason why DH shouldn't walk home with baby while I take the cab?

None that I can think of. A valuable father-child bonding opportunity, indeed...

misdee · 08/08/2006 17:11

faithb, where are you? i have a seat in my loft you are welcome to borrow.

faithb · 08/08/2006 17:14

Misdee - I'm in Central London

Thanks for the offer!

lemonaid · 08/08/2006 18:34

I'm in SW London and you could borrow ours, although to be honest it's a bit of a pig to fit so if you have another offer that might be better.

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