When did you start driving alone with newborn

A mirror on the back seat is fine. I would be very very careful with a monitor - you are effectively watching tv while driving. I would personally dismantle this set up. I was about 6 weeks - I only ever sat in the back of the car with my baby on the way back from the hospital. You will be fine. Build up your confidence in your own time

I started driving again solely with baby at 3 weeks old. We just have a baby mirror so I could see LO. He slept the whole way (45 mins). 🤞🏻 for you whenever you decide to, as long as you feel ready. Maybe do a few trips sat in the front seat with your partner driving or with you driving and partner next to you before you go solo if you feel like you need to boost your confidence a bit? X

Build it up slowly. I found it much easier to do car journeys solo when my girl was smaller cos she slept so much in the car! Now it’s finding things to entertain her whilst keeping her and I safe 🫣 set small boundaries, even if it’s driving around the block to start with x

I probably started driving alone with her at around 6 weeks. I use a mirror to check on her in the back seat, but even when she's crying, 99% of my attention is on the road. I talked with my brother who is a first responder, and his advice was not to let the baby distract me from the road- makes sense, but he says this is where a lot of parents mess up, they're checking on their babies too much. But he also reassured me in the safety of a properly fitted and installed carseat. You'll do fine. Just work up with small trips. It's important for you to get comfortable with driving with your LO.

About a week old x

I think just doing it makes it easier. The more you do it the easier it gets. I agree that a mirror might be a better option. I would pull over if my babe started to get really upset so I could help soothe them.

As soon as I could drive after c section at 6 weeks I was alone with baby. I just use a mirror.

I’d be more focused on the road than a camera. A mirror would be fine

I still sat in the back with our little girl until she was 6 and 1/2 weeks old… I started driving her on my own when my husband went back to work when she was 7 weeks. I was nervous too and got one of those mirrors so I can see her… she’s 12 weeks now and I’m still a bit nervous but I’m definitely getting more confident. It just takes time x

I had to drive from when my partner went back to work when baby was 2 weeks old. I was a bit worried about it but I just made myself do it and it worried me less and less each time 😊 Just an FYI, since you mentioned it, that camera monitors in the car are actually illegal. You’re better off with one of those mirrors that you put on the back seat and then you can see baby in the rear view mirror. Good luck!

I stopped sitting in the backseat with him when he stopped needing comforting to make it through a car trip. That was at about 4 months

I put my daughter in the front, was better for us & she was more settled being able to see me

@Emma that's neither safe nor legal in the US at least. The air bags could kill a child

I started driving 10 days pp

@Tallya Emma is from the UK (so am I) and here it’s legal to put your baby in the front passenger seat as long as the front air bag is turned off (I’m not sure if you have an option for this in the cars in the US but here we have a “lock” button usually in the glove box to do so) and as long as the car seat is rear facing x

I think around 4 weeks as I had a section x

@Tallya yeah we can turn the airbags off in the front passenger seat and it’s perfectly safe to put them in the front as long as you do that x

Thank you ladies, so I did initially buy the mirror but as soon as I put it up she started screaming! And every drive we did with it up she would cry hysterically until we took it down, she was absolutely fine on drives prior to that 😳 I wasn’t aware the monitors are illegal, I’ll try again with the mirror hopefully it’s something she can get use to…

Yeah I wouldn't drive with an extra screen in the car that's on. Even Dashcams have to completely be out of your field of vision and if you're distracted by something she's doing it's more dangerous for the both of you! Like others have said, a mirror on the back seat, because she's rear facing you'll be able to see her in your rear view for quick glances.

3 weeks when my husband went back to work. We’ve don’t have a mirror or anything. We put one in one time and the sun was reflecting off it into her face is I took it straight down. Plus, my daughter used to cry terribly in the car so watching her in the mirror would have been a distraction while driving.

I was driving alone when baby was days old. I have her in the front with me and the air bags switched off! When my partner is in the car we just have a mirror! Personally I feel a camera would be too distracting! Xx

I thought a camera was illegal in the UK?

When I started driving myself at 6w, he had 6w paternity leave so up until then (not that I went anywhere in the 6w) he drove. But when he went back, I’m not one to stay home so I started driving. The more you do it the easier it gets

I’ve done some more reading into it and I can’t see anything to say it’s illegal. Can anyone show me where it says this so I can confirm? All I’ve seen is that if its not correctly installed then it can lead to points and a fine but the other reasons are preference based, some people prefer not to use it as they find it distracting or it can be used as reason for accident if that ever occurred but I’ve also seen some prefer the camera over a mirror because of the glare and burn risk from sunlight…

Maybe it’s best not to be driving until you feel less anxious about it all. A camera won’t offer you much more than a mirror and also it’s not like you can sit starting at it / or do much while trying to focus and concentrate on the road. Road safety for the baby and you needs to be paramount so I would suggest waiting and trying to relax with it before anything xx