How to get the little one home after delivery?

Hiya,

Okay this is probably a really stupid question but -- if you don't have a car, and will have to take a taxi home from the hospital, do you need to buy a car seat?

Obviously the only safe way to bring the baby home is to have them in a car seat (do they usually fit in taxis?) but since they are so expensive, it seems unfortunate to have to buy one for this one trip only. I'm keeping an eye on freecycle and things but can't count on that. I'm just wondering what other people have done or if anyone has any advice?

(I don't know anyone with kids who I can borrow from)

Or on the flip side -- is there any use for car seats even if you don't have a car? Can I put the baby in it and carry him around the flat in it while I'm doing things, that sort of thing?

(Sorry, but I really don't know anything about kids!)

cheers
j

you should get the carseat.me and the ex didnt have a car when my daughter was born but we got one anyway. we used it in taxis. even though you dont have a car,you might end up using a taxi often,especially if its too cold out to walk. they do have buggys that have a carseat in them as well

Some taxi firms will be able to supply a car seat.  I would call around to all local firms in the area of your hospital to see or even ask the midwife if she can recommend one.  If you're in a larger town/city, this will probably be more likely than a very rural area (where it's unlikely taxi firms would have this sort of thing!).  I would definitely do this BEFORE buying a car seat as you could save yourself quite a lot of money!

You COULD use a car seat around the house and such afterwards, but newborns aren't supposed to be left in them for more than 4 hours, as they don't lie totally flat and will be scrunched up slightly, which can inhibit growth with prologed usage.

If you're determined to buy a car seat, perhaps get one at the same time as your pram, as a lot of shops will offer discounts if you buy these together.

They won't let you out of the hospital to take the baby home unles you have a car seat. I say buy a good quality inexpensive one, it will come in handy for other trips, for instance, you might buy a pram with a car seat that clips on, thats really handy, or if you need to take a taxi another time. I say just bite the bullet and get one, better safe than sorry. I would not get a second hand one, you don't know where it has been and it might not be safe. You can get a Mothercare brand one for £50, money well spent imo.

Legally, you don't need one but from a safety point of view you do need one really for a baby.  We didn't have a car & still bought a travel system with a car seat. Not only was it good in taxis, when you place it on the ground, the baby can use it as a rocker.

Thanks for all the good advice everyone!

I didn't think I could get a car seat for 50 quid, I went in my local Mothercare and they were all at least 100, which seems like a lot for something we would barely use ... we're on a really, really tight budget until the baby comes and we qualify for some benefits. Where I live in London, pretty much everything we ever need is within a 10 minute walk so I don't think we would need the car seat again at least for a while.

If they won't let you leave the hospital without a car seat, then I guess that's that, in which case I'd be really interested in some of these combination deals mentioned -- like a car seat that can also be a rocker -- does anyone have any specific brands or types they could recommend?

(I have tried doing some research on some of the baby forums out there, but they're sort of overwhelming! Or is that just me?

cheers
j

http://www.kiddicare.com

try this site, they have good deals

Further to Kiddicare you may want to have a look at Argos.  Here's a link to the Mothercare Travel Tot carseat Racheee mentioned as a starting price - its an online only offer, but you can find a lot of good deals from online retailers if you have the time to look.

Do you already have a pushchair / travel system compatible pushchair picked out or purchased for baby yet?  If so you may want to check what carseats (if any) are compatible, as this would make it easier on you if you ever need to use a Taxi again and have the little 'un with you as you can attach the carseat directly to the pushchair instead of having to lug the carseat in addition to pushing the pushchair.     I know the carseat may be a bit more expensive to purchase but you'll be grateful for it anytime that you use it.  Also, I know a lot of Mums from baby groups that I used to take my daughter to used to use their carseats just walking around our village as it meant if their baby was asleep they could just lift the carseat off and rock them on the floor instead of leaving them in the pushchair at the other end of the room...  Obviously you don't want to keep baby in for too long, but they do have other uses  where you'd be able to get your money's worth out of it besides the initial taxi ride - just my 2p.

Try not to fret too much on it and good luck!

If you are in London, you DO NOT need to use a carseat in a black cab.  You can wheel your pram straight into the back of the cab and put the brake on.  Legally this is fine.  My friend's husband is a London black cab driver and he puts his own son in the back with his wife all the time. 

The nurses may try to stop you from leaving the hospital if you don't have one, but if it's in the centre of London, they will probably be familiar with the black cab situation. 

We have a car, but I don't drive very often as my DH takes it to work.  I have found that over the last few months, several friends have picked me up to go one place or another and without the carseat I would have been stuffed.  So it may be worth the investment if you can forsee any trips with friends or mini-cab journeys.

if its a budget thing, then check out www.argos.co.uk  they have carseats starting from £27.50  http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3981511/Trail/searchtext%3ECAR+SEAT.htm

My son was born in Tooting and they didn't have a car seat policy. We didn't have a car but we got a seat and rented a car for the first week or two. And the pp was right, you do not have to have one in a taxi.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!

That's really interesting that you can just wheel your pram into a black cab. They do have ginormous back seats. I guess I'll do some more research on some of the links here but it's good to know that worse comes to worst, there are other options for that first car trip.

Thanks again!

Kiddicare is a good source but also check the website of Glasgow Pram Centre, they had the best price on the travel system we bought (BebeConfort Loola Up).  Jean used to like to crawl over to her seat (just before she grew out of it) and climb in.

I just remembered there are also companies that hire out prams and car seats at reasonable rates. 

I think it would be worth buying a car seat even if it is a cheap one. We were lucky as our pram came with a free car seat. We don't drive, but besides using it to come home after the birth, we have used it several times in mini cabs and friend's cars. We have had to take LO to the hospital a couple of times in a mini cab and even though it is a short distance I wouldn't have felt comfortable without a seat.