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

1 2

Original poster

Car seats!

33 replies

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:05

Looking at baby zen yo-yo as it fits in my mini and has good reviews. Can I buy it with just the car seat and forward facing? Or do I need the full package with the newborn attachment so they can lay flat? Not sure I can afford the latter so may need to consider my options...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

moreismore · 22/07/2018 22:08

I would say lie flat not essential but rear facing is...

I’m sorry I don’t know any specifics about the brand you mention.

NameChange30 · 22/07/2018 22:09

I’m confused, this is about travel systems / pushchairs, not car seats, right?

Newborns need to be able to lie flat so you will need a carrycot or a pushchair that lies completely flat.

If you can’t afford the Babyzen Yoyo with the newborn bits then buy it second hand or look into other options.

gallicgirl · 22/07/2018 22:09

I don't know this seat but I don't think I know anyone who's had a lie flat attachment. Seems they would be used for such a short space of time.
However, infants should be rear facing for as long as possible and preferably to age 4. The new I size seats rear face to a minimum of 15 months and you can get seats that rear face to 25kg.

Take a look at the website for the In Car Safety centre for information and I thoroughly recommend visiting if you're close enough.

Wellthisunexpected · 22/07/2018 22:09

Lie flat is essential for newborns if using it for more than an hour at a time.

NameChange30 · 22/07/2018 22:10

Op is asking about a travel system not a car seat as far as I can tell

Travel system / pushchair must be lie flat, can be forward or parent facing

Car seat must be rear facing, doesn’t have to be lie flat

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:11

@NameChange30 it's about whether a baby can stay in a car seat that's attached to a pram or whether they need to lay flat. So it is in a sense about car seats, and whether they are safe for a newborn to use in a pram.

So if they need to lay flat, how do you travel by car? Our hospital is over an hour away, further in rush hour. We will obviously need to travel by car on our way back from the birth...

Nobody tells you this stuff. Feel so out of my depth and worried I'm going to hurt my baby by using something that's not safe for them!

OP posts:

Wellthisunexpected · 22/07/2018 22:11

gallicgirl she means a lie flat bit of pram, not carseat. OP is asking if they can get away with just a forward facing pram & carseat attached to the pram. Which they can't.

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:12

@NameChange30 it's a car seat, that attaches to a pram. I am talking about a car seat. Not that it matters!

OP posts:

riceandpeas123 · 22/07/2018 22:13

Unless you're regularly doing very long journeys I'd say you don't need lie flat for your car seat. You will need rear facing though. If you mean the travel system then yes the lie flat bassinet part is necessary.

Re second hand I would buy a second hand pram but never a second hand car seat. You need to be 100% confident that it's never been in a crash and therefore structurally compromised.

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:13

Thanks everyone! I can't work out from their website what is safe or not but possibly missing something. Will try and research a bit more. Don't trust the folks in shops as I'm sure they'll just tell me that the most expensive is what I need!

OP posts:

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:14

So I'm getting that you can use a car seat in a car but not attached rear facing on a travel system? So need lay flat on a travel system...

OP posts:

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:15

Sorry, don't think I explained this very well.

OP posts:

NameChange30 · 22/07/2018 22:17

“ it's about whether a baby can stay in a car seat that's attached to a pram or whether they need to lay flat. So it is in a sense about car seats, and whether they are safe for a newborn to use in a pram.”

They’re not really safe no. Research has shown that newborns should be in car seats for as little time as possible. The time limit guidelines have changed but I believe it’s something like 1 hour. So if you are driving somewhere 15 minutes away, popping into a shop for 10 minutes and then driving back, it’s fine to leave baby in the car seat. But if you’re going to be out of the car for any longer you have to transfer the baby from the car seat to a flat surface (eg carrycot). Same goes for when you get home, if baby has fallen asleep in the car seat you should transfer them to the crib or Moses basket or whatever.

Research shows that newborns should lie flat. They are more upright in car seats for safety reasons but it can restrict their breathing hence being time limited. If you were taking a car journey longer than the time limit you would need to take breaks and take baby out of the car seat.

Hope that helps!

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:19

Thanks @NameChange30 - that's really helpful! Do midwives generally tell you this kind of stuff? Or do you have to work it out for yourself? 😬

OP posts:

Swissgemma · 22/07/2018 22:21

You need:

pram wheels
Car seat
Lay flat attachment for pram

You can attach the car seat to the pram for short walks but not extended use.

The yo-yo is a good pram but you will need the newborn pack.

Bezm · 22/07/2018 22:21

You need a rear facing car seat from birth, and you will be ok driving home from hospital with your baby in this for an hour.
You also need a flat pram whilst out and about. You could use the car seat for just nipping e.g. A quick trip round the supermarket, but it's advised to not leave baby in one for more than an hour. You may struggle to get all you need in a mini. The car seat has to go in the back, so if you've only got a two door car you'll find it a struggle, and will also need to fit in the pram base and carry cot. Once the baby is old enough to go in its pushchair you will still need room in the car to fit it in.

NameChange30 · 22/07/2018 22:22

These articles are very informative and should explain everything you need to know

www.madeformums.com/news-and-gossip/the-2-hour-car-seat-rule---what-you-need-to-know/39322.html
(It’s 2 hours not 1 sorry!)

www.madeformums.com/reviews-and-shopping/shopping-guides/why-your-newborn-needs-a-lie-flat-buggy/8411.html

TheMotherofBears · 22/07/2018 22:24

For my first OP I tried to do what you're suggesting i.e. save money by not buying the carry cot for the pram. I regretted this in the end because my DC HATED the pram and the car seat and was much more comfortable laying flat. As a result I used a carrier most of the time while pushing an empty pram. For DC2 I bought a second hand travel system with carry cot. Loved the carry cot - it was so so much easier going out and about with a happy baby I didn't need to carry. Clearly could have been different personalities of DC, but I do think DC1 would have been more comfortable in carry cot and my back would have felt the benefits! I'd look into second hand stuff if you want to save.

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:25

Thanks everyone. Super helpful! Think I'm going to ask my midwife who can hopefully advise me further. Sadly can't change my car as I share it with a family member who it belongs to - bummer! I'll have to see if there are any others that fit as this one I have a feeling will be close to £1000 which is a bit too much for us...

OP posts:

Wellthisunexpected · 22/07/2018 22:25

You work it out for yourself unfortunately.

A new born can't be in a carseat (whether in the car or attached to a pram) for more than 45 minutes. You then need to give them a 30minute break of lying flat or being held before they can have another 45minutes in the carseat. Once they are 6 weeks this can be extended to 90 minutes.

A baby shouldn't use the seat part of a pram until AT LEAST 4 months, but preferably 6 as it can squash their airways.

So you need a lie flat pram bit, or a sling for the first 4-6 months as well as the carseat and the pram seat.

So prams only have a seat bit which lies totally flat and so is suitable from birth, but the bsbyzen yo-yo doesn't.

Wellthisunexpected · 22/07/2018 22:27

A bugaboo bee folds small and can be picked up second hand in excellent condition.

A baby jogger city mini folds small and is suitable from birth. But my friend gets a silver cross pioneer in her mini!

gallicgirl · 22/07/2018 22:37

Glad we straightened that out!

I think it's useful to think about how you'll use your car seat / pram / travel system. Those infant car seats might look very convenient for clipping straight onto pram frame but they get very heavy, very quickly. I had a travel system for my first and it was great but by 3 or 4 months I could barely lift the car seat bit. With my second, I used a sling a lot more, particularly for short trips like the school run.
I have a friend who can't drive and loves her pram, great big basket for shopping and very manageable.
Just have a think about the journeys you will make before splashing the cash.

mrs2468 · 22/07/2018 22:43

Go into a John Lewis or mothercare or somewhere that sells what you are looking for. You don't have to buy from there but can ask lots of questions, mothercare do a expecting parents event too so worth going along to

Original poster

UniqueMeta · 22/07/2018 22:48

So frustrating that I have to plan my pram around my car! I plan to do most of my travelling by train and would really like to use the sling as much as possible but just have no idea what baby will and won't like...

OP posts:

riceandpeas123 · 22/07/2018 23:18

OP see if there's a Sling library near you. Once baby is here they can talk you through them and show you how to use them. I wish I had used a stretchy more when DS was tiny - he loves being in a carrier and it would have been lovely in the snuggly newborn phase.

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.