A child's safety is EVERYBODY's business

I was at a friends apartment a few weeks back and noticed a mother placing a newborn sized infant, in an infant carseat like this one:

Then I noticed the mother placing the baby in the car facing forward. I turned to Mark and said something about it and he told me it wasn't really any of my business. Maybe he was right, she was a perfect stranger and who am I to give her carseat advice. Plus, I know I roll my eyes at a lot of "well intended advice" that people throw my way about my children. Maybe she wouldn't care, maybe I would annoy her.... and so I kept on walking.

I wish I would have said something, and from now on I will. Afterall, a child's safety is EVERYBODY's business.

Fast forward a few weeks and I am getting out of my car at work. One of my friends is with me and says something about the car parked next to us. It belongs to one of our other co-workers who has a daughter around 3 years old. In the back there is an infant seat for the baby they just had a few months ago, and a booster seat for his oldest daughter. According to the standards for the state of Washington, he is "correct" in having her in a booster seat with a seatbelt securing her. However, after all the horriffic stories I've heard lately about children being moved to boosters too soon, I felt the need to say something to him.

So I forwarded him a link to the Kyle David Miller video on You tube and told him that I didn't want to step on his toes, but I wanted to give him some information that he might not know. He later told me he watched the video, but that the decision to move their daughter to a booster was beetween him and his wife and she's staying in the booster. I was surprised, and he is right, it is their choice.

I wish there were stronger laws about this, more specific criteria about height and weight minimums before you move your children to a booster with just a seatbelt securing them.

There are now carseats available to 5 point harness your children to 80 lbs, you better believe we will have our children in one of those. The newest one on the market is the Britax Frontier, it holds a child in a 5 point harness to 80 lbs, and then you can use it as a booster up to 100 lbs.