To be shocked by woman who dropped off baby at nursery this morning

[Ipad2iloveyou]

She had the baby, who must of been around a year old, strapped in the car with the adult seat belt nothing else, no car seat, just the adult belt!!!!!!! What was she thinking. The nursery is a good 10 minute drive from anywhere as well !!!!

WTFlike, obviously a medical emergency is a bit of a different scenario from dropping your child off at nursery.

Aren't there different laws for taxis? You don't have to have a car seat in one do you?

I personally wouldn't make the journey without a car seat.

Entropygirl, I hope you hefted your bosom and pursed your lips whilst you typed that...

Honestly? Yes. I would call in for emergency parental leave. I would call a friend and ask to borrow a seat. I would call DH and get him to return the seat, any number of things. I wouldn't strap my wriggly, mobile 1 yr old into an adult seat and go out on the road. How can I drive safely when trying to keep her in her seat? There is a reason these things are illegal.

WTF taking a sick child to hospital is a huge difference to taking them to nursery

I was thinking of saying something to the nursery, but it may only be a one off, just not a very safe one off really is it. Yes I am happy to mention it here, as I wanted to see what other people thought, and whether it was something that should been mentioned to someone at the nursery. I have I think very extreme views on car seat safety. So need to be ground by the general opinion, thanks

WTF - it is legal to travel in a taxi without a carseat. Not legal in a normal car. And even in a normal car - that situation was an emergency and had the police stopped her, they would have escorted the child to hospital rather than told her off.

The Op's situation - it was dangerous and illegal. I would mention it to the nursery staff so they could check baby was going into a suitable carseat for the return journey later. If I saw the baby being strapped in like that at the time, I would ring the non emergency police number and report it.

I suspect that the car seat was on its way to work in another car and it was a one off as its rare to see a child not in a seat.

You're all assuming that the driver hadn't tried any of the other options first, which you just don't know.

I don't think it's that big a deal assuming it was a one off.

You loose a day at work, you risk getting sacked. It's the could season she may already have had far to much time off.
If she does it again judge, but not as a one off.

Ipad, I would actually report this to your local police officer (non-emergency number obviously) if it's a regular thing.

Cold season, ipods

I wouldn't risk it - for legal and safety reasons.

But the logistics of driving on main roads with a wriggling one year old...how does that work?

I wouldn't do it

This happened to me recently with 2 year old daughter. I needed to pick her up from nursery, my car had broken down and the hire car arrived just in the nicck of time. So I felt I had no choice. In a taxi a baby probably wouldn't have a carseat. One off is ok i think.

Makes you wonder though how people managed before car seats doesn't it?

Barf - I'd bet money it was a one off and that she had tried some other option first. She still ultimately made a decision that is illegal and risky.

Weird thread.

Of course YANBU.

Exit - no, not really. It wasn't illegal then and people did the best they could. Now, it is illegal and people still do the best they can - nowadays, that includes a safe car seat.

Before car seats arrived, children went flying though the car window. They may not of lived to say 'we didn't have car seats when we where little and we where ok'

Before any form of car seat (I'm 30 and we had them as babies) I suspect roads weren't as busy, cars not as fast etc.

Even a 2 yr old is better equipped to understand the situation than a 1 yr old.

If it isn't a one off maybe speak to the nursery and see if they can arrange for community police to come in.

DD's nursery did this and sent a newsletter home saying something like we had a visit from PC x today and all the children enjoyed sitting in the police car - then a reminder about car seat law and pointing out our area has high rates of non compliance/high rates of child injury.

Local paper also printed a picture of the children with the policeman and same message.

Unfortunately it is common where I live to see young children sat on mums knees or unrestrained in back seat of cars.

Thank you dixiechick1975, very sound advise

so how young do people think this should be ok as a one off?

Because IMO this isn't black and white.

For a child that has some conversation I think that peraps as a one off this could be ok although not ideal.

But what about below that? Op said this was still a baby. So no comprehension that need to sit up/sit still/be strapped in yet still the potential capasity to undo a seatbelt while travelling along and op not being able to restrain them safely.

What about younger than that, nine months? six months?

The laws exist for a reason - not only for the safety of the child in the car but also for the safety of other road users - a person driving along with a child in the car that has the potential to become unrestrained at any time is not going to be driving as safely as one who has her full attention focused on the road.

It's not just about having a potential accident - it's about a baby being able to wriggle out of a seatbelt/undo the seatbelt/climb over the seat/distract the parent/be the cause of an accident as much as be the victim of one.

I know as a baby I was always carried in my mum's arms whenever I was taken in a car.
My sisters and I are at least 2 years apart, so there would never be a child of less than 2 sitting in a normal seat.
(and usually squished by mum against the edge of the car, too!)

that's the main reason it's okay in a taxi, because the adult in charge of the child is not driving - and can therefore put the baby in their own lap, supported in turn by their own seatbelt.

ling I certainly did heft my bosom....and its not a small bosom and takes some serious hefting. Did not need to purse lips as lips are permanently in cats bum position for reading AIBU threads - it saves time.