Clicky Poll: Is it ever worth it?

Mominator

To drive without putting your child in a car seat.

Let's say your child is sick, running a fever and is inconsolable and you have to take them to the ER. ?

[Poll]

Mominator

I ask because I called the cops today on a family driving with a baby on their lap today. I could see the baby, it was not upset or in distress or anything. Someone told me that I shouldn't have judged them because you never know what type of emergency situation another family could be in. I disagreed and said that there is never any reason to drive without a child in the carseat. Ever.

ETA: Our ER is less than 3/4 mi from our house and only 2 turns and I would still never consider driving with my DC on my lap. Don't they say that most accidents happen within 1 mile of home??

firefightersgal

I've thought about a similar situation and what I would do concerning Nora's allergy to peanuts.  I've decided that the only real option I would have would be to call an ambulance.  No way would I be able to drive with her possibly suffocating in the backseat.  No way.

A fever?  Yeah, I'd put her in the carseat.

ETA: We put her in the carseat and took her to the ER (30 minutes from here) when she had a metal peg stuck in her head.

GrowingFamily

If it's so bad that the child could not be buckled in a car seat, then the ambulance needs to be called.  It's just not worth the risk.  A child with a high fever is bad, but a child that flies through the wind shield in an accident is VERY bad.

CleoKitty

In extreme circumstances, yes, it's worth it.

Case in point (this happened to a friend of mine): 

They were in a remote part of a state forest. 4 y/o steps onto a bee hive and is stung dozens of times. They can't call an ambulance because there is no pay phone nearby and no cell phone reception so the mom holds her in the backseat while the dad drives for help. 

 

marrymemylove

I voted carseat, but in some situations obvously you need the ambulance. And I might be able to think of like a 1 in a million case where I'd hold him but I don't think you have to assume someone's got that kind of extremity going on (we're talking broken limb or something where you can't buckle the carseat or something like that). Just because there's been a case ever in the world that I wouldn't criticise, doesn't mean its a free pass.

meglew

GrowingFamily:

If it's so bad that the child could not be buckled in a car seat, then the ambulance needs to be called.  It's just not worth the risk.  A child with a high fever is bad, but a child that flies through the wind shield in an accident is VERY bad.

I was thinking this exactly.  Bad enough for no carseat = ambulance 

A-baybride

Was the child you saw in the front seat?  I would never do that - airbags have beheaded babies before.

In the example you gave, I would use the carseat and put up with the screaming (hell, I put up with the screaming when she's healthy!).  In more extreme situations like a seizure or if she wasn't breathing, I probably would hold her in the back seat if I thought that we could get to the ER faster than an ambulance could get to us.

Mominator

A-baybride:

Was the child you saw in the front seat?? I would never do that - airbags have beheaded?babies before.

Nope, back seat in the middle just happily sitting on [I'm assuming] Mom's lap. Oh, and I followed them so that I could get their license plate to give the cops and they got out of the car with grocery bags. Huhm, Cheetos isn't really an emergency situation imho.?

mags2041

In AZ there is a phone number you can call and leave a message with the license plate number, where the car was spotted and where the child was in the car.  I think the info gets forwarded to CPS or DPS and the owner of the car gets a nasty letter in the mail.  I have this number programmed into my phone and have used it numerous times.

kjunspice

DH took DD to the park a while back and his car was broken into at the window next to her car seat.  It was either put her in a seat with glass in it (the whole back was covered with tiny shards - now way he could have gotten it all w/o a vacuum) or drive a few blocks  - very carefully - with her in the front seat.  He opted for the latter. 

That said if I had seen him driving on the street and didn't know the story I might have called, too.  Better safe than sorry.  But to answer your question, there could be a situation where it's worth it.

 

LizLovesJason

Mominator:

I ask because I called the cops today on a family driving with a baby on their lap today. I could see the baby, it was not upset or in distress or anything. Someone told me that I shouldn't have judged them because you never know what type of emergency situation another family could be in. I disagreed and said that there is never any reason to drive without a child in the carseat. Ever.

ETA: Our ER is less than 3/4 mi from our house and only 2 turns and I would still never consider driving with my DC on my lap. Don't they say that most accidents happen within 1 mile of home? 

I agree with you....I think enduring a child's screaming is a small price to pay for keeping them safe. The ONLY situation I could see not using a carseat would be if we were somehow in a situation where we didn't have one available, and it was an emergency so we had to go to the hospital. But that's why if I'm going out alone somewhere, I make sure to take DH's car and leave my van at home with the carseats in it, so DH could use them if necessary.

AnnapolisLari

Too sick for car seat = ambulance

praline

GrowingFamily:

If it's so bad that the child could not be buckled in a car seat, then the ambulance needs to be called.  It's just not worth the risk.  A child with a high fever is bad, but a child that flies through the wind shield in an accident is VERY bad.

This is what I would say.

camrude

We've been in that situation - M was about 1 1/2 at the time. She had a fever of 104 and was beyond inconsolable. We put her in her car seat - even when she puked on the way to the ER, she still stayed in it.

Like the others said though, if your child is too sick to go in the carseat, chances are they need an ambulance.

 

madhatter2003

GrowingFamily:

If it's so bad that the child could not be buckled in a car seat, then the ambulance needs to be called.  It's just not worth the risk.  A child with a high fever is bad, but a child that flies through the wind shield in an accident is VERY bad.

ditto this.  If I needed to be tending to DC that badly, then I'd call an ambulance.