going home from hospital sans car -- carseat issues?

[Anonymous]

I can't believe this thread was resurrected! I delivered at Sibley this past summer. They do have a carseat policy and try to tell you that you *may* not leave without the carseat. In fact, they won't even call the escort / candystriper for your release until baby is in carseat. Well, the morning I checked out they were backed up. We had our baby in the carseat, they called, and then 20 minutes later I was trying in vain to quiet my hysterical 2 day old who was stuck in a carseat wondering why his mom and dad, who had previously been so responsive to his cries, were letting him "cry it out." The nurses kept telling me that if I took him out of the carseat they'd have to cancel the discharge. When we complained and said we were upset at being forced to allow our little one to get so worked up, the nurses, who were nice but weren't willing to back down and let us take him out, told my husband to put latex gloves on and stick his ring finger in baby's mouth to soothe him. Whatevs. I pulled DS out of the carseat and walked to the door with him in my arms. the nurses had to open the door to let us out, so if it were really "illegal" or whateve, they wouldn't have had to let us go, but they did. Point is, you should absolutely have a carseat if you are going anywhere in an automobile, including a taxi. But when it comes down to it, the hospital can't actually *make* you do anything.

Nothing against the nurses, they were all aces while I was there, but the policy of having to have baby in a carseat just to leave (as opposed to actually making sure you at least have one in the car) is DUMB and unenforceable. Incidentally, the nurses said they weren't allowed to help us figure out the carseat straps, either, but then another nurse said "I'll help you" and did lend a hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a cab driver from the fort lauderdale airport REFUSE to take me without a car seat for my daughter. Just my 2 cents.

I'm really surprised a cab driver would do that. Good for him though.

Agree. A good man.

[Anonymous]

I know Alexandria wont let you put the baby in the carseat until you are at the car. So you hold the baby in your lap as they wheel you out. DH was a tad upset that the first time we were trying to strap DD into the set we were outside in the cold. oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are annoyed because we keep telling you that you need a carseat regardless of whether or not you drive when you leave the hospital. It does not vary by hospital. It is a standard policy to force people to use carseats otherwise lower income people would just say "we are walking!" and leave the hospital.

In NYC, where most people DO NOT HAVE CARS, you need a carseat to leave the hospital. And yes, I know this for a fact. We keep telling you that YOU NEED A CARSEAT, it's not a matter of them keeping your baby, it's a matter of you needing to send someone to buy a carseat if you do not have one.

really? Because then you must NEED a stroller, too. can you mimagine being postpartum and lugging a baby bucket on a crowded sidewalk?? I would wear my baby in a sling as I walk. I am positive they cannot enforce the carseat thing, if one is NOT traveling by car. In any state. Crazy.

[Anonymous]

We don't have a car, but got an infant carseat as a baby shower gift. My parents picked us up from GW (which lets you rent car seats). We used our infant carseat with the stroller frame and loved it! We use the bus to commute so we could easily collapse the stroller frame and keep baby in the carseat to put on the seat next to us which is a big plus when she's sleeping.

[Anonymous]

I called my hospital in NYC (St. Luke's Roosevelt) and asked about the carseat policy.

They require a car seat for discharge ONLY if you are leaving in a PRIVATE car.

So, if you walking or taking a car service/cab you do NOT need a car seat.

[Anonymous]

To the OP-
I have delivered at 3 different area hospitals: GW, Georgetown and Virginia Hospital Center. At each of these hospitals we were told we had to carry our infant out in a car seat. BUT we didn't have and infant carrier type carseat. We have a convertable carseat that starts rearfacing at 5lbs. Once we explained this to the discharge nurse that all responded that is fine we just need to see you strap the baby into an age appropriate carseat if you are leaving by car. So at each hospital the baby rode in my lap in a wheelchair and the nurse watched us strap the baby in. I did happen to ask the nurse at VA hospital what they do if someone isn't leaving by car and she said they (the hospital) have to make sure the baby leave the hospital grounds by foot, ie in a stroller.

[Anonymous]

Why not just buy a stroller with the snap in carseat....that way you have your baby strapped in a carseat when you leave the hospital and you can snap it in to the stroller when you walk that way you don't have to carry the carseat...and trust me I've seen plenty of people take there strollers on the bus/train and they do have taxis equipped for strollers/wheelchairs....that way if you ever do need to ride in a car for any reason you would already have a carseat....

[Anonymous]

I walked home from GWUH earlier this year. They wheeled me out, holding the baby, to the line in the sidewalk that indicated the end of their responsibility. (I felt ridiculous in the wheelchair since I had walked out of the L&D room to recovery, but whatever.) Then we walked home. No car seat was ever presented or required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not just buy a stroller with the snap in carseat....that way you have your baby strapped in a carseat when you leave the hospital and you can snap it in to the stroller when you walk that way you don't have to carry the carseat...and trust me I've seen plenty of people take there strollers on the bus/train and they do have taxis equipped for strollers/wheelchairs....that way if you ever do need to ride in a car for any reason you would already have a carseat....

What made you open a thread that is over two years old and respond to this? This is OP. We did not have any issues. We actually did have a carseat - I was just asking based on curiosity. The nurses told us that walkers do not need a carseat.

FYI, not everyone uses a stroller. (We haven't, ever, like actually not even once, and DS is 2+ years old now). We do use a carseat, but I could see how people without cars might never do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
That carseat had so many uses even though it was rarely in a car - it was a crib, it was a rocker, it was a place to put baby down when I had to go to the bathroom. Getting a carseat even though I didn't have a car and didn't plan to get one was a no-brainer, as silly as though it may sound to you..

You are wrong. A car seat is not a crib
It is much better for a baby to lie on its back. That is the position they should sleep.

I would guess that those who walk home or take public trasnport can get a car seat from the hospital as a gift.
There is no way a hospital can kidnap a baby on the grounds of a car seat.

I know I caused a stir when I said I wanted to walk instead of being wheeled in a wheelchair. To me that kind of escort was just unnecessary and incredibly silly. Still do not know why they insist on it.

[Anonymous]

regarding why they make you take the wheelchair...it's a liability issue. The hospital does not want you to fall or otherwise injure yourself on your way out...what happens outside the doors fails to be the hospital's problem. Stupid...yes, but it's what over-litigation has led to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That carseat had so many uses even though it was rarely in a car - it was a crib, it was a rocker, it was a place to put baby down when I had to go to the bathroom. Getting a carseat even though I didn't have a car and didn't plan to get one was a no-brainer, as silly as though it may sound to you..

You are wrong. A car seat is not a crib
It is much better for a baby to lie on its back. That is the position they should sleep.

I would guess that those who walk home or take public trasnport can get a car seat from the hospital as a gift.
There is no way a hospital can kidnap a baby on the grounds of a car seat.

I know I caused a stir when I said I wanted to walk instead of being wheeled in a wheelchair. To me that kind of escort was just unnecessary and incredibly silly. Still do not know why they insist on it.

Right on. Carseats are for cars - period. While I personally don't think it's a big deal that some people will cart a sleeping baby from the carseat to wherever in the carseat (who wants to wake a sleeping baby? So okay) people go way beyond this and do what PP said, which is why kids end up wearing helmets and having other problems. Carseats are for cars! And if you don't have a car and don't plan on using a car, you don't need a carseat. The hospital will let you leave without one. They just won't let you put baby into a CAR without one.

BTW, PP, you can walk yourself down from the hospital but they'll make you sign an against medical advice document. PP is right about litigation. That's exactly why they do it. Ugh - i always hated that. And I also wondered why I was "allowed" to walk all around the hospital floor with my baby but the discharge had to be in a wheelchair. What, the elevator was a bigger fall hazard than the maternity floor?

[Anonymous]

Does Sibley check the expiration date on the carseat? It sounds like the answer is no, but I'd rather not be surprised.