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My sister & her daughter are here.... It has been extremely difficult to get them both to understand the new NY state law & so far the only thing my niece will do is use a backless booster, but she puts the shoulder belt behind her back or under her arm I've explained that the fine print of the law says even this is unacceptable & gone over the heightened risk of severe injury ~ I even used the example of a balloon being twisted to show what might happen to her insides if we have an accident. But, my sister doesn't care & so her daughter doesn't either.... My sister says she didn't even have seatbelts as a kid & my reply was that she lived to tell the tale in spite of a lack of safety standards, not because of them {didn't fly too well with her, LOL}. I just don't know what to do to encourage my 6 year old niece to use her belt correctly. She's extremely sensitive {especially when her blood sugar is off since she's diabetic} & started crying when I jokingly said I'd have to lock the belt in place she couldn't put it behind or under herself. *SIGH* I felt so bad, but I'd feel even worse if we had an accident & she wasn't properly restrained!

Ugh. I wouldn't take them anywhere. I'd leave your niece at home with someone if you have to drive somewhere. I know that sounds harsh, but my rule is NO ONE rides improperly restrained in my car. I just could not live with myself if something happened. If they can't understand that, it's their problem.

If they're riding in your car, it's very simple. The vehicle does not move until everyone is properly restrained. Period. Because YOU will be held responsible (ticket or prosecution) if you are pulled over or if there is a crash. If they have a problem with it, they can pay for a cab.

Well ... 1 ~ it's not possible to leave her with anyone else because she's diabetic & no one understands her needs & 2 ~ the only times I seem to notice that she's snuck the belt under her arm or behind her back is when we're on the thruway or in the middle of a construction zone {I don't even start my car until I know everyone is buckled & have looked at each kid to make sure they've done it correctly}.

So, my solution ~ at first she refused to ride in the Husky because it's too much like a baby seat, but I decided to put it in my truck so if I'm driving them anywhere it's the only available place for her to sit! {LOL} No choice anymore ... now I just hope I don't have to deal with her unbuckling the chest piece! {UGH}

On a good note ... remember how I just got my stepdaughter the detachable Turbo booster? Well, she decided she wants to use the top of it with the EPS head support afterall because I've had her ride in the Husky & she said "I like feeling safer"! {YAY} So, I had her show off the Husky to my niece in hopes that my niece would see that it's for big girls, too ~ we'll see how that goes, I guess....

Hehehehe, very clever of you to put the Husky in that way

My dh did that once when he took father, son and grandson on a long trip (good family friends of ours) and folded our third row down and MADE the 7 yo ride in the Airway harnessed. I was proud of him (it was a LONG drive), until I found out the child weighed like 80 pounds at the time (Airway only goes to 50 harnessed). Groooooan...

Hope the rest of your visit is good and you can sweetly persuade your niece around to the right way of thinking...your sister? You can try to knock some sense into her, lol.

THANKS ... but

My sister decided to get a rental car & my niece is sitting rear-center with a lap-only belt, just like at home {Nevada where I believe she's also supposed to be boostered by law} *Grrrrr* & they're staying at my brother's house who doesn't talk to me because of the booster issue ~ I have a feeling she's on that road, too @@ *SIGH* I can't believe the level of immaturity that exists in my family!!!

Just a bit more complaining ~ no need to pay attention to me {LOL}

My sister has been making comments to my toddler about how "silly" it is that she's RF ... now my kid is back to complaining about her seat She's a pretty smart kid, though, so I'm about to print out all the pictures of other toddlers/preschoolers that RF & hope that the example works *fingers crossed* I was really hoping to get through the winter RF at least {since my skinny kid certainly won't reach 33 pounds anytime too soon, LOL}, but I guess it won't be quite so bad to turn her FF at almost 3 years old if it means she'll still enjoy her harness ... right? =/

Sibs making fun of your little one

My SILs made fun of my youngest daughter because she still rode in a booster seat when her same-age cousins were in l/s belt only. It really made me mad. So, I taught her that it was okay for her to answer back: I ride in a booster seat because my mommy and daddy really love me! It made my SILs start asking questions, and eventually, they got boosters for their little ones. All the cousins are out of boosters now (10 and 12), but they still say they wear their seat belt because their mommy really loves them! It worked for us, you might try that reverse psychology.

Good luck!
Tracy Tellman
CPST/I
Amarillo, Texas

Yeah, she was telling her aunt "I safe" so I'll sure explain that I make her so safe because I love her....

Here's something you can try which I did at an auto show in Chicago a few years ago. Place your niece in the seat and belt her in as she wuold ride in the car. Place the belts as she would wear it. Then simulate a crash and show her what would happen to her. If she places the shoulder part behind her, then bend her over and pull her forward so she fells the lap and what it could do.

I've used this approach, yes The kids are responsive to it & especially so when I say that they must use the booster & belt properly because I love them & don't want them to get hurt ... but the adults more or less refuse to accept the message no matter what & so they fill their kids' heads with the opposite message ~ that because they love them they want them to be able to be free in the vehicle "since it's not very likely that we'll have an accident anyway" @@

My sister & brother {well, these 2 anyway, the others are intelligent enough to appreciate the knowledge I've shared with them} anyway, my one sister & brother pair simply don't care what statistics say about anything having to do with raising kids ... for instance, their discipline borders on abuse, etc. etc. I'm kind of the FREAK in the family who actually likes to collect as much knowledge from many reliable sources as I can before puting a personal oppinion into action {or on the other hand finding out whether or not it's in our best interest to take a deeper look at why I feel certain ways about certain issues & such}, but these 2 are of the mind-set that their oppinions are all that matter no matter how many lives have been ruined from following such patterns of behavior *SIGH*

Ultimately, because of the way their visit went {in regards not only to car safety issues, but also other things} I decided to cancel our plane trip that would have continued the visit on with us spending 2 weeks at my sister's in NV. Apparently my daughter's legs have now grown too long for RF in the Wizard {2 months shy of turning 3 years old} because she's been complaining of the straps hurting & when I pulled down her pants to look there were red creases on her thighs ~ so I did end up turning her FF, but I don't blame my sister's annoying comments for it. However, it was really very difficult for me to hold my tounge as much as I did during their visit ~ I continued to share tidbits of CPS facts, but it all went in one ear & out the other & she refused to let her kid ride with me when she saw the Husky =/

So, the whole thing ended on a bit of a sour note, but at least I didn't let her ignorance overpower my convictions to provide a safe environment in situations that I AM able to control ... when my kid is old enough to understand the concept that different families have different rules {because she's not a daycare kid & has not been exposed to such differences in family dinamics before this & didn't respond to it very well this time} then I'll rethink making a trip out to my sister's, but not while my daughter is still so impressionable. UGH - family!!!!!

Unfortunately they are people out there that just don't care or don't see the big picture. Its hard to realize at times that certain people out there just don't care about their childrens safety in a vehicle.