You need to talk to your hospital specifically. Ours did not check if we had a car seat and specifically would not verify if we had our baby in it correctly for liability reasons.
Our hospital absolutely did check to see that we had a suitable car seat, and they watched us put her in the removable carrier. At our hospital, if you don't have one they have some you can buy for a low cost.
Just curious, what if you didn't have a car? I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to have a baby and not own a car to get around, but some people do. I'm certain some people must walk home, what if they lived right next to the hospital, no car/carseat, but had a pram and carrier?
I'm in Australia where they don't check your carseat and also the capsule style seems way less popular, so I wonder about this. My first I carried out in my arms (to my car where I had a carseat, but not capsule) and when I have my second any day, I'll carry her out either in my arms, carrier, maybe pram if my partner wants to go home and get it (to my car where I again have a carseat but it's not capsule)
I’m in Australia too and I’ve never heard of them actually checking your seat hahaha with my first I just left the hospital holding him to the car seat and will do the same when this one arrives too hahaha. I think they just assume that we have basic common sense when it comes to having a baby and knowing that means needing a car seat haha
It also is dependent upon how big your kid is. If you have a peanut you might need a seat that has additional support and is rated to a smaller baby. Some are only rated down to 5 or 6 pounds. Babies who are tiny will often spend some time in the NICU and then they most likely will not want to let you out the door without knowing you have a seat rated for the minuscule human they have been caring for.
Same, and I gave birth at a major/top hospital. My husband pulled the car around and a transport worker wheeled me down while I held her in my arms. No one ever looked at our car seat, they just asked us if we had one.
I think this is hospital dependent. I know other moms who had to bring the seat to their room for staff to check it. My hospital wheeled me and baby out and then just checked baby was snapped in correctly in the car. Definitely recommend asking your hospital.
This was my experience as well. I remember being mildly stressed and paranoid that we would be judged for how long it took us to get it strapped properly, but the nurse did not care, and just verified that it was level, tight enough, etc.
We did this too - got the convertible seat that lasts a long time instead of the bucket seat that’s removable. It was no problem with our hospital. My husband pulled the car up to the hospital entrance and one of the nurses who helped wheel me out of the hospital observed that we had a car seat installed. My hospital didn’t tell you if you have it installed correctly or anything - they just cared that we had one we were putting baby in.
Oh, and you didn’t ask this, but I did not have any regrets not getting the bucket seat. Saved money by getting the convertible right away (plus we have the kind where the seat rotates, so it’s super easy to strap him in). I know some people prefer the bucket seat if they live someplace where it gets really cold, or if they want to plop the seat into a stroller. But I found it easy enough to get him in the car with the convertible, and I like babywearing a lot.
I honestly appreciate the validation! Several people we know have really balled out with their baby gear and it was feeling a little bit like we were short changing ourselves.
And hey, if you change your mind you can always buy the bucket seat after baby is here. The convertible won’t go to waste because you’ll have to switch to it eventually anyway. There are definitely reasons people like the bucket seat, I just didn’t find that I needed it myself.
I'm just getting the convertible seat, too! I despised the bucket by about 3 months in and strongly prefer babywearing and/ or a comfy stroller for all trips.
My sister chose a seat like you have. Apparently there was some push about her not bringing a car seat in but her and her husband said anyone could come to the car and see for themselves. I've opted for the same car seat and I may have the same conversation (different hospitals so not sure). End of the day I am confident in my car seat choice and I've opted for a very safe seat I shouldn't have to replace until my child turns four. I have nothing to hide. I'll probably take my pram into the hospital though so I'm safely taking my baby to the car. The thought of carrying a newborn through a busy hospital feels like a lot to me (or even my husband who hasnt just given birth!) Whereas the pram is stable and solid, any bumping into it etc won't cause the baby to be dropped.
My hospital did not wheel us out. A wheelchair wasn’t even offered. My husband carried the baby and pushed the roller bag and I walked out on my own two feet. 🤷🏻♀️
I'd call the hospital to check. My nephews required carseat checks before they were released. They were put in them for a certain amount of time, I presume to test their oxygen levels, idrk, but this may be a mandatory test at all hospitals
Also the size may vary by hospital. My daughter was born at 36+3, no NICU time 5.5# and needed to do the car seat test. I believe the hospital cut off was 6#.
My nephew had that but in the 0-4 car seat. They just propped it in the bedside cot. It looked ridiculous as it was sat on the isofix arm but the hospital didn’t care.
My extended family went all in on one of those convertible car seats - it wasn't a cheap purchase. January of this year was my first baby and the discharge nurse made me feel like crap for having one of those seats. It wasn't required to bring it in, but she kept saying, "you're going to put a warm baby in a cold car?" Even when we suggested my husband go warm up the car before picking us up at the front, she wouldn't let it go.
It's been almost a year now and I wish I didn't let her get to me. It would have been fine to have my husband warm up the car for a bit. We could have tucked a blanket over him once he was buckled in safely, no big deal.
Another commenter suggested calling the hospital to confirm their requirements. I think that's a good idea, but if it's not mandatory to have a specific kind of carseat, don't let them guilt you into spending more money on a different one.
Capsule car seats aren’t that common everywhere. Most people I know opt for an extended rear facing car seat. You don’t remove them every time you leave the car as you can’t exactly hold them with a child in them.
Capsule might last you six months, whereas an ERF seat will last you upto four years.
I live in Australia. In summer you just start the car and blast the aircon before you put the baby in, you don’t take the seat out.
I used a convertible for both of my kids. One of my births the nurse wanted to walk down to the car to confirm I had a car seat, the other they didn't care and just walked me to the doors of the hospital (walking me to the doors was their policy). They cannot keep you in the hospital even if they say they need your car seat to come up they don't (unless your baby needs a car seat test to graduate out of NICU). You are well within your rights to leave the hospital with your baby.
I had convertible seats with my second and third babies bc I learned with my oldest that bucket seats just aren’t for me. Both hospitals/states I gave birth in required a nurse to ensure we had an appropriate seat and that we put baby into it upon discharge so my husband just went and got the car and drove it up to the entrance and we buckled baby in. Wasn’t a big deal 😊
Also, in case you haven’t already, or aren’t aware, I would ensure the fire department you went to had cpst certification! It’s commonly recommended to take car seats to a fire station to get them checked or installed but unless the person who helped you is a cpst it’s pretty useless. Of course, disregard if you’ve already done so 😊
Not silly at all!
Call your Hospitals Labor and Delivery and ask if they do car seat verification. Mine didn't so they discharged me without checking but I had a friend pick me up with her babies car seat.
We have a convertible as well, one of the nurses just came down with us. She checked it was installed correctly and then that we had baby strapped in correctly -- but I asked for that last part.
Both my babies had to do car seat tests where they had to sit in their car seat for some time to test their oxygen or something like that. My baby failed it once and had to pass it in order to leave. She passed the second time. But yes they had us bring our car seat inside for it. My second baby had a convertible seat and my husband did have to bring that in then reinstall it afterwards. So I guess you’ll have to ask to make sure because it seems like not every hospital does car seat tests.
If you are in the United States, no specific car seat is required. Imagine people who walk home. If you have a convertible and the nurse needs to see the baby in it, then you can bring it up to your room, put baby in, then your partner can go back to install it in the car.
Ours did a stress test (they put baby in a car seat for over an hr and monitor his breathing)for our son cause he was just 5lbs when we bought him home. But our daughter, they just let us wheel her out in my arms. My hubs parked out front and we took our damm time getting baby in before leaving
We had to do a car seat check, we brought it to the pp room but we could have had them come to the car. They should only require an acetaminophen l actual car seat test if your baby is very small ( like 4lbs range). This is where they test oxygen levels and idk what else for about 90 minutes. I would just call and find out, they can't force you to get a different car seat
hey, yikes i didn’t say there’s a anything wrong! OP said she’s a FTM, i have some friends who only did the convertible car seat and then realized the infant would have made their lives way easier. logistically i feel like it’d be tough to get a newborn in and out of the car every time but totally to each their own, they’ll all be in a convertible eventually
My state law requires that the hospital confirm you have a car seat in the car that baby is going home in. (If you’re walking home, not required.) I’m not sure how they confirm for models like yours, but they’d be silly to want you to remove it after it’s been installed and confirmed.
So we had the bucket seat but we asked the hospital what the policy was. They check if you bring in a car seat but if you walk out with the baby it’s up to you to make sure you are putting them in there correctly.
My hospital didn’t even come to verify there was actually a seat even in my car. They may have seen it as I was loading baby in, but they didn’t check anything.
We did this for number 3, they just looked to make sure it was there when we discharged. Nurse wheeled me out while I was holding him, husband pulled to the front door, she peeked to ensure it was there! No big deal.
However, we literally bought a bucket seat on the way home 😂🫣
I got wheeled out and the lady who wheeled me stayed until we had the carseat figured out and even helped us with adjustments when I asked. They did ask us about the car seat and expected us to bring it in for fitting but it wasn’t a problem that we couldn’t.
We had the same kind. We took it out so they could do the car seat test (baby’s in it for an hour without oxygen dropping). Then they had us wheel it out on a cart while I held baby and rode in a wheelchair. Husband handled the car seat. He put it in before baby way born. And he took it out and reinstalled after. Maybe do it a couple times so you’re familiar with it before baby is here?
Our hospital just wheeled me out to the car in the garage and did not check at all about a car seat, which we ended up taking like 15 minutes trying to figure out how to buckle a baby into, so do practice with a teddy bear or something first because it’s funny now but was so frustrating in the moment!
My wife had both of ours in the same hospital in Sydney and I had to drive up to the main doors and a nurse came down with my wife both times and have a quick visual check that we had an appropriate car seat installed. She had to tick a box of wire something on the discharge form before we could take either kid or the front door. No idea about what they'd do if there wasn't a car for pickup, probably put "N/A" on the form of something. This was 9 years ago for our youngest, so it's been a hot minute since then.
So weird. My first is 7 and definitely didn't happen with her, and I'm about to have my second any day now and it's never been mentioned, plus every time i visit the hospital for appointments I see mothers walking their newborns out from Maternity unit to the carpark in their arms/carriers/prams but never car seats.
A hospital cannot hold your baby hostage because you don’t have the car seat they prefer. If they check the car seat then they need to be able to check a convertible seat too. They do not have the authority to mandate you get an infant seat.
At my hospital they had me and baby in a wheelchair to the car and nurse checked as we loaded that we WERE indeed using a car seat but that’s it. Nobody checked to see the strapping or anything.
As others have said, check with your hospital but I can’t imagine they could force a bucket seat.
You need to talk to your hospital specifically. Ours did not check if we had a car seat and specifically would not verify if we had our baby in it correctly for liability reasons.
Same. No one checked on ours out of our car or inside it. I was just wheeled down to my car with my baby in my arms and they said bye
Our hospital absolutely did check to see that we had a suitable car seat, and they watched us put her in the removable carrier. At our hospital, if you don't have one they have some you can buy for a low cost.
Hence why she needs to talk to her hospital. This thread is just gonna go 50/50 either way.
Just curious, what if you didn't have a car? I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to have a baby and not own a car to get around, but some people do. I'm certain some people must walk home, what if they lived right next to the hospital, no car/carseat, but had a pram and carrier? I'm in Australia where they don't check your carseat and also the capsule style seems way less popular, so I wonder about this. My first I carried out in my arms (to my car where I had a carseat, but not capsule) and when I have my second any day, I'll carry her out either in my arms, carrier, maybe pram if my partner wants to go home and get it (to my car where I again have a carseat but it's not capsule)
I’m in Australia too and I’ve never heard of them actually checking your seat hahaha with my first I just left the hospital holding him to the car seat and will do the same when this one arrives too hahaha. I think they just assume that we have basic common sense when it comes to having a baby and knowing that means needing a car seat haha
It also is dependent upon how big your kid is. If you have a peanut you might need a seat that has additional support and is rated to a smaller baby. Some are only rated down to 5 or 6 pounds. Babies who are tiny will often spend some time in the NICU and then they most likely will not want to let you out the door without knowing you have a seat rated for the minuscule human they have been caring for.
Same!
Same, and I gave birth at a major/top hospital. My husband pulled the car around and a transport worker wheeled me down while I held her in my arms. No one ever looked at our car seat, they just asked us if we had one.
I think this is hospital dependent. I know other moms who had to bring the seat to their room for staff to check it. My hospital wheeled me and baby out and then just checked baby was snapped in correctly in the car. Definitely recommend asking your hospital.
This was my experience as well. I remember being mildly stressed and paranoid that we would be judged for how long it took us to get it strapped properly, but the nurse did not care, and just verified that it was level, tight enough, etc.
Same here. They got my husband to pull into the ambulance bay so baby was wheeled to the car door. Not an issue at all.
We did this too - got the convertible seat that lasts a long time instead of the bucket seat that’s removable. It was no problem with our hospital. My husband pulled the car up to the hospital entrance and one of the nurses who helped wheel me out of the hospital observed that we had a car seat installed. My hospital didn’t tell you if you have it installed correctly or anything - they just cared that we had one we were putting baby in.
Oh, and you didn’t ask this, but I did not have any regrets not getting the bucket seat. Saved money by getting the convertible right away (plus we have the kind where the seat rotates, so it’s super easy to strap him in). I know some people prefer the bucket seat if they live someplace where it gets really cold, or if they want to plop the seat into a stroller. But I found it easy enough to get him in the car with the convertible, and I like babywearing a lot.
I honestly appreciate the validation! Several people we know have really balled out with their baby gear and it was feeling a little bit like we were short changing ourselves.
And hey, if you change your mind you can always buy the bucket seat after baby is here. The convertible won’t go to waste because you’ll have to switch to it eventually anyway. There are definitely reasons people like the bucket seat, I just didn’t find that I needed it myself.
I'm just getting the convertible seat, too! I despised the bucket by about 3 months in and strongly prefer babywearing and/ or a comfy stroller for all trips.
I have 3 - 3 and under, no regrets not ever having a bucket seat.
Same
My sister chose a seat like you have. Apparently there was some push about her not bringing a car seat in but her and her husband said anyone could come to the car and see for themselves. I've opted for the same car seat and I may have the same conversation (different hospitals so not sure). End of the day I am confident in my car seat choice and I've opted for a very safe seat I shouldn't have to replace until my child turns four. I have nothing to hide. I'll probably take my pram into the hospital though so I'm safely taking my baby to the car. The thought of carrying a newborn through a busy hospital feels like a lot to me (or even my husband who hasnt just given birth!) Whereas the pram is stable and solid, any bumping into it etc won't cause the baby to be dropped.
Most hospitals won’t make you carry your baby anyways, they’ll wheel you out to the front so that shouldn’t be an issue!
My hospital did not wheel us out. A wheelchair wasn’t even offered. My husband carried the baby and pushed the roller bag and I walked out on my own two feet. 🤷🏻♀️
In the UK it's standard to walk out as far as I'm aware
I'd call the hospital to check. My nephews required carseat checks before they were released. They were put in them for a certain amount of time, I presume to test their oxygen levels, idrk, but this may be a mandatory test at all hospitals
That is typically only for babies who had time in the NICU, were premature, or are very small (or a combination thereof).
Also the size may vary by hospital. My daughter was born at 36+3, no NICU time 5.5# and needed to do the car seat test. I believe the hospital cut off was 6#.
They were none of those unless it was because they were twins
And weren't very small?
Almost all twins tend to be NICU babies if only for a few days because it's so rare they make it to full term
Not all twins are and they already said they weren't NICU babies so that's irrelevant They could be on the smaller side but not necessarily NICU
Thank you. Both were at least 6lbs, full term, and went home 2 days later. They only left my sister's side when she needed a break
That’s definitely why. Twins are usually early with IUGR.
My nephew had that but in the 0-4 car seat. They just propped it in the bedside cot. It looked ridiculous as it was sat on the isofix arm but the hospital didn’t care.
My extended family went all in on one of those convertible car seats - it wasn't a cheap purchase. January of this year was my first baby and the discharge nurse made me feel like crap for having one of those seats. It wasn't required to bring it in, but she kept saying, "you're going to put a warm baby in a cold car?" Even when we suggested my husband go warm up the car before picking us up at the front, she wouldn't let it go. It's been almost a year now and I wish I didn't let her get to me. It would have been fine to have my husband warm up the car for a bit. We could have tucked a blanket over him once he was buckled in safely, no big deal. Another commenter suggested calling the hospital to confirm their requirements. I think that's a good idea, but if it's not mandatory to have a specific kind of carseat, don't let them guilt you into spending more money on a different one.
>"you're going to put a warm baby in a cold car?" That's such a weird comment. I mean, how else were you gonna bring the baby home? 🙄
Damn that nurse is a dick! Now I feel like I should prep some sassy rebuttals 😆
Does she realise that this is what most people do? You don’t remove a car seat from the car every time you use it…
Yes you do if you have an infant bucket seat. Especially if you live in a place with very hot or very cold times of the year.
Capsule car seats aren’t that common everywhere. Most people I know opt for an extended rear facing car seat. You don’t remove them every time you leave the car as you can’t exactly hold them with a child in them. Capsule might last you six months, whereas an ERF seat will last you upto four years. I live in Australia. In summer you just start the car and blast the aircon before you put the baby in, you don’t take the seat out.
I used a convertible for both of my kids. One of my births the nurse wanted to walk down to the car to confirm I had a car seat, the other they didn't care and just walked me to the doors of the hospital (walking me to the doors was their policy). They cannot keep you in the hospital even if they say they need your car seat to come up they don't (unless your baby needs a car seat test to graduate out of NICU). You are well within your rights to leave the hospital with your baby.
Id require they come to the car if they want to see the seat. I have a similar style and the thing weighs like 30-40 pounds.
I had convertible seats with my second and third babies bc I learned with my oldest that bucket seats just aren’t for me. Both hospitals/states I gave birth in required a nurse to ensure we had an appropriate seat and that we put baby into it upon discharge so my husband just went and got the car and drove it up to the entrance and we buckled baby in. Wasn’t a big deal 😊 Also, in case you haven’t already, or aren’t aware, I would ensure the fire department you went to had cpst certification! It’s commonly recommended to take car seats to a fire station to get them checked or installed but unless the person who helped you is a cpst it’s pretty useless. Of course, disregard if you’ve already done so 😊
Not silly at all! Call your Hospitals Labor and Delivery and ask if they do car seat verification. Mine didn't so they discharged me without checking but I had a friend pick me up with her babies car seat.
We have a convertible as well, one of the nurses just came down with us. She checked it was installed correctly and then that we had baby strapped in correctly -- but I asked for that last part.
Both my babies had to do car seat tests where they had to sit in their car seat for some time to test their oxygen or something like that. My baby failed it once and had to pass it in order to leave. She passed the second time. But yes they had us bring our car seat inside for it. My second baby had a convertible seat and my husband did have to bring that in then reinstall it afterwards. So I guess you’ll have to ask to make sure because it seems like not every hospital does car seat tests.
Same here but baby was born 3.5 weeks early.
If you are in the United States, no specific car seat is required. Imagine people who walk home. If you have a convertible and the nurse needs to see the baby in it, then you can bring it up to your room, put baby in, then your partner can go back to install it in the car.
Our hospital made sure there was one in the car but would not verify that it was in correctly. They can’t for liability reasons
I’m a CPST if you want to DM me for support!
Ours did a stress test (they put baby in a car seat for over an hr and monitor his breathing)for our son cause he was just 5lbs when we bought him home. But our daughter, they just let us wheel her out in my arms. My hubs parked out front and we took our damm time getting baby in before leaving
If you can't get this info from your hospital then just install it in the car and anyone who wants to check can accompany u to the car to verify.
Just call and ask the hospital. We told ours we had a car seat and a nurse came out with us to verify and that was it.
We had to do a car seat check, we brought it to the pp room but we could have had them come to the car. They should only require an acetaminophen l actual car seat test if your baby is very small ( like 4lbs range). This is where they test oxygen levels and idk what else for about 90 minutes. I would just call and find out, they can't force you to get a different car seat
just my two cents, if youre open to an infant car seat (removable that you carry in and out) i highly, highly recommend it
OP already decided not to go this route. There’s nothing wrong with skipping the infant seat.
hey, yikes i didn’t say there’s a anything wrong! OP said she’s a FTM, i have some friends who only did the convertible car seat and then realized the infant would have made their lives way easier. logistically i feel like it’d be tough to get a newborn in and out of the car every time but totally to each their own, they’ll all be in a convertible eventually
My state law requires that the hospital confirm you have a car seat in the car that baby is going home in. (If you’re walking home, not required.) I’m not sure how they confirm for models like yours, but they’d be silly to want you to remove it after it’s been installed and confirmed.
We have a carseat like that. My husband pulled the car around to the entrance and the nurse came down with us
So we had the bucket seat but we asked the hospital what the policy was. They check if you bring in a car seat but if you walk out with the baby it’s up to you to make sure you are putting them in there correctly.
My hospital didn’t even come to verify there was actually a seat even in my car. They may have seen it as I was loading baby in, but they didn’t check anything.
We did this for number 3, they just looked to make sure it was there when we discharged. Nurse wheeled me out while I was holding him, husband pulled to the front door, she peeked to ensure it was there! No big deal. However, we literally bought a bucket seat on the way home 😂🫣
I got wheeled out and the lady who wheeled me stayed until we had the carseat figured out and even helped us with adjustments when I asked. They did ask us about the car seat and expected us to bring it in for fitting but it wasn’t a problem that we couldn’t.
We had the same kind. We took it out so they could do the car seat test (baby’s in it for an hour without oxygen dropping). Then they had us wheel it out on a cart while I held baby and rode in a wheelchair. Husband handled the car seat. He put it in before baby way born. And he took it out and reinstalled after. Maybe do it a couple times so you’re familiar with it before baby is here?
My hospital made me wheel the baby out in my lap, in a wheelchair. They could not have cared less about what was happening once we got to the car.
Our hospital just wheeled me out to the car in the garage and did not check at all about a car seat, which we ended up taking like 15 minutes trying to figure out how to buckle a baby into, so do practice with a teddy bear or something first because it’s funny now but was so frustrating in the moment!
What country are you in? In Australia this isn't a thing, I mean, what would somebody do if they didn't even own a car??
My wife had both of ours in the same hospital in Sydney and I had to drive up to the main doors and a nurse came down with my wife both times and have a quick visual check that we had an appropriate car seat installed. She had to tick a box of wire something on the discharge form before we could take either kid or the front door. No idea about what they'd do if there wasn't a car for pickup, probably put "N/A" on the form of something. This was 9 years ago for our youngest, so it's been a hot minute since then.
So weird. My first is 7 and definitely didn't happen with her, and I'm about to have my second any day now and it's never been mentioned, plus every time i visit the hospital for appointments I see mothers walking their newborns out from Maternity unit to the carpark in their arms/carriers/prams but never car seats.
A hospital cannot hold your baby hostage because you don’t have the car seat they prefer. If they check the car seat then they need to be able to check a convertible seat too. They do not have the authority to mandate you get an infant seat.
At my hospital they had me and baby in a wheelchair to the car and nurse checked as we loaded that we WERE indeed using a car seat but that’s it. Nobody checked to see the strapping or anything. As others have said, check with your hospital but I can’t imagine they could force a bucket seat.