No Car Seats In Daycare?

[AnythingsPossible]

Nan, your policies state car seats can not be left at daycare, and I have read a few other posters who have stated this as well. I am wondering why?
Anyone care to comment?

[TBird]

An inside space/safety issue maybe??? I'd just have them leave it in the garage (if there's room).

[DCMomOf3]

If I remember right, safe car seat installation, or lack there of, played a part in her decision.

[daysofelijah]

They take up way too much room in my entryway. My dcp are still bringing their now 1 yo in the bucket seat every day. I don't get it. I was so happy to be done with dragging the bucket seat around, I had my kids out of it by 6 months old.

Maybe they are trying to wait until their 4 yo weighs 40 lbs. so they don't have to buy new car seats only boosters. I'm about to say something because the car seat takes up so much room in my already tiny entryway. I suppose I could just start putting it out in the garage during the day.

[SilverSabre25]

There's both the space issue and the issue that if parents are taking the seats in and out of the car each day (not infant bucket seats, but car seat bases and convertibles, etc), then there's a good chance that they aren't getting a good installation every time they put it back in, which is of course a huge safety risk.

[dEHmom]

thought this was interesting.




This is Canadian, but I assume it's the same or close to.

There is such a large gap between the rear and front facing stages. I know partially due to height, seems strange to me that for half the time they could be in forward facing they could still be in rear facing. More than half actually. Almost like you should just skip the stage 2, and finish stage 1 go straight to stage 3. But that's a little ridiculous to buckle a 7 yo in a rear facing.

[MyAngels]

I don't have room for them inside the house. Most of my families just get two seats - one for each parent's vehicle. I also have had grandparents pick up, but they all seem to have their own carseats as well.

[dEHmom]

I don't have room for them inside the house. Most of my families just get two seats - one for each parent's vehicle. I also have had grandparents pick up, but they all seem to have their own carseats as well.

Definitely.
Each parent I've ever had each have their own seats in their own vehicles. Once I had dcm leave seats for grandma but that was ok, we left them outside on front step. Otherwise grandma just switched vehicles with mom before picking up kids.

[Meyou]

I'll keep one in an emergency but I would much rather lend one of my extra seats that I keep in the garage and have it returned later than keep seats blocking my entryway.

[nannyde]

My parents have two sets of car seats. My interview process takes a couple of weeks so they have time to get to searching for a second one.

I do not allow car seats in the house. They have to load and unload OUTSIDE. I don't let them bring them in and then take them out of the seat or bring the seat in and put the kid back in at the end of the day.

The car seat only comes into my house during the interview. As soon as they start they have to do all loading and unloading at the car.

Believe me they get VERY quick at it. It sounds hard but they can load their kid at the end of the day in SECONDS when it's just them and the driveway.

It really cut down on the amount of time I was doing with arrivals and departures. It saved seven minutes per day per child TOTAL (I did a time study on it over a period of a year.) This is in ADDITION to the time an infant who is not in a car seat takes on arrival and departure. Multiply that out and you will see how much time (money) that one policy can bring to your business. It comes out to be about 3.5 days per year per child. If you have three babies you will be giving away two weeks of free day care time per year JUST for the arrival and departure. It really adds up.

I would NEVER load a child into a car seat for a parent. If you do that you could be liable should the car seat fail in an accident. I explain to parents that for insurance purposes, I can't be a part of the car seat in any way. If I'm unloading or loading the kids in the seat I am REQUIRED to verify that the car seat is in working order, it has not expired, the straps are properly placed, all the clasps work properly etc. I do not want that responsibility. Out of sight... out of liability.

If they load and unload in the driveway I don't see it and am not a part of it in any way.

https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24771&highlight=study

[Cat Herder]

Most of my rules are because someone once did "something stupid"

Liability:

1. Once my neighbors cat sprayed it and the Mom felt I should replace it. I never gave her permission to leave it and did not know it was outside.

2. One Mother was in a wreck, minor fender bender, and was cited for not having an infant restrained. Baby was bucked into seat, but not car.She blamed it on the fact that she was in such a hurry to get out of my driveway for other parents since I "WONT stagger pick-ups". (my closing time is 6, so everyone waits until then, and this is my fault how?)

Space:

1. My Foyer is only 35 sq feet, my front deck is open to neighbor dogs/cats, and I am not a storage company.

Odor:

1. Ever had that 5 day old dried Urine/Diarrhea smell in your living room?

Filth:

1. Ever had someone Else's month old French fries, goldfish, cheerios, cigarette butts or something I pray was smooshed up fig newtons all over your entranceway?

I just chalk it up to Parent Responsibility. I knew when I had kids there may be an emergency situation where I may need someone to get my kids. DH, my Mom and I all had carseats in our vehicles at all times. I was invested in my children.....before they were born.

[squareone]

Thanks for asking this question AnythingsPossible. I just decided that I have a new policy

[nannyde]

Most of my rules are because someone once did "something stupid"

Liability:

1. Once my neighbors cat sprayed it and the Mom felt I should replace it. I never gave her permission to leave it and did not know it was outside.

2. One Mother was in a wreck, minor fender bender, and was cited for not having an infant restrained. Baby was bucked into seat, but not car.She blamed it on the fact that she was in such a hurry to get out of my driveway for other parents since I "WONT stagger pick-ups". (my closing time is 6, so everyone waits until then, and this is my fault how?)

Space:

1. My Foyer is only 35 sq feet, my front deck is open to neighbor dogs/cats, and I am not a storage company.

Odor:

1. Ever had that 5 day old dried Urine/Diarrhea smell in your living room?

Filth:

1. Ever had someone Else's month old French fries, goldfish, cheerios, cigarette butts or something I pray was smooshed up fig newtons all over your entranceway?

I just chalk it up to Parent Responsibility. I knew when I had kids there may be an emergency situation where I may need someone to get my kids. DH, my Mom and I all had carseats in our vehicles at all times. I was invested in my children.....before they were born.

You should write a Car Seat Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not bring FILTH into my home. ::::

I've seen some NASTY car seats in my time. They are so clean when they are newborns and then it gets progressively worse. When the straps at the puke zone of the neck start to curl there's no amount of cleaning that's gonig to take that nasty stench out.

Back in the "I didn't know any better" days I used to loan out car seats. I had too many Dad's or Gma's picking up without realizing they FORGOT the seat. It was the quickest way to not have a kid in my house longer hours because of an "I forgot".

My insurance agent squared me on that one.

I was watching an Alaska show on one of the rural channels (R4sons .. I think) and one of the kids in the family is a firefighter. He does car seat training and placement as a community service. He was talking to one of the parents about the importance of not taking the seat in and out. He said to have it professionally installed by a car seat tech and LEAVE IT.

Because I don't do anything car seat related I don't keep up on that. I wonder if there is a new branch of education for it now where they are encouraging people to leave them in.

The Centers I work for have constant car seat issues. I keep telling them to just ban them but it's something near and dear to the parents so it's a tough service to deny.

[marniewon]

I may have to implement this policy also. I have one child who arrives in the bucket seat. Mom takes baby out and hands her to me every morning. She does not use the seat all day, it just sits in my entryway. Where everyone comes and goes. The door nearest to my dirt (mud) driveway. Where my boys go in and out to play basketball with their muddy shoes. Where said muddy shoes are kept. Where my dog runs through on his way in or out of the house and slimes it at every pass.

Yep, might have to start a new policy.

[SilverSabre25]

He said to have it professionally installed by a car seat tech and LEAVE IT.

The ONLY problem with professional installation is that sadly, a lot of the "professionals" even do it wrong. The sad truth is that there are so many different seats with different requirements, and so many different cars with different specifications, that many professionals are unable to know how to properly install every seat in every car. The simple answer is to read the manual, but the manuals are complicated and poorly written a lot of the time. Then when the states get in on the action with poorly phrased regulations that only confuse the issue further, it's almost hopeless unless you are REALLY on top of your game.

I feel much better knowing how to install (and USE!!!!) car seats safely myself, and have seriously considering becoming a CPST so that I have the piece of paper that tells parents that I KNOW what I'm doing and THEY are doing it WRONG. Plus, it seems like it might make a nice side business--doing car seat installations and trainings. I don't know how much of a market there is for that though.