Babies in the city - car seat question

[Ruby2]

So this is probably a no-brainer to urban mammas, but I've just never considered the question before...what do you do with babies in a taxi or on a bus??? Obviously urban families don't cart a giant car seat all over town with them, right? ...are they not required?

Dh and dd are tagging along with me on a business trip next month and this is the first time I've had to think about it. We probably won't stray far from the hotel, but we'll definitely take some sort of public transit from the airport.

Thanks for the insights!

[Tway]

I just take DD in her stroller on the bus or Metro. When it comes to taxis, I put her in her carseat, which has a handle, and if we need to walk around I bring the bulky stroller that the car seat fits into.

I have the same issues, as we live in the city and have no car. It's going to get tricky as DD won't fit into that car seat much longer!

[aramat]

I wonder about this all the time, too....what OTHER moms do, because I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing. Personally, I've always got the baby in the mei tai when we're out, and I keep her in it when we take a taxi, and I wear a seatbelt. It would usually be impossible for me to lug around the carseat!

[Tway]

Originally Posted by aramat

Personally, I've always got the baby in the mei tai when we're out, and I keep her in it when we take a taxi, and I wear a seatbelt. It would usually be impossible for me to lug around the carseat!

It's illegal here to have an infant under 5 (I think it's 5?) in a taxi without a car seat. So it's either take a taxi and lug the seat (to a doctor's appointment or something) or take the bus/Metro (if we're going to be out for awhile).

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I don't take taxis. Never really have. Once in a while if I was out until super late I would take a cab home, but usually no. So once I had my kid that didn't change. We've never ridden in a taxi.

But I do take public transportation ALL THE TIME. And I usually wear ds in the ergo, although sometimes now he walks along side of me. Usually we can get a seat so he doesn't have to stand on the bus/trolley/subway/train.

Often riding public transit is more fun for ds than the place we are going!

It really depends on the city to determine how the public transit system runs and if it goes enough places etc.

[jenifera2]

Different states have different laws, but in the state of Illinois (so applicable certainly to Chicago where cab rides are common) taxis are commercial vehicles and therefore exempt from carseat laws. You can install your carseat if you want (possibly or possibly not getting some grief from the driver and other traffic since it will take time), but you are not legally obligated to do so.

If you'd be comfortable holding your child in a taxi while in the city, then it's worth checking the local laws to determine whether this is allowed wherever you're going.

[Tattooed Hand]

Originally Posted by aramat

I wonder about this all the time, too....what OTHER moms do, because I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing. Personally, I've always got the baby in the mei tai when we're out, and I keep her in it when we take a taxi, and I wear a seatbelt. It would usually be impossible for me to lug around the carseat!

I do this. We don't ride taxis often, but for the times we do, DD goes in the Moby and and I strap on a seat belt in the back seat. I also wear her on all public transportation.

[carmel23]

In most cities taxis are exempt from seat belt laws, so it is legal to have a child in a taxi without a carseat. That being said, the taxi driver also *must* allow you to install a carseat if you want to.

I take my kids on the bus/light rail and do not really worry, the baby I typically wear in an ergo.

[blessedwithboys]

When I go to NYC, I worry not about trains and buses. When the dc were smaller, we avoided taxis, but more recently, I allowed ds2 to skip his booster in the taxi. It was a short hop, from South Ferry to Chinatown (my sister didn't want to walk anywhere.) I know a "short trip" isn't inherently safer by virtue of distance, and I am a booster seat fanatic at home, but I decided it wasn't worth my whole trip being ruined by having to carry a carseat all over Manhattan for the day.

Anyway, that was last year, and the guilt must have overwhelmed me, bc this summer we skipped taxis in favor of buses so ds would not have to ride without a booster.

For a young baby, I would say skip the taxis and go with safer forms of transportation so you don't have to lug a carseat.

[BathrobeGoddess]

moved to family safety...home of all car seat threads

[lyra2007]

Just remember you cannot/should not wear the seatbelt over the baby in the wrap--you have to buckle yourself then hold the baby (somehow!)

[chinupchamp]

Just as a funny aside, perspective wise, I once rode in the trunk of a taxi, a quasi hatchback, in Bolivia with a young mother and her infant in her rebozo. The ride was at least fifteen minutes long along a highway of sorts. We both laughed as I lost my flip-flop when the taxi hit a huge bump!

That was a totally surreal experience and it totally blew my mind. Yikes!

I take DD on the bus/train all the time. It's just what we have to do and we don't worry about car seats on the bus. She just sits beside me pointing at all the people and asking awkward questions about them

[an_aurora]

Here (which you can't exactly call urban, since our largest city is pretty tiny ) taxis are not exempt from car seat laws.

I would strongly urge you to take the bus/metro and avoid taxis, and you won't have to lug around a car seat.

[triscuitsmom]

On public transportation which does not have seatbelts I either wear or hold my child (so buses and trains/subways).

Taxis are no different safety wise than any other vehicle and I would never ever drive with my child in no carseat in any other vehicle so why on earth would one think it was safe to do so in a taxi? I don't and won't and I do take taxis fairly frequently.

At this point I have two kids in seats and I doubt I will be going very many places by myself with all three kids in a taxi (that's the only way we'd fit, there are two many of us for all of us to go with DP and I both) but if I did for a doctors appointment or something like that I'd install all three of their seats for the trip there and the trip back.

Travelling in a car is one of the less safe things most of us regularly do... I can't imagine knowingly putting my child at risk of permanent injury or death in this situation when it's preventable (or at least lessens the risk greatly) by using a properly installed seat.

Edited to add: Carseats aren't legally required in taxis here either. Neither is having any child (even under 1 year of age) who is over 20lbs rearfacing, but that doesn't change what is safe.

[mysticmomma]

in MD taxi's are considered mass transit/public transportation and no carseat is req'd.

[Altair]

It's just really, REALLY hard for a city mom to always use carseats in taxis without a LOT of hardship. You can investigate which car services have their own seats, but you have to be careful they are often outdated. Public Transportation is easier, for sure, but doesn't go everywhere, even here in NYC. We have a car but most people don't here and they will end up using a car seat when the baby is an infant with a snap and go, then rely on car services for toddler seats, and possibly carry a booster. But you do not see many moms lugging around full size seats on a daily basis while trying to food shop, play at the playground, do daily chores, go to doctors appointments, etc.

[an_aurora]

The Combi Coccoro is a convertible that has a stroller attachment (the Combi Flash is the stroller). And the Orbit system has a stroller attachment as well.

[Altair]

The Orbit, yes, if you have the money. But the Sit and Stroll and the Combi, in my opinion, just don't hold up to city stroller use. Your stroller IS your car. I'm not saying it's safe or the right choice, but I understand it because it's really hard and you need 5 more hands. And heaven forbid you have more than one kid. Public transportation really is the way to go 99% of the time.

[freestylemama]

I've ridden trains, cabs, buses and subways without car seats. I think it depends on the state, but most allow for children to not be restrained on public transport. When DD was really small I wore her on these things. Now, she just sits in our lap or on the seat next to us. Buses/subways don't have restraints. You can carry car seats and use them in cabs. Most cabs have belts. We usually avoid cabs if we don't want to lug a car seat.

HTH!

[Devaskyla]

Public transit, wearing or a stroller. or they just sit in the seat, depending where we're going/age. We rarely take a cab, but when we do, I wear the baby. If I have to lug a car seat at my destination, that means I can't push dh in the wheelchair or get groceries or whatever I took a cab in order to do. I walk or take transit, or even occasionally rent a car, the majority of the time, but sometimes that just isn't feasable.