Is there a place to find a free car seat?

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

I'm in shock right now- I just found out my friend lost her daughter's car seat in an accident- it didn't go through insurance so there's no replacement. The girl just turned 2 and she's driving her around in just a seat belt. She also has a 5 year old boy in just a seat belt.

She has no job and no money to buy seats for them, is there anywhere that I can help her find a free car seat for her daughter and booster for her son?

Angela · Mar 22, 2011

Check with your local SafeKids Coalition.
http://www.safekids.org/in-your-area/coalitions/
You can also check with any hospitals, police, or fire departments. No matter where she goes, make sure they're new seats with no recalls and make sure a certified tech checks her installs.

T4K · Mar 22, 2011

Do you live near her? Do you have the money to loan or gift her a $40 Cosco scenera (sp?) and a $30 Evenflo HBB from walmart?

If you don't live near her maybe you can do site to store shipping from Walmart?

Judi · Mar 22, 2011

No, no booster.

Where do you live?

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

I'm in the Buffalo, NY area.

I have no Safe Kids coalition near me, they recommended I try the NHSTA, which pointed me to my local state police station.

Pixels · Mar 22, 2011

Judi, I think the booster suggestion was for the 5yo. I missed that child the first time reading, too.

hrice · Mar 22, 2011

Is Safe Riders national? Here they provide seats after you attend a one hour class.

Otherwise could you afford a $40 Scenera for the 2 yr old? A HBB is ideal for the 5year old but a LBB is acceptable and certainly safer than nothing. They are $14 at Wal Mart.

I have a Scenera just sitting in my garage getting no use. I had loaned it to a friend and her 4 yr old outgrew it. It is accident free and clean. You can have it FFS. I am guessing it would be $15-20 to ship. 2008 DOM.

Pixels · Mar 22, 2011

Clarence state police
Town of OP PD
Those are the two in Erie County. Check with the state police station first, as towns often only serve residents of their own town (unless she happens to live in OP).

Contact info and more stations in other counties here.

T4K · Mar 22, 2011

Pixels said:
Judi, I think the booster suggestion was for the 5yo. I missed that child the first time reading, too.

Yeah I would prefer harness but I figured booster was better than seatbelt.

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

Well if I could get her usable seats for $60 or so I guess I could suck it up and take the hit for her once... I just hope the word doesn't get around that I'm such a sucker.

So if I'm going to be the one picking them out- would it be better to get her daughter the Cosco High Back Booster? I see it has a harness limit of 40 pounds and then can be used as a HBB.

Kobain's Mommy · Mar 22, 2011

Is she on WIC? I know here a few of the WIC offices give seats to families that either the seats are expired, not using a seat, or have improper seats.

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

No she's not. I have no clue why she isn't- she'd qualify by all means though. I think they just have food stamps.

SignCuer · Mar 22, 2011

No don't get her the Cosco High Back Booster... the harness is outgrown notoriously early, around age 2-3.. which is nowhere near mature age for boostering, Scenera is much better if you can swing it.

Angela · Mar 22, 2011

2 year old - Scenera, get it from Target if you can since theirs are the only scenera's with a 40 rf limit

5 year old - personally I'd probably just go with a booster (preferably hbb, but if you can't swing the money, go with the lbb). I don't like the Cosco high back boosters. It won't last many kids very long.

icnee · Mar 22, 2011

go here and see if there is a fitting station near her

http://safeny.com/seat-per.htm

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

Don't the Scenera and the HBB have the same top harness height?

She was completely OK with letting her 2 year old ride without a seat at all- I really don't picture her going to buy another seat to make sure that she harnesses to at least 4 and 40. That was my thinking in considering the HBB, so that at least she'd have a booster to use when the harness is outgrown.

Shaunam · Mar 22, 2011

You could also do an evenflo chase for just a little more than the scenera, it has slightly higher slots, although the harness it more likely to be misused. It thought the cosco harnessed booster had the same slot height as the scenera too.

jjordan · Mar 22, 2011

Here is the list of who got traffic safety grants from the state of NY for this year. The listings for Erie County are on pages 5-6. In particular, Erie County Office of Traffic Safety got a grant for child passenger safety, so give them a call. Likely at least some of their funding is to provide seats. I'm having trouble finding a phone number for that office, so I'd probably try the sheriff's office (858-7608) and go from there.

NM, found the info about the Erie Co office of traffic safety:

Captain James L. Michel
Chairman, Erie County Office of Traffic Safety
City of Lackawanna Police Dept., 714 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, NY 14218
Phone: 716-822-4900 Fax: 716-827-6676

Brianna · Mar 22, 2011

Thanks. I'm just waiting for a call back from the sheriff's office now.

ketchupqueen · Mar 22, 2011

The Cosco HBB makes a dangerously inadequate booster, another reason not to give it.

Is there a place to find a free car seat?

New member

New member

Well-known member

CPST/Firefighter

New member

New member

New member

New member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Moderator

New member

CPST and ketchup snob

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics