Are your friends anal about carseats too?

[AngelaS]

I stand alone pretty much in my quest for my chidren's car riding safety. I have exactly 2 friends who insist on having their children buckled in securely in their carseats or boosters.

One of my friends has 4 kids---6,4,3 and 9mo. Her 9mo rides front facing in a loosely installed seat. Her 6 and 4 yo generally ride w/out a booster and the 3yo sits in a booster, but often with the seat belt much to loose to do any good.

Another friend has 6 kids---in a 7 passenger van. Two of the children share a seat and a seat belt.

This makes me CRAZY!! I mean these are good friends of mine, who don't seem to give a rip and think I'm obsessive.....grrr...

Maybe I should have put this in *iching post... lol

[Joolsplus2]

Isn't it amazing that people can't seem to comprehend the dangers of improper restraint in a car?
It's the number one cause of death to all people ages 1-34, and yet so easy and inexpensive to reduce injuries and deaths to children with a simple $15 booster and proper seatbelt usage in adults.
It's really a shame there's not more education, like public service announcements, on this issue.
Oh, my state has a 6 years or 60 pounds booster law, so most of my friends comply...but all my ds's playgroup friends will be turning 6 in the fall, and we'll see what happens then (one of the neighbor kids just turned 6 and was OUT of a booster THAT DAY...why? can he really be more comfortable without one? is it REALLY that inconvenient? Do his parents think he's safer without it? I just don't get it....)
:(

[KathyO]

I'm in the same boat, and some days my tongue hurts from all the biting down on it I have to do. No, my friends, seats are NOT all the same, and yes, I know your survived your seatbelt-free childhood, but lots of kids didn't. What really bites my butt is that the local public health nurses who run the prenatal and postnatal classes (an unparalleled opportunity to get GOOD information out there) are often giving out information which is misleading, confusing and occasionally flat-out wrong, plus they're recommending the Cosco Alpha Omega as "the best seat, period" for ALL children in all situations, and they don't seem in the least interested in the websites and printed information I put together for them, as a more tactful and constructive response than saying, "You are a bunch of idiots..."

And then there was that wonderful car accident I got to help out at where the younger child was riding in a booster that was far too big for him, and the older one (the blood-covered one who wasn't breathing when I clambered into the car) wasn't in ANYTHING... she and everyone else lived to tell the tale with no long-term damage, but I really do wonder how cops and paramedics manage not to SCREAM at people sometimes...

Sigh,

KathyO

[mama2be]

I have personally witnessed a 3 year old on her birthday die in a carwreck where the mommy didn't even have to be a patient in the ER due to not installing the seat correctly. That's why when people tend to want ot throw their own parenting styles down my throat I want acess to their car...is their child in the center and is the seat on them appropriatly...

This is by no means close to the only baby I have seen dead from poor seat installation...but it was the one that was a huge notice call to me since mommy walked out fine and baby died!!!!

[momathome]

Yuck, this is a big issue for me, too. Two of my neighbors turned their babies forward-facing as soonn as they outgrew their infant seats at about 6 months and spoke quite casually about how they did not follow the "rule"! My SIL turned her kids around by the time they were 10 months old - she couldn't believe that I kept Kasey rear-facing until she was 18 months-old - she thought I was being rediculous and paranoid. I tried to tell her about all of the research I have done promoting keeping kids rearfacing as long as possible and she just rolled her eyes. Of any baby product you can buy, I think the carseat is the biggest-most-important purchase of all. It's my opinion that you cannot buy enough protection to keep your baby safe in a car - therefore, I will do anything in my power to keep my girls safe, from buying top-of-the-line seats to making sure they are properly installed and used each and every time my girls set foot in my car or anyone elses. Only one friend of mine makes a real effort where carseat safety is concerned - it just blows my mind!
-Lauren
mom to Liza, age 5, Britax StarRiser Comfy
and Kasey, age 2, Britax RA

[gravymommy3]

I am a car seat Nazi. Hayden is 20 months old tomorrow and she won't be forward facing for another 7 lbs. Period! Grayson is 5 and Avery is 3.5 and they are in Huskys. People think I'm weird. Too damn bad. I would rather be weird than have a child hurt in a car accident. I cannot believe that people turn their kids around so early. What are they thinking?????