Baby car seats

[CraazyCatLady]

Hi there

Not sure if there's a better section to post this in, but was just wondering if anyone knew much about car seats for new borns.

I'm due my first baby in October and all our family live 3+ hours drive away from us.

I understand you can't have babies in car seats for more than 30-60 mins, as it's dangerous, but we will want to go and visit our family, especially at Christmas.

Are the lie flat car seats safer? Would anyone recommend just buying one of those as it seems excessive to have to buy two different car seat types just for the occasional trip home.

Thanks all

Can't family come to you? Baby will only be a few months old. When my DC were babies I refused to drive to family (who are 2 hours away). If not then just take regular breaks at services etc

This page has some lie flat car seats. They don't all lie flat in the car and on the buggy frame though.

We used a lie flat one - you click the handle back to put it in lie flat as and when you want to so no need for 2 car seats! Ours is a kiddy Evo Luna I size - its heavy and takes up a lot of space in the car in lie flat but have us peace of mind for car journeys as all our relatives are at least an hour away by car. It did go in lie flat on our pram wheels as well.

We also had the Kiddy Evo Luna and can definitely recommend it. The only 2 things to be aware of:

• It takes up a lot of space in the lie flat mode, it just fitted behind the passenger seat of our Golf but the seat had to be so far forward 6ft2 DH couldn’t sit in it comfortably. I was fine though, just meant he had to do the all the driving. You’d be fine if you have a big car and/or are both on the short side though!
• You use the handle switch between upright and lie flat modes, meaning that if you want to lift the seat out of the car to put it on the buggy or carry it inside, you have to put it upright. Then you can switch it back to flat again once you put it down on the buggy frame. I never successfully managed this without waking DD.

Providing it fits in your car it would probably work well for you and you wouldn’t need a second car seat.

Even with a lie flat seat, you'd have to stop regularly as they'll need feeding and changing.

And remember some babies hate the carseat. You might be lucky, but my DS hated the carseat and would literally scream the entire time he was in it, fingers crossed for you!

It's 30 minutes for the first 4 weeks, then they can safely be in a car seat for up to 2 hours at a time, which is a decent enough chunk to do before you take a break.

I would not bother with a lie flat one personally. Just get your family to visit you if they want to see the baby at birth and go to them when the baby is a bit older.

Thanks everyone, that's so helpful.

Family will definitely be coming to us to start with, but we love to spend Christmas with all our family. We don't have enough room in our house to have people staying and always have a big family Christmas at my sisters house. Baby may only be 2 months old then though.

If babies can travel for a couple of hours at a time after 2 months though, that should be fine, as don't mind stopping a couple of times. Just didn't want to have to stop every 30 minutes.

I'll have a look at the seats you have mentioned. Thank you all x

I never realised this! Due date is 14 December, and our families live 4 hours drive away, so it sounds like we'll have to host Christmas this year for the first time (and it'll be for 11 adults + newborn)

Hi. Has anyone got experience with the Hauck 3-in1 Viper SLX? I'm thinking of buying that when our baby's born. We don't use the car much (only at weekends) but I definitely want a jogger style buggy (that can be folded into a lying position) as well as a buggy. Thanks

I would do 90mins ish and then do a stop, let the Baby have a change, feed and a good stretch for 30mins, then carry on. They give that advice to stop people doing several hours in car seat. But I’m sure if you break it up 90mins is fine.
I often see people on long walks with baby in a car seat travel system and I’m sure that not advisable either???
Obviously sit in the back also xx

I'm telling our families we won't be going to them for Christmas this year. Due November. It's not only the travelling but I don't want the disruption of staying away from home with such a young baby. They can come to us.

I have got a joie I-level car seat it has 3 recliner positions so baby can be pretty much laying down. It's so cushioned and padded easy to fit and secure.

I hadn't heard these time limits for car seats before! Granted I am in the first trimester of my first pregnancy so to be honest it feels like everything is new to me! Now I'm perplexed though, because our hospital is about an hour's drive from our house. Wasn't planning on stopping on the way home, especially as it is likely to be Christmas week 🙈

You only need to take them out of the seat for about 5 minutes. I'd ask your midwife Fuise in your case. The 30 minute recommendation is new and based on research from 2017 I think. But only applies when they are really new.

Hi op,

I would wait until you settle a bit into family life before making solid plans of where you'll travel with that baby and at what rough age etc.

It's impossible to know what to expect or how the sleep deprivation will affect you personally. If you have a terrible sleeper you may not feel safe to be on the road for long journeys for first few months. I'm not saying this will happen - you might have a great night time sleeper - but you just never know.

Our baby was born in August and we waited until he was 4 months for a 2 hour car journey and it went well. A month later we took him on a 5 hour car journey and that went well too but we couldn't have worked any of that out until we'd found our feet a little as parents.

We have a mothercare journey car seat and it does the job. Not sure about lie flat styles sorry. Good luck with everything

Thanks, @BertieBotts. I will definitely speak to my midwife about it at our next visit! Good advice 😁 There is a service station with a good carpark on the motorway on the way home, so off the top of my head I am now thinking we could pull in there possibly. It's about half way home.

@Narya @Expressedways hi, I've got the same car seat and I'm fairly certain the lie flat feature is only for out of the car? So if you're using it on a buggy or on a plane etc. I didn't realise this till after I'd bought it

@WhatALearningCurve not sure where you got that from, ours is fine to use flat in the car according to the manual. Perhaps we have different models.

@Narya dammit. I wish I had your model ha. (Also- not sure if I came across badly - wasn't trying to mum shame, it was only because I made the mistake with mine)

Were going camping in August,'baby will be about 6 weeks old. 5 hour drive. But we're planning on plenty of stops.

I took DD to see family 2 hours away at 2 weeks old. It can be done, you just have to make regular stops. Get them out, have a walk around a service station, change nappy and/or feed then get back on your way.

The kiddy evo lunafix that we had could definitely be used flat in the car @WhatALearningCurve
No longer using it though as DD is almost 2 so has long outgrown it. You must have a different model.

It's the Cybex Cloud Q that can only be used flat when out of the car. The Kiddy ones and the Joie one can be used flat when in the car. However I believe crash protection is better in the upright position, so it's something to weigh up.