How do you take baby home from hospital?

[jellybean13419]

This probably seems a daft question. But friends have told me you must take baby home from the hospital in a car seat and they don't let you leave with baby in your arms. We are planning on getting a birth to 4 years car seat that stays in the car permanently. So what's the process here? It must be fairly common as there are loads of this type of car seat on the market. Do you take your pram with you to the hospital and take baby out to the car park in that? Or do you have to have another car seat handy that you can take out the car? 🤔

Unless a midwife has been specifically trained in car seat safety and knows how to check that your isofix is positioned correctly or that your car seat has been correctly buckled into the car I fail to see what the benefits are of checking how your baby is buckled into the actual seat.

I've taken two babies home from the hospital and on both occasions the midwives couldn't have given less of a shit about how we were getting home.

@flashylamp I just assumed that as first time parents they wanted to make sure we'd secured him enough. That the straps where tight enough, no blankets under the straps etc. She was really nice about it and not patronising at all

@DollyParton2

I really think you’ll end up getting a separate baby car seat OP. To never remove it will end up being a pain in so many situations!

We've never had to take the car seat out out of the car (with the exception of moving it into our newer car when we got a new one) I really can't see why you would need to take it out regularly.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

Am I being TOTALLY stupid (I’m prepared to be told I am 😅) to think I can just push my baby hone in the pram?? We don’t have a car, we are in London and home is two tube stops home from the hospital. Do they make you go in a car? It seems nuts to faff around with an Uber to go three miles up the road.

You probably are being a bit naive, yes. Even if all goes well, you'll probably be knackered and it'll feel like a much longer walk than usual. And if anything goes wrong (even if you just have a straightforward c section) you'll want to be in a position to get a cab home instead. By all means walk and get the Tube if you feel fantastic on the day, but I think you should assume you'll end up getting an Uber and bring a car seat in preparation.

We've got two children in London and have never owned a car, so I'm used to public transport and walking a lot, but even after my "good" 4.5h birth I was so tired that walking to the bus stop might have finished me off!

Completely agree that you just have the 1 car seat that can’t be removed from the car is immensely frustrating. I thought I was being really clever and money saving doing this but it just didn’t work... baby fast asleep in car seat as often then happens and you have to faff around/ often waking them in process and enduring hell as a result. No option for travel system. No option to ever travel in another car??

[quote yellowspot]@flashylamp I just assumed that as first time parents they wanted to make sure we'd secured him enough. That the straps where tight enough, no blankets under the straps etc. She was really nice about it and not patronising at all [/quote]
Yes, I appreciated the midwife giving us a hand with our first! Nice to have an experienced pair of hands doing it gently but firmly when we were utterly wiped out by labour and the postnatal ward. We would have taken ten times as long to do it by ourselves!

Not really the point, but - I'd rethink getting a 0-4y car seat. 4 years is a guide, most of them can actually only be used with a harness up to 18kg, regardless of age. Depending on the centile of your baby, this could be to 4y and beyond, or only last until 2yo or so - then you'll have the expense of buying another car seat or using HBB. Putting a child less than nearer 5yo in a HBB (whilst legal over 15kg) is not safe. Also, depending on the car and the seat itself, most multi stage seats do not give the best fit for newborns. I'd consider a dedicated infant carrier as your first seat, then wait until they've nearly maxed that out and get another seat depending on their weight/age at the time.

Mine were both carried to the car by the midwives.

This was me last summer! I asked at every midwife appointment. I live in London within walking distance of a hospital too, and my midwives were really supportive about me walking to the hospital in labour and back home with buggy or sling with husband. No worries about me collapsing. I have the Joie 360 I-spin which stays in car and no way was I spending even more on another car seat, these things are expensive. I discussed walking home (they said I’d be tired), taking the bus home (said it might be a bit too bumpy) and a taxi (some firms bring a car seat if you arrange in advance).

What ended up happening, I was induced so was in hospital anyway. On leaving they gave me a little slip discharging me and baby, the concern seemed to be more about babies being stolen. I had to wait for this slip and show it to security at the door. Literally everyone asked me “where’s you car seat?”, the woman in the bed opposite me, the nurse who gave me the discharge slip and security (who joked she’d let me take my baby as though I shouldn’t be allowed). I was surprised as the midwives during antenatal said it would be fine! But it was no bother, I just explained we had the ispin in the car. I didn’t want a removable car seat, it’s not good for them to be in it any longer than they have to and I never had a problem about disrupted naps (6 months old now).

Best wishes for your pregnancy :)

My first baby travelled the 25 miles home in a clothes basket - but that WAS in 1973!

@PerspicaciousGreen thank you. You’re probably right- we will look into car seat/Uber.

I also had a birth-4yo isofiz carseat and didn’t have a removable car seat. We just carried baby to the car - the midwife asked about car seat and I explained.

Also, we never had an issue not being able to remove the car seat... if she fell asleep we would just remove her quietly and carry her into the house/ buggy etc. She now sleeps like a rock and I can still carry her into the house at 3.5yo . We’re expecting another in September and will be doing the exact same!

I'm really surprised at how many on here are saying they had the 1 carseat rigidly fixed in car they'd never remove!
So you'd just risk waking baby every-time you stopped driving/had to carry into house? Carry baby in arms in rain etc?
Presumably- never travel in any other car ever- as doing so with baby in lap would obviously be highly dangerous?
For the sake of not spending £50 - £100 on a safe but affordable portable carseat specifically designed for babies I dont know why you'd make your own life so much more stressful.

@flashylamp

It's bollocks that you have to have a car seat. They have no power to keep you there. You can leave as you choose.

I was actually going to say this. They can't bar you or baby from leaving. I actually asked them about this with my last baby as I don't drive and was going to get a taxi home, taxi company said they don't allow car seats to be fitted. The hospital staff said they would like me to bring a pram to the hospital so it is safe walking to the door, and the nurses don't have time to assist you in doing so and they aren't insured. As soon as you set foot out the door it's nothing to do with them how you get in a car.

Completely agree •Shmithecat2* seems utter madness to me.. Just to save a few pennies it seems....

I used a sling for DS2, DS1 was a NICU baby and had a tiny traveller insert so they needed the car seat to fit that.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

Am I being TOTALLY stupid (I’m prepared to be told I am 😅) to think I can just push my baby hone in the pram?? We don’t have a car, we are in London and home is two tube stops home from the hospital. Do they make you go in a car? It seems nuts to faff around with an Uber to go three miles up the road.

I couldn’t have walked three miles the day after giving birth - you should def have a backup plan!

Baby in arms in the back of a taxi

Ha GreenSpace00 I love your “remove her quietly” and your baby never once woke up doing so? Either you have the deepest sleeping baby ever or this simply isn’t true. I also don’t believe that those saying they also had this system never travelled in another car. So you either had baby on lap which is so dangerous or in the case of hire cars used a hire car baby seat which are notoriously in such bad condition/ upkeep/ used by so many other babies they’re dangerous.
As others have said the 0-4 years car seats are also generally just not as safe so truly- why do it?

Oh I got a horrified look and stopped on the corridor carrying DD on the way out as she had got upset in the car seat...DP was next to me with the empty car seat. Had to strap her back in. So that was a good start.

And that’s SO safe isn’t it IEat?

When I had my two, a nurse actually walked to the car with us!

No no I wouldn’t be walking three miles at all. It IS three miles but a short hop to and from the tube either end. Two stops. I wouldn’t think I’d walk three miles having just given birth.

I got told off for carrying my baby down the corridor. You were supposed to push them in the cot apparently. 12 years later and DS appears to have survived me carrying him about!

Also in Hampshire and midwife checked baby was strapped in etc but I can't see that they could stop you leaving if you didn't.