Vent just when I thought I was getting immune to the usual misuse...I went to BRU today...

mamabear

New member
and saw a couple put their baby in the car completely unharnessed!

I'm sure.

I walked out behind them.

She was in an infant bucket with a blanket under her (between the harness and her, you couldn't even see the harness, it was completely under the blanket). They walked to their car that was parked across from me, opened the door, clicked the seat in the base, got in and drove off!!!

It doesn't make sense!! right before we exited the store, the dad stopped to pull the sun cover down over her more because it was windy. He was so doting, but then to drive away with her just resting in the seat, I couldn't believe it!!


I tried to catch up to them . I was planning on puling up to them to remind them that their baby isn't buckled in, but they made it through the intersection right before my light turned red:mad:


I just don't get it:confused:
 
ADS

Mae

Well-known member
It's possible they forgot? Or maybe dad thought mom buckled baby in? My brother has done it; he thought his wife buckled baby in and she thought he buckled baby in. This meant that baby went all the way across town without being buckled. :eek:

I know a lot of people here on the board admitted to forgetting to buckle their child in at one point or another.

I can't imagine anybody would purposely not buckle baby. :confused:
 

mamabear

New member
It's possible they forgot? Or maybe dad thought mom buckled baby in?

she was facing them at pretty much eye level as they had the seat clicked into the top portion of the cart. Dad took the seat off the cart and immediately placed her in the car, mom took the cart back to the return.

I don't see how they could have forgot. She was right in their face, so obviously NOT in the harness as the harness was no where to be seen.

But hey! She was safe...she was in a carseat!! (insert sarcasm here) :rolleyes:

It made me sick to my stomach:(
 

mish

New member
I forgot to buckle Ryan in once. I had been pushing him around in the stroller. It was a travel system. I put the seat into the car and was almost home, like 30 miles, before I realized. I was riding in the back seat with him and had been looking at him and playing with him all the way home. It was awful. I am so glad we didn't have an accident.

Now, I'm not saying these people did that. I'm just hoping they don't always drive around without their kid buckled up.
 

mamabear

New member
oh I forgot to buckle DD1 once too. She had the harness straps over her shoulders but the chest clip and crotch buckle was undone. I guess I saw the straps and figured she was buckled. :eek:

These people had obviously either driven to BRU with her like that (sitting on a blanket) or taken her out of her infant bucket in the store, then laid the blanket in the bucket and rested her back on top of it (which IMO still is unsafe because she could have fallen out in the store), So both parents forgot?? Mom was standing right there when the dad put baby in the car and shut the door. He was getting in the drivers side when the mom walked the cart back.


I know people forget. I just got the impression they have her like that on a normal basis.
 

mish

New member
That is sad. I hope they don't have to get in an accident in order to realize what a mistake they are making. It just makes me want to cry.
 

capeKO71

New member
I see it ALL the time...

Just had a family who thought the "harness" was the seatbelt that went over the infant set (installed with no base) - and the baby wasn't harnessed in. Some people just don't get it.
 

mamabear

New member
I see it ALL the time...

Just had a family who thought the "harness" was the seatbelt that went over the infant set (installed with no base) - and the baby wasn't harnessed in. Some people just don't get it.

that's why carseats come with instruction manuals.!!

I swear if parents would take just 10 minutes to read the dang things, most of the common misuse we see wouldn't happen!! I don't understand how parents have time to do the 1000 other meaningless things they consider a priority, but just throw caution to the wind and wing it with the car seat use!!

Ughh..sorry, I knew this would turn into a vent. Yesterday I had to watch as my MIL buckled my just turned 4yo niece in a backless booster, and her 2.5 yo sister in an expired Evenflo HBB ( it was probably 8 years old). She buckled the shoulder belt OVER the armrest at that. I tried to correct her but my SIL and MIL said "it's fine" and drove off.

I feel so helpless when I can't even help my own family:(
 

Mae

Well-known member
I feel so helpless when I can't even help my own family:(

I know exactly what you mean. I won't explain about family here, but I'll explain about some kids I watch.

First off, 5 TB's. Screws? Of course not! So I gradually swap out my booster with theirs and put the screws in.

The kid (7yo) would put the lap portion over top the arm rests and would keep it as loose as a goose. After weeks and weeks of "fixing" it after he'd buckled himself in... I bribed him. ... With chocolate. :eek:

I told him, E, if you buckle yourself in all by yourself this time, and it's 110% right, I'll buy you a chocolate bar. You know what? He did it. :D :D ... Of course, it can't all be good, right? After I told him how well he did (lots and lots of positive reinforcement) he tells me, "Well good, because I sure ain't buckling in like this in mom's car! I never ever buckle like this!" :hitselfonhead:

I can't even tell you how many times I've had to tell the kid WHY he must buckle the way he does. :rolleyes:
 

mamabear

New member
my good friend, whose DH is a firefighter paramedic and had techs at his station!!, buckles her DDs like that. OVER the armrests on both sides. Talk about the belt beign high on the belly. I showed her how to do it, and explained why, but she still does that that wrong way every time:rolleyes:
 

Joyofbirth

New member
I saw a guy at my pedi's building pet his little dd, about 1 1/2 looking, in a scenera FFing in the middle of the backseat without buckling her at all. Then he got in the driver's seat and buckled his seat belt. That irritates me more than anything. If you're just throwing your kid in the car, why do you need a seatbelt? I've actually seen this a lot. One of my very good friend's has her son in a backless turbo. He just turned four. She asked me about what protects their chest in an accident. I didn't understand. She was putting the shoulder belt under both armrests. I explained it to her. Told her that he needed a HBB. A couple weeks later. I see him in a backless with the shoulder belt under both armrests. I explain to them why this is bad. Then she says but it sits on his neck like that. I was like, yeah that's why he needs a high back. She thinks I'm just overprotective. In general parenting, but especially with car seats. Sigh.
 

Heather86

Member
I was with my friend the other day and we ran into someone she knows and her kids I almost cried. The small one is like 2 and in an expired graco seat of some kind with twisted straps and the harness off her shoulders the 4 year old in a hbb with the belt under her arm and the 5 year old in nothing :( Ijust don't get people.

I forgot to buckle C in once luckily I looked in the window at him before I got in the car :eek:
 

obamamama

New member
Hopefully that was a one off and they are better about buckling their child.

I have forgotten to buckle Landen in twice this year. He was still RF in his TF but I put him in, went to get the car started, for AC or something and then closed the van door and got in my seat and left. He yelled, "not buckled" and I was only in the driveway.

The 2nd time we were already 10 miles from the house, on a 65mph road no less and he never said a thing. :eek::eek::eek: Luckily he didn't get out of his seat anyways, and my oldest noticed and did the buckles.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
This is another reason to keep baby buckled securely in at all times while in the infant car seat (which I believe is recommended for safety in all infant car seat manuals, though I could be wrong)-- to prevent forgetting to buckle before going in the car. :twocents:
 

y_p_w

New member
I'm starting to notice these things now that the due date is approaching. I'm seeing quite a few people dropping their seats on the tops of shopping carts. They're not necessarily even the ones with locking mechanisms in the little notches. Even at the local BRU, I see no employees warning anyone that this is generally unsafe.

I seem to see it all, including one kid's head that was a good 4 inches higher than the top of the seat.
 

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