LHR to Premier Inn County Hall with infant - late night arrival

The last Piccadilly line tube on a Sunday evening is 23.28 from T2/3. The last Elizabeth line train is at 00.07, but just to Paddington.
They should make the tube train at that time of night and definitely the train, assuming an on time plane arrival.

This is what the law says

If the driver doesn’t provide the correct child car seat, children can travel without one - but only if they travel on a rear seat:
and wear an adult seat belt if they’re 3 or older
without a seat belt if they’re under 3

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat

Book a private driver

The last Picc/District line tube to Westminster is at 2304, but the last Elizabeth Line to Paddington is at 0006 then taxi.

Maybe the easiest option after 2304 is National Express to Victoria Coach Station at midnight and then at 1am, then taxi, although there is a bus #C10 from straight outside the coach station to County Hall until 0047 then the N11 all night as far as Westminster.

Option #2- Just stay at Heathrow airport hotel that night and make your move into the city the following morning when you have had some rest and no schedule pressure caused by unknowns of flying and passport control time.
Option#3- Bring a car seat with you.

I think that if they don’t wish to travel without a car seat then they should stay at an airport hotel and take the Tube in the next morning. If they are delayed then they could find themselves quite stuck and with a young child that’s really not going to be fun.

I see that the 23.28 Piccadilly tube will be too late to change to the District line but you could stay on until Hyde Park Corner for a short cab ride to the hotel.

I agree with Carol and Helen. Have them stay at a hotel. There is a Premier Inn accessible to Terminal 3, which would be much easier, more comfortable and probably cheaper than hiring a private driver (or at least comparable).

Thank you all for replying. I have scratched the train option. I don't want them stranded in the middle of the night if their flight is delayed. After much. research, I have found a private car service that guarantees a rear-facing seat for £96. I wanted them to stay at the Premier Inn County Hall as all their wedding guests are staying there to visit London for a few days first.

Wise choice! We had a late arrival, had to dash to make the last tube ride to Paddington and then the taxi dropped us at Premier Inn Waterloo instead of County Hall. It was dark and our first stay at PI County Hall, so we didn’t realize the mistake until late. Your plan eliminates stress.

The problem with using a car seat supplied by a car service is that it might well not be the right size, the straps might not be in the right place and you may not know how to alter them and it has to be correctly fitted into the vehicle, something that is not necessarily straight forward with a different type of seat to the one you are used to. Also they often use the very cheapest seats available that really aren’t very good.

They may feel that something is better than nothing but if they are very safety conscious using the car service may just cause them more problems.

Phew, pleased about the change of plan, especially because of havjng the child.

yes, I agree Helen, it probably is a not-so-nice and an unfamiliar car seat. But it is going to have to work. I am going to purchase a British car seat or borrow one (I have family in Essex) for the rest of the vacation. (I arrive a week ahead of them), but I don't want to have to drag it through London and up to Heathrow.

I know that airlines allow babies to fly on their parent’s lap, but this is really unsafe. Think about the door that flew out of the Alaska Airlines plane. If there had been an unsecured infant nearby, the baby probably would have been sucked out of the plane. (I know, I know - very graphic). Even run-of-the-mill turbulence can throw an unsecured person (like a flight attendant) up against the ceiling.

I just took a 12+ hour flight to New Zealand, and I noticed that the parents of babies had all purchased a seat and brought their own car seat for the babies. Much safer and this had the added advantage of the babies and toddlers being in a familiar seat during the flight.

So another option would be for the parents to rethink flying without their own car seat. If they’re concerned about an unsecured child in a car, they should be concerned about the plane ride as well.

The OP has done all that she can to resolve the problem and it sounds like it has worked out satisfactorily for her and her family. I don’t think there’s any reason to try and scare or guilt her into another decision.

You can’t actually use the car seat for the baby on take off or landing. The baby must go on a parent’s lap at those times. Same as if there is turbulence. It’s not a safety feature for plane travel, it’s just a convenience for parents.

You can’t actually use the car seat for the baby on take off or landing. The baby must go on a parent’s lap at those times. Same as if there is turbulence. It’s not a safety feature for plane travel, it’s just a convenience for parents.

The US FAA has a different view than does Helen about children and car seat usage--

https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children

The EASA site also seems to not agree with Helen.

https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/light/topics/flying-children-0

The UK CAA site is unfriendly and I could not find the subject.

I realize this post is a bit off topic, but I see Helen's statement as misleading and dangerous.

I agree with Mardee here. The OP asked a question about car seats in London.

Instead unasked for advice is being given about other aspects of the travel arrangements.

We simply do not know what arrangements they have made with the airline for the infant during the flight. Given the laudable concern for the concluding land portion of the journey, it is safe to me to assume that suitable restraint arrangements have been made with the airline for the flight.

I was actually concerned last night about suggesting ending the journey into London by black cab as I have no knowledge of whether or not black cabs (or ubers) routinely carry child seats. From the opening section of the OP I rather suspect not.

This young family are probably also trying to juggle luggage, a baby, and now, seemingly, a car seat as well.

Taxis never provide car seats but it’s not a legal requirement and they are rarely involved in serious accidents. In a black cab you can actually wheel the whole pram in and the baby can travel like that.

It’s really down to balance of risk and how individual parents feel about those risks. That’s why it can be useful to have all the information. Different parents will come to different conclusions.

The advice about car seats may have changed since mine were that age. However, I have a feeling that very few European car seats have the correct safety approval to be used in planes. This might be different for US seats and could be the reason for the confusion.

I didn't mean to open the car seat vs lap debate on the forum. I think for many parents, it's the cost of buying an extra seat as well as trying to keep an infant restrained in the seat for all that time, is a big consideration. Yes, it's safer to have them secure in their own seat, but statistically speaking, car accidents are more dangerous. Hence my anxiety about not having a car seat for the journey into London.

I just needed to figure out a safe transfer from LHR to the hotel late at night and thank you to all of you who provided train times and practical advice for that journey.