Hospital car seat policy

MUTigers

New member
I know we've had threads about this but I'm too lazy to search right now.

We toured the hospital baby will be born at earlier this week. During the tour the nurse mentioned that a car seat must be brought to the room before you can checkout. I know that legally they can't keep you if you have a seat in your car that fits baby properly, but how do you handle that situation if you are using a convertible seat for your newborn?

FWIW, we are using an infant seat so it's really a moot point for us, but DH and I both tend to be a little bull headed on issues like this and telling us we can't when we know we can makes us both want to use a convertible just to come home!
 
ADS

bnsnyde

New member
Ha, me too.
See, only a convertible will fit in our van with our arrangement. So baby will be in that.

Coming home I might just have an infant seat in the spare car and use that. Not sure I want to deal with any craziness. Plus, having just given birth, it will be really awkward for me to put baby (over seatback in third row) into the seat, with everyone watching? And then, I can't say how good the fit will even be. It's a Radian. I find the infant seats way easier to get a better fit, with the seat right in front of me in the hospital, so I can adjust, etc.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
First I'd ask to see the policy in writing. If it really does exist, I would tell them they're welcome to come out to our car with us to verify we have a seat, or that I'd be happy to sign out AMA.
 

robbertbobbert

New member
Definitely ask to see the policy in writing.

Recently while I was visiting a friend the hospital tried to tell her we had to go uninstall their convertible and bring it in to prove they had one. I ended up going to the car for her and taking a picture on my phone of the seat and bringing in the manual. They were fine with that.

We did offer for them to send someone to the car with us as she put baby in, but they declined.
 

bubbaray

New member
Our hospital has a policy that no baby can leave the hospital "in arms" to prevent abductions.

I was going to do the convertible from birth just to prove a point but decided to use the infant seat because I didn't need the stress.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Unless combi gets harnesses in for the shuttle soon, we'll be using a convertible in both cars from birth. There is no way I am uninstalling a seat to ring it up to prove I have one. I also think the policy of no babies in arms is stupid. If they are that concerned about abductions, make parents keep their bracelets on until they leave and match parent and baby at the exit.
 

kookaburra

New member
Unless combi gets harnesses in for the shuttle soon, we'll be using a convertible in both cars from birth. There is no way I am uninstalling a seat to ring it up to prove I have one. I also think the policy of no babies in arms is stupid. If they are that concerned about abductions, make parents keep their bracelets on until they leave and match parent and baby at the exit.

When I DC2, they required me to hold the baby in arms/on my lap while they wheeled me to the car in a wheel chair. They also checked bracelets before leaving the unit.
 

krasota

Well-known member
Our hospital has a policy that no baby can leave the hospital "in arms" to prevent abductions.

I was going to do the convertible from birth just to prove a point but decided to use the infant seat because I didn't need the stress.

Note: take bucket to hospital when stealing baby. Also remember tools for baby lo-jack.

J/k

I asked the NICU nurses what they did for convertibles when leaving (not for the angle tolerance test). They said they'd come out and check and wheel the baby in a bassinet to the garage. (I ended up opting for a bucket because girlie was born so early.) They did come out to look at the installed angle of her bucket, FWIW, but she was a preemie, so different things happen.
 

bubbaray

New member
The same hospital staff freaked on me for walking the hallways holding/soothing a screaming baby. I was there for three days post c/s and bored silly. Dr wanted me up and moving, there was no nursery to send baby to (all roomed in unless in the NICU) so what was I to do?? They forced me to use the bassinet. The L&D nurses (most were MWs) were just so strange.
 

Mom2Connor

New member
The same hospital staff freaked on me for walking the hallways holding/soothing a screaming baby. I was there for three days post c/s and bored silly. Dr wanted me up and moving, there was no nursery to send baby to (all roomed in unless in the NICU) so what was I to do?? They forced me to use the bassinet. The L&D nurses (most were MWs) were just so strange.

That's pretty standard policy at many hospitals.
 

kathysr98

Active member
The same hospital staff freaked on me for walking the hallways holding/soothing a screaming baby. I was there for three days post c/s and bored silly. Dr wanted me up and moving, there was no nursery to send baby to (all roomed in unless in the NICU) so what was I to do?? They forced me to use the bassinet. The L&D nurses (most were MWs) were just so strange.

Nothing soothes a baby like a plastic box!
 

jjordan

Moderator
The same hospital staff freaked on me for walking the hallways holding/soothing a screaming baby. I was there for three days post c/s and bored silly. Dr wanted me up and moving, there was no nursery to send baby to (all roomed in unless in the NICU) so what was I to do?? They forced me to use the bassinet. The L&D nurses (most were MWs) were just so strange.

When I brought my baby in my arms to the nurse's station, they acted like I was crazy for not wheeling it (don't remember if it was dd or ds!) in the bassinet. :rolleyes:

OP - I agree that I'd ask to see the actual policy, preferably well in advance of giving birth. And then take it from there!
 

Keeyamah

Active member
The hospital I had both boys at has a policy that if the baby isn't in the room in a parent/grandparents arms, then they have to be in the bassinet. Unless being weighed, or some other procedure.

On topic, with both boys, they had to follow me out (with Sean I was wheeled out in a chair because I was carrying him) to verify I had a car seat. Used a TF for Quinn and a Scenera for Sean. Ironically, I also carried Quinn out and was not required to be in a wheel chair.
 

jennzee

Active member
On topic, with both boys, they had to follow me out (with Sean I was wheeled out in a chair because I was carrying him) to verify I had a car seat.

This has been the case with all of my kids, so it wouldn't matter which kind of seat we used, since they came right to the car with us to check it out. At one hospital, we weren't even allowed to carry the car seat out ourselves...a nurse was required to do it.
 

KristineML

New member
a friend of mine had to deal with this when her son was born. They had a Subaru and could not get an infant seat to fit rear facing.

They had borrowed a few infant seats to try and find one that fit so when it was time to leave, they took one of those up to the unit and switched to the convertible in the parking garage.
 

Cath3114

New member
Our hospital is completely different. We must leave the hospital with baby in arms, both in a wheelchair. They don't check to see if you have a seat and you cannot put baby in the seat until you get to your vehicle. I already knew with my second, but for my first I had to take her out of the seat.
 

MUTigers

New member
Thanks for all the responses! It's just nuts how every hospital treats the situation differently.

I was a little shocked this hospital is so behind the times on the car seat issue because they are so forward thinking on so many other things. They are fully supportive of natural birth, have or bring tubs into every room, skin to skin is standard, allow snacking during labor, encourage breast feeding, etc. they even encourage mom to hold into baby from delivery room to post partum room.

We plan to use an infant seat, so taking it into the room is not an issue. However, DH recognized they can't not let you leave just because you choose to use a convertible seat. So really, if you have a seat in your car that fits your baby what can the hospital really do?

It probably won't come up for us at all, we're both just curious!
 

Kobain's Mommy

Well-known member
My kids left in buckets. They were put in and I held the seat while a nurse pushed me down the the main door. They had DH pull up with the car and the nurse had DH put the seat in the car and helped me into the car (c-sections). I believe if we used convertible seats they would just have me hold baby and have DH buckle into the car. But regardless they see baby in the car in a seat before leaving the hospital.
 

xursusmaritimusx

New member
I think my hospital is super lax

You could use an infant seat or convertible. We used infant seats but I asked about the convertible. They said a nurse would just walk us out to the car if that were the case.

For all 3 babies we walked out by ourselves. No escort or wheelchair.
 

DrummerBaby

New member
The birthing center here requires that the nurse sees the baby buckled into the seat. She just followed us out to watch. We actually use a bucket but it is hard to get in and out with three across, easier now with DS1 FF but he was RF when DS2 (our third, DD is in the middle) was born and I just didn't want to mess with it then. It was not a big deal and she didn't act like our way was unusual...
 

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