MTV's Teen Mom show & lack of car seat safety?

[amldaley]

I have never watched MTV's Teen Mom before (or maybe one episode years ago where a grandma was suing for custody?)

I came across it today when flipping and stopped when I saw a baby who looks to be under 12 months, or if over, then JUST BARELY, forward facing in a carseat with shoulder straps so loose they were hanging off her.

In the next segment, a little boy, maybe 12 -16 months, IF that, same thing.

Are these babies forward facing for the cameras? Does no one on this show take child safety seriously? Are these girls given any guidance??????? Parenting classes?

[BabyBearsMom]

I have never watched MTV's Teen Mom before (or maybe one episode years ago where a grandma was suing for custody?)

I came across it today when flipping and stopped when I saw a baby who looks to be under 12 months, or if over, then JUST BARELY, forward facing in a carseat with shoulder straps so loose they were hanging off her.

In the next segment, a little boy, maybe 12 -16 months, IF that, same thing.

Are these babies forward facing for the cameras? Does no one on this show take child safety seriously? Are these girls given any guidance??????? Parenting classes?

I don't think that the show is exactly about responsible parenting... I can't really bare to watch the show, although sometimes it is like a train wreck and I flip to it and can't turn away. Honestly, the lack of car seat safety seems to be the least of these poor kids' problems.

[arivecchi]

Yes, it's a train wreck. We have commented on this here and I have seen threads about this in car-seat.org as well.

Sadly, a lot of parents have zero knowledge most about car seats. Scary.

[bcafe]

I never took them to be FF in the carseats. I just assumed the camera was mounted near the back windshield. The straps are a problem...too loose, and the chest clip was always low.

[amldaley]

I never took them to be FF in the carseats. I just assumed the camera was mounted near the back windshield. The straps are a problem...too loose, and the chest clip was always low.

Both of these shots were from a camera in the front seat where you could see the driver and the kid at the same time.

[infocrazy]

I watch teen mom. :bag

The lack of carseat safety on there drives me crazy...but sadly so do some of my friends. Educated adults in their 30s...like my coworker who put her just under 2 yo in a booster because she was tired of the complaining she (2yo) wanted seats like her older brothers and called me a helicopter mom when I tried to convince her to keep her harnessed... and lamented having to buy boosters for her boys who had been out of them for "years" when MI passed the booster to 8 laws.

I think some of it is their age, but I think some of it is just poor carseat education in general.

[amldaley]

As I am watching more now, I am seeing so many other things.


The granda smoking indoors. The kid climbing on a computer table unattended. The kid standing in her highchair jumping up and down.

And a friend babysitting who left a baby around 9 or 10 mo old sitting on a kitchen counter top when she went to answer the door. :47:

It IS like watching a train wreck, but I guess having loving supportive grandparents doesn't gaurantee child safety either - look at the Anthonys.

Now I have to go read the other threads here on this show and google around. Fascinated and horrified!

[secchick]

And don't forget the leaving the baby outside the front door unattended while moving in/unpacking/hanging a shower curtain and leaving your infant alone in the bath in the kitchen sink while you sit on the couch (and the resulting scalding hot water on the baby when she turns on the faucet).

[hellokitty]

Lol, DH and I watched one episode last night on netflix, b/c I have heard so many ppl talking about it. BOTH of us were freaking out over a part where they show the baby in the carseat and the chest clip was no where in sight and the straps were obviously NOT even tightened. DH started going off about it and I had to remind him that these are teenagers, even non-teen parents can barely use carseats correctly, I'm not surprised to see that teen moms are clueless. Sad, but true.

[amldaley]

And don't forget the leaving the baby outside the front door unattended while moving in/unpacking/hanging a shower curtain and leaving your infant alone in the bath in the kitchen sink while you sit on the couch (and the resulting scalding hot water on the baby when she turns on the faucet).

Okaaaay...now I have to google those, too. Has CPS ever been called?????

[BabyBearsMom]

Okaaaay...now I have to google those, too. Has CPS ever been called?????

I am pretty sure they called them on one girl...there was some sort of domestic violence situation going on. I read about it on People. There is a lot of discussion on how far the camera people let the parents go without stepping in. MTV says that if the baby is in direct danger, i.e. sitting on the counter and about to roll off with mom no where in site, the camera people will step in to stop it, but beyond that nothign. It is kind of immoral. And I wonder if these girls just expect the camera people to do that, so they feel like they don't have to worry.

[bcafe]

Ok, I only watched season 1 on Netflix, because these scenes don't sound familiar. They must be on other seasons. Season 1 has the babies in infant seats/carriers so they are RF.

[kijip]

I agree with pp, bad carseat usage is the least of these childrens' worries. One of the mothers has lost custody and is in rehab after assaulting her boyfriend on camera, while the child was nearby. How on earth that MTV justifies not interfering in that case is beyond me. Seeing one parent beat up the other is harmful to the child, plain and simple.