i live a few blocks down from the hospital, do i have to buy a car seat to bring him home or could i carry him in my arms? he cant leave the house for the first month so i didnt want to buy a car seat now.
2007-12-10 14:18:28 · 27 answers · asked by andres momma<3 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I AM NOT WALKING HOME! i mean holding him in my arms in the car! who the heck walks home with their newborn!! my goodness!!
2007-12-10 14:48:17 · update #1
First, congratulations.
Hospitals will NOT allow you to leave without a carseat. They check it before they let you go and make sure it's in right and all that. He MUST have a carseat if he is to travel in a vehicle at all.
Blessings to you.
2007-12-10 14:34:42 · answer #1 · answered by phoenix4404 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes you should get the carseat. Where I live (unfortunately) it is no the law yet that children ride in carseats, but I strongly believe that they are necessary and can save lives.
We had a carseat when our little one was born but it seemed as if it was too big for her (we found out later that that was not true) so I had her in my arms on the ride home and that was the first and last time I did that because I was scared to death at every corner or whenever my husband had to use the brakes.
After this ride she hasn't been in our car without the seat ,it is so much safer.
You should really invest in a carseat now, it is the right thing to do. They are so fragile and if there should be a crash or even if the driver has to brake hard you will not be alble to hold on to your baby because the forces are too strong. Also the carseat should be installed in your car before the baby is there and you should have some practice on how the seat works, so you don't have the same dillema I had on the day we left the hospital. And it doesn't make a difference if you buy the seat now or in a month because it will be the same size of seat.
2007-12-10 15:34:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check with hospital policy. We had to have baby in a car seat until we left hospital property for liability reasons. They also will not let you walk home, they'll make you rent a wheel chair at the very least if you yell and scream and it would cost more than a taxi (and then you need a car seat!)
As for the old wives tale of not leaving the house for a month, it's just that, a wives tale. Unless you live in a culture where that is expected of you, in North America and most other countries you can take baby traveling/visiting the day you leave the hospital. We did, had baby at his Uncles the day we were discharged and we were all over the place right from the get go. However if it is winter where you are, I don't recommend large public places because of cold and flu season but you can certainly go visit friends and family. Plus baby should be going back to the doctor's at 7 days old for his/her well baby check up.
Get the car seat for another reason. Many newborns can not sleep laying on their backs and you should never let them sleep on their tummy unless you are right there (they have a strong rooting reflex and will mash their face into the mattress/couch/pillow when they wake up hungry and can suffocate themselves because they can't turn or lift their heads very well yet). A car seat is a perfect comfy, enclosed place that keeps baby upright and feeling safe, many will happily sleep in a car seat and allows you time to go to the bathroom, have a shower, eat something and you can just bring them with you to whatever room you need to be in without waking them up and you don't have to feel guilty about leaving them in another room because they are portable!
2007-12-10 14:36:30 · answer #3 · answered by babybugs1980 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They won't let you out of the hospital without having the carseat installed. You WILL be leaving the house a lot the first month. You have the 4 day check-up, the 1 week check-up, 2 week check-up, 1 month check-up, 2 month check-up, etc... Plus, you cannot see the future so you don't know when you might need it.
When I leave my daughter at her grandparents, they always say they are not going anywhere, but I am not taking that chance of them needing to take her to the hospital or somewhere and not having a carseat.
Plus, it only takes 2 seconds for a car to hit you in the parking lot. I am not saying it will happen, but do you want to take that chance with your new baby?
2007-12-10 17:40:59 · answer #4 · answered by fsuchica2001 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who the heck even THINKS of getting into a car with a newborn without a car seat?!?!?! You would want to put your childs life in danger just to save money on a carseat? I don't know where you live, but where I live the hospitals won't let you leave with your baby if you don't have a carseat.....there's a good reason for that!
2007-12-10 14:52:26 · answer #5 · answered by luvbabysky 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that any hospital would let you take your baby home in a car without a car seat. I can't imagine that you're going to want to walk with him then either...especially not if you're having a cold winter like we are. If money is an issue, perhaps you have a friend/relative that would lend you their car seat to get him home? If you own a car though, I think that you need to get a car seat. There are programs that will help you out with that if you have financial need. Please keep your baby safe and take care of yourself too by not walking home after your body goes through such a major event. Congratulations....you'll love that little guy far too much to risk anything ever happening to him anyway :)
2007-12-10 14:35:02 · answer #6 · answered by just me 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Buy a car seat! The hospital will not allow you to leave without the baby in one. Our hospital had us bring the car seat upstairs before we left. They inspected it for safety and watched us load our daughter into the carseat to be carried downstairs. Then, when my husband pulled the car around, the nurse observed us putting her in the car and then came over and inspected to make sure she was in securely. Most states require by law that your child leave in a car seat.
And even if you think he can't leave the house for a month, its best to have one in case of an emergency. What if you found out a relative were stranded on the road and you had to go pick them up? Or what if your baby had to go to the emergency room... it'd be alot faster to drive an infant to the ER than to walk him there... especially if you're facing a life-threatening situation.
2007-12-10 14:29:39 · answer #7 · answered by splurge_munki 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Why would you risk baby's life like that? You MUST have a carseat to leave the hospital. Also you will be leaving the house in the first month. Baby will have a check-up the first week, and possibly one each week for the first month. You may need diapers, bottles, etc. Just get the carseat. As far as Im concerned a carseat should be #1 on your list of things to get for baby.
2007-12-11 16:57:39 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who walks home from the hospital with a baby?!
Who gets in a car with a baby and doesn't put it in a car seat?!
Thats messed up
Buy the car seat, it won't change sizes from newborn to one month old
If its a money issue I'll send you one, out of my pocket
DO NOT put your baby in a car not strapped in
its also against hospital policy
2007-12-10 15:03:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No you cant. a) I think its against the law. b) its not safe. You dont know what is going to happen. You might be driving safely but some guy on meth driving like a madman, or just someone distracted, eating a burrito and fiddling with the radio might sideswipe your car. Even a block from the house. Please just play it safe. Its better to be safe than sorry.
If you are worried about the cost, check the paper, check Ebay, check craigslist, GoodWill, the Salvation army....there is always a way.
YEAH FSUCHICA! she is right. You will definitely leave the house with him the first month. Theres no way around that. He will need check ups. You HAVE to get a carseat. No ifs, ands or buts.
2007-12-10 16:11:20 · answer #10 · answered by MonkeyMama 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you will be taking you baby home by car, then you will need a car seat. They won't let you walk home from the hospital either. Go ahead and buy a car seat.
2007-12-10 14:22:39 · answer #11 · answered by .. 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋