Hospital discharge with a newbie and convertible seat?

todzwife

New member
How does this work? When I had my last kiddo we buckled her in to her infant seat and had to show the nurse that the chest belt was at armpit level and that the straps were tight enough. We have an infant seat, it will be installed in my van, the coccoro will be in DH's car in case we end up taking it to the hospital and leave the van with whoever has my other 3 kids. So there is a possibility of us being discharged with the coccoro... How does that usually work? I can't see them letting us leave with her in our arms?
 
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aept

New member
While they should let you leave with a convertible, I think you could avoid the "problem" by bringing the infant seat along in the trunk (or buckled in, baseless) when you drop off your kids. Or, even just have visiting family being the infant seat before you are discharged.
We always had an infant seat for our three, but I know there are folks on here who have used a convertible from birth. Hopefully someone will come by with tips soon!

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Brianna

New member
Some hospitals are better about it than others. You can bring the manual in, and maybe a cell phone pic of the car seat in the car. They might tell you that you *have* to bring it in, but they can't physically stop you from leaving.
 

amyd

New member
I'd probably throw the bucket in the trunk of DH's car and have him bring it in when you're discharged and you can take babe outside in the bucket and transfer him/her to the convertible.
 

abigaylebelle

Active member
We used a convertible home from the hospital with dd last fall. I just carried her out in my arms. I thought they might want me to bring the seat up so I was prepared to reinstall if necessary (or my husband could have it only takes a minute), but no one asked about her carseat at all.
 

stephpook

New member
We had a convertible when we left the hospital with our fourth, and, honestly, the nurse didn't even ask. She just walked us to the car (which was pulled up in front of the exit), I got out of the wheelchair with the baby, and she left. She didn't ask to see the seat or anything. And now that I think about it, I think we also had my oldest in a convertible for the ride home in the hospital. I'm pretty sure that nurse stuck her head in the car to look at the seat, but that was all. It was almost 10 years ago so my mind is a bit fuzzy.

Here they have you pull your car up to the entrance and the nurse has to push you down to the car in a wheelchair so it wouldn't be a big deal for them to take a quick look into the car to check on the car seat while they're down there..
 

kaharris83

New member
At the two hospitals we delivered at my DH went down first to drive the car up to the door. Then the nurse walked down with the baby and I. With DS2 we used the CCO from birth and she just saw us put him in the seat. She mentioned they are not allowed to install or offer installation help anyway since there have been lawsuits after hospital staff helped install seats and there were accidents on the way home. It was no big deal to have a convertible.
 

todzwife

New member
I called the hospital and she sounded so confused..."it doesn't have a base?, well you can just bring it up and we can look at it" no lady the whole thing stays IN the car...blah. My reason for using the cco in hubby's car is that it takes up less front to back room so I have leg room, otherwise my knees are in the dash. And I'm SHORT!
 

tracyttu

New member
I am a cpst and work in a nicu. Just ask the RN to go down with you if they have to see the seat. I'd pitch a fit if I had to uninstall a convertible just for the sake of showing it. They can come see it! And you likely won't be able to walk out carrying the baby, but they can wheel you out with the baby in your arms (protects the hospitals from falls/injuries) or the RN can wheel the bassinet out with the baby in it. Congrats!
 

DMS721

New member
My hospital has never asked to see the car set. They ask if we have one and that is it. We use a bucket, but have never brought it inside. A hospital volunteer is the one that takes us in a wheelchair out to our car.
 

flutie128

New member
When I was discharged with DD, I had to carry the baby out so it didn't matter if I was using a bucket or convertible. The nurse did check to make sure I had a seat for her though.
 

robbertbobbert

New member
I would bring the manual up and maybe a picture on my phone. Beyond that if they wanted to see it they can come down and look, but they can't stop you from leaving the hospital.
 

MommyShannon

New member
With DD3, I told them it was a convertible so the nurse that wheeled me down (requirement), just checked her once I put her in the seat. Incidentally, we did take DH's car to the hospital, but then had my mom bring the other kids in our van for discharge. We liked driving home with our whole family and my mom drove his car home.
 

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