CARSEAT Question Related to Childcare

S.,

I too had a childcare business in my home and requested to have car seats left as well. It seems know matter what you always have that one parent that doesn't want to play by the rules. But here is how I handled the situation. Type up a contract stating wy you want her to leave the contract. Also include what would happen if she does not comply with the request such as you will need to call an ambulance if her child is in need of medical care and she will be liable for all ambulance charges etc. You can also make a request that she go to good will or a second hand shop to purchase a second car seat. The last option I can offer is that you make the purchase of a car seat (I do not recommend this) but then on your contract to her state that you will be charging her a $5.00 rental fee each time you use it for her child.
I hope this helps but sometimes you have to go to extreme but also if something would happen to her child while in your care the first one she will point the finger at is you it won't matter if she didn't supply the necessary equipment to transport her child.
P.

You have a couple of options here, it seems. You could buy the car seat, and therefore have an extra around for future use, as well - Craigslist and local garage sales would be great places to find a cheap, used one. Nothing fancy - just a spare at $25.

Or you could choose not to get one. You've expressed your concerns to the mother. The mother is aware of why you want a carseat and has chosen to allow an ambulance to be called if her child needs to go to the hospital. At that point it's the mother's decision.

Hi S.,
If there were an emergency with one child at your home would you load up ALL of the children in their carseats and take them ALL to the hospital. If you have multiple kids in your care and you are the only adult there then it is not realistic anyway to take them all to the hospital. It would be better to call an ambulance instead because by the time you hook in all of the carseats and load up all of the kids it would probably exceed 20 minutes.
If there is another adult there with you, then it would be a good idea to buy your own carseat (or base) if there was an emergency with one child. If you were a parent, you would know that it is a pain in the butt to take carseats in and out. Also, 80% of carseats are installed incorrectly. If you take a carseat in and out there's a higher chance that it's being installed incorrectly especially if you initially had it professionally installed by a certified person.

How old is the child? Is she old/big enough for a booster seat or does she need one that attaches with the LATCH or seatbelt? How many children do you keep at a time?

I would ask the parent to buy a carseat that you can keep all the time. If they won't, I would buy one yourself.

I have 2 kids (age 4 and 6). Both of my kids rode in Britax car seats that use the LATCH system (my son in the Husky and my daughter in the Regent) until my son got too big to use the LATCH. He fit the car seat weight wise but I did not feel it was secure with the seatbelt holding it in. I nmoved my son to the Britax Parkway booster seat. My daughter is still in her regent. I use my son's old Husky (which is safe up to 40 pounds using the LATCH) for transporting my daughter's friends. I bought a 2nd Parkway booster for transporting my son's friends. Now, I am always equipped to transport 4 kids at any time without having to worry about moving carseats.

The Britax car seats are the best. However, they are pricey and HEAVY and hard to move from car to car. I won't move my daughter's. I would rather have her friend ride with us than to move her carseat. My husband also has a Regent and a Husky in his car (his car is safe up to 60 pounds for the Husky using the LATCH so my son can still ride in it)

Car seats can be difficult to install unless they are the booster seat that is held in by the chil's weight and seat betl. In an emergency, I would be too stressed out anyway and would not want the extra worry of having to install a car seat properly. Could you leave the car seats in your car all the time? When I was in college, i babysat for a family over the summer. The 2 older kids were old enough not to need a car seat but I kept the 2 year old's seat in my car all summer. Hope this helps.

I just read some of the other comments and your response. Please do not buy a used car seats! Car seats expire after 5 years. Also, you don't know if it may have been damaged in an accident. Just because it looks ok doesn't mean it is.

The 9 month old will need to ride rear facing until she is 1 year old AND 20 pounds. You can buy a covertable car seat that can be rear facing for now and forward facing after 1 year. There are some great websites online. Look for sales. When they introduce new patterns they usually sell the old patterns at a discount. Try www.albeebaby.com or www.babyuniverse.com.

If you had to take 1 child to the hospital, what would you do with the other children? Would you take all the kids with you or is there someone else that helps you that could stay home with the other kids?

Don't buy a used carseat. Get a new convertible one to have on hand at all times. All daycares I've ever been to have always had a spare one, mostly in case a parent forgot theirs (y'know, like if mom dropped off and dad picked up). It's not much of an investment, but if this is what you do for a living, it's a business expense and can be written off on your taxes.

Hi, I know it can be frustrating that the mom won't leave the car seat, but I agree with the other women that it probably has to be that mom's decision at the end of the day ... but just something to think about - if it were THAT dire of an emergency that you had to get the child to a hospital ASAP, I don't know if you will be as concerned as buckling that sick, choking, hurt, etc. child as much as you'll be concerned getting them immediate care. Given the circumstance of how hurt or sick the child may be, you may not be able to buckle them as appropriately into the seat as you would like ... especially if time is of the essence. Please don't misunderstand - I am not advocating not having them buckled in - I am simply saying an emergency is just that - an emergency - and you'd have to think on your feet on the best way to get the quickest care to the child. You sound very concerned and proactive in making sure you are prepared, so if it makes you feel better, buy a very cheap and inexpensive one online. And think positively - hopefully you will NEVER have to make a trip to the emergency room!

Hi S.,

While I can undertwsand your confusion about the mom in question, I don't think it is that big a deal. It is true that it can be a real pain to lug a carseat in and out of the car every day. I had my wonderful daughter in daycare from the time she was 1 until she was 3, and it is tough enough lugging in her, all of her stuff, her backpack, her lunch, her blanket/animal etc. without having to make a second trip to also carry the carseat. Since your other parents are so cooperative, I would not sweat it at all. You don't need to have a carseat specific to each child. If there were an emergency and you had to take this particular child to the base HP, then just use a different person's carseat to do it. I doubt that ANY mother would be upset about a carseat being "borrowed" if a child was in danger. Anyway, that is my two cents. YOu sound like a very conscientious person and you will make a great mom one day!