Capsule/Car seat - a must-buy?

[DoubleK]

i would be inclined to have a seat, even if its never used.

i love using PT when i can, i only drive when i need to do the weekly grocery shop. ut i would worry about the JIC moments too much. an example for me would be back in march when i had a miscarriage, i woke @ 4am and dp drove me straight to the hospital.. we had to do 4 more trips to the hosp over that weekend, and without a car seat, i would have had to either call an ambulance(and go on my own i guess) or not go at all!

i say better to have one and not use it, then not have one, and have to figure out how your going to get somewhere in a major hurry without a seat!

[~clover~]

I have a firend who never had a car or license, but she had a seat JIC.
& til you have a baby you have no idea just how many times you will use it.
Middle of the night trips to the hospital, quick trip to the shops for baby panadol for a screaming baby when on your own, visiting friends/family or vacations.
It may not be necessary, but it will be handy. Even if you do get rid of the car, you never know when you might decide to go for a day trip or something in a friends car.

[satya]

snugglybean - Looks like you've already made your decision. Big W have the same capsule I have for around $110 at the moment - cheaper than renting one. It would be a good option for you if you aren't going to use it much.

For anyone reading this post do not rely on taxis being available that will either have a capsule or a bolt to put your own in. We were broken down late at night on the side of a freeway in Melbourne and no such taxi was available. The car had to be towed, it was pouring rain, we could not walk off the freeway, we had to get into a taxi. I had to hold him in the backseat of the car til we got home. Totally illegal I know, but apparently very common.

You may find you use your car a little more once bubs arrives. The first couple of weeks after the birth I could barely walk due to pain (vaginal birth) and relied on the car heavily. It took several weeks before I could walk any great distance with the pram without difficulty so without a car and capsule I would've been housebound.

If you get sick yourself and need to go to the doctor you are going to want to drive. I speak from experience. I could not have walked to my doctors last week while my entire family had the cold from hell. I was completely exhausted from looking after a bub whilst I was sick and could not have managed the walk even if the doctor had been at the end of my street.

When you decide to visit someone for a weekend or go on holiday you will need a capsule. You need a lot of stuff to go away even for a night, trying to cart it around on public transport would be a nightmare.

[Astrid]

For anyone reading this post do not rely on taxis being available that will either have a capsule or a bolt to put your own in. We were broken down late at night on the side of a freeway in Melbourne and no such taxi was available. The car had to be towed, it was pouring rain, we could not walk off the freeway, we had to get into a taxi. I had to hold him in the backseat of the car til we got home. Totally illegal I know, but apparently very common.

In Victoria taxi's have an exemption, so not illegal to carry a baby in the back of one without a restraint. Not sure about other states.

[~Kate~]

I'd recommend buying over renting if you aren't going to use it much. I hired a capsule from QLD ambulance and loved it. Was much easier to get bubs in and out of the car when you just have to unhook the insert, esp when bubs was asleep.
Getting a seat for JIC moments is a really good idea, plus it can be passed around or used for children later on. Buy one that can last a very long time, ie birth to 18kgs. That way you aren't having to buy another down the track.
Good luck with it all and congrats on your green thinking. Using PT all the time is fantastic, wish I could get away with that here but live a bit far away from everywhere.

[luna moth]

I can't believe that about taxis in Victoria! What a joke! Why should they be exempt from the law? I think I will write to some pollies about that one.
I do remember giving someone a bollocking at Sydney airport one time as they loaded their <3 mth old onto a lap in the front seat of a car. There's just no excuse to get away with that when you can hire them so cheaply. My mum in NSW will definitely be hiring or borrowing one for when I visit, and the in-laws in Melbourne have my old reversible one. I have a friend who took hers on the plane with her, and I think that's a bit silly.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your help. I'm trying very hard not to think of the cost per use - it could very well end up being $30-40 if we keep going like we are now! Eeek!

[paradise lost]

Try thinking about the life of the SEAT, not the use with this one bubs.

I have no car but i had a rear-facing capsule that came with the pram (a "travel system" from Graco) and when DD outgrew it i bought a 1+2 stage (9months to 5 years) seat to replace it. Some of the times i used it:

When i was heading for PND and a good friend offered to come and take me and DD out of the city and away from XP (who i was in the middle of splitting from and who was hastening the PND in) for a day.

When my Dad was visiting and he wanted to take me to the beach to walk in the surf like we did when i was a teen - it is one of my most precious memories, BFing her listening to the surf...

When i needed to buy food and the cheapest/best supermarkets charged a lot for delivery and the only other option was to buy small quantities at WAY poorer value because i couldn't carry the larger amounts with DD in the wrap (i buy 36 tins of tomatoes at a time!).

When i needed to get DD to her father's house (after the split) but had a stress fracture in my foot and was NOT able to push or carry her the 2 miles to get there.

When, in the midst of a storm complete with 70mph gales and 90mph gusts (20 tiles came off the roof!) DD had to be gotten BACK from her father, who had to go to work, and the buses had stopped running (high-sided and several had been blown over). DP came and got me and the seat and we went and got DD.

Now my capsule is safely awaiting its next charge, and i use her current seat ALL the time. It's installed in DP (who doesn't live with us yet)'s car and we use it to take her out at the weekends (no, we don't HAVE to, but even DD thinks 3 hours in the science centre is more fun than 90mins in the science centre and 90mins on trains and buses), to get her home from her dad, to got to the shops if need be (i try to use the delivery service if i can get enough bargains to make it "pay" for itself or a free voucher because it's better for the planet that way). Despite this she still uses PT with one or other of her parents about 4x/week and i STILL seem to have to walk about 3 miles a day on average Her current seat will last another 3 years (up to 15kg with the harness and then up to age 5-7 with the car's belt fastened over instead, like a booster but with greater side-protection ) and the old capsule will surely do for our next kids (we only plan one or 2 more). It's likely we'll need to buy a booster for DD when #2 is big enough to need her seat, but hopefully #2 will be fine in said booster by the time #3 needs the seat I'll bet if you look in your kitchen cupboards you have a lot of cookware you barely ever use which doesn't keep you up at night.

Bx

[Phteven]

Thanks girls... I think I'll go for it. Money's not the issue, it's just the resources and the waste that gets poured into creating things that hardly get used - i have enormous guilt over this!

I totally get what you're saying about this . IMO there are oodles of other baby things that genuinely are a waste of resources and one can do just fine without (baby baths, baby moniters, change tables, rockers) but a car seat isn't one of them. Like Hoobs says if you think about the life of the seat it lasts much longer than many of the other things people buy for their baby. A birth to 18kg seat will last you until bubs is 3 or more and then still be useful for a sibling. Once you're finished you can just freecycle it and another family will get more use out of it. I see baby seats come up on my local freecycle often and they always get taken pretty fast.

[luna moth]

My mum freecycled her CAR a couple of weeks ago! No carseat included, but it still had the bolts from my brother's carseat and my sister's booster - the old school orange ones!

We have cut out a lot of unnecessary junk from our list too. I've been a nanny and childcare worker for 8 years and have seen some of the rubbish people buy, and the hype some people get caught up in. What I've noticed is that great stuff doesn't make a great kid; great parents do.

I've known two families who've done it without cars, but I don't know whether they have carseats or not; I'm going to catch up with them in October to see what they did.

I'm pretty sure we'll end up getting one. Even if its cost per use works out at $40, which is certainly possible *gulp* even if it's used for two kids! I am definitely a giver, and I know I'll love handing it on to one of my friends when their time comes.

[paradise lost]

As an aside, you can also lend it out...? A few times friends have had fmily in the city and because it's tough to fly with a toddler-sized carseat they were going to have to hire one with the hire car (which isn't ideal for the same reasons above re: taxi seats - not appropriate, not available, not cleaned, not safe etc.) so i lent them mine. I didn't miss it for a week and it made a big difference to their stay... Just a thought

Bx

[suse]

I can't believe that about taxis in Victoria! What a joke! Why should they be exempt from the law? I think I will write to some pollies about that one.

It's because taxis are legally classed as public transport... So dangerous. If you do have to catch a cab without a baby-seat, put baby into a carrier if you have one (preferably one where they are upright and inward facing). Still nowhere near ideal, but at least they won't go flying with a sudden stop or collision.

[paradise lost]

With the baby carrier make sure you fasten your belt around YOU but NOT THE BABY. If the baby is between you and the belt in a collision you will crush it to death. Fasten your belt, then slip the bubs in the carrier on.

From a safety POV if you HAVE to travel in a vehicle where there aren't enough belts then you belt the heaviest person first. The lightest person (the baby) should be the one to travel loose. I know this goes against mummy-instinct but in a crash situation you are more likely to be able to hang onto a baby, but if it is fastened in and your 70kg body hits it in the seat at the speed of the impact you will kill it. Unrestrained passengers kill many more people in collisions than the interior of the car does.

Bx

[leebee81]

In your case I would probably get a cheap convertible - Big W have one for around $110 and Kmart often have one on sale for $120. I don't drive either but have been picked up and dropped off so we have a capsule for hubby's car and a cheap convertible just in case I need it. You can always re-sell it later and recoup some of your costs, especially if its in very good condition from not much use.