How did you ride in the car as a child?

Back in the day before anyone was educated about car seats, how did YOU ride in the car as a child? Did you have a seat? Do anything else crazy?

We did all kinds of appalling things, and I'm only 19.
I was put into one of the very first car seats with a base when I was born. No idea how it was installed. Mom said it never really felt secure snapped into the base. 3 point, obviously, and used with a pretty thick aftermarket head support.

After that I went into an FP T shield, FF, either outboard in the back or in the front passenger seat. I used it long after my shoulders were above the slots AND my ears above the seat back. With bulky coats on a regular basis.

Sometimes my dad drove my mom to work in his two-seater and I rode on her lap. I would've been about two or three. I remember once they took my car seat and installed it for the ride home, but I guess that was too much of a pain and after that I just rode home in the belt.

When I stopped using the T shield I was in nothing. Usually kept she shoulder belt in front of me but often under my arm. My sister ALWAYS tucked hers behind her. One of us also often rode in the center lap only belt so we could sit next to each other.

When I was 7 my mom got a new car with a bench seat in front, center lap belt. I rode in that seat. Driver side air bag too. She also sometimes let me steer Sometimes even though that car had plenty of belts and space my sister and I would share the passenger L/S belt. We also loved to lean the seat back all the way and lie down in it, especially when we were on hilly country roads.

We also used to car pool to girl scouts when I was 6-12 years old. I remember 3 of us either squeezing into one girl's dad's pick up front bench next to him several times, and other times the other two girls rode in the BACK (it was covered, but still no belts and he had an AXE back there!). That I refused to do because I was always a stickler for seat belts.

When I was 13 we drove all the way to Florida with me in the back seat sitting on a pillow because I could "see better".

Given that, I'm not surprised I knew nothing about car seats at first!

My parents bought a GM Love Seat (toddler) for me in 1973, but I have no memories of using it. My brother and sister were only a year apart, and my parents only ever had that one seat, so one of them would have been out it early (or put into it late!) I remember wanting a booster seat at some point (so I could see better,) but Mom said no. Generally, we rode around in belts, often two to a belt, or often in the back of the Blazer. Oh how times have changed!

My MIL *loves* to tell the story about how she *knew* someone who was in a crash while holding her baby, and it died as her airbag. Because of that, she says, she knew better than to hold her children in the car. She had a basket they could lie in that sat on the floor of the backseat! Her BIL *made* a seat for his kids. Crazy times!

I was born in 1978. TN was the first state in the nation to get a car seat law that year, so I had a seat of some sort. AFAIK, all my parent's seats were purchased new. From the time I was 5 until I was 7.5, I rode in the center of the back seat of a 4 seater car with a makeshift seatbelt my mom made by belting a heavy leather men's belt around the metal legs of my two sister's carseats. I don't think any of us were in any type of seat after we turned 4. I was 14 when my parents purchased their 1st car with shoulder belts in the backseat. (My two youngest siblings rode in the front and rear center lap-only belts, though.)

my mom mentioned i had some sort of carseat, but i am not sure which kind and for how long. I do remember sitting on my dads lap and driving down our street a few times. Another thing that is so scary, is i played softball and one of our big things was to go out for ice cream after we won, and we would sit in the back of our coaches pickup truck and sing and cheer all the way around town.

I was the seventh of 8 kids and I am OLD. We only used the car to go to church on Sundays and maybe 2 or 3 times a year for trips to see cousins. No seat belts available, we rode three across in the front with the youngest on Mom's lap and four across in the back with the two youngest on laps.

We walked every where including the grocery store. We bought groceries in the morning and the store kept them till my Dad picked them up on the way home for lunch.

My kids all rode in car seats but most of them were ones you've seen on Classic Seats' posts and they went in LBB at about 3 till 5 then in seat belts. I was considered a kook for insisting on that. I don't remember HBB being available then.

I was a preemie, and my mom has told me about how she got the newest and greatest thing for me, which was a GM infant love seat. It was apparently very new to the market, and she felt so fortunate to get it from her brother, who worked for GM. After that, however, I have no idea what I rode in, I've never asked her I would assume the GM toddler love seat, but I will have to find out! I do recall lots of trips laying across the back seat, or in the cargo area of our van though

I too had the GM Love Seat! Born in 77 and my uncle worked for GM. It was his gift to my parents. The seat was all metal with brown foam around it. I will try to find a picture of this monstrosity.

My brother was born in 1982 and I remember him having a backless booster. I am surpised how similar they are to the ones today! His also had this harness that bolted to the car. It reminded me of a CARES harness.

We lived in Germany at the time--mom was German, dad military--so whatever infant rear-facing seat was sold at the PX. I know it had a 3pt harness and no base... there are some really bad quality pics in old photo albums somewhere.

I don't know what I rode in after that, except I have a very vague memory of right before my dad leaving (age 4?) of riding in a FF harnessed seat... but I do clearly remember riding in a shield booster and I was sometimes allowed to buckle it myself (what fun!). I rode in that until we moved to the US, where I then rode in, well, nothing but a seat belt (age almost 7, but I was small) and was even allowed to ride in the front seat a ton.

When I visited family in Germany at age 8, I was always required to sit in a backless booster or on top of a ton of blankets wherever we went. I liked it! I could SEE!!

I can remember having a OHS seat in one car, but we didn't usually use it. In my mom's car I was usually loose jumping around the back seat . I can remember that we had a truck with jump seats and my parents folded up the seats and laid down pillows and blankets.

I do remember being about 3 and being in my mom's VW bug, and it caught on fire (the engine is right under the back seat, and that's what caught on fire). I remember her panicking because she had a hard time getting me out of my seat.

ETA: my sister rode in a Johnny Jumper bolted to the ceiling of the van because my mom didn't like her crawling all over her as she drove.

I dont think i ever rode in a car seat I was born in 79, I Remember one whole car seat and that was for my brother that is now 19 i dont even remember one for my brother that is now 17 not even boosters lol. We drove from Alaska to AZ and i remember riding in the back on top of all the luggage sleeping up there in the back window. We never ever wore seatbelts
I didnt start wearing a seatbelt until my dd's dad would make me he wouldnt drive the car unless i put it on lol. I was 16. I even remember when i was 5 i got in my moms car and drove it down the street with her chasing me lol. obviously she caught me cuz im not dead lol.

When my mom let me drive for the first time there were no back seats in the van(dont know why they were out) and my little brothers were with us and i went to turn the corner and when i hit the breaks i hit them too hard and my brothers went rolling. scary

I'm 31.

My mom had a big RF hard plastic monstrocity that she got from her sister. Similar to the Graco-Century Infant Love Seat in the Pictorial.

I know we also had a white with brown plasticy leather seat that was FF. They all just basically buckled in, no installing.

I did ride in a backless booster with lap belts :doh: through 5th grade, but that was so I could see out the window and not get carsick. My mom made me get rid of it because she didn't want her child going to middle school in a booster. I remember being ticked because I was much more nauseous after that.

However, I do remember riding around in the front seat all the time, doubling up or lapping it in the back seat, and in Girl Scouts one of our leaders had an old station wagon and she would fold the back seats down and about 20 of us would pile in and just sit there! YIKES!

i grew up without seat BELTS, much less an actual car SEAT. i was "free to roam about the cabin" as they say in the airline biz.

I've seen a picture of myself in an infant seat. I also remember using a shield booster for a very short while when I was maybe 4. My parents drove a nice Pontiac Paresienne. It had the fold down "hump" in the middle, and that's what I sat on. Only lap belts, of course. My brother is 5 years younger than me, but I can't seem to remember what kind of seat he sat in. I think by the time he was two, he was sitting on the "hump" in the front seat.

Never even wore a seatbelt until I was 14.

I remember sitting in a blue OHS seat. I also rememberlaying my head on the sheild so I know my harness was too loose! I remember sitting ina sheild booster too. We used to drive around in the back of the mini van with the seats taken out. Once for my birthday 10 friends, my parents, my sister and I drove two hours away in a 7 seater van...you do the math. That was a very uncomfortable trip!

I'm told, by my mother, that I had some sort of car-seat when I was an infant. No pictures of it exist, but then again--precious few photos of me as a child exist (hello, 3rd child here. lol).

We always wore seat belts in my mothers car. I always used seat belts when they were available.

My fathers vehicle--didn't have belts. I recall on the trips between his home and my house....holding onto the trucks DOOR, because that made me feel slightly more safe.

I recall, when I was about...8-9, going to Florida to my aunts in her station wagon--and we'd stretch out in the back, it was made up like a bed.
Scares the crap out of me NOW, but it was kind of fun--at the time.

Other times, I remember lying down in the backseat, with the buckle..fastened around me. @@. lol

No car seat for me. My parents had a TWO SEATER MG and apparently I used to sit on the centre console and colour while they drove! We were in an accident when I was about 2 or 3. Some guy drove through a light and hit the front end of the MG which caused it to spin around a full 360, and my mom said my crayons went flying but somehow I still stayed put in the middle!

As an older child we used to lay in the back of my aunt and uncle's station wagon when we went on trips. As a pre-teen I always slept across the back seat if we were driving on the highway. I seem to recall leaving the seat belt on though because I was scared to take it off! Lap belt only of course because there weren't shoulder belts in rear seats then.

We started in some carseat/highchair/.... (5 way set) That was supposed to be new and safe and my parents saved up every last penny to get it.

I can remember moving with my bro and I (2 and 3) both seatbelted in the same belt passanger side of the truck. When we were all in the truck my bro was in my mom's seatbelt with her and I sat in earthquake position on the floor between her feet. We only had the truck for about 1 1/2 years.

When the new car came around we had homemade booster cusions and a lap belt. We still rode in the back of the truck (back roads only) until the CA seatbelt law came out. Then my dad had a seat w/belts installed in the back.

I can't count the times we had 4 or more kids in the back of a honda civic all buckled in to the 2 seatbelts.

My parents seemed to have some sense of safety needs, but there just wasn't much available. We also both rode harnessed in a race car a few times

TechnoGranola said:

No car seat for me. My parents had a TWO SEATER MG and apparently I used to sit on the centre console and colour while they drove! We were in an accident when I was about 2 or 3. Some guy drove through a light and hit the front end of the MG which caused it to spin around a full 360, and my mom said my crayons went flying but somehow I still stayed put in the middle!

As an older child we used to lay in the back of my aunt and uncle's station wagon when we went on trips. As a pre-teen I always slept across the back seat if we were driving on the highway. I seem to recall leaving the seat belt on though because I was scared to take it off! Lap belt only of course because there weren't shoulder belts in rear seats then.

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OH YES I remember doing that too! Think the bump only happened once with my granparents. I did a lot of laying down with the seatbelt on/twisted We also sat with our legs folded or under us.

I'm 36. No car seat at all for me. My sister & I used to fight to sit in the front seat. I'm older, so I imagine I 'won' more often. Mom would leave us in the car A LOT while she ran into stores. I never felt scared or unsafe.