How to transport baby with no car? Advice please!

[Secretlifeofme]

Our first baby is due in October but I'm already in a flap about what type of equipment I'll need! Basically we live abroad, in a big city with good public transport and lots of things walkable. However, taxis are cheap and because it's a huge city, we will need to be taking baby in a taxi now and again. (We don't have a car of our own and no plans to get one.) Under these circumstances what would you advise? I will need a portable car seat for the taxi I guess, but don't want a travel system as such because it seems like a waste. Any recommendations or suggestions gratefully appreciated

A travel system doesn’t have to be a huge beast, it just means you can put the car seat on the frame of the pram, usually by buying adapters. In your circumstances a lightweight stroller that is also a travel system and infant carrier that can be installed using only the seatbelt would probably be your best bet. Maybe look at the bugaboo bee or babyzen yo-yo?
Just a warning though, taxis stop being so easy once the baby outgrows the infant seat!

I found a well fitting sling really useful. I borrowed from a local sling library (they had a great wrap conversion which was beautiful and comfortable). Ergo 360's/tulas/connectas all highly recommended by people too but didn't use one enough to justify the cost. Worth seeing if there's a sling library close by for advice.

We don't have a car but have used an infant seat on a bugaboo bee, it make the pram a bit heavy and less stable (top heavy) but it solved the problem of getting a car seat about (walk-train-car journey)

But as PP says they only last 18-ish months, and people often upgrade before that because baby looks squished (as long as the heads still in it it's fine but legs end up bending and folding to fit)

Slings are great but a car seat will still be needed really (London black cabs are an exception and I've done it but I would avoid it as much as possible).

Public transport until they are passed the point of needing a car seat or buy/rent a car?

We managed with a buggy (phil & teds, not travel system) and a sling. You don't need to have a baby in a car seat in a taxi, but I always felt most secure with them tightly slung to me (and me in a seatbelt obvs).

What are the laws in the country regarding taking baby home from hospital? In the UK they usually won’t let you leave the hospital unless you have a car seat. We were in SCUBU and one couple with premature twins weren’t allowed to leave until they’d passed the car seat test (for prem babies under a certain weight).

If they let you leave without one, then a sling would be useful getting around on public transport in the future, but for a very tiny newborn leaving the hospital probably not the best idea unless you are already comfortable using one. I have a fabric sling and it took me several goes to be happy with it and I waited until he was over 8 pounds.
I also have an ergo omi 360 which doesn’t require a newborn insert but I think the fabric is a bit harsh for a brand new baby. You’d really have to try a few out and find a suitable one to practice with a doll/teddy first I’d say.

Best bet is to see if they will let you leave with a pram if you are planning on getting about that way. You can get quite compact prams with car seats that fix to the frames. A lot of my mum friends have maxi cosi frames and seats, I have a massive tank 😂

Thank you everyone! Sadly there is no such thing as a sling library here, so I'd have to buy one - which one would you recommend? I'm not sure but I think they would let us leave without a car seat, but I think it's impossible anyway as actually the hospital is a place we will definitely need to get a taxi from.

I'll look into the bugaboo bee and the babyzen yoyo. Any other recommendations or ideas? And @ihaventgottimeforthis I'm interested in the idea of just having a sling and a buggy. Do you think that would be OK even with a newborn?

Secretlifeofme I did borrow a carseat for the trip home from the hospital, and then borrowed it for occasional long distance car trips.
I used a wrap sling from newborn, and that felt safest for carrying in occasional taxi trips. To be honest I spent most of my time walking everywhere, with the occasional bus trip but the buses were often busy and trying to collapse a buggy was a pain in the arse. So I did a LOT of walking!
We got the phil & teds instead of a travel system as we wanted a long term buggy and couldn't afford to change.
It never caused us any issues living in a city. I'd say give it a try!

For a newborn I’d go for a fabric wrap. Go for a reputable brand like Moby/Hana/Ergobaby/Amawrap/Caboo.

Once they get to about 4/5 months a sturdier carrier like BabyBjorn/Ergobaby 360/Tula etc.

We borrowed a car seat as it was only periodically used when friends picked us up, but we lived close to downtown so never took taxis (which were super expensive). Check the taxi rules - in the U.K. you don't need one in black cabs, ok not brilliant for safety but I would have her in the front carrier and lap belt on for short journeys when home

You defo need a car seat (it's fine with them strapped onto you... until.you crash) but the bee sounds best bet for you, i often used my cameleon with the car seat instead of the main seat when i was taking cabs

I had and loved a micralite. Had a carrycot for newborn, folded up easily and was really light. And fitted a car seat. I don't drive so would often take DS on trains/buses with the car seat on wheels and a sling. A bugaboo bee or babyzen is good, although I always swore by a navigates, I think the quest is now suitable from birth and folds to nothing

I find that you can request a car seat if you book a taxi. Might be worth looking in to. Driver had one in the car on a recent trip to a European city.

I don't drive and IME it is actually a bit more useful to have the travel system as a non driver than you expect. Because if you get a lift/taxi somewhere but public transport back (or vice versa), it becomes a massive pain to lug the car seat around or ask the person to store it for you, so being able to just have the car seat be the pram is a real sanity saver.

I don't know what you know about car seats but essentially there are three stages of car seat you will need long term:

• Infant stage (rear facing, usually a carry type seat)
• Toddler stage (can be rear or forward facing, usually has a safety harness but may also have an "impact shield")
• Booster stage (booster seat with or without back and head protection which uses the adult belt)

Under European regulations these are known as Group 0/0+, Group 1 and Group 2/3 respectively. In all countries now you can get "convertible" seats which cover both the baby and toddler stage, making the infant carrier optional.

Toddler stage is the most tricky in terms of portability, cost, installation and so on, but also the most critical in terms of safety, particularly if they go into it quite early. It does pay to think ahead to this stage and have a strategy which includes it. You've always got overlap between limits of each seat for different stages, so I'd go with one or a mix of these three approaches (with EU suggestions and prices based on Germany - just to give a non UK idea)

The single most important factor that makes a difference in safety is direction of travel. Changing from rear facing to forward facing is a big step down in safety to the point that this is strongly not recommended (and may be illegal) before 15 months or 2 years in some places. The most basic rear facing seat will always be safer than the most advanced forward facing one. But all seats conforming to European/North American/Australian standards have passed safety testing and for children over about a year/18m old, a forward facing seat is still going to protect them in most situations. If you do very few journeys a year, it might be that "most" is enough compared to "almost all" given that the chance you will be involved in an accident at all is far lower than it would be for a child who is travelling in a car every day.

1. Maximise practicality for minimal cost, compromise on safety.

• Longest lasting infant carrier you can find so the one with the highest weight limit or (more usually) longest shell, travel system compatible. Use to the very limit to maximise rear facing time.

e.g. Maxi Cosi Citi, €80

• Lightweight, easy to use or basic toddler seat

e.g. Urban Kanga (folds up), €150 / Britax Eclipse (plane approved), €110 / Cybex Juno, €120 As soon as child is the minimum weight and you trust them in a seatbelt:

• Detachable or lightweight but good quality booster seat

e.g. Maxi Cosi Rodi, €50

Consider getting the first two stages second hand (e.g. if there is a local expat network you trust) to save more money but be cautious doing this, especially if for example they have flown with the seat and it may have been bashed around.

1. Maximise safety, compromise practicality

• Convertible seat which does rear facing past 13kg/29lbs

e.g. Joie Verso, €220 (That one actually converts to a booster, but if you found a different seat, you might need to buy an additional booster)

or

• Any infant carrier

e.g. Joie Gemm, €65

• Highest limit rear facing toddler seat you can find

e.g. Britax Two Way Elite, €200

• Bubble bum/backless/cheap booster seat

1. Extra-portable options to consider for higher cost or lower safety (worldwide)

• Doona (infant seat with pop out wheels) €330
• Nachfolger (inflatable convertible, allegedly suitable from birth) €349

• Urban Kanga (foldable toddler seat) €150
• Ride Safer Travel Vest (crash tested portable harness allegedly)
• Bubble bum (inflatable booster seat) €30