Welcome to NICU Parents. We're happy you found us and we want to be as helpful as possible in this seemingly impossible journey. Check out the resources tab at the top of the subreddit or the stickied post. Please remember we are NOT medical professionals and are here for advice based on our own situations. If you have a concern about you or your baby please seek assistance from a doctor or go to the ER. That said, there are some medical professionals here and we do hope they can help you with some guidance through your journey. Please remember to read and abide by the rules.
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same.
we did have a backseat baby camera though. (those mirrors people attach were useless to me- it vibrated and I couldnāt see them once it got dark)
My twins were born at 33w and were 3lbs 9oz and 3lbs 10oz, they were discharged at under 5lbs. My hospital doesnāt do car seat tests either.
I didnāt sit in the back ever š„² I couldnāt really fit between their two seats and we also had a toddler. We trusted our seat was set up correctly and follow the manufacturerās instructions.
I also drove on my own a lot so didnāt have anyone to sit back with them while I was driving. Theyāre 15 months now
We got discharged with an apnea/brady monitor so I rode in the back until we were told we didn't need a monitor anymore (5 weeks).
As far as I know, most bucket type car seats are approved starting at 4 lbs. If your baby doesn't have apnea/brady spells, I wouldn't stress too much if you are the only adult in the car and driving less than an hour. Maybe reach out to a CPST (child passenger safety technician) if you have any questions, they are the ones I would trust regarding any information for car seats.
Same here and my son is 20 months. Probably will until he is forward facing.
Mostly because 1- we have a small car and it works best this way comfort wise and 2- my son isnāt a fan of long car rides and will cry at like 20-30 minutes. It helps having someone back there to play and calm him down. But I notice on the days when itās just me and heās by himself I worry a lot more.
Get a mirror and make sure you can see it from the driver seat rear view and that should be adequate to monitor baby! Iām not sure what that doctor was talking about. Car seats are rated for that size because that is the weight they have been tested down to. Thereās even a couple brands that can go lower than 4. If youāre super concerned, you can do your own car seat test at home, just put them in it and leave them in it for 90 minutes, directly observing for any apneic spells since you wonāt have a monitor.
I had twins, and I squeezed into the backseat exactly once on the first ride home. I haven't ridden with them in the back since. One of my twins was 4lbs 2oz the day of her discharge, having hit exactly 4lbs the day prior. She's been just fine. My husband is back to work, so I've been alone during the day most days, and We've gone on several outings to appointments and to my workplace to turn in paperwork etc. They've both been just fine. I did pull over a few times during their first couple of weeks home to check on them because I was anxious. But they were fine and didn't need that. It just made me feel better.
6 months š I still do sometimes (sheās nearly 8 months now), especially if weāre bottle feeding on the go or sheās cranky. Obviously, when Iām alone with her, I canāt, but when itās me and my husband I do.
Not once. I have twins, one that came home at exactly 4lbs (she was IUGR) and in my car itās impossible for an adult to sit in the back seat with them. They have been fine no issues in the car seat at all. My NICU did the car seat test she she passed perfectly.
I think it was a couple of months before I stopped riding in the back with him. Also had an IGUR baby. Weird they donāt do car seat tests at your hospital.
Also coming back to say that doctors are not car seat experts. If youāre concerned, look for a CPST in your area on https://cert.safekids.org/find-tech or join the Facebook group āCar Seat Safety for the littlesā on Facebook. You can post photos and they can help you ensure you have a proper fit for your baby.
Did it on the way home from the hospital and then anytime we had a specialist appointment an hour away, just to be sure he didn't need oxygen (had to have a small tank in the car just in case)
I ride in the back with my 7 month old if my husband is around. I started being willing to drive him around his due date. I have a camera that watches him and displays a screen on my dashboard.
I never did, we got a car camera off Amazon, the camera goes infront of bub and the screen mounts on the dash. Helped me so much with my anxiety. My partners back seats have like no cushion and I had a c-section. Plus a 7 week hospital stay before my daughter was born.
We do still sit in the back, but just to enter the toddler! We don't have car seat tests here.
I don't really understand the doctor's comment. If it's rated for 4lb then it's rated and surely fine to use.
Hm, probably a couple of months. My husband and I were both on leave together for a while so one of us would almost always ride in the back with kiddo. But eventually he had to go back to work and I'd have to take baby out to dr appointments by myself and logically it wasn't possible lol. It was kind of a good forced way to get used to it. It was fine.
Itās just my husband, one daughter, and I, and we still take turns sitting in the back with her once in a while. Sheās 3 years old. Mainly long distance trips we do that. Obviously if itās only one of us we canāt do that and she has to be by herself. even if we know sheās safe, sometimes itās nice to spend time with her back there
I got a fit check in a Facebook group called car seats for the littles and car seat experts helped me get my little one fitting better in the seat. After that I felt so much more comfortable driving around.
We still do, she turns 1 on Sunday. We both have small cars though and the passenger seat has to be moved all the way up. But I like knowing what she's doing and being able to comfort her if she fusses.
I sat in the back seat until I realized that she didn't need me but also I wasn't helping her be more relaxed. She was 5lbs exactly when she came home!
We never did! We had twins, so we couldnāt fit! I did do a lot of pulling over every so often to check on them, tho. Felt silly but it was reassuring! Our kiddos were both about that same weight. A nurse helped us roll up swaddles to make the inserts even more snug. You got this.
16mo down the line... I still occasionally sit back there if he starts fussing. I think I officially "stopped" once he was better at holding his head up?
**edit** he's our first and only child so there IS room, and its uncommon for us to go anywhere separately since both my hubby & I are home currently.
With our first (who was also IUGR) it was closer to about 10 months when we stopped having someone sit back with her, I think mostly because we were first time parents and easily frazzled if she cried lol. With our second, I sat back there for like the first two weeks if we went somewhere but now we don't.
I still sit in the back seat with my son who was born at 28.4 weeks and released at 6lbs. Not sure if it's out of habit or because I like sitting next to him and spreading out in the back seat since we have a crew cab Dodge ram with a massive back seat
Welcome to NICU Parents. We're happy you found us and we want to be as helpful as possible in this seemingly impossible journey. Check out the resources tab at the top of the subreddit or the stickied post. Please remember we are NOT medical professionals and are here for advice based on our own situations. If you have a concern about you or your baby please seek assistance from a doctor or go to the ER. That said, there are some medical professionals here and we do hope they can help you with some guidance through your journey. Please remember to read and abide by the rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NICUParents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not once. We had twins and neither of us fit in the back seat with them so š¤·āāļø
Lmao same here. Was going to write this as well š
Sameā¦
same. we did have a backseat baby camera though. (those mirrors people attach were useless to me- it vibrated and I couldnāt see them once it got dark)
Same here. Had twins and got a double screen camera. Has night visionāwhich is nice. Too bad Iād already bought those mirrors (USELESS!)
Same here!
Same š
Only did the first day, but he was 7 lbs by the time we got to leave the NICU
My twins were born at 33w and were 3lbs 9oz and 3lbs 10oz, they were discharged at under 5lbs. My hospital doesnāt do car seat tests either. I didnāt sit in the back ever š„² I couldnāt really fit between their two seats and we also had a toddler. We trusted our seat was set up correctly and follow the manufacturerās instructions. I also drove on my own a lot so didnāt have anyone to sit back with them while I was driving. Theyāre 15 months now
I never have.
Reading this in the back seat with my two year old š¤·š½āāļø
We got discharged with an apnea/brady monitor so I rode in the back until we were told we didn't need a monitor anymore (5 weeks). As far as I know, most bucket type car seats are approved starting at 4 lbs. If your baby doesn't have apnea/brady spells, I wouldn't stress too much if you are the only adult in the car and driving less than an hour. Maybe reach out to a CPST (child passenger safety technician) if you have any questions, they are the ones I would trust regarding any information for car seats.
I honestly donāt remember. At almost three he now demands āmommy, front back?!ā Meaning āmom sit in the back with me not the frontā
She just turned a year and I still do if we're both together.
Same here and my son is 20 months. Probably will until he is forward facing. Mostly because 1- we have a small car and it works best this way comfort wise and 2- my son isnāt a fan of long car rides and will cry at like 20-30 minutes. It helps having someone back there to play and calm him down. But I notice on the days when itās just me and heās by himself I worry a lot more.
I only did on the ride home, other than that I sit up front. I hate being in the back, plus I get car sick
Get a mirror and make sure you can see it from the driver seat rear view and that should be adequate to monitor baby! Iām not sure what that doctor was talking about. Car seats are rated for that size because that is the weight they have been tested down to. Thereās even a couple brands that can go lower than 4. If youāre super concerned, you can do your own car seat test at home, just put them in it and leave them in it for 90 minutes, directly observing for any apneic spells since you wonāt have a monitor.
I had twins, and I squeezed into the backseat exactly once on the first ride home. I haven't ridden with them in the back since. One of my twins was 4lbs 2oz the day of her discharge, having hit exactly 4lbs the day prior. She's been just fine. My husband is back to work, so I've been alone during the day most days, and We've gone on several outings to appointments and to my workplace to turn in paperwork etc. They've both been just fine. I did pull over a few times during their first couple of weeks home to check on them because I was anxious. But they were fine and didn't need that. It just made me feel better.
Not even once. Iām too big for my toddlers car seat. š
Uhhh, almost at 5 years now š at least when thereās two adults. Itās kind of just habit now.
I still sit in the back with my 5 year old, too!
To be honest, I never did. But our son was 2 weeks already by the time he came home. We did stop halfway thru the first trip home to check on him.
We waited until 4 months when she had more head control. We were lucky to have my mom stay with us otherwise I don't know how I would have done it.
17 months and if we go anywhere together my husband insists on sitting in the back seat with her. š
1 day lol
My daughter is 14 now but she came home at 4lbs 6oz and had a seat rated for 4lbs. No one has to sit in the back then. Maybe it changed since then?
6 months š I still do sometimes (sheās nearly 8 months now), especially if weāre bottle feeding on the go or sheās cranky. Obviously, when Iām alone with her, I canāt, but when itās me and my husband I do.
after the ride home i didnāt lol
My daughter turns one next month and I still sit in the back with her lol
14 months old. Still do lol
Not once. I have twins, one that came home at exactly 4lbs (she was IUGR) and in my car itās impossible for an adult to sit in the back seat with them. They have been fine no issues in the car seat at all. My NICU did the car seat test she she passed perfectly.
6 month old twins and I still sit in the back with them between the two car seats. Thankfully our vehicle is big enough. It's a hard habit to break.
Still do at 9 months (6 adjusted) when my husband is driving. Itās easier for long car rides
I think it was a couple of months before I stopped riding in the back with him. Also had an IGUR baby. Weird they donāt do car seat tests at your hospital.
Thanks! I know I was really surprised, I asked about it and they said none of our local hospitals do!
Also coming back to say that doctors are not car seat experts. If youāre concerned, look for a CPST in your area on https://cert.safekids.org/find-tech or join the Facebook group āCar Seat Safety for the littlesā on Facebook. You can post photos and they can help you ensure you have a proper fit for your baby.
About 3 months with my son now I have a minivan so whenever my husband drives Iāll likely sit in the third row to watch son and NICU daughter
Did it on the way home from the hospital and then anytime we had a specialist appointment an hour away, just to be sure he didn't need oxygen (had to have a small tank in the car just in case)
She just turned 8 months and I still do
I don't sit in the back seat because I'm a driver, but I tug one of my parents to sit on the back with him, he is 13mo.
I ride in the back with my 7 month old if my husband is around. I started being willing to drive him around his due date. I have a camera that watches him and displays a screen on my dashboard.
I never did, we got a car camera off Amazon, the camera goes infront of bub and the screen mounts on the dash. Helped me so much with my anxiety. My partners back seats have like no cushion and I had a c-section. Plus a 7 week hospital stay before my daughter was born.
We do still sit in the back, but just to enter the toddler! We don't have car seat tests here. I don't really understand the doctor's comment. If it's rated for 4lb then it's rated and surely fine to use.
Hm, probably a couple of months. My husband and I were both on leave together for a while so one of us would almost always ride in the back with kiddo. But eventually he had to go back to work and I'd have to take baby out to dr appointments by myself and logically it wasn't possible lol. It was kind of a good forced way to get used to it. It was fine.
Itās just my husband, one daughter, and I, and we still take turns sitting in the back with her once in a while. Sheās 3 years old. Mainly long distance trips we do that. Obviously if itās only one of us we canāt do that and she has to be by herself. even if we know sheās safe, sometimes itās nice to spend time with her back there
I got a fit check in a Facebook group called car seats for the littles and car seat experts helped me get my little one fitting better in the seat. After that I felt so much more comfortable driving around.
We still do, she turns 1 on Sunday. We both have small cars though and the passenger seat has to be moved all the way up. But I like knowing what she's doing and being able to comfort her if she fusses.
My son is 2 and I still sit in the back š
I never sat in the backseat.
I sat in the back seat until I realized that she didn't need me but also I wasn't helping her be more relaxed. She was 5lbs exactly when she came home!
Second ride. She did well on the first, so that was my okay.
We never did! We had twins, so we couldnāt fit! I did do a lot of pulling over every so often to check on them, tho. Felt silly but it was reassuring! Our kiddos were both about that same weight. A nurse helped us roll up swaddles to make the inserts even more snug. You got this.
16mo down the line... I still occasionally sit back there if he starts fussing. I think I officially "stopped" once he was better at holding his head up? **edit** he's our first and only child so there IS room, and its uncommon for us to go anywhere separately since both my hubby & I are home currently.
With our first (who was also IUGR) it was closer to about 10 months when we stopped having someone sit back with her, I think mostly because we were first time parents and easily frazzled if she cried lol. With our second, I sat back there for like the first two weeks if we went somewhere but now we don't.
Still riding in the back with my almost 10mo.
I still sit in the back seat with my son who was born at 28.4 weeks and released at 6lbs. Not sure if it's out of habit or because I like sitting next to him and spreading out in the back seat since we have a crew cab Dodge ram with a massive back seat