Car Seats - Be Honest

Isramom8

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 3:56 pm

Technically, our 5 youngest kids should be in car seats or boosters. The oldest of these is 10, but nowhere near the recommended height of 4 feet 9 inches, at which height a child is said to be able to travel safely using a regular seat belt. Hey, I'm barely taller than that myself.

The 10 and 8 year olds use regular seat belts, because it took me a while to convince DH that any kids at all require car seats. ("Why can't you hold the baby on your lap? And what's wrong with leaving him in the car for just a minute?" BTW his mother is the same way - she was having the baby nap facedown on a thick plush blanket in her home because he seemed so comfortable!)

The 6, 4 and 1 year old are always restrained appropriately. DH picks up travelers throughout the day and cannot keep lots of car seats in the minivan. So he feels that he is doing me a great favor.

My question is: In frum families with many young children ka"h, till what age are parents REALLY using carseats or boosters?

I live in Israel. Are things different in frum American communities?

nicole81

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 4:00 pm

are there laws regarding this in israel? or just recommendations? in ny, the law is a booster until 7 I believe. I don't have any kids older than 2.5, but when the time comes, I don't want to risk my child's safety, or get a ticket.

yrs1025

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 4:02 pm

My dd just turned 10 and she still uses a booster car seat. She is only 51 1/2 inches so she technically has another 5 1/2 inches to grow until she can just use a safety belt. She doesn't mind sitting in the booster car seat. We live in the USA.

amother

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 10:14 pm

The laws are diff in each state. Most states require some restraint until at least age 5. My ds is over 2 & still sits rear facing b/ he doesn't weigh enough. I have sent kids to kindergrten with boosters. They hate it but then again they don't really enjoy wearing bike helmets either. Some people call me obsesive but look around the news this summer alone about how many teens & young adults were killed in car accidents & how many were not wearing seatbelts. Whatever the proper restraint is, could save your childs life. (Yes, I know it is all from Hashem & I too am very aware of that, but we have to do our hishtadlus.)

stem

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 10:47 pm

My sil knows someone personally who held her infant in her arms during a short drive. There was an accident and the baby became a paraplegic... a lifelong tragedy that could have been avoided had the baby been in a proper car seat.

mumoo

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 11:38 pm

there is no good excuse for not using car seats as recommended by law, or academy of pediatrics, etc.

you can try to rationalize not using them because it's too expensive, too much trouble, the kids can get out, whatever, but try to rationalize after chas v'chalilah an accident-no good excuse

Miss Missie

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 11:46 pm

My one year ond outgrew his infant car seat. What kind of car seat would be good to buy. I still want a reclining one bc. he falls asleep in the car pretty often but when he's up he has to see what's going on on the road or else he will find his way to the steering wheel Smile

Any suggestions??

mumoo

Tue, Aug 28 2007, 11:51 pm

you can get a toddler seat that faces the back and also reclines while buckled to the car. if baby is BOTH over one year and over 20 pounds, the seat can be front-facing. there are many models that recline/slide.

Isramom8

Wed, Aug 29 2007, 12:34 am

Blame the bar mitzva bochur's short height on his parents and genetics. I guess he would refuse to sit in a booster. But think of short adults, like migits. They would require boosters, right?

I think the law in Israel is till age 5, but I have seen ads at Tipat Chalav (the baby clinic) pro using boosters till adult height.

The poster I saw said that a survey showed that kids said they did not sit in a car seat because they were already big. Some kids said they did not know what a car seat was.

I'm going to call the police right now to ask about the law.

The police officer said the law is till age 12! I doubt people realize this.

chavamom

Wed, Aug 29 2007, 12:59 am

mumoo wrote:

The AAP actually recommends keeping them rear facing until the rear-facing weight is maxed out on the seat (it varies by seat). Children are far safer this way. You can get more info at www.car-seat.org about various seats, how to install them, reviews of seats and other info. Many car seat techs post in the forums there.

amother

Wed, Aug 29 2007, 1:49 pm

I'm curious to hear what people do if they don't have cars and have to take cabs places. Including when you are going somewhere and will not have anywhere to stash the carseat(s) until you are ready to return.

Chani

Wed, Aug 29 2007, 3:13 pm

Our 10 year old doesn't, but he's really big and tall - 99th percentile for height and weight. Our 4 year olds are in forward facing car seats and our 5 year old is in a booster.

raizy

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 12:12 am

I have 4 car seats inmy car. and my oldest kid is big and tall so he can sit in a normal seat. but for a short time I had 4 car seats and a boaster .. my husband refuses to go anywhere if the kids are not all seating in a proper seat. it is safer then having kids bouncing up and down all the way.

TorahMom48

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 2:10 am

There are definately laws about car seats and booster seats in Israel it goes by age and or weight I think it is a booster till 8 yrs but I'm not sure.

http://bd.mot.gov.il/RoadSafety

TorahMom48

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 2:31 am

One thing I see that really bothers me, is mothers and fathers who hold the child on their lap, I see this a lot after gan where people get rides from other parents and there is no car seat.

I undersand that it is a short trip, and that maybe they don't have a car or don't want to walk home, but its straight out dangerous. most accidents happen close to home.

greenfire

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 10:03 am

in my kids days the carseat laws were just coming into play for older kids ... we had booster and carseats till about 4 ... although my middle girl was houdini - always finding her way out ...

there are some adults that shouldn't be driving because of their petite stature and those air bags ... unfortunately it is a double edged sword ... my petite dd drives ...

Marion

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 2:39 pm

According to B'Terem, a carseat is only mandatory by law in a private vehicle. Taxis are legally considered "public transportation". While I don't like doing it, we do put him on our lap(s) when we're in a cab. We do not own a car, and there is no practical way (now that he has outgrown the infant seat from the travel system) to transport a full carseat with a stroller "just in case". Of course when he still fit, we always took the travel system with the infant seat. We have managed to borrow a sit n stroll recently...we'll try it out.

justanothermother

Thu, Aug 30 2007, 2:43 pm

There is a vest car seat on the market. It is very small and fits into a large diaper bag. We use it for trips. It is great for cabs. I think onestepahead sells them.