Question Preschool dropoff - so much wrong!

mom2bnjl

Member
I volunteered to help with my daughter's dropoffs at preschool this morning. This meant I opened doors and pulled kids out of carseats. I was surprised - 90% of kids were in carseats that were wobbly and wiggling, or straps were very twisted, or straps were loose, or the chest clips were in the abdomen. One kid wasn't in a car or booster seat- and the school stops at age 5! Any thoughts on how to address this? I'm thinking the best idea might be to ask the school to send out a flier? Any suggestions for a flier? I'm not a tech, but it was clear that a lot of people hadn't even read the manuals...
 
ADS

jkrkmama

New member
Yeah we have that at our school too :/ I see kindergartners unrestrained or in the front seat. I have no advice but I can sympathize. It's frustrating.
 

Phineasmama

New member
Yup, here too. Teeny tiny kids sitting in the front seat, 2 year olds in low back boosters, you're lucky if they wear a seat belt at all.

At a certain point there's really nothing you CAN do. No matter what some people won't listen.

But you could talk to the principal and ask for them to disseminate a flyer to all the kids to take home to their parents (you know like they do for other general info).
 

MommaTooters

New member
Just a thought...the ones coming from the front seat, were they in a seat before they came to the front seat? My oldest is in a HBB but I allow him to unbuckle and move up front as soon as we pull into the school parking lot and get in line. At first they thought he rode to school that way until we explained what we did. But he also hasa hard time getting out of te van and walking to class without some help. Most mornings someone as to literally pry him out of the van so obviously him staying all te way in the back would be hard.
 

bnsnyde

New member
Our preschool got the police involved and they started ticketing. Of course, a kid in a seat (even a wiggly, improper one) probably counts. But the fact they issued tickets means some kids were not even in that! And we have a very good carseat use rate here, too.
 

kam1011

New member
Yeah - don't volunteer for that duty again! LOL I teach elementary school and every summer I remind the office I *love* busses, please do NOT make me go near the pickup line! I've been in charge of bus duty for the past three years :D (and that's about all my stomach can handle!)
 

CMeMeC

New member
I've stopped looking. My son's school is terrible. The last one I noticed was a friends 9 month old in a forward facing car seat laying back so far it couldn't have possibly been right. He was laying on his back essentially. And I know she is just to lazy to climb back there and get him out of her 2 door car. I couldn't handle that duty.
 

monstah

New member
I know where you're coming from. My DD1 went to a preschool last year with deplorable car seat use. Deplorable. :( We didn't have a drop off line. Everyone parked and parents gathered at either one of two doors waiting for them to open. So I could see into anyones car any day and we all made small talk twice a day.
I organized an awesome flyer with my contact info on it and it went into everyone's backpack. Everyone knew I was a CPST and could see into my car. I'd bring up "I'm a child passenger safety technician" anytime it was appropriate. I use my CPST email address for school related things like birthday party RSVP's etc. But I wasn't able to change a thing. Well, I fixed the straps on one baby bucket and taught one Gma how to properly install a harnessed seat. What a kick in the heart. SO many kids were horribly unsafe. :(
 

lovemybabybug

New member
That kinda stuff just boggles my mind. Yesterday I was getting coffe when a 2 door car pulls next to me. I watch with a amazement when the parent opens the door and tells the kid to get out. He never reached or anything. Out comes a tiny little boy. He was sitting in an unistalled (or very losely installed) eddie bauer seat. Unbuckled. The father never reached in to unbuckle him and I doubt the kid could have done that fast. When we got inside they told me he had just turned 2 last month :(

And one of my friends made me so proud. She called the police on a lady who was on the phone while 4 kids bounced around in the back seat and she kept turning back trying to get them to push them back intl the seat WHILE driving. Just lovely.
 

Suzibeck

Active member
Terrible use here too. I hate it. I was excited to see a Husky in a car one day at the elementary school and a few weeks later I saw the mom pull up and her son was riding sitting in the Husky but totally unrestrained. :mad: Yesterday my dd's friends saw us at ALDI and I realized they have a new van, sadly it is another minivan and they have their 9th child on the way. They routinely cram the whole family in and it is perfectly legal here to do that. Makes me sick to my stomach.
 

callumsmom

New member
My son is 2.5 years old and in a home based daycare/preschool. Our daycare provider was surprised he wasn't in a booster yet because most of her other toddlers are. She was quite happy to find out he was in the correct type of seat. When we told her he is still rfing she said good for you. Sadly I see kids unrestrained in the back of cars all of the time here. I try to offer friendly advice when I think it will be taken well, I even offered to run into the store with a woman and her daughter to get her a booster once, to which she replied no thanks. I live in a state where you have to wear your seatbelt(Indiana) and still see tons of adults without them. I've had to tell grown adults to put their seatbelt on while riding in my car even. The general lack of safety for children and adults just makes me sad so I try not to dwell on what I can not fix. I do what I can to inform others and that's all I can really do.
 

LindsayR425

New member
I'm not sure the school would be able or would even do anything for fear of repercussions... you definitely could try and maybe see if local techs in your area could set up a clinic, perhaps even with the local police? where I live, (nova scotia, canada), the laws are very specific, so it's easier for the police to give warnings and tickets, but for places with more vague laws it'll be harder.... short of going to the local news with maybe an "information session"...? Good Luck! I know how distressing it can be to see many kids improperly restrained!
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
Yeah - don't volunteer for that duty again! LOL I teach elementary school and every summer I remind the office I *love* busses, please do NOT make me go near the pickup line! I've been in charge of bus duty for the past three years :D (and that's about all my stomach can handle!)

:yeahthatsad: I avoid the "circle drive" at all costs.

Let me count the reasons why:

  1. The kiddo standing up through the sunroof
  2. The toddler in an overhead shield seat (several years ago) that was being used as a BPB
  3. An IO that was being used forward facing
  4. The 3rd grader sitting in a FF seat (that was donated and I helped install at a check event. :sick:), holding the toddler the seat was intended for in her lap.
  5. The family with 4 kids picking them up in a small pick-up
  6. Tons of kids getting buckled up with their heavy winter coats and/or their backpacks still on.
  7. The parent lifting up the rear hatch on an Explorer type vehicle so 2 more kids could ride in the back.
  8. Lots of unrestrained kiddos and adults
  9. Lots of front seat passengers in vehicles with plenty of empty seats in the rear (at a K-5 school).
  10. The grandma that said the police/state patrol told her it was okay to put 5 preK-K kids in a sedan w/o even a booster because it was only a short distance. Yeah, right.
UGH!
 

Chris

New member
I make DH do drop off because it ticks me off every.single.time. When my kids get off the bus in the afternoon it is just as bad since the kids walk a couple of blocks home and many are often picked up in cars for the short drive. That is when I see them hanging out of sun roofs, hanging out of windows, all piled into the front seat, no restraints in sight. Sigh...
 

Xandra

New member
This thread makes me glad I never see how my pre-school kids are restrained. I have sent home flyers but have never looked since parents pick up inside.

Xandra, Foster Mommy to O, 8yrs-Parkway SGL, A, 5yrs-Frontier, and L, 14mos-RF Radian XTSL * Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org
 

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