Do you need a car with a newborn?

[Anonymous]

I live in D.C. and my DH has been adamant that we all of a sudden need a vehicle for DS (expected in April).

Thoughts? Do you really need a car for a child? Do you have one, planning on getting one?

[Anonymous]

No but I think it will be tougher with covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No but I think it will be tougher with covid.

How so?

[Anonymous]

It depends on the distance and how you plan to get there. Are you near everything and plann to walk with the newborn to pediatrician, park, etc.? If so, may be you don’t need a car. But if your alternative is to bike or Uber with a newborn, that would get old very fast. It’s so nice to have the car seat already installed for your newborn, any extra things you may need (stroller, etc) thrown in the trunk...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No but I think it will be tougher with covid.

How so?

Unless you are walking distance to everywhere you need to go, you’ll have to take a newborn on metro, in an Uber, etc., which increases the risk that your newborn will contract the virus.

[Anonymous]

It is significantly more convenient to have your own car, especially now. But if you are walking distance to your doctor, a park, and a grocery store it might not be as necessary.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

How do you bike with a newborn?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Let us know how things work out without a car.

[Anonymous]

Its far more convenient.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

We hemmed and hawed and ended up buying a car about a week before our first was born. When I realized how often the baby had to go to the pediatrician in the first few months, and after walking to my OB a couple times in the pouring rain, we decided to just bite the bullet. We were able to pay for a parking spot in our apartment building, and got a good deal on a used car (have a car salesman in the family). I would sometimes go a week or much longer without using it, but it was definitely helpful. It was so nice to be able to drive to the suburbs to see friends, park at the grocery store or mall and not have to carry stuff AND the car seat/stroller back on the metro.

[Anonymous]

We have a one year old in DC, no car. It’s not a problem at all. We are walking distance to the pediatrician, which is key. We also host a nanny share - for a while we were in a share where someone else hosted, also not a problem. You just need your childcare to be within walking distance as well. We are walking distance to the metro and many busses as well. However, that has not been helpful. Even pre-covid, we didn’t want to take a newborn on public transit during flu season, just for the first 2 months, and covid hit when he was 7 weeks. I can tell it’ll be helpful once we’re post pandemic though.

I will say - covid would make this more difficult, particularly at the very, very beginning, because I, for one, am not comfortable putting the baby in a cab during covid (something I would do without hesitation in regular times). While I was still healing and not able to walk the 20 mins each way to the pediatrician, we took cabs - probably four round trips in the first month. Not sure how I would handle that during covid, but that would be tough. You’ll want a plan for that.

[Anonymous]

Not OP, We’ve always made car rental a regular part of our budget, renting approx 10-12 times a year. But now we have a 5 week old and my husband is also adamant we need a car and I think it’s just covid/convenience that’s making him think so. I don’t think it’s worth the expense and headache if you live right in the city near everything you need. Sigh but we’ll see who wins.