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...

Yes you can. The whole pram goes in the taxi, wheels locked.

We just walked out with DS in a sling, and went home on the Overground. I don't remember anyone having anything to say about it. It must happen all the time in London, where there's little point in having a carseat if you're highly unlikely to be using a car. On the rare occasions I remember taking a cab with DS as a baby, we took a black cab and he stayed in his pushchair with the brakes on.

As many others have said, they can't stop you leaving without one and in London they won't even kick up a fuss.

Maybe tell your midwife you'd prefer she helped you insist on your rights rather than try and scare you into spending money you can't afford. It's pretty unprofessional on her part.

Just because it’s legal to take a baby in a taxi without a car seat does not mean it’s not monumentally irresponsible.

Oh and I left the hospital in a private car and no one came and checked that we had a car seat. I think they might have asked and checked a box on a form, but no on actually checked. That may have been bias and profiling on the part of staff. I don’t know.

They just have to ensure that if you're taking the baby in a car, you have a car seat.
We didn't have one of those 'carry' car seats, our car seat was fixed into the car, it couldn't be carried around.
The midwife at the hospital & later the birth centre just came to the door to check we had a car seat when we put her into the car.
They can't legally detain you in the hospital if you insist you're walking home with your baby in a pram!
And honestly if your mode of transport is always going to be bus/taxi, then it doesn't make sense to not let you travel in that way on day 1 vs a few weeks old when you might need to travel to appointments etc.
I did ask my midwife about it when pregnant, specifically because I had been warned about this by a family friend who lived in London who bought a carry car seat... which she attached to a pram... to walk home... My midwife said that they can't actually stop you leaving, they just have a duty of care regarding the car seats and it depends how overbearing that specific nurse wants to be at that moment in time.

So statistically speaking you’re less likely be in a crash while on a bus, but you’re right neither is the safest.
I’ve attached the best infant carriers, thankfully they don’t cost a fortune!

I walked home after baby number 2. We live so close it's not worth the hassle of taking the car so husband didn't think anything of bringing the pram with bassinet when we got discharged.
No hassle whatsoever we walked out without anyone raising an eyebrow.

I got the bus home with my baby in a sling, it was lovely, I was on cloud 9!

Ask around for a hand-me-down car seat: for occasional use and if it’s given away (so no incentive to lie to you about accidents or age of it), this is fine.

So many people will tell you what you should be doing, OP, for years (ever?) now: this is your prompt to grow a nice thick skin and tell them all to back off: you’re a mother now, capable and competent and your views count the most.

You can legally use a taxi in the UK without a car seat but I wouldn't for a newborn. You can pick up a cheap one for less than £50 though. Or borrow from a friend if it's just one trip.

Just say you are going on the b7s

We took baby out of hospital in a sling.
Don't waste your money on something you're not going to use. If the situation arises where you may need one, then consider it.
We didn't even have a pram until baby was a few weeks old, and only got one so my parents could take the baby for a walk.

The car was parked right outside the maternity unit already so if they'd wanted to come out with us they could have done very easily. Car seats were not even mentioned.

Twice I left with baby in a sling. We had a fitted car seat already in the car (not a carry one) nobody batted an eye or wanted to watch us to the car.