lesser of all evils? (if there's no car seat)

A few months ago I was at a dinner and this girl was leaving with her boyfriend to go pick up the boyfriend's 18mo nephew to take him to a xmas party. The baby's mother had to go out of town in an emergency and took the only car seat in her car, so they were picking him up without a car seat. They said it was just a couple of blocks but they wouldnt walk. Nothing I said made a difference so I dropped it. The girl was nervous but the boyfriend thought it was no big deal. When they were leaving I just told her not to buckle the seatbelt over herself and the child, cause I know that's the worst option. So she asked me what should she do. I said, seat in the back seat, put your seat belt on and hold him. Believe me, I didnt make it sound like that was safe or something i would do. Now I wonder if there was something else that would have been better. The child seemed to small to be on his own seatbelt, he wouldnt have stayed still.
So, what would u recommended when someone is set on taking a child without a carseat?

Walking.

Honestly, maybe I'm too hard-core, but I would not consider other possibilities. Especially for something optional like a party.

-Sarah

I would say. I will lend you a car seat. It will only take a minute!

I would have put him on the backseat floor, with blankets. Compartmentalized and padded him.

Or called the cops.

Lent them a seat, given them a ride, told them to buy one from Walmart and return it the next day (a little unethical, but better than the alternative!!!).

When I rode in a cab with Piper in China last year she sat in the front in her carseat as that was the only seatbelt (besides the driver, who sits with a screen enclosing his seat). I scooted forward on the backseat, nearly with my bum down into the leg area. In a collision I would have gone a little forward and a little down. Better than I would have than if I'd been sitting all the way back.

Wendy

My friend did that yesterday, except it was with her 6 year old niece who she was babysitting. She wasn't even the one driving it was one of her friends, who is an 18 year old male, agressive driver. I drove with him once and I will not ever again, it was terrifying.

I was so mad at her, she knows she could have called me to get a car seat. One of my other friends (who I have drilled car seat safety into ) was with her told her it was wrong, dangerous, illegal and even offered to stay home with the little girl. But she took her anyways. :thumbsdown:

I don't know what I would recommend but I would have probrally offered a ride or lend them a car seat if I had one appropriate for the childs age with me.

wendytthomas said:

I would have put him on the backseat floor, with blankets. Compartmentalized and padded him.

Or called the cops.

Lent them a seat, given them a ride, told them to buy one from Walmart and return it the next day (a little unethical, but better than the alternative!!!).

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Just to clarify! We were in Brazil. It's still illegal but I think the cops there couldn't care less. I only had my SS1 with me and I did offer it but they insisted the kid was too big for it. I was at my mom's house for a family dinner and they were leaving to go get the baby to bring him somewhere else. My seat wasn't with me cause I had walked to my mom's house and dd was asleep at home with a sitter. There was nothing I could do. I told them how dangerous it was and everything. The baby's mother was the one that asked them to pick him up so he could go to the party. There's no place in Brazil one can buy a seat and return it. All the stores down there only do exchanges, not refunds. And the seats costs like at least $200. Plus it was xmas eve.
Believe me, I did say, walk, stay home, whatever. And I wouldn't do it unless it was some life and death emergency of some sort. But they were doing it whether I wanted it or not, so I was just wondering what's the safest thing to do.

So, laying on the floor behind seats, wrapped in blankets? That does sound safer than anything else I can think off. It does drive me nuts that people consider stuff like that, but I hear it all the time. Here in the US too, espcially in cabs!

That would stress me out so bad! Yikes!

wendytthomas said:

I would have put him on the backseat floor, with blankets. Compartmentalized and padded him.
....Lent them a seat, given them a ride, told them to buy one from Walmart and return it the next day (a little unethical, but better than the alternative!!!).

Click to expand...

Exactly what I was going to recommend...

OMG... there was this one time when DD #1 was about 16-17 mos and I was on the way to my grandparents with her (an hour away from home) and the car broke down. I finally flagged someone down that had a cellphone so I could call my Grandpa (I was about halfway between home and his house).
He showed up in a blazer with the back seats taken out.. only the front two were there, the back was stuffed with... stuff...
I asked him how I was going to buckle in her carseat.. and was VERY old school and was like "well you are going to just have to hold her" OMG... my heart... there was nothing I could do... I just prayed with everything in me. This was on the interstate though soooo... ugh.. I don't even want to think about it.

Then there was the time that we were in Paris w/ DD#1 and #2 and we had to take a cab (didn't take the carseats out of our car because we'd have to carry them by hand all through Paris), anyways I looked at DH and said what about carseats? He just kind of shrugged (we were w/other people) and the driver in French started rushing us. We got in, hanging on to our kids with everything we had and it was NOT a safe ride IMO. The traffic is INSANE there and this cab driver didn't pay attention.
It really really sucked.
I can't even imagine CHOOSING to do that with a child in the car. I can't even fathom it.