Priorities and common sense

[KaeZoo]

My first appointment this morning was to install rear speakers into a 4-door sedan. It was dropped off by a couple with a very young baby; couldn't have been more than a month old. I had to remove the rear seat to install the speakers, which is why I noticed that the couple did not have any kind of child safety seat in the vehicle.

Okay, so maybe my parents (and 90% of their generation) did things exactly the same way; but times have changed. I can't imagine a modern parent going out and spending over $100 on a new pair of speakers when his/her baby has to ride around in someone's lap.

[Kara]

Unless they had the baby in one of those infant carriers that can be strapped in as a car seat, then they should be drug out into the street and shot.

[Barefootgirl]

When my daughter was very young, she travelled in a car seat with a big handle, that fitted onto a pushchair frame, like this. She was safe and sound in the car, but when we were out of it, there was no visible child seat present. Hopefully, that is the kind of thing your customers had for their baby. If they didn't, they are criminal morons.

Incidentally, I was brought up in the 1970s and my parents always had car seats for all of us, right from birth.

[Kara]

Yeah, one of those things. That's what I was talking about.

[KaeZoo]

No carrier; they carried the baby in their arms and passed him back and forth to each other while filling out paperwork or answering their cell phones.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

No carrier; they carried the baby in their arms and passed him back and forth to each other while filling out paperwork or answering their cell phones.

Up until this message I was thinking of the carrier my friends use which can detech from the car with ease.

Now I hope a cop stops them and nails their ass to the wall for this. I've no @#$%ing sympathy for them now.

M

[BookstoreEscapee]

Now I hope a cop stops them and nails their ass to the wall for this. I've no @#$%ing sympathy for them now.

M

Hell, I'd call the cops with the license plate and direction they were heading as soon as they started to drive away without that baby properly strapped in.

[digilight]

Hell yeah. At that age a baby needs to be in a rear facing seat (their neck muscles don't have the strength needed to be forward facing in case of an accident).

Just to play devils advocate though, is there a chance that maybe they put the seat in the trunk knowing that you would be working in the back seat (not that it makes any sense to put the seat there, and carry a 1 month old for the amount of time that it could take to install speakers)

[BookstoreEscapee]

Just to play devils advocate though, is there a chance that maybe they put the seat in the trunk knowing that you would be working in the back seat (not that it makes any sense to put the seat there, and carry a 1 month old for the amount of time that it could take to install speakers)

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind, too. That's why I'd wait and watch them get ready to drive away. On another note, is it really necessary to take a 1 month old baby with you to get your speakers installed? Is that really a two-person errand that one of them couldn't stay home?

I had a guy in the store once with an 8-day-old infant. He was adorable but I was just thinking, WHY do you need to bring him to the bookstore?

[blas]

Don't act too surprised, there are still morons out there toting their little ones around without a carseat.

My ex bf claimed he and his ex never had a carseat for their daughter because they "couldn't afford it". Hmmm.....maybe should have thought of that before you went without a condom, hmmm?

I feel so bad for that poor baby.

[KaeZoo]

Just to play devils advocate though, is there a chance that maybe they put the seat in the trunk knowing that you would be working in the back seat (not that it makes any sense to put the seat there, and carry a 1 month old for the amount of time that it could take to install speakers)

No such luck. I pulled the entire back seat for the speaker install and the trunk was wide open; nothing in it but the box with new speakers. Most people don't pull their car seats even when they know we'll be under the seats, and we're not allowed to re-install them once we remove them. Customers have to do that themselves, so we avoid liability.

I've seen the car seat/carriers some have mentioned; we used one for our daughters and there's usually a base that gets installed on the seat so the carrier part just snaps in and out.

[protege]

Incidentally, I was brought up in the 1970s and my parents always had car seats for all of us, right from birth.

Hehe I hear ya on that one! My parents always had kiddie seats for us. Well, in the main car anyway--fitting one of those into the MGB GT or even the VW-based "MG TD-style" kit car we had then was impossible. Both cars weren't designed to handle more than 2 people. The kit car had a "jump seat" where I could ride. Once my brother came along though, he had to wear a harness attacted to the car's frame. Needless to say, the car got sold after that...and replaced with a *real* MG. That car has a (cramped) rear seat...but if you put a child seat back there, the available room decreases dramatically. I'm not sure I'd want to put one back there anyway...the seat cushion rests over the battery compartment!

Somewhat along that line....I remember years ago, when we'd go to car shows. My neighbor also had one of the last MGB roadsters sold here. That didn't have a rear seat...but enough space behind the seats that children could perch there.

Looking back on that, I'm amazed that I came through it in one piece...but things were done differently then. Maybe the parents in the original post were still of that mindset? If so, they need to get out of the 1970s and get with the program!

[Cia]

The hospital here in Rapid wont let you leave w/ your baby w/o proving that you have a childseat installed in your car. Plus if you 'can't afford a carseat' they have a program were you can get one to use for 6 months to a year - free.

[Sacknahalf05]

I hear ya, Cia. When I had my son, we literally had to bring the seat into the hospital, have them look at it and make sure it was appropriate for him (he was a month early, so we had to roll towels and put them around him to make a snug fit) before they would let us leave the hospital with him.

Those folks are morons, endangering the life of their child like that.

Reminds me of something I saw the other day. I had just picked my 5 year-old up from daycare. A 2-door small car (cavalier) pulls up in front of the daycare, and a girl CRAWLS OVER TWO OTHER PEOPLE in the backseat to get out. I can see what's getting ready to happen, so of course I have to wait and see. Sure enough, the girl goes in, and comes back out with a little girl that couldn't be more than 6 months old. She hands the girl to the person sitting in the passenger seat, gets back in, and they pass the baby back to the girl. Then drive away. I was sitting there contemplating going in and letting the daycare folks know what just transpired in their parking lot, but I was pretty sure they weren't gonna be able to do anything about it, so I just drove away.

[myswtghst]

I can barely drive my car with the dog in it without her strapped in, I at least keep a hand on her, and she's a dog! I can't believe people are still so stupid as to drive around with their kids in their laps.

I, to this day, cannot get in a car without automatically putting on my seat belt. Some of my friends think I'm nuts, I just think I was raised well. My parents wouldn't start the car until everyone was buckled in, so now, for me, it's almost a reflex.