Do we need a car seat if we don't have a car?

[Leeela]

...and live in London close to tube and bus stops?

We thought we might need one to take a taxi home from the hospital after the birth - but theoretically we could also bring the pram and take a bus, it's quite close.

Or do black cabs have their own baby car seats anyway - I swear I heard something like that once?

Any advice much appreciated!

Many do check the car seat is appropriate and safe if you are going to be getting into a car. Of course they can stop you leaving if you are going to be getting into a car without a car seat! Who would put a newborn in a car without one??

Thanks, all! We've already got the pram and it didn't come with a car seat unfortunately, but it's not like we're loath to the idea of buying one - just wondered whether or not that was sensible / normal for people without a car.

Thinking about it, wouldn't it also be rather unsafe to have the baby in a taxi in the pram, though? Since in the carrycot mode it wouldn't be strapped in in any way, so if the driver had to brake suddenly the baby would fly to the back of the pram?

Love the idea of walking (hobbling..) home from the hospital - wish we were close enough for that!

We were in the same position and bought a car seat. We used it occasionally, when getting taxis to the airport to visit family etc. Even though we seldom used it, it was very handy to have for when we needed it.
I heard that the only ride in a car you are legally allowed to make without a car seat is the one from hospital to home, but I wouldn't risk it!

@squareword I had a c section in June and it's not a myth that you can't drive for 6 wks. In fact you're not legally insured if you drive before then (unless you get signed off by a doctor and your insurer agrees)

I would probably buy a second hand one in your position. It is generally recommended to buy new, as they become unsafe if they have been involved in an accident, but I would do it if you can buy it from someone you vaguely know

I think yes. There are a lot of convertible car seats that can be used as a stroller. I've seen a couple of interesting solutions at Chicco Bravo Trio - car seat and stroller combo .You can convert it in a car seat when you travel with uber.

1stTimeRounderyes it is a myth. I've had 2 c-sections and both times I called my car insurers after abour 2.5 weeks as I was going stir crazy and they said as long as I felt OK to drive and could do an emergency stop and my midwife or GP had told me it was OK, they were fine with it. I was back behind the wheel both times after 3 weeks. Never saw my GP, midwife just said practise sitting int the car and braking hard with the engine on but parked up and she said she couldn't see a problem why not.

Just call your insurer to double-check but mine (high street mainstream) was all verbal agreement. Nothing in writing.

I would maybe get a fairly cheap infant carrier from mothercare or similar. I was there recently and noticed their own brand infant carrier was half price at £40. It would be handy to have just in case even if you don’t think you’ll need it. You never know.

Yes, they won't let you leave the hospital without it. Just buy a second hand one/borrow one for the journey home then get rid of it.

Just a guess but if you insist on leaving hospital without a car seat, against hospital policy, would this be counted as self-discharge against medical advice or some such? Would there be any consequences from this, and would it be worth it rather than just borrowing a car seat?

Re driving after C-section, my insurers stated I had to be signed fit by my gp, same as after a hernia repair, and 6 weeks is a fair average.

Our car seat is an I-size car seat so can't be used as a carrier. I asked the midwife about not being able to leave without a car seat and she laughed. Impossible to enforce. I hobbled out while DH carried dd where she was secured into her car seat.

I was also driving 3 weeks after my c section. Insurers said as long as I can do an emergency stop they were fine. My insurance is with tesco.

Id maybe get one if you can afford it, just handy to have for the future if for any reason you need to take a car journey.

I gave birth at the Whittington twice and neither time did they ask about a car seat or insist we left with one. In fact once discharged they were all too desperate for us to leave because they need the bed. We didn’t have a car either and I could barely walk to the entrance let alone the bus. I wasn’t even offered a wheelchair to the cab - I had to walk carrying the bags whilst my husband carried the baby and helped our 2nd child.

I would probably get a car seat though. If you want any kind of life where you go out you won’t want to get a buggy on a bus in the evening. Uber is much more preferable.

If you have any trusted friends with toddlers, it might be asking if they have finished with their baby car seat. There's no resale market for them in case they have been in an accident. If you were a friend of mine I would happily let you have our old seat. It seems such a waste to take it to the tip.

Not in London but a town with good public transport. We got a car seat as part of a travel set (second hand) and we used it a bit when travelling with other people -particularly when going to our in-laws. As children's car seats are less portable we originally just bought one for in-laws but have since got one ourselves for the very occasional odd time we go out in a car with friends. They're not expensive and can last until he's 12.

So if you ever ever go in a car you might as well get a car seat unless of course in a London flat space for storing something like that is really tight.

I would think about whether you ever travel outside of London and factor that into your decision too. We were in the same position as you and we did buy a car seat and we're glad we did. We had a MaxiCosi Cabriofix which could go on the pushchair frame with adapters. We used this combination when we visited family outside London who were a car ride from the station - we just took the seat off and folded the chassis of the pushchair to go in the car.

Scenarios where we needed one in addition to the above (which was monthly):

• it helped on long-distance train journeys as baby could go on a seat next to me in his car seat if the train was quiet and I could have my hands free.

• it was used in any journey where part of it might involve a car or taxi ride.

• the occasional cab ride to the station.

• cab ride from hotel to friend's wedding (no other way of getting there).

• cab rides to clinic/hospital when readmitted just days after birth and again for first check-ups - wasn't walking over a mile ten days post-c-section to a clinic not on a bus route!

I'd say we used it half a dozen times in the first month and then monthly. Ours lasted until he was 18 months as he's short and light, so you might get more use out of it than you think!