So my husband and I basically have 1 and 1/2 cars. We have the family car and a little 2 seater convertable that my mom leant to us on the grounds that it was driven regularly (its a classic and needs to be ran). My husband and mom set up the arrangement of the little car situation so that he could drive it to work and I would have a car available to use during the day to shuttle our daughter and get things done. The problem is he is not driving the little car to work as much as he said he would and I am left with the little one, basically stuck at home.
Here is my question- Would you take your almost 4 year old in a little 2 seater Spitfire if it was your only option? We are only talking like to the library and to Auntie's house, both are less than a mile away and only have to cross one busy street. I don't feel entirely comfortable taking her in the little car, am I just paranoid?
Thanks to everyone who kindly shared their opinions and ideas. It is nice to get some perspective from all different moms. Funny how every one's messages are as split yes or no as my opinion.
At this point I will have to trust my mommy gut and avoid putting the little one in the car. As much as I feel that no matter what car you are in you are taking some sort of risk, I have to admit that I am just not comfortable with her in it and would never be able to say I did everything I could to protect her in that situation should something bad happen. Thanks everyone!
I would hide the keys to the family car so my husband had to take the little car. I can only think of two reasons he wouldnt want to take the little 2 seater to work 1) it's pink 2) he is very controlling and wants to keep you barefoot and in the kitchen all day! HIDE the keys to the car so only you can use it !
I'd drive the Spitfire, but maybe I'm feeling sentimental since that was my first car. ;-)
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I would have done it. You do with what you have. It's not our decision who lives and dies anyway. But that's just the way I feel about things. I would have sported my kid around in a spitfire any day of the week. I was not a paranoid mom, I've got more faith than that.
no way! you need to let your husband know that that car is not safe for your child....and then i would just go buy a new one that suited me and my child.
your childs safety comes first!
I'll be honest...2 seat or not I wouldn't have my children in a convertible period. I've been hit 4 times by drunk drivers. Twice while stopped at red light. Obviously that is not something one can predict but accidents happen when and where you least expect them hence the name accident :) Hubby and I were in our camera on the way to our honeymoon (early on a Sunday morning) when a drunk driver ran a red light. That car completely caved in around me. I never felt so unsafe in my life and swore to never have a small vehicle again. I do know statistically speaking most accidents occur within a few mile radius of home or at least that what the experts say. (I always figured that to be due to the fact we spend the most time near our homes.) If your hubby made the agreement why isn't he using the 2 seater. I think I'd have to insist he take the 2 seater to work and leave the "family car" for his family's use. I'm sure he hasn't really thought about it but if you approach it from a safety stand point that's the obvious solution.
No!
There is a reason why they want children under the age of twelve in the back seat.
To me even if it's less than a mile away you can still be in a car accident! You can't trust that some idiot isn't going to hit you. My fiance is a tow truck driver and wow, you wouldn't believe how many wrecks there really are during the day. It's insane!
I'd tell hubby he needs to take the two seater, as that was the agreement. He needs to think about the safety of his daughter.
Don't risk it.
I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I think you need to relax a little bit. Several moms suggested there are laws requiring that you keep your child in the back seat. This isn't true, at least in Oregon. My source is: http://www.iihs.org/laws/childrestraint.aspx
A law like that would be discriminatory if, for example, the only car a parent had was a truck with no back seat. Parents do what they have to do. I agree that it's not ideal, and I wouldn't advocate it being a regular thing, but horrible things can happen even when you do everything you are supposed to do. I think it is far more likely for children to be hurt in accidents as a result of an incorrectly installed carseat. I had to giggle a bit at the mom who thought the problem with your older Spitfire was that you probably couldn't turn off the airbag! I'm thinking about how modern technology has altered our perceptions of safety. We are now jumping to a conclusion that front seats are horribly unsafe because we have heard about accidents where airbag deployment has injured children who were strapped in the front. Pretty soon we'll be guilting moms for not having the very latest vehicles with the most sophisticated safety technology. I know that back seats are better, but I really don't think you would be an irresponsible mother to put your child in the front. Do what you need to do. :)
By the way, it looks like even those states that do include a rear seat provision in their laws say "when available."
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No.
Tell your husband, c'mon.... he has to take the little car.
You BOTH have kids... and he has to think of their SAFETY!
Put it this way... we have 1 car... a van... my Husband car-pools to work and catches the bus home.
We have 2 kids.
I need the car more than him. He is just at work all day, and the van would just be sitting in a parking lot all day, and having to pay for parking is extra money.
And tell him, even with our VAN... I was in a car accident... only like LESS than 5 minutes away from our home... on the way home from taking my daughter to school! Someone else... rammed INTO me. My son was with me... properly in a booster seat.
Accidents.. happen. Even if down the street.
He has to think of HIS kids... SAFETY!
In our State... having a child, in the front seat... is going to get you a ticket. At that age, in our State, the child has to be in a booster seat....
all the best,
Susan
I've read the replies and I just want to put my two cents in. For starters, the only reason kids aren't allowed in the front is because of airbags. Since the car is an older model, you don't need to worry about that. And, no it's not illegal to put your kid in a two seater.
I'm going to cover a basic area in vehicle size: Yes, larger vehicles are (technically) safer than smaller ones. Due to their size they are designed to hold up better in an accident because the manueverability isn't there to avoid an accident. Smaller vehicles (especially sportier models) are made to avoid accidents (the steering is tighter, the car is quicker to respond to the driver).
I love my truck. I drive it everwhere. However, when we purchased a car for my teen son to drive, we bought a coupe (two-door). I hated it when we bought it, but after driving it, there are times I feel safer with that car (and it's an older model with no airbag and no anti-lock).
For instance, I like that the car is smaller within it's lane on the road. There is one curvy road near my house. One side is a drop off and the other is, well on-coming traffic. People are always dipping their tires over the yellow line. With my truck, I don't have extra room in my lane. With the car, I can hug the white line and have plenty of distance from the yellow-line dippers. And the steering is quick to respond.
Yes, there are idiots on the road, no we cannot protect ourselves 24/7. I was beserk about road protection when my teen started driving. At some point, we have to trust ourselves in our abilities and accept that we cannot control out-lying factors. Let me tell you, that's hard to accept with a teen driver (GULP!).
And yes, I've been in my fair share of accidents. In vehicles of all sizes. Mainly in my teens and my friends were driving.
However, if you don't feel comfortable with the car, I suggest speaking with your husband and letting him know you don't think the car is as safe as you would like. Or, compromise. Some days when I'm running errands (especially if I have to go to the post office or the mall where parking is tight) I'll let my son know I will be using his car and he can use the truck. Maybe, you could work out some arrangement with your husband. The days you have many errands to run, let him know you'll be using the family car.
Having survived the generation of NO carseats and NO seatbelts, just parents yelling at you to sit down, and every time we approached a stop sign, my mom's arms went flailing out to the side to catch any kids heading straight for the front window....I would think you would be safe strapping a carseat in the front passenger seat.
The only reason car seats are not recommended for the front passenger seat is due to the airbag deploying which can cause severe damage and even death. But your Spitfire probably doesn't have an airbag. So I say take the baby, securely strap her in and go to your nearest fire station where the handsome Firemen will come out and check it for free. Plus they'll enjoy looking at the car.
I would definitely not- unless it was some kind medical emergency-and even then I would call an ambulance first. It's also illegal in most states and for good reason. There are WAY too many accidents that a child has gotten hurt and it was totally preventable. Even if the child is restrained and the airbag is off- and you are on side streets- there is still a high risk of getting seriously hurt if in an accident. You can't stop someone from bumping you from behind, or running a light or stop sign. It happens. And even an accident at 35 mph can be devastating. Brain injury is one of the more common results- along with whiplash that can really effect a child into adulthood.
If they are less than a mile, why not walk? I personally would not have my 3 year old in the front seat. My Mother-In-Law drives a truck, and I make her switch cars with me whenever she wants to take the kids somewhere, even if she turns the airbag off for him I still don't feel he is safe enough.
Since this is an older car, the option to turn the airbag off probably isn't there. Do you really want to put your daughter in that kind of danger? Even if you only have to cross "one busy street" is it really worth the risk to your precious cargo?
Go with your gut, you don't feel comfortable doing it, so don't. You know it isn't safe.
I don't see any harm in it as long as she is properly restrained. I would let my kids travel that way for short journeys. Spitfires do have seatbelts so she could still be correctly restrained.
If you really don't feel comfortable though, you should tell your husband how you feel.
Well i think the car is fine, You just have to watch how your driving and watch for others, like any other car
Yes...save gas, the environment. Either that or walk. Relax mom.
I wouldn't.
Even with no airbag in the front, little kids are still safer in the backseat and that's not an option in a two seater. :)
i also have a tiny two seater that now sits unused in my driveway, because its just useless with a baby. I had my older girls in it, its a fun car, but its a convertable, and I was pretty nervous about accidents because it offers no protection. With little kids needing to now be in car seats until their 9 (at least where i live) Iknow i wont be using it with my little one. we insure it in the summer & hubby commutes with it, b/c its so cheap on gas, & then I use the family car. I also sneak out in it for any errands i do on my own, just to feel the freedom of a cute little car that i love with the music blaring...
So... hubby needs to drive the little guy to work, I say... tell him he looks cute in it, i know my hubby feels funny in mine b/c hes 6'2 in this dainty little car, but w/e... lol
It sounds like you are not comfortable with your daughter in the front seat of the spitfire so that's what really matters. You can tell yourself that other people are OK with it and that you are just being paranoid but it's not going to change how you really feel so I think you need to honor your own feelings.
