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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Leaving Hospital - Carseat Legally Required?!?

78 replies

handers · 26/11/2006 01:18

I'm having my baby (gender to be confirmed) hopefully in the next week. Though itshe/she is wriggling about so much up by my lungs I wont be suprised it it is a fair bit later!

ANYWAY, I have been told that if I wish to take our baby home from hospital in our car, I am legally required to take in a carseat. Is this right?

Because we only just got a car and have not had the time to purchase a car seat for it.

AND I think that when I do get one, im unlikey to get an 'infant carrier' but rather a 'combination carseat' (ie. one that does not detatch from the car.)... SO with my hospital being in central London (St. Thomas) - how will they know?

OP posts:

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QuootiepiesBetterThanMincePies · 26/11/2006 01:21

Well, im sure if you explain the car seat doesnt come out of the car... they might want to come to car with you and check though. Alot of hospitals do this.

nannyme · 26/11/2006 01:23

Do the teeny baby car seats stay in the car these days then?

Bit of a pointless rule imho, the hospital one, not the car seat one.

QuootiepiesBetterThanMincePies · 26/11/2006 01:24

well, they have to make sure people arent just taking babies home on their laps I guess.

nannyme · 26/11/2006 01:25

Yes, i only say pointless because they have no control over what happens after that, although obv. it does 'force' parents to actually get a car seat in the first place I suppose.

ghosty · 26/11/2006 02:44

I thought you were wondering whether you had to have a car seat AT ALL but when I re read your post I was relieved to see that that is not in question [relief]

You would be amazed how many people STILL think it is ok to take babies home without a car seat ... shocking but true ...
Unrestrained babies are killed in accidents more often than we think (especially in NZ )

I actually agree that the hospital have to have some proof - can't you give them your receipt or take a photo or even get one of the MWs to go down and have a look?

I didn't know that newborns could go in 'fixed' car seats these days ....

longwaytogo · 26/11/2006 03:10

yes they can go in fixed seats as long as they stage 1 and 2 one of our local hosp you get accompanied to your car by a health care ass or midwife. the other you don't as its a fair treck from the ward to the main entrance.

QuootiepiesBetterThanMincePies · 26/11/2006 03:11

Health care ass

threebob · 26/11/2006 05:23

I've just seen a saudi couple with a 6 month old baby in a rental car with baby on mum's knee in front seat. No baby seat in car, they had a pram in the Museum, so it's not like they don't have baby stuff.

My family stopped me from going to tell them that it's not okay to do this in NZ.

ProfYaffle · 26/11/2006 07:50

When i left hospital with dd they escorted us to the door incase there I fainted or the baby got dropped or something on the way out. They asked if we had a car seat, we said yes, they said 'oh good', that was it!

curlew · 26/11/2006 08:00

I would think about this if I were you. I think you'd be better off getting a car seat that you can take out of the car with the baby in it. Quite often the baby will be asleep in the seat and if you're your going shopping or out for a coffee or something, you can lift baby and car seat out together and he or she probably won't wake up. Taking the baby out of the seat will almost certainly wake him or her up. WHICH IS A BAD THING!!!!!!

mousiemousie · 26/11/2006 08:01

Say you are going home on the tube, avoid the hassle?

kando · 26/11/2006 08:11

Threebob - it's not only NZ this is illegal - I think it's world wide, or certainly UK and Europe-wide! I live in Holland and it drives me completely insane the number of kiddies I've seen bouncing around the front seat of the car with no seatbelt on, never mind a car seat. I was completely gobsmacked the other week when back in the UK, driving on the M25 and we passed by a family with 3 kids in the back, there was mum in the front happy as larry with a toddler sat on her knee! I really, really wish I'd reported them to the police for this as it's just SO irresponsible!

Sorry - slight rant there!

Handers - good luck with the baby! Hope you manage to get a carseat before the baby arrives! [Please also make sure that the carseat you get fits into your car - I think there are only one or two "static" (is that the right word?!) carseats around suitable from birth. Although you can get isofix ones these days where the base stays in the car and you just "click" the seat into the base.]

ELF1981 · 26/11/2006 08:14

You will probably find that the midwife will walk you and the baby out to the car. Its common in the majority of hospitals for the midwife to walk down to the car carrying the baby to see you on your way, so they'll see the car seat.
Where I was, you weren't allowed to carry your own baby outside, just incase you fell etc, so the midwife did it and saw you off in your car.

misdee · 26/11/2006 08:15

the combination car seats are worth it IMO, i had one with dd1_+2, and it was never a problem lifting them in and out of the car seat into the pram. they settled back off to sleep as soon as you start walking with the pram anyway

i had a stage0 or whatever it is with dd3 (the other car seat had been i na crash and dumped by the time i fell pregnant with her so borrowed this one off my sister), and my gooness, lifting that thing with dd3 in it was knackering on your back. and you dont get that sleepy snuggling into your shoulder when you take them out of the car like i did with the other 2 girls.

when going shopping, take a blanket with you anduse it to line the shopping trolly baby seat. easy peasy, plus you wont be able to see over the top of a trolly with a baby car seat attached if your short like me.

FeelingOld · 26/11/2006 09:19

When I came out of hospital with both of my dc the midwife sent my dh to fetch the car from the car park to the maternity entrance and she carried them down and placed them in the car seat.
I think that this is a good thing, you would be amazed at the amount of people still driving about with babies/young children not in a car seat.
Dh is a firefighter and attended a car accident a couple of years ago where a child was not in a car seat and the consequences were horrendous (adults had their seatbelts on and both survived!). Since this incident dh has no worries about confronting people who do not strap their kids in and gives them a very vivid description of the incident he was called to if they tell him to mind his own business.

The midwife/hospital will be responsible for your baby's safety until you are off the premises so I think they will/should ask you about car seats and you know the law and therefore should make sure the car seat is in place (or even borrow one from a friend if necessary until you can go out and buy one)

CAMisole · 26/11/2006 09:27

I'm with misdee on this, I had the static car seat for dd where you didn't take it out of the car. I loved picking her up and carrying her into people's houses etc and putting her down on the floor (if awake), I'm sure that's why she crawled at only 5 months

When she was born (10 years ago this January)I left the hospital after 6 hours and she was carried by the midwife to the car. She did look very very tiny in the great big car seat but I knew it was the safest option.

jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 26/11/2006 09:53

Neither of mine were carried out by a midwife!!

Salisbury - left of my own accord with Jess in car seat

Colchester - again, left of my own accord with Rebecca in car seat, and stood at entrance waiting for taxi!!

foxtrot · 26/11/2006 10:00

Under the new car seat regs, child baby under the age of 3 must be carried in a carseat (unless its a licensed taxi). IME the hospital/midwife has either seen the seat or accompanied us to the car.

satine · 26/11/2006 10:04

Are you saying that you want to take your baby home in a car without a carseat?
Bugger the legalities, that seems madness to me.
Can you really not spare half an hour to go to a Halfords or Mothercare and buy a car seat over the next week or so?

CrocodileKate · 26/11/2006 10:07

I had a combination car seat and never had a problem lifting lo out without waking.
When i left hosp with ds the midwife walked me to my car and put him in the car seat.

NomDePlume · 26/11/2006 10:10

IME the midwife will accompany you to the car if you do not have an infant carrier type seat.

Whatever the hospital policy is YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR BABY IN A CAR SEST IF IT TRAVELLING IN A CAR. To fail to do so is madness, not to mention dangerous.

I do hope I misread your post, but I don't think I have. You say that you haven't had the time to buy a seat yet, which is fine, the baby isn't here yet, but you must find the time between now and the birth.

NomDePlume · 26/11/2006 10:11

car seat, obv

hoxtonchick · 26/11/2006 10:13

you need a carseat.

LIZS · 26/11/2006 10:24

Most people would bring in an infant seat in which baby is placed beofre leaving hospital so if you don't you may well be asked to show you have a seat fitted in the car. The only exemptions for infants without seats are for taxis and public transport. It is illegal otherwise and also extremely unsafe. Car seats are so readily available now , surely you can pop to a Mothercare or similar, or even if you ordered one from Boots.com or Kiddicare it is likely to be here before the baby is due to leave hospital if not before the birth (many companies do next day delivery ).

Combination ones seem good value longer term but don't always fit properly so do have it tried out in the car before you buy, infant carriers are a more univerals fit unless you have odd seat shapes or short seat belts. The infant ones are convenient in providing somewhere for the baby to doze at friends' houses or strapped onto special supermarket trolleys.

NomDePlume · 26/11/2006 10:30

I bought a Britax Rock A Tot for DD (4 years+ ago), it was on offer at £35 (I think they were £55 full price). They don't have to be expensive but they are invaluable, really.

Please buy a seat for your baby before he or she travels in a car.

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