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When I was younger - early 80's - although I didn't, I had friends in the neighborhood with children. And since I have always enjoyed being around children, on occasion, I would take the friends kids on trips with me. Sometimes to the mall, sometime just for a ride, but often I would take to the Philadelphia Museum of Art or other museums, or get $0.50 bleacher tickets and take them to a Phillies game, off to Valley Forge park, a movie, the zoo or other places.
The parents got a break from watching their kids, while they worked, or had time for themselves. The kids got a "little" adventure away from their home. If their parents were working, the kids were probably "stuck" in the house because it might be too hot, or rainy to play outside. I think one of the best benefits for the kids was that they had a friend, someone who did not treat them like they were brain dead adults, someone who would explain things to them and answer their questions. Maybe from a different viewpoint than their parents. Children have A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
As for me, I have always enjoyed being around kids because I get to see the world fresh though their eyes.
But the last time I adopted kids, it was a trio - 2 girls (8 and 10) and a boy (11). We would go places and have great outings while their parents worked in their Deli all day. Most days I was going somewhere, I would just go to the Deli or the apartment and pick them up, stop by the Deli to tell the parent's I had the kids, (sometimes also picking up a cousin or two and off we would go.
What really made this possible was that back then I could almost literally grab the kids, throw them into my 71 Pinto - two or three in the back, and one up front, strap them in and go. These days if I were to try that, I would have to find the parents, get access to the car seats, spend the time shifting the seats from one car to another, try to make room in a car for three or four car seats - which in a Pinto sized car, I think would be impossible. Even in my BMW X5, it would be a tough task given that you can't(?) put a car seat in the front passenger position. Can car seats be strapped into a rear facing position in the cargo area? Do the car seats scratch up or otherwise damage the leather? Do you really need a family van to tote kids?
How hard is it for a non parent these days - who does not have all the accouterments - to haul kids around occasionally?
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 18 days ago)
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I can't stand the new carseats. They are a killer to get in and out of cars! And that's why they have a "base" so people who often haul the child around can all purchase a base that is installed in their cars all the time. So you can just snap on the part the child is in, and you don't have to go through the ordeal of attaching the base to the car everytime you take the child.
I volunteer within the foster care system, and I can't believe for a minute that the current car seats are more safe than the past standard of car seats - the Fisher price Y yolk harness seat. It was hard to get that one installed wrong - but the carseats right now you have to tighten belts that are impossible to tighten, snap 4 things together across the child's chest that don't feel more sturdy than dog collar clips, and attach the seat with hooks that are impossible to find between the upholstered seat and seatback in the car.
Sorry for the rant. It also burns me that they have a 4-5 year "expiration" date. Make them stronger!! You certainly don't see a 4 year expiration date on seatbelts in a car.
How old are the children? As long as they're over 8 or 9, you likely don't have to worry about car/booster seats.
But really, it comes down to the parents. My kids were on the small side and were bolstered until age 10 or 11. I also didn't allow neighbors or people who weren't my friends to take them anywhere. I would think that if you knew the parents well enough to take their kids somewhere, then you'd know their car seat rules.
I can't stand the new carseats. They are a killer to get in and out of cars! And that's why they have a "base" so people who often haul the child around can all purchase a base that is installed in their cars all the time. So you can just snap on the part the child is in, and you don't have to go through the ordeal of attaching the base to the car everytime you take the child.
I volunteer within the foster care system, and I can't believe for a minute that the current car seats are more safe than the past standard of car seats - the Fisher price Y yolk harness seat. It was hard to get that one installed wrong - but the carseats right now you have to tighten belts that are impossible to tighten, snap 4 things together across the child's chest that don't feel more sturdy than dog collar clips, and attach the seat with hooks that are impossible to find between the upholstered seat and seatback in the car.
Sorry for the rant. It also burns me that they have a 4-5 year "expiration" date. Make them stronger!! You certainly don't see a 4 year expiration date on seatbelts in a car.
The three point harnesses from 15-20 years ago were not safer than the five point harnesses of today. And car seats expire after 6-9 years. It's not the straps; it's the plastic.
I prefer installing seats with the seatbelt system and avoid the LATCH system. My own kids are teens now so it's no longer an issue, but if I take someone else's child, I install using the seatbelt. Mine pull out and lock, so it's easy.
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 18 days ago)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnotherTouchOfWhimsy
The three point harnesses from 15-20 years ago were not safer than the five point harnesses of today. And car seats expire after 6-9 years. It's not the straps; it's the plastic.
I prefer installing seats with the seatbelt system and avoid the LATCH system. My own kids are teens now so it's no longer an issue, but if I take someone else's child, I install using the seatbelt. Mine pull out and lock, so it's easy.
I would like to see whether they're actually safer in practice. I agree that if they're used perfectly they are safer in lab trials, but I don't think they're installed correctly as often as the older easier car seats were.
In a situation like mine where you have to pick up a random car seat you probably haven't used before, and install it in your car correctly, I think the chances of making a critical error in installation are quite high.
And I can't even find anyone who will verify for me that I've installed it correctly. It used to be you could go a hospital or a fire station and they'd check it out. Now they won't offer an opinion on whether you've installed it correctly.
If you have a car seat where the instructions don't come with it, you're kind of up a creek. Whereas with the fisher price car seat, it was pretty much intuitive.
If the plastic doesn't last more than 6 years, maybe they should use padded metal.
Metal is a good idea but I bet that would make them prohibitively expensive. I know that some car seats are good for nine years, but those brands might be more expensive. I do agree that if a seat isn't easy to install, it's hard to say that it would be safer in an accident. I think our local police station still does checks. I believe there is a certification program. I wonder if your foster care agency might pay for one of the foster parents to take it and that person could be available to check seats as needed? Probably a better idea in theory than in reality.
They aren't rocket science to install. Grab the instructions off the internet.
Regardless just about anything is safer than a poorly fitting belt a kid will fly out of. You can visit the ER and talk to the nurses and doctors there about the results of ejection from an accident and see what not wearing a seat belt does. You could also pull safety records from the years and see the decline in injuries / ejections etc. No reason to wonder you can look it all up.
The only people that don't understand child seat safety and if it is real or not are people that don't understand physics. The concepts are pretty simple.
While it is true many of us survived rolling around in the back seat with nothing we were one major accident away from being ejected from the vehicle or having our injuries significantly increased from bouncing around the car like a ball. Not worth the risk to my kids, maybe it is for you.
Also I'd agree with the above, if you knew the kids well enough to take them for a journey you'd know the parents thoughts on car seats / boosters. State laws are also a google away. So no, it isn't that hard.
Fitting car seats with a seatbelt is easy enough, just a pain to move the big ones from car to car. We have a work van with just three seats so can't fit in other kids but other parents take my 6 year old easily enough - a booster seat is enough though to be honest no-one seems to use them past 5 or so where I live.
no you don't need a minivan to tote the kids around; a crossover or suv will sufficate. Those kind of outings you speak of is really geared for older kids like 6 and upwards, and the 6 year old can use a backless booster in a pinch with just a seatbelt over it. Kids 8 and over can ride with just seatbelts.
back then, in the good old days, a lot of people died in car accidents. people forget that! any younger than 4/5 i wouldn't trust to let my kid to you for a whole day, regardless of wherher you can borrow or get a carseat. Theres many other variables to consider, like allergies and epi pen, venue (running into thousands, and thus needing another adult with you to keep second pair on your group of kids)
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