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Original poster

Getting home from hospital - ispin 360 car seat

15 replies

JoannaStayton · 03/03/2021 13:09

Hello

I know there are other threads on this and have been reading up but can't find anything that quite fits our circumstance ...

Due to have a c section in May.

Have a car which will have the Joie i-spin 360 fitted, however my OH doesn't drive so it's not straight forward to be picked up in it.

I understand this sort of car seat is pretty fixed, it's not one we would carry into the hospital and put the baby in.

It's probably a 15 minute drive through the city centre from hospital to home, no fast driving involved, all 30mph.

What's the best way for us to get home by car?

We could potentially arrange a friend to drive our car and collect us although we would still need to leave the hospital without the baby in a car seat as the seat is fixed in the car.

or

Can we take the baby via some sort of taxi that will have a car seat we can use?

or

Buy a second hand cheap car seat for a newborn just for this one journey and use this to take baby out of the hospital and use a seatbelt to strap the seat down in a taxi.

Bus, walk etc are not viable options.

It feels way more complicated than it should do!

Thanks so much if anyone has any suggestions.

OP posts:
Princessbanana · 03/03/2021 13:22

Option A and you don’t need a car seat to leave the hospital, it’s recommended in some places but not law or anything. I would not use a car seat that a taxi company provided as I wouldn’t know the history of the seat. Get your friend to pick you up and drive your friend home?

Princessbanana · 03/03/2021 13:24

Sorry, just seen your having a c section. Get your friend to drive you home and I assume her car would be parked at your house, so she could make her way home from yours?

boymum88 · 03/03/2021 14:24

Sounds like option a, get ur friend to pick u up in either ur or their car, the car seat can be swapped between the two cars, or if u have black cabs in ur area you can pop the pram in the back without the need for a car seat, although not sure how happy I would be with a new born in the pram and not a car seat

Cerealnamechangerstrikesagain · 03/03/2021 14:29

My bro and sis in law had a fixed-in-the-car seat and the hospital were happy to let them leave without a car seat being brought onto the ward. I think this is a daft ‘rule’ the hospitals have. It’s not enforceable. I’d go with the option of someone else driving your car to pick you up and leave the car seat fixed in your car.

BirthChoice · 03/03/2021 14:33

I’m not sure what I’d suggest to get baby home but we had a ‘fixed’ car seat too and whilst they were a bit funny about not seeing the baby in the car seat before leaving the ward, we weren’t held hostage of anything!

Boringnamechanging · 03/03/2021 14:33

Get your friend to drive you home. The seat can be swapped into their car easily if they'd prefer to drive their own. Make sure either friend or OH know how to fit it as it isn't something you should be doing after a c section.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 03/03/2021 14:37

Get a friend to pick up up in their car, either with your car seat or one borrowed from a friend.
If you are likely to use taxis or have lifts frequently, got a baby car seat to use on those occasions. (Not second hand though)

NewYearNewOldMe · 03/03/2021 14:39

We have the Joie. Carried baby out in the carrycot part of the pram and then put him in the carseat. Our hospital preferred you not carry babe in arms from ward to car.

So option A is your best bet.

Original poster
JoannaStayton · 03/03/2021 14:42

Thanks everyone - this is so helpful.

We will go with option A (friend pick up) and bring the pram carrycot in to carry the baby out so they would be reasonably secure I hope. The hospital will have to be happy with it!

Thanks again x

OP posts:
Teakind · 03/03/2021 15:07

If you're having a planned c section, can't you drive yourself there and park the car? It will then be there whenever you get discharged.

Teakind · 03/03/2021 15:08

When people say pram carrycot, I presume they mean attached to the base? I don't think it would be safe to carry a newborn in it

drkpl · 03/03/2021 15:21

@JoannaStayton

Option A is best, it’s hard to walk after a c-section. Just let the midwives know you’ve got the seat attached to the car. They won’t mind, they might ask to come and see the car with you. I had ds 2 years ago and they didn’t even ask about a car seat!

Original poster
JoannaStayton · 03/03/2021 15:41

I won't be able to drive and my other half doesn't drive so we need another person involved. Also it's city centre, could be there for days, parking might be $$$. The friend driving my car seems the best option as most have suggested.

And yes we would use the pram with the base to bring the baby out of the hospital - assuming you are allowed to bring a pram into a hospital to collect a baby? I'm guessing they see that as safer than just carrying them.

OP posts:
BirthChoice · 03/03/2021 17:03

We just carried the baby out of the hospital in our arms. You don’t want to be wheeling a pram from room to room (you will go to a room/ ward before your section and won’t necessarily return to the same place after). Just carry the baby to the car, they won’t stop you from leaving.

NewYearNewOldMe · 03/03/2021 20:02

@Teakind my DH carried ours without the pram. It was perfectly safe, although imo it would have been safer for me to have him in the sling.

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