Why do all these people around me do these things?

::er!ca::

Member
I feel like I'm ALWAYS seeing people (family/friends) who are using their car seats wrong, and moving children into a specific seat before they're ready. Please tell me it isn't only me!

Well, the latest is my sister inlaw. They just moved back to Indiana, from California. They made the trip cross country, driving... not flying. I have a 2 year old niece, who is LITTLE. She's short, and she's only like 22 pounds. We meet them to get a bite to eat the day after they get in town, I open their Jeep door to get my niece out... and she's in a high back booster :eek: Not only that, but her and her sister (who will be 5 in March, but has been in a hbb for the past 2 1/2 years) both have on their huge, thick winter coats.

These are not the type of people you can say something to without them taking offense. You can't say anything to them, you can't show them videos, etc. without causing a fight. They know how I feel about car seats, but they think I over do it. They think they're never wrong, and if you don't agree with them then you think you're better than them. I feel like I can't give them my :twocents: without causing a huge fight. My sister inlaw is supposed to be my best friend, and I just can't talk to her about these things. They're so close minded.

I cringe when I see her in that seat. They had a perfectly fine Evenflo Triumph... I don't know why they stopped using it... especially when they knew they were traveling from California to Indiana.
 
ADS

Spam

New member
You're not alone. I also have to be very careful what I say to my sister or it comes off like I'm the know it all. She has my nephew in a hbb at 1.5. I even bought her a brand new evenflo triumph for christmas for him and offered to install it. She's still not using it... excuse being she can't get the cupholder off to make it fit. I'm hoping next week after her boyfriend goes back to work, I can get installed for her. :(
 

::er!ca::

Member
You know, now that I think about it... without her even saying anything to me, I know exactly why she moved her to a hbb. She had to drive their Jeep, and her husband had to drive their car. So, for CONVENIENCE, they put her in a hbb so that it would be quick and easy to move the kids from one vehicle to the other, so one parent wasn't stuck driving with kids the entire time across country. Their car is a stick shift, and SIL can't drive it.

I bet that's it. Amazing. Convenience over safety. Shocking, huh?!
 

April

Well-known member
:jaw: 1.5 year olds and 22lb 2 year olds in boosters???!!! WHAT??!!!!!!

No offense to either of you, but I would call the cops. Granted, I've never done it to a relative, but I have done it to strangers. That is just nuts to me. Why not put some beer in their bottle and give them a smoke or two while they're at it. I'm sorry, that is just insane.
 

::er!ca::

Member
:jaw: 1.5 year olds and 22lb 2 year olds in boosters???!!! WHAT??!!!!!!

No offense to either of you, but I would call the cops. Granted, I've never done it to a relative, but I have done it to strangers. That is just nuts to me. Why not put some beer in their bottle and give them a smoke or two while they're at it. I'm sorry, that is just insane.

Ok, if I called the cops... would it be anonymous? And what would happen? Would they come knocking on the door, or try to find them if/when they're out driving? We live in Indiana. I'm not sure on exact laws (I just know what is safe and not safe), it is illegal to have a 2 year old (will be 3 in May) and 22 lbs (maybe 23 lbs... but still) in a hbb with seat belt? If it's not "illegal" would they do anything?
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Usually when you call the cops you have to see them driving, you just give them the license number, make and model, last known location and direction of travel. Some departments will send someone out, some only if they have a car nearby, some will ignore it. It depends.

The reason it would be illegal is because many states have a proper use clause. You can look up your law to find out. I don't know of a booster that allows for a child under 30 lbs. to use it.
 

::er!ca::

Member
Ok, I think the Indiana law states that the seat must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Graco states ages 3 to 10 years old, 30 to 100 pounds and 38 inches to 57 inches. My niece is definitely NONE of those. She's 2, low 20 pounds, and very, very short. My 3 year old is only 1 inch taller than the recommended height of 38 inches, and is about a head taller than my niece (for an idea of how short she is).
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Ok, I think the Indiana law states that the seat must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Graco states ages 3 to 10 years old, 30 to 100 pounds and 38 inches to 57 inches. My niece is definitely NONE of those. She's 2, low 20 pounds, and very, very short. My 3 year old is only 1 inch taller than the recommended height of 38 inches, and is about a head taller than my niece (for an idea of how short she is).

Quite honestly, most cops probably won't do anything. You might get lucky and they might get pulled over by a tech. Most would see a kid in SOMETHING, belted in, and not ask anything. I only call the cops on completely unrestrained kids/kids in the front seat/forward-facing babies (under 1)/baby in seat and seat not belted in/other stuff like that that's REALLY egregious, because really they're not going to do anything about anything else. :(
 

monstah

New member
Do you guys ever hang out near a computer? You could check your email and someone could have sent you the KDM youtube video. :whistle:
Watching it always brings me to tears, even if you have seen it before, act like it's the first time you have seen it and have her watch it too. :shrug-shoulders:
 

::er!ca::

Member
I just told my husband about all of this (it's his sister and her child). He asked if I was going to say something to her. I told her I'm on the fence, because I know what type of a person she is and it will cause a huge fight. But at the same time, it's illegal and it's unsafe. If they got into a wreck and something happened to my niece, and I hadn't said anything to my sister inlaw... I think the guilt would be overwhelming. I think sometimes people don't necessarily know that what they're doing is illegal or unsafe. It only been in the past 6 or 7 months that I've learned that my 3 year old still needed to be harnessed, so we went out and bought a Nauti. She road in a hbb for 2 months, with a seat belt, prior to that. It wasn't illegal, because she was 3, over 30 pounds, and 38 inches... but it wasn't safe, so we switched her to something safe.

If it wasn't my sister inlaw, I'd say something in a heartbeat. I just don't want to cause a huge problem, because we already have problems with the inlaws.

I don't know what to do.
 

::er!ca::

Member
Do you guys ever hang out near a computer? You could check your email and someone could have sent you the KDM youtube video. :whistle:
Watching it always brings me to tears, even if you have seen it before, act like it's the first time you have seen it and have her watch it too. :shrug-shoulders:

They *might* come over today. Can someone email it to me? My email is Erica09MatAOLdotCOM

Can the email maybe include the law about manufacturer's instructions, 3 years old, 30 pounds AND 38 inches... not one or the other, must meet all 3. (Although I know they should still be harnessed past that!). If they come over. I'll have her sit down at the computer with me, and I'll check my email. We'll see if it helps. Otherwise, I think I might just ask her if they still have their EFT, and that Trista is really safer in it because her current seat is illegal for her to be in because she's not big enough for it.
 
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::er!ca::

Member
Thank you! I think it's a wonderful email! I will probably forward it to other friends as well, if that is ok with you (I can remove the photos, if you wish).

I really appreciate you doing this!
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
That is fine, and I don't mind the photos being spread around as long as you trust the people you're sending them to. :)
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Indiana IS a proper use state, and there is no HBB i know of that lets you use it at less than 30 pounds, so yes, they are breaking the law...there probably aren't many cops who would actually DO abnything about it though.....your best bet is probably to look up and see if there are any cop/techs in your area and get them to go in for a check....the tech won't let them leave with a 22 pound kid in a booster, and they might even score a free seat, depending on the checkpoint's rules on giving out seats.....

If you are in the south Bend Area, i can see what our local safekids has to say about it....

unfortunately, Indianas carseat laws were actually LOWERED when they passed the booster law a while back....they changed it from harnessed seat until 4 to "an appropriate seat according to manufacturer" for kids up to 8...which means that any 30 lb kid can now ride in a booster, even if they are 2, since that seat is technically allowed for that size child. so we have a LOT more kids in boosters at age 2, 3 that would have still been in harnessed seat, in exchange for kids ages 4-8 now being in boosters...honestly, I still am not sure I think it was a good tradeoff.
 

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