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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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IdrisTheDragon · 26/11/2006 20:37

We were walked out of the hospital with both DS and DD. DS is 3 and DD is 14 months.

It does sound from the OP that you are thinking of not getting a car seat before the baby is born. Please get one.

CountTo10LordsaLeaping · 26/11/2006 20:43

We were told at our hospital that we would not be allowed to leave the hospital without a car seat. We had an infant carrier so it was clear we had one but I know midwives have escorted people out as part of security but also where they don't have an infant carrier. This was before the recent changes in law that requires children 0-12 (I think) to be in car seat/appropriate restraints. You should absolutely have one or tuther for obvious safety reasons but also to keep within the law. You need to look at this before as it might be a travel system might not even fit in your car (as happened to one of my friends who hadn't thought about that bit!!!) Least it gives you sthing to take your mind off the waiting!!! Good luck

mumfor1standfinaltime · 26/11/2006 20:50

I had a car seat which didn't come out as a 'carrier'. We were not allowed to carry ds out of the hospital.
Dh tried to walk out with him in his arms and was promptly 'told off' by a midwife.
We were then shamed in front of everyone and the midwife took hold of ds and put him in the infant 'glass bowl crib' (lol) and pushed him herself to the car!
Very embarrased at the time and it didn't help that I couldn't stand her either.
I remember talking about this on mumsnet before and it seems that it depends on which hospital you are in to which rules are applied!

I often wonder what would happen if I had been getting the bus home!
I think now I would have taken the pram in to hospital and wheeled ds to car myself (if this allowed lol).

Mercy · 26/11/2006 20:54

I don't understand how a midwife accompanying you to the exit is seen as a way of preventing child snatching.

Both of my children were born in London, the youngest less than 3 years ago. We were certainly not escorted off the premises!.

In fact with my first child we didn't even have a car, we booked a taxi - which didn't have a carseat. And when ds was born we had a non-portable car seat, which imo are actually better.

Daisymoo · 26/11/2006 20:56

I don't think the OP is questioning whether or not she needs a carseat, but whether she has to prove to the hospital that she has one to be 'allowed' to leave?

None of the staff have any legal right to detain you from leaving the hospital with your baby unless they have a court order (which they won't have and would be unlikely to get one I would guess). Your word that you have one in the car should be good enough. However I do know anecdotally of someone who was reported to social services by the hospital for not having a car seat, when in actual fact they didn't own a car and had gone home by bus

foxtrot · 26/11/2006 21:03

if you take a baby in private car, you are legally required to have a car seat, regardless of hospital policy. Handers you really should go out and get one tomorrow, if you can. After all you will need one anyway.

cat64 · 26/11/2006 21:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ELF1981 · 27/11/2006 06:39

I think it's nice when midwives see you out the hospital. We were signed out so to speak at the maternity reception - security tags cut off at reception and handed to receptionist and the midwive accounced "baby Elf leaving". We then had a little natter while DH strapped DD into the car seat and off we went. At both my local hospitals ALL babies get "signed out" this way.
Though you can take babies home on the bus etc in the pram as I know a few people who have done this.

eidsvold · 27/11/2006 08:04

when dd1 was born in the UK four years ago - a SCBU nurse escorted us out of the hospital and carried her to the car to check we had a car seat.

here in Aus - midwife came and saw me on the ward had me sign the discharge papers and dh and I walked out with dd2. They did ask whether we had a car seat - and we said yes - very very strict seat belt and car seat laws here in Aus. Dd2 had a 0 - 4years seat so was fixed ( bolted) in the car.

hulababy · 27/11/2006 08:15

Yes, you need a car seat. The infant carrier type normally come up as safer than a combination seat in the Which tests, but reghardless of what type you get - definitely get one BEFOREE baby is born and practise with fitting it! I'd recommend going and buying one today!

We were also escorted to the door of the hospital. DD was pushed in a cot by the MW. At the door we put herinto her infant carrier car seat and said goodbye there to the MW.

helenhismadwife · 27/11/2006 14:36

last August we were escorted to the door by a member of staff.

Midwives are certainly not legally required to make sure it is fitted safely that is the parents responsibility we have been told not to do it because if there was an accident on the way home and the baby was injured we could be held responsible, also there are so many different seats as someone else can we cant know how they all work

fortyplus · 27/11/2006 15:27

handers - don't even think of leaving hospital without a car seat - and make sure that the seat belt holds it in place so firmly that it can't wobble.

If you haven't got time to buy one just yet - SURELY you know someone who would lend you one?

Original poster

handers · 27/11/2006 15:28

Yikes - I went away for one day and certainly didn't expect so much response!! Thank you everyone, it has been most helpful!

I probably was not that clear in my original post - call it being awake at 1am.

Firstly, I am certainly not questioning the need for a car seat. Of course you need one, of course I am planning on buying one. I'm slightly horrified that people read my question as though I didn't think that!!

But it was only this past Saturday that we got car (rather unexpectedly). So obviously I have not even considered the purchase of a car seat prior to this, and vaguely remembered being told that I MUST have one when we leave the hospital. And being so close to being due, I was a little bit worried that the baby will come before the car seat does! And if so, how to get the baby home in the car... blah blah blah BUT you can all sleep easy as one is on order, hopefully due for delivery tomorrow

A couple of other things have come up in the thread which I thought I would address

a combination car seat faces backwards and forwards and is suitable from newborn to up to 4 years. Originally we were going to go the infant carrier but after reading a lot of reviews and speaking to people, we decided that the combination car seat would be best suited to our lifestyle and offered the best value.

Living in central, central London (10 min walk from the Thames) near London Bridge - the car will not be something we use very often anyway. It?s a slightly absurd luxury in many ways! With shops and public transport on my doorstep and a pram and sling sitting primed in the nursery, it is likely that the car seat will primarily be used for travel outside of London.

-there has been a fair amount of suggestion that leaving the hospital without the baby in a car seat is negligent and bad parenting. And whilst a car seat is obviously ideal, I think this is pretty over-the-top to suggest. Lots of new parents can?t afford cars, lots of new parents live in areas where cars are unnecessary and lots of new parents don't have the family/friend infrastructure to help them out with a car. Being an aussie, I fall into the latter two of these categories. And if we had not gotten a car - a taxi would have been the solution with DP holding the baby. Home is too far to walk to and I just don't think I could face public transport with a baby, massive suitcase and my nether bits in tatters!! .... I imagine that for many London new parents this is pretty standard.

Anyway thank you everyone for taking the time to help me out here!! Now all I need is for the car seat to arrDPe, DP to install it properly (fingers crossed) and I?m ready to have this baby!!!

OP posts:

fortyplus · 27/11/2006 16:23

Good luck, handers
I don't think anyone was suggesting that you need a car seat if you don't use a car...
...were they?!

fortyplus · 27/11/2006 16:29

Actually, I've thought of something else (prone to that - it's my age!)
When mine were born (11 & 13 now) I had a seat called a 'Rock a Bye'. It had - as the name suggests - 2 curved rails like a rocking chair, which could also be fixed so the seat couldn't rock.
Don't know if there's anything similar available now, but it was GREAT! New babies always fall asleep in the car, so you don't want to go waking them up by lifting them out of the car seat on a cold day - much better to bring the seat indoors first.

foxtrot · 27/11/2006 17:01

Hope it all goes well handers

ghosty · 28/11/2006 09:46

"And if we had not gotten a car - a taxi would have been the solution with DP holding the baby."

Handers ... I am so glad you got a car in the end then, as the above statement would have given me heart failure ... you would still need a car seat - for the baby's safety - in a taxi ....

I won't say anymore than that because I am pleased you have your car and your car seat ...
Hope all goes well and enjoy the new addition to your family

3andnomore · 28/11/2006 11:58

Handers, but if you would be reliant on public transport or taxi anyway, then you would probably invest in one of those Babycarrier seats, anyway, wouldn't you!
I don't think anyone implied that it was negligent to not have a carseat if you are not going by car, but if you do go by car , taxi or not, you should have one, iykwim! I think I would be even more likely to have a carseat in a taxi...what with some taxi drivers driving like loones, lol!

3andnomore · 28/11/2006 12:01

fortyplus
Actually, I've thought of something else (prone to that - it's my age!)
When mine were born (11 & 13 now) I had a seat called a 'Rock a Bye'. It had - as the name suggests - 2 curved rails like a rocking chair, which could also be fixed so the seat couldn't rock.
Don't know if there's anything similar available now, but it was GREAT! New babies always fall asleep in the car, so you don't want to go waking them up by lifting them out of the car seat on a cold day - much better to bring the seat indoors first."
I had that seat, too, and you still can get them...BUT I still did not use it to keep the Baby in, in general now...because the position those carseats put the Babys aren't the greatest, it is the safest position in the car incase of accident...but outside a car a Baby shouldn't spend much time in a carseat, if any!

Original poster

handers · 28/11/2006 12:17

ghosty - interested in what the solution would have been if we (like thousands of other parents - see some down the thread) did not have a car? Becuase lots of people, especially with the expense of a new baby, can simply not afford to get a car!! It costs over £3000 to simply PARK a car for a year where I live!!

To buy a carseat for a one off, 10 minute crawl thorugh london?l!?

Or public transport - like a bus? I dont see how that would be any safer.

So quite interested in what the solution is, it is something that my antenatal group often discusses (although, lucky them! my unwitting DP has been nominated as driver for their trip from the hospitals)

OP posts:

misdee · 28/11/2006 12:22

legally you dont need a car seat for taxis.

however! its not soemthing iwould be comfortable doing, havign a baby on my lap. Any time i have used a black london cab, then i have lifted baby in in its buggy and parked it using its brake. I believe some taxis have some sort of straps for securing wheelchairs, so its possible to use these?

i have managed to get a tamdem buggy parked up in a london cab.

ghosty · 28/11/2006 19:18

I don't know what the solution would be Handers ... except to get a car seat for the taxi ride then sell it again afterwards if you don't want to keep it ... I wouldn't want to think about what could happen to the baby if he/she was in your DPs arms and there was an accident (however carefully DP may be holding the baby) ...

I know that in the UK it is not the done thing to buy second hand car seats but in NZ you can HIRE them from a special society called Plunket - I think this is a fantastic service because having a hired car seat is BETTER than no car seat at all ... There are many people in NZ who cannot afford a car seat - it costs something like $75 to hire it for six months and the hirer gets $25 back at the end of that term.

fortyplus · 28/11/2006 22:47

I wonder if there's any proof that spending too long in a car seat is bad for a baby's back? It was certainly a popular theory around the time I had ds1 (now aged 13) but I know LOADS of children who were parked in car seats for hours on end and not one of them has back problems.

I reckon it was a medical theory that developed into an urban myth.

Unless someone can show me a definitive survey?

fortyplus · 29/11/2006 01:40

Found the answer! Perfectly ok for babies to sleep in car seats as long as you like EXCEPT for the following...

Premature babies could be more prone to overheating

Babies suffering from gastric reflux are more likely to vomit.

eidsvold · 29/11/2006 02:41

1'm with ghosty on this - could not imagine letting dh hold baby whilst travelling in a cab - probably part of my background - being an aussie and the strict rules we have regarding child restraints in cars etc. You can get one of those cheap baby carry seats that can be belted in using a normal seat belt - to me no cost is comparable to the safety of my children.

At least then you would always have it if you were getting a lift with friends or had to take a cab. We had a travel system - meant dd1 could be in the car seat and then clicked into the pram and off we went. Worked great for travelling in cabs when in the UK - no need to lug the seat around when you can push it on the pram.

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