How long can babies sit in car seats for?

Conanius

Conanius

Conanius

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I'm sure there will be some who just say 'FOREVER' but we're planning holidays for next year and I'm sure I read somewhere that to avoid damage to your childs neck, they shouldn't sit in rear facing car seats as a newborn for more than 2 hours.

Thats fine, and I get why that is the case, but I can't seem to work out when this situation changes to a period longer than effectively just nipping to town and back.

We're considering a few options for holidays next year, and one is a Scotland Road Trip (the other, somewhere in France).

Curious if anyone can find any definitive guidance - not just 'yeah mate It'll be fine, I did 28 hours straight with my lad' as to when a baby is 6 months old how long they can realistically go.

Cheers, and sorry it isn't 'really' motors related !
 
What kind of seat do you have? We have one that came with a pram and it says two hours but we moved to a proper seat one and the instructions didn't mention anything about how long.
 
Yeah have you checked on the manufacturers site / booklet that comes with the seat?

Its an odd one as most seats can be clicked into prams nowadays and i'd bet nobody bothers about leaving the little one in the seat for a couple of hours ( wishful thinking I know) when its being used as a buggy/pram

Can see why its hard to get a definitive answer on it, the tinternet is full of conflicting information, sometimes even on the same page. I'd be surprised if you could actually go more than a couple of hours at a time with a young baby in the car anyway tbh
 
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Sure if you car is a nice ride and you have a properly supported baby chair, you wouldn't do any harm. My uncle did trips from Germany with his baby daughter quite a lot when he was living over there.

Do some googling and see if there is any official info on it (NHS etc)

My thoughts...Again, aslong as you have a decent baby seat and not a track ready car, I am sure no harm would be caused to your baby. It would be just the stress I would be worrying about, make sure mrs is in back keeping the baby company.
 
If the car seat is still Group 0, then the child should definitely not be in it for more than 2 hours at a time, and ideally a good break between trips. This was taught to us in our antenatal classes and all over the instructions on the seat we bought for our son.

If nothing else, children need entertainment & feeding probably more than every 2 hours, and they definately shouldn't be eating / drinking in the car (choking / burping /etc..).

Useful read here: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a7157/travelling-with-a-newborn-to-eight-month-old
 
We drove from Blackpool to Bognor in one go - 4hrs 45mins - with a 9 month in a baby seat and a nearly 2yr old old in an upright harness seat - neither of them are cripples as a result.

make sure mrs is in back keeping the baby company.
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God I hate it when I see this!
 
its just a recommendation, u as the parent have to do what u think is best, there are far worse things for a child than sitting in a car seat for a little longer than what is recommended, let common sense prevail..
 
Rybo89 said:
Why?
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Helicopter parenting, such a great idea.


Mine have been in seats for trips of 4-6 hours a couple of times a year and again neither of them have any long term OMG think of the children damage.

I used to sit in my family Chevette with no a/c to France for a day with scorching hot black vinyl seats where the piping had cracked and would pinch you over every bump, no seat belts, with no DVD players and I'm fine.......

I think :p
 
What would we do without instructions!!

Just follow some common sense.
Get out and stretch the legs every couple of hours.
If it's a driving holiday then you are going to want to stop at various points on the way anyway. Factor them into the trip.
Get some fresh air, regular breaks and take some photos. Job done.

I was slid into the roofspace on a pillow in Datsun cherry when I was little. 4 1/2 hr trip to Cornwall in those days as there was no Motorway just A38. :o
 
ci_newman said:
If the car seat is still Group 0, then the child should definitely not be in it for more than 2 hours at a time, and ideally a good break between trips. This was taught to us in our antenatal classes and all over the instructions on the seat we bought for our son.

If nothing else, children need entertainment & feeding probably more than every 2 hours, and they definately shouldn't be eating / drinking in the car (choking / burping /etc..).

Useful read here: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a7157/travelling-with-a-newborn-to-eight-month-old
Click to expand...

I thought I'd replied to this thread earlier, clearly not !

It's a Maxi Cosi Pebble on the Family Fix ISOFIX base, not that it matters I'm sure (the base bit).
 
Depends on a number of factors, but in reality you can break a trip up easily if you are on the motorways anyway, so taking regular breaks etc is the key. We took our daughter from devon to suffolk at six weeks old and she has done the trip several times a year since. As long ad you have a good quality, comfortable seat and take plenty of decent length breaks (yes it takes longer but you need to stop for feeds etc anyway) then it will be fine.
 
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