Would You Ever Not Use A Carseat?

Monday 10th of February 2014 | Category: Opinion | Written by: Anne-Marie C

I saw something this morning that really surprised me. We walk to school, and the road crossing is by the entrance to the school car park. Today, I stopped to cross the road and glanced at the car about to turn into the car park. Seeing a smiling baby in the car I smiled at him.

Then my brain registered he was forward facing.

In the front passenger seat.

Sitting on his mother's lap.

I was so shocked I couldn't help but say "Oh my goodness, that baby isn't in a carseat," to my children.

The weather was fine and dry. It has been raining for days, as it has been everywhere, but we're mostly flood free and today was actually mild and sunny.

I don't drive, and it can be horrible when you have to walk and take public transport everywhere, especially in bad weather. I've been offered lifts many times by friends passing me on the road when my two were toddlers and babies, and I always said no because of not having carseats with me. They always understood and never pushed the offer.

My two are now four and six and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times the youngest has been in a car without at least a booster. It has happened, but not before she was four. It happened a week ago when we were drenched before even getting out of the school car park, and we were offered a lift home in a huge people carrier.

My eldest also gets a lift home from Brownies with our friend who runs it, without a booster seat, but she's within a month of turning seven and tall for her age, so only a few centimetres off not needing a booster anyway.

So, yes, I get that sometimes and in some circumstances, and for short trips, you might use an adult seatbelt with a child that ought to have a booster seat. But I just can't see any circumstance where you'd be in the front passenger seat of a moving car with a one year old baby on your lap.

I know I don't know the full story, and the mum did appear to be distressed, but I still can't think of any situation where you wouldn't just ask for the older two to be taken to school while you stayed with the baby. Or any situation where you wouldn't be on the way to hospital or the police station, rather than getting to school on time when you live within a five minute walk and it's a nice, dry day.

Am I being overly judgemental? Would you ever not use a carseat with a baby or toddler? What situations could there be for holding a baby in a lap for a car journey?

Addendum: I've just looked up the law on child car seats. There is no legal situation where a child under three should ever not be in a car seat:

You can’t take children under 3 in a vehicle without a seat belt or the correct child car seat (except a taxi or minicab).

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Would You Ever Not Use A Carseat?

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Anne-Marie C

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