Does your child under 10 use a car seat/ booster

amother

Clematis

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 3:37 pm

gamanit wrote:

People take shifts. Are you familiar with Freakonomics crash tests? Car seats and booster seats are not nearly as effective as is widely believed.

Even if that is true, as I said in my previous post, I am going to abide by the traffic laws where I live. If you don’t like it, don’t do a car pool with me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

gamanit

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 3:43 pm

amother Clematis wrote:

If there is a law where there is that states my child needs to be in a booster up to a certain age/weight (there is where I live), I am going to follow it even if there is evidence that it may not be necessary.

Sorry I mixed you up with neonblue who was saying that the laws are a joke. Being compliant is one thing (I have no interest in getting a ticket either). If you're having your child in a booster seat beyond the legal requirements, it's important to know the actual facts.

amother

Eggplant

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 4:19 pm

amother NeonBlue wrote:

You know really short adults often need a "booster" or seat insert to reach the pedals properly? It's not funny, why mock people?

No I didn't know. My 20 year old isn't short but stick thin.

Elilove

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 5:31 pm

amother Salmon wrote:

Considering my parents grew up without seatbelts and I grew up without booster seats and carseats only for infants, I wouldn't call my kids unsafe. I agree they aren't in the safest position in the event of a car accident ch"v, but that doesn't mean that the way they are now is UNsafe.

Are you serious right now???

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 5:39 pm

Our family was in an accident that should have been fatal for all of my kids. We were hit in stopped traffic by a semi truck at full speed. All of my kids 11 and under were in booster seats or car seats. The youngest was 5 and in a five point harness. No child was injured - the boosters were bent and did what they were designed to do and took the impact of the crash. This is physics - not recommendations for nothing.
To give you an idea of the impact - the entire freeway was shut down do to our accident and some kids were briefly trapped. No broken bones, no stitches…some scratches, lost shoes from the sheer force and some muscle soreness.
All of my kids remained in boosters till over 11 and had the confidence to stand up to any child who tried to make fun of them or question - one child responded to a snarky question as to why they were still in a “baby” seat by stating “because my mommy loves me”.

amother

Clematis

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 6:37 pm

amother Pumpkin wrote:

Love this, especially the bolded! 👏

GLUE

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 6:48 pm

amother Salmon wrote:

You're all so perfect.

I'll bite. I'm one of those moms OP is talking about. My newborn goes into an infant seat. My 2.5 year old toddler is in a forward facing car seat. We turned him around from rear-facing when cleaning the car for Pesach when he was just over 2. My 7.5 year old 50 lb.-er hasn't been in a booster seat for at least a year, probably more. My 9.5 year old (who weighs about 55 lbs.) has been out of a booster seat for at least 3 years.

I have a minivan and as it is my whole family doesn't fit in; there's definitely no room for booster seats.

That is why the latch system was invented, get a car seat with the latches and put it in your trunk. There are latches on the floor to connect it to. People really do this I have seen it & it also works if you don't have the middle seat in the first row you just latch the car seat into the seats next to them.

amother

Clover

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 8:41 pm

GLUE wrote:

No no no!! The latch system was so the parents can easily install car seats correctly. Not so you can create a seat out of midair. It won't work. In a bad car accident the seat can go flying, it can unhook because the two latches used arent connected to each other. You must use the latches correctly. And the ones on the floor (as far as I have seen) are not Latches for car seats. Do they have the car seat latch symbol? Often they are for teethering car seats in, which you also can't do if you create a seat that doesn't exist.

amother

Clover

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 8:47 pm

I am a car seat mom. And run carpool.
My then tiny 8 year old (who is under 2% for height) was in a car seat until he hit 40 pounds and we switched to booster. Almost 10 and still in a booster.
My other kid of that age range was in a FF car seat until about age 6.5 but hit 40 pounds already. And was the same size as my 8 year old.
I rear face until 2 but they didn't fit after 2.
Car seats until they outgrew, and then to boosters.
Yes my now almost 10 year old complains he is one of the only ones in a booster but I told him I loved him so much I wanted him to survive a car crash. He accepted that answer and doesn't complain about boosters anymore.

And I don't let kids who are supposed to be in car seats to use boosters in my car. If they are too small for a booster (under 40-50 depending on booster, mine are 40) then they use a car seat. If they can use a booster and don't want a booster I make them or they don't get a ride with me.

amother

Freesia

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 8:56 pm

amother Clover wrote:

Just don't be like my friends mother growing up who made me sit in a booster till I was 10, but my head was bumping the ceiling so I had a choice of bending my neck over uncomfortably or slouching in the seat. Would have been just safer to have 5 foot me sit in the seat normally.

amother

Hawthorn

Fri, Sep 22 2023, 11:32 am

I do agree that it is community dependent, not necessarily a jewish v non-jewish thing but more about what tohers do and the awareness people have. My 8 year old isnt in a booster anymore but she is 52" and the seatbelt is good on her (she was in a 5 point until she was 5.5) My almost 2 year old is rear facing, I plan on keeping her that way for as long as possible since she is tiny (not even 35"). I find that people dont know about coats and car seats either or about straps, etc
I get made fun of by my in laws for being so on top of it and it is incredibly invalidating and hurtful. I won't apologize for caring about babies and their safety.

amother

Tomato

Fri, Sep 22 2023, 11:36 am

amother Freesia wrote:

And don't be like a friends mother who was tasked with driving a 9th grade carpool. Every child walked into the car and had to announce their height and weight to everyone complete with "are you sure? You look smaller/bigger".
Most humiliating experience ever.

amother

NeonBlue

Fri, Sep 22 2023, 11:44 am

GLUE wrote:

Yikes!!! So unsafe! That’s not what latches are for! It’s the secure a car seat properly to an actual seat! That seat would not withstand a car accident. This is insanity. Just put a seat on the roof while you are at it.

amother

NeonBlue

Fri, Sep 22 2023, 11:46 am

amother Pumpkin wrote:

This is why we use proper boosters and car seats!