travelling in a taxi with a newborn

N

NDDomer

Registered User
We don't have a car and we are expecting our newborn in July. My husband and I are wondering if we should get a carseat as we will be travelling in cabs with the newborn everywhere we go. But my cousin (from Hong Kong)says we could simply get a baby sling ...and i doubt that's safe enough in case of any unfortunate accident.

What do you guys think? and is it easy to mount a carseat in a taxi here in Hong Kong? Any particular brand that you will recommend?
 
no, it is not easy to mount a carseat in a taxi... you need a carseat that straps in and doesn't mount into the car...

most people take the chance and just use a sling. personally, i didn't take taxis too often or too far when my kids were little. much prefer having our own cheap second-hand car and getting proper carseats for the kids.
 
Get a travel system stroller that utilises a 'maxi cosi' bucket style car seat - most of the well known brands have these.

These are pretty quick to strap in and out of cars and taxis and can be used up to 9 months to 1 year (depending on the size of your baby).

They are great for newborns as you can remove the seat from the car/taxi and clip it into the stroller without taking the baby out and waking them.

Downside is that a few HK taxi seat belts are not quite long enough to thread through - I used to just wait for another taxi if it didn't work (or if in a hurry, strap it in a less safe way).
 
Unless your stroller comes with a car seat attachment - i would stick with a sling / carrier. A car seat is heavy and a pain. A sling will be attached to you - so make sure that you are seat belted up and you will be fine :)
 
I would recommend a maxi cosi for when the baby is little and then a Sit n Stroll type car seat converting to a stroller. I also saw Bumps 2 Babes advertising a luggage rack type attachment that you can use with any car seat.

I did use the Baby Bjorn in taxis sometimes but never felt safe doing it. In my home country this would be illegal and, for me, I couldn't rationalise that it was any safer on HK roads than anywhere else ... its just that HK hadn't passed a law against it yet like other countries have!
 
I used a maxi cosi seat which clipped onto the stroller wheels up until 7 months when my son grew out of it. It was great as he loved sleeping in the seat as well. He is now nearly one and I have just bought a Joeysafe harness and we also have a sit n'stroll for when we travel overseas. I agree with other posters that a baby sling is really not a safe option and would be illegal in a lot of countries.
 
A sling is a very dangerous option - even in a relatively mild crash (say, your taxi fails to brake in time and slams into the back of a stationary vehicle) at a relatively low speed (10-20 km/h), the force of your body moving forward could cause serious injury to the baby (G-force will increase your body weight exponentially). I was in a taxi once that failed to brake in time and slammed into a stationary car at a medium speed (approx 30-40km/h). Luckily I was wearing a seatbelt. But my body jackknifed forward (and if I'd been wearing a sling I'd have crushed the baby to death) and then slammed back. I was in physio for serious whiplash injuries for months and still feel the effects 10yrs later.
People justify slings by saying HK taxis don't go too fast (as there aren't many expressways), but the speed of the crash only needs to be about 30km/h for serious injury to occur.
Also people say the journeys are short (therefore less likelihood of a crash). I've heard that statistics show that the majority of crashes occur within the first 5 minutes of a drive.

Honestly, this is the life of your newborn you're talking about. Just get a Maxi-Cosi Cabrio or similar seat that attaches on to various models of wheels (eg, Bugaboo, Quinny etc). Strap it in to the taxi (which takes about 20-30seconds). And keep your child safe.

If cost is an issue, buy secondhand from a reliable source (or buy new and sell on afterwards so you don't end up paying too much in the long run).

Congrats on your impending arrival, btw.
 
I got the peg perego travel system. It came with a car seat, a bassinet and the stroller frame. I would remove the car seat and strap it in the taxi then fold the frame. It does take a minute to get the straps on and off but I have found taxi drivers to be patient with me and helpful with putting the stroller into the boot while I secured the car seat.

I just believe that its safer and I would have peace of mind knowing that my baby is secure in the taxi should anything hapen.
 
Oh, this is a dilemma I'm worried about too. I agree that slings/carriers are just unsafe--that's what we've used with our older son and I just tried to avoid taxis when possible because it's not safe. (I now use them a bit more, as he's big enough to sit up with the regular seat belt, though I know it's still unsafe.) It meant using buses and mtr almost exclusively, which is less convenient (though admittedly better ecologically speaking!) But I don't know what we'll do when our second arrives ... The problem is that a bucket seat is just heavy and awkward to carry, and the strollers they connect to are consequently heavy and awkward, and everywhere we go we face stairs. So it doesn't seem practical to think that I could deal with one of those strollers and a toddler. So I guess it's back to busses and mtr for us!
 
I have the Peg Perego Aria which is a very light stroller and has a car seat you can attach. The stroller and seat were very easy to use and convenient. My problem was I could never seem to get a taxi with seat belts long enough to fit around the seat. I wonder if it is the seat dimensions in relation to HK? Had no problem with it when I was home...
 
Definitely get a car seat!!! I can only recommend Maxi Cosy. They got all sorts of test certificates for making one of the safest car seats for infants. Don't take you child into the car in a sling or just hold it in your arms. I am shocked seeing so many kiddies here in HK not sitting in proper safety car seats but rather on the mother's or maid's lap. In case of a serious car accident your child is going to fly through the wind shield! I would NOT drive without a proper protection for my child on HK roads or not drive at all. Car seats don't cost the world. Check out mothercare; they sell them there at a decent price. Eugenes Club is way overpriced, I thought. So please, try not to save the money but rather save your child's health or life.
 
Tini

I would guess that the reason that most children are not property restrained in taxis are because you then have to carry the car seat with you when you get to your destination which is not always practical or possible if you are on your own. Once your baby outgrows the Maxi Cosi that attaches to the Quinny or Bugaboo (6-9 months) and moves into a stroller, unless you use the sit'n'stroll you are pretty well stuck for options.
I generally try to avoid taxis for that reason now that my baby no longer can fit in the maxi cosi, but on occasion I do need one.
Of course, in your private car there should be no reason to not have your baby/child restrained.
 
I think it is especially crucial for a newborn baby to sit in a car seat. Like some suggested to get a Maxi Cosi stroller with integrated car seat. But, yes, I guess if your child has outgrown the Maxi Cosi that makes it more difficult and of course you don't want to run around with a car seat. (Didn't think of that one) Is using the MTR or bus not an option?
 
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