Taxi cab travel?

[Jaycee]

Just curious, what do you NYC moms and travellers do when you are hailing cabs with an infant or toddler in tow? Do you have to strap the car seat into a taxi cab, or do you hold them on your lap and is that even legal?

[Kasia216]

I live in Manhattan and when I take cabs I usually have him in the Bjorn and I use a seatbelt. Most of my friends do this. The car seat/base is big, heavy & cumbersome so I never take it along with me.

[BooeyJ2]

I've always wondered this too :)

[EJM]

I thought you had to strap the seat into the cab? That was part of the reason we bought a Snugride instead of the Peg Perego infant seat which doesn't work without the base. DD is only 12 weeks but I've avoided cabs up until now so I don't have to stuggle to secure her seat in the taxi. I'm in Chicago and we have a car, but sometimes finding parking has been a huge pain, or I walk which is fine except on the extremely cold days.

[Sarah]

When my DD was a baby, we didn't have a car, and when we (very occasionally) used cabs, we just carried her. It's not safe, honestly, especially with a seatbelt. If there's a crash, all your weight will be forced against the baby, and it will be squeezed between the seatbelt and you. Or it will be pushed by all your weight into the back of the seat in front of it.

That said, sometimes you do what you have to do. We did everything we could to avoid cabs, but sometimes we felt we needed to take them. There is a thing you can get from One Step Ahead that is like a soft portable carseat, but it's for 20 lbs and up, I think.

And most cabs around here won't stop for you if you have a seat, and get pissed because it takes so long to unearth the seatbelt and install it. Our other option was to simply bring the carseat and place it in the car, but not strapped in. We figured it would give some protection.

[jrdhbunny]

I never take cabs with the baby, but then again I've never found myself in a circumstance where it was important enough to risk DS in a cab without a car seat. If I did (medical emergency, etc.) then I guess I would do what I had to. Even when I had a doctor's appointment 30 blocks and 3 avenues away, I walked. I have also taken the subway- it just took a lot of planning to find the stations with elevators. :rolleyes:

[Sarah]

I have also taken the subway- it just took a lot of planning to find the stations with elevators.
Wouldn't the subway have risks, as well? Or the bus?

[jrdhbunny]

The bus would certainly have similar risks (I've never taken the bus, but I'm assuming it would). As for the subway, I think the only chance for something comperable happening would be if the train derailed, and the chances of that happening are significantly less than that of a taxi accident. I mean, even walking has risks, but you have to be able to get around the city with your child somehow. And I think taking a cab is fine- as long as you buckle your baby/child into a car seat.

[Kasia216]

It's not ideal getting around a city with a baby......

I too try to walk as much as possible but there are plenty of times I need to get someplace that is clearly not walkable so you have a limited number of options.

I hate taking subways myself so I will not take my DS underground as it's loud, crowded, gross and there are very limited stations with elevator access (if your with a stroller). I rarely take a bus cause they are way too slow and getting a stroller on a bus is a joke. I suppose you can board with a Bjorn but you run the same risk if an accident happens on a bus as you do in a cab.

I've had plenty of cabs pass me by with my universal and car seat. They just don't want to stop as they know it takes time to put the car seat in the cab and fold up the stroller/base.

I guess it just comes down to doing whatever makes you most comfortable.