Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

Original poster

Taking baby home from hospital

22 replies

DeeBeee · 29/01/2012 22:21

This might be a silly question but bear with me, all things baby are very new. We don't have a car and we are wondering the best way to take the baby home. I have heard that you cannot take a baby in a car without a car seat - so would that mean that we would need to buy a car seat just to take a taxi home from the hospital? I am not putting a newborn on public transport but would prefer not to buy a car seat just to get LO home. Advice very welcome!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NewYearsRevolution · 29/01/2012 22:23

Well, some mini cab companies can provide a cab with a car seat. Do check it's firmly fitted. Or could you borrow one?

If you need public transport, I'd go with a sling.

minceorotherwise · 29/01/2012 22:24

You are probably going to need one at some point? Can you get one second hand? Borrow one? Hire one? Find a cab co that has one? Or post where you will be giving birth and see if someone on here will lend you one???

Tooblunt2012 · 29/01/2012 22:24

Could you borrow a car seat? I wouldn't consider taking my brand new baby home by taxi without one. Otherwise I'd go with public transport or walking if possible.

MrsLister · 29/01/2012 22:27

We too are car-free and I'll be borrowing one from a friend. Not that I'm getting ahead of myself or anything (I'm 9 weeks pregnant)

;)

MrsLister · 29/01/2012 22:28

And when I say 'borrowing one' I mean a car seat not a car!

alorsmum · 29/01/2012 22:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fuckityfuckfuckfuck · 29/01/2012 22:32

I don't drive but with both of mine would have been lost without a carseat. At some stage, you will need to take them in a car. It needn't be expensive, but it is one of the essential pieces of kit imo.

RitaMorgan · 29/01/2012 22:34

Legally you don't need one in a taxi, and the hospital cannot prevent you leaving.

Maybe get a black cab style taxi and put the baby in strapped into a pram?

kiki22 · 29/01/2012 22:42

there are loads of second hand ones on gumtree, my mum got a great one at a car boot sale for £10 when she was childminding too.

RitaMorgan · 29/01/2012 22:53

Rather worrying that a childminder would buy a second hand carseat!

kiki22 · 30/01/2012 01:10

Why would it be worrying? whats the difference from a parent buying a second hand car seat? The woman selling it used it for her grandchild once or twice a week for a few months was perfect infact my friend now has it for her DS2 as she did for her DS1 and it's still fine.

Alligatorpie · 30/01/2012 02:53

The problem with second hand car seats are that they might have been in an accident and the seller not be honest about it. I would not buy a second hand one.
Mother care is ( or was last week) having a sale. We don't have a car either, so I went for a cheaper model. It was on sale for £30 including shipping. Apparently car seats have come a long way in the last few years.

KatAndKit · 30/01/2012 06:36

I would just get the most basic model of infant rear facing car seat. They aren't that expensive. if you don't have a car, the likelihood is that you will probably use other people's cars and taxis at a few points in the following 9-12 months. Kiddicare have one for £30, so do Argos. A small price to pay for safety.
Another option is to borrow from a friend where you know the carseat is relatively new and can be sure it has not been in an accident. But if you think you will be using taxis more than very very rarely in the first year, you may as well buy your own.

ThreeForTea · 30/01/2012 08:33

I'm not sure how people without cars do it but I wasn't allowed to carry dd out of the ward until she was strapped in, they had a no carrying babies in your arms in the hospital policy. Could you just bring your pushchair up and get a bus?

CroissantNeuf · 30/01/2012 08:38

Do you have any friends with babies/children?

If so I would ask them if they would either lend you a seat that you could use in a taxi or if they would actually come and pick you up from the hospital in their car with their car seat.

I'm sure they wouldn't mind as friends are normally keen to see new babies and help if they can.

ilovespinach · 30/01/2012 08:40

We don't have a car:

DS1 was taken on the bus in a pram
Ds2 was taken in a sling on the train
Ds3 will (hopefully) be taken on the bus in a sling....

ChunkyPickle · 30/01/2012 08:46

We took ours 6 blocks (about 3 minutes) in a taxi in his dad's arms. We took the risk assessment that 3 minutes in that taxi with no carseat were safer than walking him home crossing multiple roads (and being 2 days after an EMCS, I wasn't really fit to walk 6 blocks anyhow)

We did end up buying a car seat, but since we didn't have a car it was used about 3 times before he grew out of it. One of our most expensive purchases (and we probably should have just not gone on the trips that required it)

4madboys · 30/01/2012 08:49

i would just get a car seat, as others have said you can get them fairly cheaply in mothercare and you WILL most probably use it again, plus you can use it in the house for baby to sit in whilst you have a shower etc. my 3yr old still sits in his old stage one carseat in the house, he sits in it with his blanket to watch tv, he views it as his comfy chair!

RitaMorgan · 30/01/2012 09:00

kiki - because you have no idea of the history of a second hand carseat bought from a stranger. A parent can choose what risks to take, but a childminder shouldn't be taking risks with someone else's child's safety.

alorsmum · 30/01/2012 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

DeeBeee · 30/01/2012 21:05

Thank you all for the replies, really useful! Stupidly enough the only car seats we looked at were John Lewis ones and we assumed they are all in the £100+ price range. I will happily pay £30 for a car seat and ask a friend to drive us home. I am sure I will get some use out of it afterwards.

OP posts:

alorsmum · 30/01/2012 21:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flip