Do you let other people drive your kid around?

peekaboo716

You can tell I am a first time mom of a school-age child with this question.

I have seen so many of DS's friends being carpooled by other parents. I think this is great, and was even offered to have someone else take my child to a birthday party for me. How do you handle it? Do you give them a booster/car seat? Do you just use theirs that's already installed? Does it depend on the other parent or circumstance?

If it matters, I have DS in a Britax Frontier with the shoulder belt.

GingerSB

Yes, my kids are driven around by other parents for playdates and carpools. I just ask if theyt have the appropriate seat for them (they always have) and that`s that. 

 

j-w

My mom drives my kids around regularly because she has them 2 days/week.  As for other people...DD has really only had play dates where driving was involved with 2 girls from school.  One of the moms, I've known for 3 years and trusted her, no question.  The other mom I just met when the school year started and I really didn't think much of the driving situation, to be honest.  It was a short drive and someone I trust since DD was going to their house for a couple of hours.  I don't usually set up situations where other people are driving my kids around and I typically don't volunteer to drive others around either.

ETA: I just realized that I didn't address your entire post!  My mom has the same carseats in her car that we have at home.  For DD driving with others, I purchased a backless booster that is easy to send along with her or drop off at the other parent's house.  Often, the other moms already have another booster for DD to use.  She is well within the parameters for a backless booster, so I am comfortable with her using it for drives around town.  In our car, she is in a Nautilus with the seatbelt.

thelongroad

My mom drives my kids around periodically, but she has the same carseats we have.  

I have had a few local moms drive my kids and I just find out if they have the same type of seat we do; one of my children is still in a carseat and the other in a booster. If they don't then I put ours in the car.  

DandelionMom

Absolutely.  I have a regular carpool for school drop-off and pick-up (have been carpooling with the same people for 6 years now).  And when there's a birthday party or school/band/Girl Scout event I always try to carpool. 

When my kids still needed seats (only one is in a booster now) I offered to install my seat in their car.  If they already had an extra (a couple of my regular carpool friends do have extra seats and I do too) DDs rode in that seat. 

I only carpool with people I know well and know I can trust. 

penguingrrl

I would let my daughter ride with other parents starting next year. We keep a bubble bum as an emergency back up seat in her backpack (if something happened to our only car while she was in school she might need to take a taxi or have one of 5 people pick her up). My plan is that will be her seat to ride in other people's cars starting next year since it's small, will fit in a tight 3-across situation (if that issue arose) and gives a really good belt fit.

penguingrrl

Oh, and I'd be fine with a booster if the other parent had one. I would not let them ride in a harnessed seat that I didn't check the install on, I'd prefer they be in a booster then. A lot of people don't have seats installed correctly, so I'd rather a booster (since Julia knows how everything should fit and they're harder to misuse) than wonder  if the seat she was in was properly tightened, etc.

GinandTonic

Sometimes.  A preschool mom picked DD up for me on a day I had to work.  DD is still in a carseat in my car (she's 4, but not quite 40).  The mom has boosters in her car for her older DDs, so I was fine with her just using that for the short trip (DD has sat in her brother's booster on occasion when he wasn't around before).

DS has gone places with friends and they usually have a spare booster - I've never had to provide one.

My friend and DD's godmother has taken them places before - out to eat, etc and I just give her a booster (I've moved the carseat in the past when DD was younger - or switched cars, but now it's boosters). 

superslug

Occasionally, I usually give them our booster unless they have one for them to use. My parents have their own set of seats for both the boys.

dsmithplus2

LO has only been in the car with his grandparents or his aunt/uncle. My parents have a carseat for LO (H's parents & my sister/BIL do not). If he is in the car with my sister/BIL or H's parents, I will get the carseat out of my H's car so that I don't have to uninstall mine and reinstall it when I pick him back up.

 

Ciarrai

Yup.  All the time now, but rarely before DD1 started Kindy.  We have an extra booster that we use for DH's car, but also keep it in the garage so I can pick up extra kids some times.  We also have extra carseats.  I used to install carseats and make sure everything was 100% perfect, but not as much anymore.  My neighbor drives DD1 to school almost every morning and she usually has an extra seat but sometimes she uses our extra depending on what she has.  Another friend drives DD around when she's at an activity and I'm working.  And we pick up friends from Kindy and whatnot, so we always have extra kids.  It seems to just be the norm once they start elementary school.

shopgirl78

Yes, but its more common for me to have the extra kids.  Like a PP said, it started happening more after KG.   DS1 rarely rides with anyone (Prek3).  We have extra boosters, never move a convertible.  

jlw2505

Outside of family members (my sister and ILS take my older DD to speech class 2x a week for me and both have booster seats to use) it has only come one time so far.  This weekend, we had a playdate and then we all went to lunch.  Older DD wanted to ride with her friend and they had 2 booster seats so DD and I both went in their car.  I can see it starting to happen more now and going forward as DD will have more play dates where I drop her off vs staying or meeting someplace where we all hang out.  If they have a booster seat with a back, I don't have an issue with them driving my child as long as I know the parents well.    I have yet to do a play date where I just drop my DD off as she has not been comfortable with that yet.  Right now, I know the parents of her friends well enough that I would be OK with most of them - some I would be OK if they were at their house but not driving around so I think it will end up being a case by case thing with me.