Leaving hospital with no car seat?

[Martiniolives]

My midwife has advised the hospital may not let me leave without one. But we don't even drive let alone own a car. We were assuming we'd be able to leave and take baby in bassinet pram on the bus or a taxi (the kind where the whole pram can be wheeled in and locked in place). It's a 10 minute drive if that. Obviously I explained this to my midwife but she still advised I should get one so that we are okay'd to leave ASAP. This seems crazy surely they cant hold us hostage.

Has anyone tried to leave without baby in a car seat? Did they make a big fuss?
Do we really need to spend hundreds on one to never even use it bar a taxi home from the hospital? It's not even something people will buy off us second hand...

I had an argument with the midwife over this with my first child, he's 26 now! They were absolutely insistent we would not be leaving without baby in a car seat, so we ended up buying one, carrying it to the bus stop, and never using it again. I still hold a grudge 😂. Can you borrow one from a friend?

Obviously a bus home isn't ideal but I dont really have any other choice bar a taxi or I wouldn't be asking this question and considering it.

It's crazy isn't it and I really can't afford to waste any money on a one-time-use product like that. Burrowing one from a friend in theory is a great idea but the only people I can think of is my sister who is due mere weeks after me (so a no), and our good friends but their little one would be only 4 months so it does seem a bit cheeky to ask knowing it would stop them from venturing out for a bit. Also, I thought they were really hard to remove once fitted in the car? However I am sure they'd be happy to help if poss so yes that's something to think about, thank you.

The first time I left with the baby in a bassinet as the car was quite a long way away. The hospital didn't care. The second time they were really fussy about it. She was in a car seat but not wrapped up very warm as my partner was hovering in the car right by the exit which I knew. The midwife did not want us to go, but we just went. Quick transfer into a warm car.

The advice is not to use second hand car seats because you don't know if they've been a prior accident but if it's just for the taxi drive home I'd see there's any going cheap or free on Facebook marketplace, or see if there's a local parent group on Facebook and ask there if you can borrow one. I'm sure you'll find someone local who can lend you one for the drive home.

I took the bus home after my 1st. We didn't have a car. No one questioned us when we left with dd in a pushchair.

I also took the bus when in labour! I hated the idea of being in a stranger's care. I got a few funny looks on the bus!

I have 4 children and every single time (2009, 2010, 2022, 2024) they have discharged me checking we have a carseat, they even tell you don't bring it onto delivery but bring it onto the ward for discharge, discharge midwife checks they're in properly ect.

I don't see why you'd want to risk your baby in a vehicle without a car seat (unless a bus) to be perfectly honest, the price of a car seat vs your baby...no brainer really.

Also I don't drive, never have but have always had carseats

Yes you can

Wow! Love that for you. I am so worried about that side of it too, I cannot get in a cab surely? What if I make a mess? I may well be on the bus during labour too haha. Love hearing these stories

This honestly blows my mind. I don’t live somewhere with decent public transport and I’m terrified of being home without a car in case something happens and I need to get someone to hospital. It was bad enough when the dog needed an emergency vet.

I can’t imagine my DH getting a bus home with our newborn and me alone in a taxi. I don’t think busses are safer due to no seatbelts. It would be all in a taxi for me.

Can you borrow one? If you're getting a taxi it will be much safer to have a car seat

I took a cab in labour both times, and both times my waters had already broken. I had a thick maternity pad on, bought some disposable bed pad things and just laid one on the back seat before I sat down. First baby, the waters were in a big gush so i also sat on my waterproof coat. I don't think the driver even noticed (uber). You'll be fine 😊

Definitely don't just buy one to walk out of hospital in!

I've walked out carrying newborns and no one questioned it at all (outside of London, not in a big city). There is no law to say you need one for leaving hospital, midwives etc have no right to stop you just going.

I'm fairly sure they ask about the car seat not because you must have one, more because they check baby is safe in it and strapped in correctly as accidents have happened when newborns have been put in wrong and their breathing has been impaired.

For travelling to hospital puppy training pads or just towels on the seat. For travelling home maternity pants / period pants and heavy duty sanitary wear.

Travelling on the bus is a non-issue, buses aren't often in accidents you might want your partner to use a sling rather than the pushchair ( not you in case you are wobbly on your feet). You can travel in cabs with no car seat with a child of any age. Whether you should or not is a different matter,but you can.

They probably wanted your husband to bring the car round to the door where you were leaving from. That's what happened when my DSis gave birth recently, and it it was really helpful as the nurse understood the way the seat worked much better than we did.

Says who?
She absolutely can if she wants to.

There is an exemption in the law for taxis because its just not always practical to have car seats.

Op do what suits you. You know the roads you'll be travelling. You know if you're likely to use it again over the next time year or so.
If it's fast roads and the odd journey then I'd be tempted to pickup a second hand seat - which will set off the MN mob in horror at the idea of a second hand seat. But far more seats are outgrown than ever end up in accidents

Thank you thats great to hear. Hopefully I can make sure my waters have already gone because all jokes aside I dont really want to get the bus lol (7min walk to the bus stop for one...)

I do have plenty of puppy pads leftover from housetraining our dog a few years ago..!

Nobody cared how we left the ward. Nobody was there to actually see us even leaving. I wouldn't buy one just because of leaving the ward.

We were told this DD1 is 19.

We got a travel system - with car seat bit on top of pram.

It got used 3 times as car seat - few more with whole system in place. We did end up getting a lift back with a mate as had seat and it travel seat could be fitted using the existing car seats. Our original plan had been bus - stop right outside hospital and end right outside our then house. It had one out and return to a trip to my parents - had to take whole system it on train very inflexible - next time they told me to take the bus from station as fitting the car seat was too much of a pain.

But the pushchair bit was great - roomy - huge basket underneath - lasted all three kids - though we did get other pushchairs - double and lightweight ones as well.

Actual leaving from hospital - we just walked out in end - they were being slow on something never explained. Community MW was seeing us that afternoon anyway. Then had two HB.

We had cab to MW led unit at hospital with DD1 - only issue was it took 45 minutes - luckily they has scheme where community MW came round to check you were in labour - I was 10 cm by time it got there - it was his third pg run to hospital that morning. Waters went as soon as got to hospital ward. Had plastic bags as had been throwing up at house prior was fine in taxi.

We had the Joie Everystages car seat which is strapped into the car all the time and not an infant carried, so was no chance of us bringing that into the hospital to leave 😂

We carried our son out in the Bugaboo Bee bassinet and no one said anything, but wished us luck.

You are not supposed to, but if it's just for the hospital people often sell their old car seats really cheap because no one wants them (for obvious reasons). If the alternative is unsecured in a taxi I'd have thought a second hand car seat would be safer for that one journey.

I've had two kids and neither times has anyone even asked how I was getting home 😂😂 they just say you can leave and you just go 🤪

Sorry. I would get a black cab if possible. Putting the brakes on the pram and holding it firmly to steady it will be fine and you will be a lot more comfortable.

Had two babies in London. Not one mention of car seats from a midwife or in two different hospitals

I'm an awful person who happily wheeled my pram/buggy (sometimes two at once!) into the back of a black cab if I was out and about and needed to. But we did actually have a maxi cosi infant capsule (without a car). One that seat belted in rather than isofix. It was quite invaluable in the first year. You could go out all day, jump in an Uber home if trains were not ideal/cancelled/you just wanted to get home fast. Or for when staying with family where public transport just wasn't a thing

Thank you thats great to hear. Hopefully I can make my waters have already gone

Mine didn't break until I was fully dilated with DD2, the midwife broke them and a few pushes later she was born!
Just a warning you might need to leave home before they go! Puppy training pads to sit on in the taxi are a good idea