Do you need a car with a newborn?

[Anonymous]

Nope. My hospital DID insist that I have a carseat and be driven home from the hospital rather than taking mass transit or a taxi. I think they wanted to assure themselves I knew how to install a carseat into a car.

But she's about to turn 18 and I've never had a car. She probably used her carseat about a dozen or fewer times.

[Anonymous]

I didn't have one for my first, but do now for my second (different city/circumstances). I strongly preferred not dealing with a car. It's just easier to put the kid in a carrier and walk out the door---no need to buckle in and out or deal with a crying baby that you can't reach in the backseat. If your usual routine is within walking distance, you don't need a car.

Re the ped, I actually don't think you need to be close to it. There really aren't that many appointments in the first year or thereafter. Covid does make things harder, but we're still only talking about maybe 7 trips in the first year. And, presumably cases will be going down by the time your baby is here. Personally, I would punt the decision until April and see how you feel then. It's not too long from now, but we may have a little more clarity on the year ahead re Covid vaccinations.

[Anonymous]

No, but I've lived in Manhattan and SF proper where many (most, I would say) people don't have a car. I'd say try out the car-free lifestyle for a while and see how it goes for you. Get a good stroller. You may find that you don't need one or you need one so little it isn't worth the hassle of ownership/parking/etc.

[Anonymous]

I live in DC with a 13 month old. We do have a car, but the only time he’s ever been in it is to go the the pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could do without but setting up a car seat in a Zipcar or Uber every time you need it would be a serious hassle. Not necessary to get a car but certainly more convenient.

It's extremely easy to set up a lightweight carseat in a rental/zipcar/uber if you buy the right model. Probably takes about 20 seconds if you know what you're doing with the belts and does not take a lot of effort/strength. Never had a problem while traveling.

[Anonymous]

In normal times, I’d say you’d be fine as long as you are in walking distance of a grocery store and can take the metro to doctor’s appointments. However, in COVID times, I’d want a car with a newborn. I wouldn’t want to take a newborn on the metro or a bus, or in an Uber, so that leaves...walking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could do without but setting up a car seat in a Zipcar or Uber every time you need it would be a serious hassle. Not necessary to get a car but certainly more convenient.

It's extremely easy to set up a lightweight carseat in a rental/zipcar/uber if you buy the right model. Probably takes about 20 seconds if you know what you're doing with the belts and does not take a lot of effort/strength. Never had a problem while traveling.

I imagine that it would be helpful to the OP if you were to recommend your 20-second-install model.

[Anonymous]

OP, we didn’t want to get car when expecting our first but we did all the research on what we would get so if we changed our minds after the birth it would be easier to get it done when we were busy with a new baby. We did eventually buy one after our second was born because he ended up having significant health issues that necessitated numerous and regular medical appts all over the region. Never say never because you never know what may happen!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could do without but setting up a car seat in a Zipcar or Uber every time you need it would be a serious hassle. Not necessary to get a car but certainly more convenient.

Infant bucket seats easily buckle in using the seat belt -- you don't need to install the base.

We didn't have a car with our newborn. If your neighborhood is generally walkable, you're fine. The pandemic might change things, in terms of willingness to take public transportation/Uber/taxi. But otherwise it's a question of convenience, not need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When our baby was born we decided to see how long we could go without a car. A decade (and two more kids) later, we're doing fine. We either walk, bike, take public transit, take Uber, or rent a car through Zipcar or a traditional car rental place. (Haven't used Uber or much public transit in Covid times.) Won't necessarily work for you, but try it. Worst possibility is that you have to rent a car for a few weeks while you buy one. But if you buy a car and then decide you don't want it, it would be costly.

I like this idea.

I think that when considering what you need for a baby, it’s best to avoid big purchases until you feel like they’re necessary. They might be, but they might not.

+1. It's really not that hard to acquire a car. You can wait and see. Maybe set aside enough for a down payment or whatever, and if you don't end up using it for a car, then you have some extra money.

[Anonymous]

The main issue is bad weather. If you can walk everywhere, that’s great. But what about when there’s a foot of snow or a major rainstorm? What about emergencies? Could you quickly make it to an ER?

These what if’s are rare. I’d give being carless a try but definitely be willing to buy one if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, if you are walking distance to most things you don't need it, and especially in COVID with nowhere to go. We literally only drive to the doctor's office right now because we aren't walking distance, but otherwise our baby is never in the car (and he's now 6 months). However, if you're planning on public transit/cabs/uber to get to things like the doctor or daycare, I'd be iffy during COVID. You could always do a long-term rental through Enterprise or Hertz or whatever for the first month and see how much you actually use it (you will have the most doctor's appointments then and be healing yourself and far less likely to want to walk more than a short distance) before making a longer term decision that will be way more expensive than a monthly car rental rate. This way you can test out parking near your house/apt (is it a huge pain?), whether you'll actually prefer to drive many places, etc without a big monetary investment.

For what it's worth, I much prefer to baby wear than the travel system we bought and we switched our infant seat out for the convertible by 5 months because he was squished and uncomfortable. So if walking distance to most places, and you like baby wearing, you really don't need a car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could do without but setting up a car seat in a Zipcar or Uber every time you need it would be a serious hassle. Not necessary to get a car but certainly more convenient.

It's extremely easy to set up a lightweight carseat in a rental/zipcar/uber if you buy the right model. Probably takes about 20 seconds if you know what you're doing with the belts and does not take a lot of effort/strength. Never had a problem while traveling.

I imagine that it would be helpful to the OP if you were to recommend your 20-second-install model.

I'm a different poster (posted on the first page about being carless with no issues with a one year old, although the first month would be tougher with covid). Just wanted to jump in and answer this - if you are going carless, your best carseat option is the chicco fit2. It's the longest lasting infant bucket seat on the market (a kid in the 85% will still fit in it on his second birthday) and infant bucket seats that then snap into stroller is WAY easier for things like cabs rather than dealing with a convertible car seat. You do not need the base - we sold ours to someone who needed a second one. We practiced a few times getting it into friends cars before the baby came, and we quickly learned to install in < 20 seconds. You can go right from a chicco fit2 to an immi go to a bubble bum. Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

So what’s the alternative? Taking a newborn on public transit or in an Uber during covid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the alternative? Taking a newborn on public transit or in an Uber during covid?

Walking! That's what we do!