No car...how should I transport my child...?

[teacher17]

Hi,

I'm pregnant and worried about what I should do regarding transporting a newborn around.

First off, I am a teacher and my husband works in a restaurant. Are salaries are OK for living off of and saving a bit, but we have not been able to save up enough money to buy a car, especially with hospital costs, etc.

I am also of the opinion that you should use a car seat if you have a baby/child. However, I don't have that option because I don't have a car. I guess we could "rent" a car for a bit, but I think that would be expensive. We currently live in Bangkok, but I will probably give birth in Phuket as some of my husbands family lives there.

His cousin and uncle both have a car...and they could take us around, but not all the time...maybe my husband could drive it but I don't know if you're allowed to drive someone else's car or if his cousin/uncle would be OK with him using it or not.

I obviously do not want to use the motorbike (which we have...) but I don't know that I have many other options. I know I could invest in maybe a baby helmet, etc...

I know this could turn into a heated topic, but really all I want is advice. Trying to be responsible and it's a bit hard when you lack money and live in Thailand...Thanks!

[Mickey Cohen]

So buy a car

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[benalibina]

Silly topic.......in defense or attack of.......

[Morakot]

Maybe three wheels?

[teacher17]

Right..so helpful....if you don't have any solid advice, then please don't bother commenting..thanks...

[Morakot]

If you're in BKK using taxis might be an alternative. Try this for convenience: GrabTaxi.

If in the sticks, see what the locals do.

[saakura]

Millions of other mothers in the world do not have a car. A Thai mother who has carried her child in the womb for 9 months is as much concerned for the safety of her baby as anyone else, it is a natural instinct irrespective of nationality. Your comment "trying to be responsible but it is hard when lacking money and living in Thailand" is irrelevant.

[Mickey Cohen]

U dont have 7k a months to pay for a car?

So what is OK salary for u?

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[arthurwait]

Some people especially teachers don't earn much here, cars are expensive here most people can't afford them give her a break..

Taxis are the really the only option. You could buy a cheap old car if you can get the funds together, if you can sell it in the future it will lose very little value so won't cost much after selling. You can look for a second hand car seat on sites like www.olx.co.th.

You'll need a baby cradle seat at first which can be strapped in and un strapped quickly in a taxi.

Here's one with push chair for 1800B. http://www.olx.co.th/product-4934913/ in laksi Bangkok. Edit: just saw doesn't have car seat.

The car is insured here not the driver so anyone can drive it.

Edited May 23, 2014 by arthurwait

[arthurwait]

Try again.

1900 Baht secondhand

http://www.olx.co.th/product-6033453/

1500 Baht

http://www.olx.co.th/product-4459681/

[thamteak]

Well if you can't buy a car.

Can't use taxis etc.

Bicycle with a proper child seat.

And will help you get fit.

[Skint]

I would spend good money say 4-5k on a good sling (not a shitty Thai one) baby bjorn for example and use the motorbike, there is a baby show on at sirikit conference centre in June called baby best buy they have Facebook etc worth a look. I'm not sure about a helmet for a small a baby never seen them.

[Forethat]

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Forethat

[bkkjames]

I would spend good money say 4-5k on a good sling (not a shitty Thai one) baby bjorn for example and use the motorbike, there is a baby show on at sirikit conference centre in June called baby best buy they have Facebook etc worth a look. I'm not sure about a helmet for a small a baby never seen them.

Put your newborn on a bike? Worst advice ever given.

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[Skint]

I would spend good money say 4-5k on a good sling (not a shitty Thai one) baby bjorn for example and use the motorbike, there is a baby show on at sirikit conference centre in June called baby best buy they have Facebook etc worth a look. I'm not sure about a helmet for a small a baby never seen them.

Put your newborn on a bike? Worst advice ever given.

Sent from my LG-P970 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

What else do you suggest to do in Bangkok? A taxi? Or what? Do explain James what is best, do explain in an emergency what the OP is to do? Given OP has no car what else in a safe manor do they do? Please provide solutions james instead of <deleted> me off

[teacher17]

Some people especially teachers don't earn much here, cars are expensive here most people can't afford them give her a break..

Taxis are the really the only option. You could buy a cheap old car if you can get the funds together, if you can sell it in the future it will lose very little value so won't cost much after selling. You can look for a second hand car seat on sites like www.olx.co.th.

You'll need a baby cradle seat at first which can be strapped in and un strapped quickly in a taxi.

Here's one with push chair for 1800B. http://www.olx.co.th/product-4934913/ in laksi Bangkok. Edit: just saw doesn't have car seat.

The car is insured here not the driver so anyone can drive it.

Thanks! Taxis in BKK I can take--no problem. Phuket is just full of tuk tuks and taxi motorbikes though...

I should say that we will be in phuket for only a few months during my maternity leave and then after go back to BKK.

So my husband could drive someone else's car then? Maybe police here don't care anyway...but there is a small chance we could use his family member's car if we have to. I will buy a car seat for sure...I've heard it's not good to buy second hand...any truth to that?

[Spoonman]

U dont have 7k a months to pay for a car?

So what is OK salary for u?

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Are you offering to give her the deposit.

[Familyonthemove]

I've seen convertible car seats that have clip on wheels to turn them into a pram. You could use taxis and use the car seat mode in the taxi - then attach wheels for going around the supermarket s etc? Taxi are cheap and plentiful - no need for a car in Bangkok.

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[teacher17]

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.

Yes, my husband is Thai.

Hah. Well, not going home....so that's not an option. Air pollution is not only in BKK...besides, we're not living in BKK the first couple months of the child's life and my question wasn't about air pollution...

I'm not buying a stroller/pram. I don't feel I need one because Thai sidewalks are well...sometimes non existent. I will be using a baby sling/carrier. What about all the families who live in BKK?? They live normal lives and let's face it--everytime we walk out the door there's a chance you could get hit by a car, etc (and this goes for not only in BKK).

That's wonderful that maybe you have the money to take your child around in a car and somehow magically avoid all the danger that everyone here faces everyday just because you have the "financial means to do so." Reality is not always like that...in any country for that matter.

[CharlesHH]

Teacher........... If I had an infant, I would skip lunch and take a taxi. Look for a wildly colored little car with a funny light in the window. Say METER to the driver.

Oh, yes, tell driver to put the sign in the window that says "Baby Onboard." That makes everyone really careful.

Edited May 24, 2014 by CharlesHH

[Morakot]

So my husband could drive someone else's car then? Maybe police here don't care anyway...but there is a small chance we could use his family member's car if we have to.

You need to check with the car owner what type of insurance s/he has. As already said most cars have an insurance policy where the driver is not named, which means anyone will be insured when driving. However, some people opt for a named policy that specifies who can drive it, in which case you or your husband won’t be insured.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Morakot

[arthurwait]

The basic tax/compulsory insurance is third party and covers the car it's on to be legal and financially the third party only. As said above check any first class insurance, but as long as the tax is paid the car meets the legal minimum for anyone to drive the car.

[arthurwait]

Some people especially teachers don't earn much here, cars are expensive here most people can't afford them give her a break..

Taxis are the really the only option. You could buy a cheap old car if you can get the funds together, if you can sell it in the future it will lose very little value so won't cost much after selling. You can look for a second hand car seat on sites like www.olx.co.th.

You'll need a baby cradle seat at first which can be strapped in and un strapped quickly in a taxi.

Here's one with push chair for 1800B. http://www.olx.co.th/product-4934913/ in laksi Bangkok. Edit: just saw doesn't have car seat.

The car is insured here not the driver so anyone can drive it.

Thanks! Taxis in BKK I can take--no problem. Phuket is just full of tuk tuks and taxi motorbikes though...

I should say that we will be in phuket for only a few months during my maternity leave and then after go back to BKK.

So my husband could drive someone else's car then? Maybe police here don't care anyway...but there is a small chance we could use his family member's car if we have to. I will buy a car seat for sure...I've heard it's not good to buy second hand...any truth to that?

You can hold the seat yourself in a tuk tuk.

Secondhand seats just need to be checked- that the buckle doesn't come undone under load and the slots for the seat belts aren't broken or about to . Oh and the carrying handle is safe.

The baby cradle seats are very simple things and most people borrow a family members or friends whether here or back in the UK. If we don't buy another one for our second child due in November it will have gone from our son to his first cousin and second cousin before coming back for our second.

[patongphil]

I would of thought about it before having a kid.

[Forethat]

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.

Yes, my husband is Thai.

Hah. Well, not going home....so that's not an option. Air pollution is not only in BKK...besides, we're not living in BKK the first couple months of the child's life and my question wasn't about air pollution...

I'm not buying a stroller/pram. I don't feel I need one because Thai sidewalks are well...sometimes non existent. I will be using a baby sling/carrier. What about all the families who live in BKK?? They live normal lives and let's face it--everytime we walk out the door there's a chance you could get hit by a car, etc (and this goes for not only in BKK).

That's wonderful that maybe you have the money to take your child around in a car and somehow magically avoid all the danger that everyone here faces everyday just because you have the "financial means to do so." Reality is not always like that...in any country for that matter.

Sorry if a couple of straight forward truths didn't go down that well, I only gave an advice based on experience.

A buggy (or as you call it: a stroller/pram) can be a nightmare in Thai infrastructure, but believe me, when you've been out on sunday a trip to the park combined with a visit to the supermarket/mall and have to carry the baby, the baby-bag with baby-items, nappies and spare clothes together with your own items and the groceries you'll soon realise that you dont have enough arms and that a buggy would be pretty convenient. What I'm saying is that the buggy will become just as much a transporter as a place for the baby to sleep. You'll figure out what I mean after a while, trust me.

What are you going to do if you're out shopping and see some clothes that you want to try on? Put the baby on the floor? You asked a direct question: How should I transport my child? I gave you my answer: buy a car. I get the impression you dont want an answer and only expect people to confirm you're making the right choices.

If you dont have the financial means to transport your baby in a safe way and want to settle for a thai taxi driver without a child safety seat OR walk everywhere all the time and expose your baby for the crappy air, go ahead, but just as I said; you ARE in trouble (or the baby is, depending on how you look at it).

[krisb]

Some people especially teachers don't earn much here, cars are expensive here most people can't afford them give her a break..

Taxis are the really the only option. You could buy a cheap old car if you can get the funds together, if you can sell it in the future it will lose very little value so won't cost much after selling. You can look for a second hand car seat on sites like www.olx.co.th.

You'll need a baby cradle seat at first which can be strapped in and un strapped quickly in a taxi.

Here's one with push chair for 1800B. http://www.olx.co.th/product-4934913/ in laksi Bangkok. Edit: just saw doesn't have car seat.

The car is insured here not the driver so anyone can drive it.

Thanks! Taxis in BKK I can take--no problem. Phuket is just full of tuk tuks and taxi motorbikes though...

I should say that we will be in phuket for only a few months during my maternity leave and then after go back to BKK.

So my husband could drive someone else's car then? Maybe police here don't care anyway...but there is a small chance we could use his family member's car if we have to. I will buy a car seat for sure...I've heard it's not good to buy second hand...any truth to that?

I got around fine in taxis and tuk tuks with a 6 month old all over Thailand.

No problems at all.

Just speak up if the drivers have you worried about how they drive.

Second hand car seats are fine I suppose if you give them a good once over to check they look good. A new car seat is quite cheap anyway so most would just buy new.

Edited May 25, 2014 by krisb

[harrry]

When you move to another country you have to adapt to the conditions here. I am sure you have see that thai people care about their babies just as much as you do. Yes it may be safest to stay home all the time but that is not practicable. Depending on your age youu almost ccertainly grew up without using a car seat,quite possibly with your parents not using seat belts.

Staying home has risks. Using a car has more, Using a taxi probably about the same and possibly the best option if you can afford it as you do not have to worry about parking and carrying your baby and everything needed everywhere.

a bike has some risks but remember that most thais grow up haveing been carried on wone from the minute they leave the hospital. Ride safely and keep to low traffic routes and I am sure you will be ok.

All you can do is do the best you can with the situation yu are in which you have chosen.

All the best with you new baby.

[samran]

I'm going to join the buy are car people.

I know money is an issue but you can pick up a good second hand car (say a 2007 honda jazz) for 300-400k.

The good thing about the second hand car market in Thailand is that the car will general hold its value pretty well, so when it comes time to sell it you'll easily get at least 75% of the purchase price if it is still in good condition. Taking into account your usage of it, comvinence etc you are pretty much getting the car for nothing.

Just my two cents viewing this issue a slightly different way...

[WorriedNoodle]

>First off, I am a teacher ... Are salaries are OK

Teaching of west country dialects by chance?

[claffey]

You don't need a buggy on the streets. Its too awkward. You can carry your baby yourself which is what we did. This gives you the added comfort that your baby is safe in your arms. I remember going all over Bangkok with my son. We kept him at home for the first 2-3 months though, with only some 'fresh air' on weekend mornings at 5.30 am.... We only used the buggy at home around our condo and when we went to big shopping malls. Taxis were always helpful and usually helped to put the buggy in the boot for us... My main problem was all the attention we received from the locals. 'Narak jang loei' would normally ring out as we walked down the street. This I didn't mind. Complete strangers assuming it was ok to carry my son irked me but I soon learned to say No as politely as possibly.So... Taxis are the best way to get around Bangkok with a baby. Usually they will drive slowly if you ask them too..Chok Dee Kap...

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.