Letting others drive your children?

[twinsmommy627]

I'm wondering if I am alone in not wanting anyone else driving my children. My twins' preschool takes field trips and relies on the parents to drive (buses aren't an option). My twins are the only ones who are still in a harnessed seat (Britax Roundabouts) and I don't feel comfortable rotating their seats around. I don't know 1) how the other mom drives and 2) can my seat be installed properly? The teachers make me feel like I'm sort of nut that I want to drive my children and not move their seats around. Anyone else experience this? :confused:

When they get older, maybe I'll feel more comfortable letting others drive them, but for now, I just don't.

[dd9736]

i've seen a few ppl on here who chaperone field trips, just so they can drive their own kids, so you're not alone

[doubleblessed]

My twins ~ when they were in preschool, I signed that I refuse to allow them to ride on the vans or buses. And if they have plans to go on trips, at least let me know and I'll gladly take them there. My kids had no problems riding with me so it wasn't an issue.

Now that they are 5 1/2 years old, I have only allowed ONE friend to drive them. And that is because she is a car seat FREAK and makes sure everyone is buckled before going anywhere. :thumbsup:

[pippi2077]

When DD was in preschool. I always drove. The preschool teacher was a friend of mine and knew how crazy I was about carseats. She sent a note home before the first field trip that all children must be in a carseat. They were all under 6 years old, which is state law in Nebraska. One mom came to her and said that her daughter no longer rode in a carseat. So she borrowed one of mine and then got the one she had back from a family member. She was like she is big enough to ride without it. When we said it didn't matter about size. She asked if she rode with the teacher or with herself if it would be okay not to have a seat and the teacher said no.

The problem that we ran into off and on was that parents would forget to leave a carseat for the child on field trip day. I always had one extra because I was picking up our nephew from school several times a week, so that helped out.

Stefanie

[stayinhomewithmy4]

You're definitely not alone, and I have to say, for me, it hasn't gotten easier as they've gotten older. My almost-6 yr old DS recently went to a friend's bday party. The mom was picking all of the kids up and I had already asked her if she would have room in her car for me to install his car seat. She said yes, and she did have room, but of course I went out to put in the Radian for DS and all of the other little kids, ages 5 & 6 were in seat belts, no booster seats or anything, even her own son. She didn't say anything to me about it, but I'm sure she thought I was crazy. Are you able to drive them yourself? If you can, definitely do it, at least for your own peace of mind.

[beebear23]

My sons preschool was like that. i drove my own car and sometimes had other kids in my car. The one time I let him go w/o me, I installed his RA in the vehicle myself and set the harness where it was already snug and ready to use..

[My Sweet Blessings]

i dont want anyone else driving my kids, either! I will be participating in a lot of field trips partly because I want to be the driver and I want to make sure my kids are in their carseats ;)

[ThreeBeans]

I don't mind letting my kids in someone else's car provided.

A. I know they are safe, responsible drivers.

B. I install the seats myself, and they have to put my child in, take them out and put them in again while I watch. LOL.

[Defrost]

The teachers are out of line, IMO. Children are more likely to die in a car crash than get kidnapped, but I'm betting if a complete stranger showed up at the school saying he was your brother and you'd asked him to pick up the twins, they'd all panic. Children are more likely to die in a car crash than choke to death, but I bet that preschool bends over backwards to make sure there are no choking hazards around the children. And yet they raise their eyebrows because you have higher standards about car safety?

People in our society have a very skewed view of risks. They have panic attacks about contaminated food and everyone buys bottled water for their baby, but most are still not properly protected against wrecks, which are considerably more likely to harm them.

ETA: I should add that I do let others drive my kids; my 13 year old even rides with an 18 year old for Scouting events. But I'm always cautious about who they ride with and I ensure that they will be riding safely. I just think it's ridiculous that so many people post about preschool events where the children are expected to ride in unsafe or even unknown situations.

[DeanDog]

I have never allowed my 2 year old to drive with anyone except my husband and myself (and 95% of the driving is done by me.) Not even my mother, who lives 5 minutes away, is in her early 50s, has never had an accident, raised 5 kids herself and drives a Navigator!

Not only do I not feel comfortable with anyone else driving my kid, I also do not care to drive anyone else's kid. Accidents happen, some are unavoidable, and the last thing I need is a tragedy to happen when someone else's kid is in my care. It wouldn't really matter if it were my fault or not, I'd never forgive myself. It always amazes me how cavalier some parents are about allowing friends and relatives to transport their kids.

If and when my daughter attends school, I will drive on every field trip or she won't go. That is what my own parents did and I totally understood - some of those parent drivers would show up with cars I wouldn't let my dog drive around in, much less expect them to install my carseat properly!

[Nisha]

You're not alone! I don't like my kids riding with somebody else. I still let them as long as I install the car seat myself (or know the person installing it is as crazy as me!), and I make sure to tighten the harness and tell the person to make sure the chest clip is at her armpits.
Then it doesn't bother me quite as much.

[NOAHSMOM]

I have seen how the teachers at my son's preschool/daycare "install" carseats (just buckle them in, no tightness no tether) and this spring they had a 4 yr old in a backless booster w/just a lap belt, so I am not trusting at this time. If I cannot go (which I typically do) I would install his seat myself and instruct him to make sure that he is buckled in correctly. When my ILS take him I install it myself and show them each time how it use it, now that my son is older he can remind them how to buckle him in correctly if need be.

[bestjob-mommy]

We have had a few sticky situations with this topic, a few times my DH has gone with a friend, who lives 2 blocks away, and she just uses a booster then... but for anything more than that I prefer to move a seat, or offer to drive. My DH doesn't have many friends still in harnessed seats at 5 yrs old. Most people think I am over protective, but as someone else posted- the car is the number one cause of death in children- so I will be doing everything I can insure her safety, and pray really hard too.

My ex is the hardest, he refuses to use the seat i send with her, as stated in our papers that he has to use! Why any parent wouldn't want to keep their child safe is beyond understanding.... TX needs to udate the laws and protect our children!

My sister, brother in law, and mom do drive my Dh often, and I have no worries that she will be safe with them. I keep an extra seat for Grandma's car always installed, that way they are ready to go anytime...

[Mom to a few]

i've seen a few ppl on here who chaperone field trips, just so they can drive their own kids, so you're not alone

Yep, I'm one of those :D!!

My older two are both in school, and I have gone on every field trip because I don't trust anyone else to do it right--based on what I've seen them do in the past!! Carseats are not installed properly, children are not restrained in those seats properly, and I've seen some of the parents driving over 80mph (top speed limit 65mph) with all the kids in the car--I was trying to follow to keep up with the group, but had to give up because I wouldn't risk driving that fast!! It's really scary to me, and its only gotten a little better as they've gotten older. I will now allow my mother, mil, and sil to transport our kids--but only if I leave my van with them. I'd probably feel most comfortable if my oldest son rode with someone else just because he knows how to put his Parkway in, put the shoulder belt through the guide, buckle in, and make sure it's tight by himself. He's definitely picked up on my car safety paranoia!! I'd never let anyone else at the school transport one of my kids in a harnessed seat--there's too much room for error there. It's not always convenient to find a babysitter to watch my youngest (and a few times I've had to take him with me), but it's worth it to me. Plus, I'm usually transporting 3 other people's kids with me--and at least I know that those kids will be safer with me. One of the main reasons I got certified was so that I can work with the other parents at the school to help correct some of the major misuse that's happening.

All that to say....I don't think you're crazy. And if you are, I guess I am too :p!

[ZephyrBlue]

We have never let our kids ride with other people during field trips; If DH or I can't go and our good friend who is allowed to drive out kids (whose child also attends the same school) isn't going, then my preschooler misses the field trip. Same was true for my 2nd grader when she was in preschool. We allow my parents and 2 family friends to drive our kids and that's the way it's been for 7.5 years. It's just too big of a risk to take to let others drive them, and honestly, there are very few people who are really really responsible drivers who will also install/use carseats correctly. Part of me being a SAHM is based on the fact that we don't let our kids go riding around in lots of peoples' vehicles. It's a PITA and a sacrifice sometimes, but one that's very worth it.

[niccig]

Thankfully DS's preschool doesn't do field trips. The director said it was too difficult to arrange transportation or buses. They don't even walk to the Fire Station anymore. The school organizes for people to come to them. Eg. the fire truck or a mobile museum exhibit comes to the school. The last visit was from a local aquarium. If they did do field trips, I would drive to make sure DS is properly restrained.

The only person who regularly drives DS is the babysitter, who picks him up from preschool one day a week. I gave her a car seat 101 lesson several times and she's becoming a car seat nut like me.

So, no I don't think you're crazy at all, I think everyone else is crazy for not caring how their child rides in the car.

[CaseyRN]

The only time Avery has ridden without either myself or Daddy is with my parents. She's never ridden with my IL's. Also, most of the time we trade cars so the seat stays installed. But, if need be I move it to Grandma's car. My parents bought a seat, but it's been a bear to install so I won't let them use it until they take it to a car seat check and have it installed correctly!

I don't think it's weird. Honestly, there are more people I trust in their driving skills, but I'm a SAHM so I'm usually there anyway and also I prefer to not move her seat if at all possible. I definately wouldn't trust my IL's to install her seat or even buckle her in....they live 3 hours away and I'm just not convinced enough to let them keep her yet more less drive her around! It probably hurts their feelings, but oh well.....

[Yoshi]

My DD is 4.5 yrs old and has never ridden with anyone else- not even my mom. So far, her preschool field trips are fine because they don't have a van or bus, so parents drive. Only a few kids need rides, so they can go with other parents. I will not ever allow that, however because I am so untrusting when it comes to other people driving. So fortunately, I can drive her- and I do not drive other kids either. I agree with the PP who said that accidents do happen, and even if it was not my fault, I couldn't risk it personally. I don't think I am a freak or over protective, either. It's my parental choice.

[skipspin]

Well, we do let our DD ride with others, but it all depends in the situation.

She rode from GA-MO and back with my mom and brother. I installed the car seat and they left it there. I trust my mom to buckle her the right way. Plus, my DD is pretty picky about being buckled right. I did show my brother how to install it in case they needed it in their other vehicle for some reason.

My MIL has driven her, but in our vehicle with DDs seat installed. Again, she knows better than to not buckle her the right way. LOL. She wants to continue to see her only granddaughter.

She has also been in the car with a few other trusted adults, but I always install her seat and make sure they know she HAS to be in it. (While eyeballing their kids seats to make sure there's no misuse that would cause my DD injury.)

I also trust my SIL implicitly with my kids. She knows how to put the seat in her car in case of emergency and understands and agrees with my obsession with car seats. LOL.

But, I wouldn't let DD go on field trips unless I installed the seat, trusted the parent (knew them personally enought to let them babysit DD), AND saw the other kids restraints in the vehicle.

[twinsmommy627]

Wow, I am so relieved to see that I am not alone! I spoke with the director today and told her that I would be more than happy to drive on any of the trips and that if she felt my presence was distracting for my children (they do sometimes get extra wound up when I'm around) that I would be happy to sit and wait for them. I said I didn't feel comfortable moving their car seats around. She was very agreeable to my comments.

[Karen]

I will be exactly like you. DS has been in the babysitters car a few times, but she is a car seat freak like me and has a marathon rfing for him.
No one I don't trust without a rfing seat will be driving DS for a long long time.

[Kashi]

My younger kids have never ridden with anyone else but DH or I.

Boo (that's my 5-yr old), has twice ridden with someone else. Three times if you count his ambulance ride.

First time - he was not yet 2 yrs old. He stayed with my mom for the afternoon while DH and I went to my Pop's funeral. We traded cars with my mom, and she drove Boo over to where the post-internement lunch was.

Second time was just recently - Boo asked to ride in FIL's truck. So FIL turned off the airbag, and I installed his Radian in the passenger seat, and he rode from town to the house (about a 20-minute drive) that way.

[bestjob-mommy]

I guess I am on the other side of what most people are here, I am a nanny and SAHM, so I drive 2 extra little ones, everyday.I have working for this family for 3 years, and have nice seats for everyone- 2 radians, 1 marathon, and 1 regent. I trust my family driving my DH, don't trust ex inlaws often, but they will at least use the seat I provide and install.

I don't let teenage/college brothers drive her, even though they are good, they don't need the extra weight of responsibility.

[KaysKidz]

I drive other peoples kids, every day. It's something I HAVE to do, and I'm fortunate enough that my daycare families are OK with it. Every new family I get is told at the initial interview that I transport. If they aren't OK with it, I don't accept them.

Now, my son is 11yrs old. I normally allow him to ride with friends. But there is one well meaning family, who thinks they are going the extra mile by still having their boys in boosters at 10 & 12yrs old...HOWEVER, they are improperly using them and I will NOT allow my son to ride with them. Why? Because I showed them how to use them correctly and they still use them wrong. And they REALLY use them wrong, or even worse...they let the boys ride in the front seat together with NO seat belt. :eek: Cause ya know...mom drives reeeeeeeeeeeeally slow. And this is a small town. Uh huh...what ever. So because they have such poor practices, he is not to ride with them.

[BookMama]

Both of my kids have ridden with my parents. I am comfortable with that because my parents support me with regard to car seats, and I am the only one who installs the seats in their cars. Plus Adam knows how the chest clips, etc should be and will yell if something is not right when the car starts to move. I can't think of anyone else that either kid has ridden with, at least not without me or DH in the car too.

As far as field trips go, I prefer to drive if I can. In fact, I bought an extra FPSV booster so that I could safely transport three first-graders to the zoo last month. (I assumed correctly that neither of the others would bring their own booster - we live in Michigan where most kids are - legally - out of boosters at 4 or shortly after.) Adam has ridden in the teacher's car a few times for preschool/"summer camp" (i.e. day care) field trips but I know the teacher knows tha the must have a lap/shoulder belt, Adam knows how to use his booster correctly and will insist on it, etc.

[BookMama]

Kay, I would totally let you transport my children. :)

And you reminded me that the home day care provider that Adam went to for a year (oh, how we hated it when she closed up shop) used to take the kids to the park or to McDonald's every once in a while when she only had a few kids. This was back before my car seat geek days, and I don't recall her asking ahead of time (like, before the first time she ever transported him) and I was never aware of what seat he was in or how he was restrained. I know he was in a harnessed seat, and that's it. Now I would probably insist in inspecting the seats - if not installing them myself - to make sure I thought she knew what she was doing.

[heyruthie]

I totally let others transport my children. And I transport my friends' children all the time.

I figure the best way to spread the "gospel" of child passenger safety is to treat others like intelligent, trustworthy human beings, and to educate them as much as I can. Acting like everyone else in the world is less competent than myself doesn't usually accomplish much. But when you expect great things of other people, they often surprise you by rising to the occasion. I've seen this with car safety many times--even with friends who I thought were incompetent.

[flipper68]

I'm wondering if I am alone in not wanting anyone else driving my children. My twins' preschool takes field trips and relies on the parents to drive (buses aren't an option). My twins are the only ones who are still in a harnessed seat (Britax Roundabouts) and I don't feel comfortable rotating their seats around. I don't know 1) how the other mom drives and 2) can my seat be installed properly? The teachers make me feel like I'm sort of nut that I want to drive my children and not move their seats around. Anyone else experience this? :confused:

When they get older, maybe I'll feel more comfortable letting others drive them, but for now, I just don't.

One of my respite moms did not allow ANYONE to drive her son (severely disabled in an unexplained "accident" at daycare, non verbal, seizure disorder, and more). She admitted to not even likely DAD to drive.

Then, Dad was deployed to Iraq for a year with his reserve unit. Suddenly she was forced to accept she could no longer be as attached, careful or restrictive with her son.

He now not only rides the school bus daily, but he also goes on weekly community outings with his class. She will be the first to admit that it was extremely hard for her to loosen the apron strings AND she is also the first to admit it has been a good thing for her son and herself.

She's finally (after 12 years) learning that others care for/about her son almost as much as she does.

Sure you should be concerned about safety, but there is such a thing as TOO careful:

- One of the theories behind the extreme bugs and increasing allergies is that we aren't exposed to "gentle" germs and dirt.

- Then there is the concept of "helicopter parents" of college kids. Parents who haven't taught/allowed their children to become self responsible.

[Jordynsmama]

I do not and cannot stand the thought of ANYONE except my mother and my dd's dad driving her. Nobody else does. The only other person that has ever driven her in her life is my sister which was maybe twice and when she was a baby her dad's auntie....which was only a few times and she was in a bucket seat.

My gramma has to walk anywhere with her and nobody else babysits her so it isnt ever necessary.

I don't trust ppl to babysit her let alone drive her. Plus the less she is in a car the less likely she will get in an accident. Even good drivers get into accidents and even kids in perfectly installed harnesses die.

I am very protective as far as she goes though-but there is nothing wrong with that. It wouldnt hurt if more parents were more protective in many cases, but if you trust someone to drive with your kids and you feel its necessary its totally a parental choice. I just like to minimize risks. She goes to preschool some mornings, but they just take walks. I would not allow a school to transport her or have her in a crowded place without me.

[Jordynsmama]

Sure you should be concerned about safety, but there is such a thing as TOO careful:

- One of the theories behind the extreme bugs and increasing allergies is that we aren't exposed to "gentle" germs and dirt.

- Then there is the concept of "helicopter parents" of college kids. Parents who haven't taught/allowed their children to become self responsible.
I understand your point but don't agree in a broad context. I am "TOO careful" imo but I think it is great to be that way. But... I also teach her to be self reliant and I will instill very specific ideals about being responsible and independent. She already is a very independent kid but I just dont let babysitters watch her(ppl I dont know), I feed her healthy, she is in a harness in the car, and I don't let people drive her that I dont know very well or feel can drive safely(like an 80 yr old). That is not going to affect who she is as a person.

There are ppl who are totally freakish though but its way past just not letting your kids ride with ppl.

[BookMama]

I figure the best way to spread the "gospel" of child passenger safety is to treat others like intelligent, trustworthy human beings, and to educate them as much as I can. Acting like everyone else in the world is less competent than myself doesn't usually accomplish much. But when you expect great things of other people, they often surprise you by rising to the occasion. I've seen this with car safety many times--even with friends who I thought were incompetent.

I don't disagree with you on this. However, with regard to the field trips, I simply do not have the opportunity to talk to/educate the other parents or to ensure that my child's seat is installed correctly because the field trips take place while I am at work. If I'm sure the seat will be used correctly, that's fine with me. DS also rode the school bus nearly every day last school year.

I haven't had much opportunity for the kids to ride with anyone else, really. I would feel comfortable letting them if I could educate the other adult first. I just instructed my brother on car seat installation/usage last weekend (he will be picking my sister's son up from day care a couple times a week) and would have no problem letting him drive my kids once I showed him to install their particlular seats.

[super_grape]

i trust my parents and my husband to drive the kids
and my best friend (altho we live VERY far apart and it's
very unlikely she ever would) and that's pretty much it.

my mom is pretty good at getting a car seat tight...dh,
not so much but we're working on that. right now, i do
all the installing.

i have let my oldest ride with mil twice. first time, she
was impatient buckling her in and only did up one side
of the buckle and then lied to me:mad: about it when i pulled
katie out of the seat. katie's a tattle tale tho and freaked
out that she wasn't buckled right. after that, i only let her
ride with her when my sil was present and would do the
buckling.

[papooses]

If I don't know the person well enough to put my child's life in their hands then no they don't get to drive my kid -- if someone I know well enough has outright refused to follow my advice about car safety, then no they don't get to drive my kid.... If I know the person well enough to trust them to follow my safety rules + I know my child can/will do the right thing & tell on the other person, then I'm OK with it.

Leila rides with a couple families in our homeschool group to field trips during my classes because their own kids are properly restrained. Also because we have the Laptop, which is pretty much impossible to use incorrectly, not to mention Leila is adept enough at using all her seats to teach others ;)

[singingpond]

Last year when DS#1 was still in preschool (a class for 5 y.o. kids not yet going to K), he rode with other parents a couple of times, especially toward the end of the school year, when I was very pregnant with DD. He rode in a Parkway booster, so it was easy to pop his seat into someone else's car. It was a small class in a co-op preschool, so I felt I knew the other moms well enough to trust them to be careful transporting the kids (although I didn't really objectively know much about their driving skills). Incidentally, they all drove typical big 'child transport' vehicles :), almost certainly with better crash-test ratings than my '96 Corolla. DH went along on a couple of field trips, and he just rode in the other vehicle also (rather than driving a separate car), so we were obviously comfortable with letting someone else drive. Incidentally, on one occasion DH inadvertently drove to the pre-trip meeting point in the 'wrong' car, i.e. the car that didn't have a booster in it, so he had to quickly install DS's Wizard into someone else's vehicle. After the trip, he reinstalled in our car (in the pouring rain, with the other parent holding an umbrella over him). When I later looked at the install, it was very marginal (way too loose, IMO), so the seat may well have been badly installed during the trip also :(. Which, in a long-winded way, brings me to.....

This year DS#2 (almost 3 y.o.) is starting at the same preschool, and I don't really expect to let other parents drive him on field trips at all. I don't want to deal with the unknown hassles of installing a harnessed seat in someone else's car (under time pressure), and I don't necessarily trust someone else to secure and tighten his harness properly, especially if he is resisting getting into the seat, as sometimes happens. Also, at this point in the school year I barely know the other parents, so I don't have the same feeling of trust, I guess.

So, to me, the age of the child, and what kind of seat they are riding in, makes a difference, as does our comfort level with the adult who is driving. DS#1 has also been in the IL's car occasionally (they bought an Evenflo HBB, which looked adequate to us, and they have safe driving records), and we let him go off in the grandparents' car fairly casually when they ask. They have not yet transported DS#2 anywhere. They've asked a few times whether he can just ride in the booster (he's still RF, in a harnessed seat, in our vehicles) -- they seem to accept the 'no' answer they get from us, although it clearly doesn't sink in very much, since the same question gets asked repeatedly.

Katrin

[Morganthe]

When we were on our vacation, I allowed MiL to transport dd to a birthday party about 2 blocks away from where we were staying. Originally they were going to walk, but the amount of presents + a Horrendous rainstorm stopped that idea. :p

Beforehand, I tested dd out in the Evenflo HB booster (yay :rolleyes: ) and she promised to sit properly with a tight belt. I know dd was very conscious of what she was doing. Probably more so than the adults :p

I'm very sure that if dd was younger and/or smaller, I would have drove her over and then grandma walk with her back.
But she fit the booster seat very well.
It was less than a 5 minute drive, so I didn't have to worry about slumping & sleeping.
We had tested it out and everyone knew what needed to be done.

And this is my MiL's ONLY grandchild from her ONLY child. So she was probably even more paranoid than I am ;)

Other than that, dd has NEVER been in a vehicle without dh or myself along. I don't know what's in store for the future. I'll deal with it as it comes :shrug-shoulders:

[steph]

I am nervous about it too.

DH of course has driven DS and my Mom has a few times and my MIL once, my BF once but I was in the car (I just got sick and she had to drive).

My problem isn't so much the driving (although it does make me nervous and I'm only okay with DH, my Mom and my MIL) its alot about adjusting the harness .

I show them but then I go to check and they are too loose for my comfort (really not horrible but not how I like it), so I get super paranoid and it freaks me out.

[mama2Cecelia]

only dh--who is a SAHD and my parents have transported her

dh and I have crappy older cars (91 and 92 Hondas), but take comfort in the fact that dd is still harnessed--she is big for her age---4, 46 lbs, and 44"...most of her peers are in bpbs.....

dd will be going w/my dad to visit my mom & grandma on Thurs....

she has pretty much outgrown her MA so I will be moving her Regent out of my car for the day

still have to remind my dad about proper chest clip placement though.....

she has a TB, just in case......but I feel soooooo guilty, knowing that there is a safer alternative

I have experienced the "unthinkable" and would never be able to live with myself if something happened .....it seems as though my world is ruled by "Murphy's Law".......

we do drive her ourselves and attend preschool field trips (I work 2nd shift) and do not transport others.....

we are in a 6/60 state (CT....and no, we are not all rich here :rolleyes:.....LOL) , but see violators constantly

~~Kris
a "newbie" CPST and mama to Cecelia Violet, who has said "mama, I'm not safe" while in her TB.....I said, "you're not AS safe as you could be"

[Emily'sMom]

DD rides with DH or myself. That's it. She has never ridden with anyone else.
If there is a field trip at preschool one of us will take the day off, or adjust our schedules accordingly. We don't feel comfortable driving other children either.
Then again, I won't do babysitters and I have never had to do day care. I let my mom watch dd once. The only other time I left dd with a trusted friend was when they carted me off in an ambulance.
I'm an older mom. If I can't do something with my DD then I really don't want to do it.

I have been worried about the school bus since the day she was born too. I still have another year to figure out how to get her back and forth to school and avoid the dreaded bus.. and still work both our jobs!

Annie

[clothdiapermom]

For school it isn't an issue since all parents are responsible for getting there own child to the location. But for the rest of the time I usually drive or DH drives the kids where they need to go. My mom drives the kids but she has seats permanently installed in her car by me and she doesn't take them out, if she takes them out she has me put them back in. MIL drove DD#1 for the first time last week, she just came to our house and took our car so we didn't have to move DD#1's seat (we have 3 cars all with car seats so I still had a car and car seat for DD#2 just in case). When my sister takes the kids usually just DD#1 we just switch cars or she comes and gets a car at our house that has seats already in it. No one in my family minds switching cars so that I don't have to move seats. They know I am weird about car seats.

[jen_nah]

The only person other then my dh & I that I allow drive my kids is my mother. She is to scared to go against me on car seats. GOOD THING!!!

My bestfriend I let borrow my car once with my oldest but she too is very car seat safety. I did let one time and the last time I must say my good friend drive my oldest (I did install the seat in her car) but she then let her dd & mine swap seats. Which meant my dd was in an unsafe (loosely installed & loose harnesses) car seat. I was not to happpy to say the least.

So, From that time on no one other then my mom has driven the girls anywhere. I chaperone all preschool field trips for my youngest. I even install any of the car seats that are brought for other children. Thank goodness our preschool uses me as their resource.