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I have a familal group that includes mom/dad their two dcg, mom /dad and dcg, grandparents. There are days that one will pickup all 3 dcg but not have enough seats/boosters. They do not live together but not too far from daycare or each other.......... any time a child is put into a vehicle they should be properly restrained.Yesterday for instance Aunty picked all 3 up and when I saw her buckle the very small almost 5 dcg into a seat with no booster I said 'I'm not seeing and I'm walking away'..............this is wrong on my part but changing as of this am. I asked the two dcd when they were dropping off the two younger dcgs to please leave me a booster or carseat so we don't repeat yestedays and last weeks no seat for the extra kid when 3 are being picked up by one of them. The Dads looked at me like I had horns!Both said they were getting just their own kid(s). Ok no problem today then.........I will now go out and buy a booster to have for those days. If I were to alert the authorities to a driver with an unrestrained child the parents would be at home already. This issue was addressed when the grands started to come for all 3 and I said something then...........so there are at least 6 vehicles between these adults...one of which is in law enforcement in the military....I think they have 6 seats too.One dcg is now 8 so is really not required to be in a booster...........but they don't seem to 'get' I can be held responsible. Am I being the hard____ here Yes! any advice or thougths on how to handle this.or have I done the right/best thing? Buying a seat to just have it here isn't in my budget but then I will be covered if necessary.Thanks all............
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Write up a letter to hand out to each explaining that you are a mandated reporter and that you can be held responsible for their laziness. Say that you will call the authorities when a child is picked up with out a car seat. After that care will be terminated. -
carseats
FYI...I've decided to buy what I think will work and charge a $5.00 per use fee payable before they drive off.I've already printed out my states restraint laws and posted on my door(today).Comment
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While that may be a good solution, it is not one I would be ok with.
It's my understanding that when car seats are left with you, reinstalled at pick up that if anything happens YOU can be responsible since you were the last one to have the seat in your possession.
I would think the liability factor is higher if you are the owner of the seat...kwim?
Like I said, that's just my understanding so you might want to check with your licensor or legal counsel just to be sure.
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I wouldn't buy a car seat to supply simply bc I wouldn't want parents to get used to me fixing their problems.Comment
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carseats
Ok so I will not buy one but how do I tell Aunty or which ever realtive is picking up NO you can not take that child with out a proper restraint? As i said they do live close enough that a cop would not get to them on the road in time. and it is so random that I couldn't call the non-emergency number just in case.Sorry but terming would mean we loose our house/they are a big part of my/our income.Two families /3 kids.Thanks for all the input.Comment
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Interesting . The center where I work has no idea if the kids are in boosters, car seats etc. I thought once you handed them over to parent/ responsible adult , it was no longer your job to make sure they are safe . Is this because you are a home provider ?Comment
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I agree with the others. I would absolutely NOT hold car seats OR provide them.
What I would do is give them one final warning and explain the consequences. I would walk out to the car with the phone on speed dial.Comment
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carseats
I called the local Sheriffs office.The officer told me to tell them they are making a bad choice. No matter whos carseat is used(if one was left here or I provided)the parents are responsible for correctly installing it. The officer said I could not be held accountable IF somnething happened.The officer did say I could be called on to testify..........jsut wanted to keep ya'll in the loop on that. I am not going to buy one...........I will tell them the choice thing and suggest they leave a child here and make two trips(it's that close).Thanks all.Comment
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I'm wondering about this too. I don't walk out to the car with the parents. When they pick their children up, they take them out the front door. It's just not something I typically do and it isn't in my regulations to ensure they have proper seating. Are you guys saying that your regulations put this responsibility on you? To ensure proper seating in the parent's car?Comment
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I'm wondering too. Once they leave I can not see what goes on without being out there, which I can not do because I have kids in the house. I can not see inside the cars from the house. I honestly do not know who is properly in a car seat or not, aside from infants who are usually brought in in their seatComment
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I just went through a whole car seat fiasco with one of my DCP's. Here is how I view this:
It is not my responsibility to walk each child out to their parent's car and ensure that they are properly harnessed in a car seat. However, if I happen to see that they are not (and they should be) then I need to take corrective action.
Much like it is not my responsibility to go to each DCF's house and ensure that the children are not being neglected or abused. However, if I notice signs of abuse or neglect then I need to take corrective action.
To the OP, I went though a similar situation:
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