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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Newborn Car Seat for Taxi trip back from Hospital

30 replies

SeatOfMyPants · 13/03/2012 21:59

We don't have a car so we're going to have to taxi it back from hospital - we're looking into getting a 2nd hand car seat, as I really can't justify spending a lot of money on something we're not going to use much...

BUT! I have no clue about car seats:

Is there a one car seat fits all cars?

Can we be certain the seat will fit in the taxi?

Does anyone have any recommendations? Ideally, we want something that'll last a bit, as we can use it in friends/relatives cars etc (or that's the idea)

SOOOO confused.

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SmileItsSunny · 13/03/2012 23:17

No idea I'm afraid , so Bump! Hope someone more experienced can help!

Have you tried freecycle? Occasionally there are car seats there, if you were considering second hand.

NoHunIntended · 13/03/2012 23:20

Maybe book with a taxi firm that will provide a suitable carseat. Some have some on hand.

NoHunIntended · 13/03/2012 23:21

Or have a homebirth! :o

ItWasThePenguins · 13/03/2012 23:23

Some taxis do them.
Technically you don't need one in a taxi.

Any group 0 seat will be fine. Makes sure its not more than 6 ish yrs old cos the safety things changed or so i was told.

Lucyannieamy · 13/03/2012 23:30

We have a maxi cosi pebble and it fits in anything- easily. Dd is nearly 2 and it was still in good condition, would offer but TTC no.2, see no reason not to go 2nd hand. If you are taxi though would advise opting for the lightest you can get as you'll end up carrying it more. Think maxi cosi come out quite light

JustMeAndMyBaby · 13/03/2012 23:31

Your allowed to not use one for taxi journeys but suppose it depends on how far your going etc and even though that's the law hospitals always ask if you've got one! Could you not borrow one?

TashPenguin · 14/03/2012 00:46

Some Taxi companies have them so should be able to book a taxi with one, but if you want one that you can use in friends and family's cars my MIL picked one up from a nearly new fair for about £30 for when my niece was born.

Manda91 · 14/03/2012 00:49

I'd have a look on gumtree If you don't mind a second hand one however I was in the same situation as you when my DD was born and I picked up a new one in adds for £25! Did her till she was 9 months roughly and actually came in handy x

Original poster

SeatOfMyPants · 14/03/2012 07:51

Thanks guys
I see 2nd hand car seats on all the time on various forums, so Im confident where to get them from and that I can get them (don't really want to use a taxi one that I haven't cleaned/sterilised). Didn't know the law re taxis but am guessing that midwives will insist on one anyway and I don't want to get into an argument about how to get my baby home at the last minute. And hopefully it'll be used in other cars (just not ours)... You know, when my friends/rellies take the baby on outings and drop me off to surprise spa day on the way (ha!).

I just want to be confident that I can use a particular make with certainty that itll fit in any car and without needing a degree in mechanical engineering to put it in place (as we won't have a chance to practice putting it in).
Lucy - is maxi cosi pebble idiot proof? How do they fit in?I have looked at various brand sites but I cannot find anything really explicit a out how they actually are fitted.
It's causing me big headaches so any advice really welcome

OP posts:

redridingwolf · 14/03/2012 08:05

If you book a bigger taxi with wheelchair access (or, if you're in London, a black cab) then you can put the pram in the taxi. Leave baby in pram, and secure the wheelchair seatbelts around the pram legs (driver will usually help with that). Very secure.

Bunbaker · 14/03/2012 08:08

"Technically you don't need one in a taxi."

That is true. However, the hospital will be very reluctant to let a new mum go home in a car just carrying her baby in her arms.

redridingwolf · 14/03/2012 08:10

I've had 3 DCs in 2 different hospitals and each time walked out carrying baby in my arms. (Was taking them by car, but the carseat was in the car). No-one ever asked anything.

If you're putting the pram in the cab as I described upstream, that's as good as a car-seat anyway.

VickityBoo · 14/03/2012 08:10

We just picked up a gorgeous one from freecycle for my mums car, very impressed it looks like new.

HappyAsEyeAm · 14/03/2012 08:25

The decision about taking yoru baby home in a taxi with or without a car seat is yours.

I honestly can't see the midwives in a busy post-natal unit coming down to the car park to check whether or not yopu've got a car seat or not. Once you're discharged in the ward, I would imagine they'd move on to help someone else.

Bunbaker · 14/03/2012 08:27

"I honestly can't see the midwives in a busy post-natal unit coming down to the car park to check whether or not yopu've got a car seat or not."

They did that when DD was born. I think some hospitals have stricter policies than others.

lynlynnicebutdim · 14/03/2012 08:57

Kiddicare have new car seats sure around the £30 mark - Baby weavers brand I believe. They lock in using the seat belt so should be universal fit.

Kaloobear · 14/03/2012 09:00

If you get a second hand one make sure it's from someone you trust implicitly. If it's ever been in a car crash (even if it doesn't look like it) it's not safe.

ellesbell · 14/03/2012 09:01

Am in the same position and has also seen the ones on kiddicare for £30. Will prob get one of those because we sometimes hire cars and can use it then. Not sure about buying one second hand or using one that a taxi firm has provided.

thisisyesterday · 14/03/2012 09:03

i think you should buy the best new seat you can afford.

it may only be used a handful of times but it's an incredibly important piece of safety equipment and you could just as easily be in a car crash on one of those few times as anyone else

if you do ever happen to be in an accident then you want your baby to be as safe as they possibly can be.. which is why I would advise against any of the £30 seats or a second hand one, unless it has been passed on by someone you know and it is not past expiry and you know for certain it has never been in any kind of accident.

I would also say get one as soon as you can so that you can practice putting it into cars, you don't want the first attempt to be outside the hospital with a taxi meter ticking maybe you have a friend/family member who could let you try fitting it in their car?

KatAndKit · 14/03/2012 09:10

I don't think there would be anything "wrong" with a new seat that only cost 30 pounds. It has to meet the same safety standards as a seat that costs 100pounds.

A second hand seat is a different matter though.

thisisyesterday · 14/03/2012 09:11

yes. i am sure it does meet the bare minimum safety standards.
however many other car seats far exceed them

if I were the OP i would go for the safest she can afford.

TinkerMaloo · 14/03/2012 09:18

i have a babyweavers car seat from kiddicare and its great! we had a m&p newborn seat and then moved up to the next stage with this babyweavers seat and it is just as good.

price isnt always everything! sometimes its just paying for a name. like someone already said, they have to reach certain safety standards.

PestoPenguin · 14/03/2012 09:21

Don't buy a second hand one. It's not the hygiene that's the issue, it's whether it's actually safe. As others have mentioned, even with no visible damage a carseat can be unsafe through wear and tear or being in an accident.

A baby in a pram in a taxi is not as safe as a baby in a group 0 car seat.

They really are quite cheap new. See here or here.

TruthSweet · 14/03/2012 21:44

Second hand cars seats can't be guaranteed to be safe or work in an accident (which is the point of them - to protect the child in the event of a car crash).

How the car seat has been used? Has it been sitting in a car for 5 years baking in the summer sun or has it been passed around a family?,

How has it been stored? Storing in a garage or attic with high temp fluctuations which cause plastic to degrade faster,

Has it been dropped? Dropping a seat can break it or cause hairline fractures which weaken the seat,

Has it been in an accident? Child car seats are one time only items - once they have been in a crash they are junk - they have served their purpose and need to be replaced,

Has the seat been recalled by the manufacturer due to safety issues?

Are the straps frayed? As frayed straps are weaker than non-frayed one and indicate heavy usage,

Is any part of it broken? Look under the covers and check the polystyrene,
Are there any stress marks in the plastic? As white or paler than the original plastic marks indicate the plastic is degrading and the structural integrity is breaking down this means the seat is definitely not usable,

Have the straps been immersed in water to clean them? This removes the flame retardant - if the situation is so dire you need the straps to be flame retardant you really need for them to actually be flame retardant!,

Are the instructions included? If they aren't how will you know you are using the seat properly?

Does it meet current safety regs.? ECE R44/04 or ECE R44/03 (03 is the older standard as 04 came in, in 2005). Anything earlier than that or with a Kitemark are illegal and incredibly unsafe now.

Do you trust the seller with your child's life as you are trusting them not to sell you a seat that has been in an accident or dropped down a flight of concrete stairs....

These are all questions you need to ask (either of the seller or of yourself). Wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new seat? Even if you get the answers to all the questions there is still no guarantee the seat is safe. The only way to tell if a car seat will perform in an accident is to crash it on a test sled in a lab and then it isn't safe as it's been crashed....

If you genuinely can't afford to get a new car seat (and while the £30 car seats aren't great they do meet the minimums [which are very crappy to be honest] and they won't have been in an accident or had bits broken off them) the hospital may lend out car seats to those in financial need to get home from hospital safely.

Original poster

SeatOfMyPants · 14/03/2012 22:09

Thank you for your advice everyone. Irrespective of the 2nd hand issue, can anyone enlighten me further as to a car seat which is easily fitted, in all cars? I really don't want to be standing outside of hospital with a newborn trying to fix car seat issues (and, we can practice, but probably not on the same model of car as we'll end up being presented with). Maybe I'm envisaging the whole car seat business as way more complicated than it actually is - I probably am - so advice gratefully received!

I am grateful to those who have offered advice re 2nd hand issues, I do appreciate it, but I have already researched the pros and cons of this issue and, with all awareness, may pursue it still. I haven't gone into it blindly and apologies if it looked that way; I didn't mean for this thread to be about 2nd hand car seats per se.

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