Anna Duggar and the M kids part 6

[Bad Wolf]

I don't know where to begin. The car must have been stopped for her to take the picture, but I would guess he fell asleep that way while she was driving. It was nice of her to take Michael on an outing, but did she really need an accountability buddy?

Good grief, Duggars, just follow the laws and quit putting your children in danger.

[ClaraOswin]

I wish I could say I'm surprised. This is pretty typical for this idiotic family. They don't care. They can't say they didn't know because there has been public criticism of their car seat usage (or lack thereof) since forever. They simply don't care about laws or safety. End of story. I hate them.

[twinmama]

2 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

I don't know where to begin. The car must have been stopped for her to take the picture, but I would guess he fell asleep that way while she was driving. It was nice of her to take Michael on an outing, but did she really need an accountability buddy?

Good grief, Duggars, just follow the laws and quit putting your children in danger.

Yeah I was going to say maybe he is just out of the car seat and sleeping while the car isn't going anywhere, but he's wearing the seatbelt. He's just a few months older than my boys, I can't imagine them riding without a carseat or booster with a 5 point harness. They're still so little.

[Carol]

Oh you're all overreacting!!  Michael takes his naps in the car!  They're not going anywhere! 

Soon they'll be posting photos of McKenzie's naps in a cupboard and Marcus out near the road.

 

[imokit]

I'm going to be the voice of reason here.  I've done waiting in a car.  I've done it as a small child, and as a grown up with small children.  If the car is parked in a parking area, then I let small children do what they want as long as they don't touch the ignition or hand brake.

Considering the masses the Duggars travel in, and the fact that that's a four year old boy, its entirely possible that there was a bunch of them shopping and he got tired.  Jinger took him out to the car, he played around for a while, sat in the big people seats with a big people seat belt because he wanted to be grown up and then fell asleep at which point, Jinger gave him a blanket.

For those pointing out the lack of car seats in the car, its very possible that the Duggars took multiple cars and Jinger's didn't have car seats in, but he was transferred back to his car seat when the others were done shopping.

That pic is one which could have been taken in my family (though we aren't organised enough to have blankets  ).  Could they have been doing something illegal and dangerous, yes.  Could it be innocent, yes.

 

Disclaimer - my 11 year old siblings and I were playing by my car.  I threatened them with dire consequences if they went anywhere near the hand brake, and then left them in to play while I took pictures.  The nature of the street the car was parked on (a road with other cars parked pointing the same direction) means that when their dad (and others saw the pics) he thought they were actually driving.   I'm a master at taking safe car photos which look dangerous (I also had the key in my hand, so it wouldn't start and didn't take my eyes off them, and properly scared them about the handbrake).

So for now, I'll give Jinger the benefit of the doubt.

[ClaraOswin]

If these were other people, I would (maybe) give them the benefit of the doubt. But with their history of using car seats improperly or not at all...I just can't do it.

Even in a recent episode, Jenni should have been in a booster. I suppose legally, she was probably fine. But the seat belt was completely on her neck. Not good.

[ClaraOswin]

Anna/Jessa/Joy's "bestie" Sierra makes just as many errors with car seats. If you scroll through her Instagram account, I think every photos she's posted of her kids in car seats = bad.

This one is probably the worst.

Does no one in their "circle" try to help them out and teach them how to use car seats? (I mean, the manual clearly states everything but maybe the women aren't allowed to read anything but the bible?)

[Mothership]

I gave Jessa a pass on the Spurge in the infant seat at the coffee shop--afterall, he wasn't left alone.  This is pretty bad. I'm not buying that he was buckled like this in a parked car.  Frankly, if he were lying across the seat under a blanket, I could have gone with the story that he got tired of shopping and took a nap, but he's buckled and trying to lie down while staying improperly buckled. 

Okay TLC--quick find a clip to insert in the next episode showing the Duggars buckling kids properly into booster seats and car seats!

[twinmama]

3 hours ago, imokit said:

I'm going to be the voice of reason here.  I've done waiting in a car.  I've done it as a small child, and as a grown up with small children.  If the car is parked in a parking area, then I let small children do what they want as long as they don't touch the ignition or hand brake.

Considering the masses the Duggars travel in, and the fact that that's a four year old boy, its entirely possible that there was a bunch of them shopping and he got tired.  Jinger took him out to the car, he played around for a while, sat in the big people seats with a big people seat belt because he wanted to be grown up and then fell asleep at which point, Jinger gave him a blanket.

For those pointing out the lack of car seats in the car, its very possible that the Duggars took multiple cars and Jinger's didn't have car seats in, but he was transferred back to his car seat when the others were done shopping.

That pic is one which could have been taken in my family (though we aren't organised enough to have blankets  ).  Could they have been doing something illegal and dangerous, yes.  Could it be innocent, yes.

That's a lot of mental gymnastics to deny something that is shown clearly in a picture. You can't even see a car seat in that car.

[iweartanktops]

3 hours ago, ClaraOswin said:

Anna/Jessa/Joy's "bestie" Sierra makes just as many errors with car seats. If you scroll through her Instagram account, I think every photos she's posted of her kids in car seats = bad.

This one is probably the worst.

Does no one in their "circle" try to help them out and teach them how to use car seats? (I mean, the manual clearly states everything but maybe the women aren't allowed to read anything but the bible?)

This is so careless and irresponsible! I don't understand why people don't take the safety of their children more seriously! I often drive children around, and I'd rather be late because I take the time to carefully secure them correctly in their seats, than just rush through and half ass it. They have the resources to keep their children safe and they don't do it. No excuses whatsoever. 

The same goes for the photo of Marcus. This makes me so angry! 

[withaj]

Wow, those are some awful photos. I am by no means a carseat expert -- I can only recall one occasion where I have driven a child small enough for a carseat, and I believe her mother buckled her in (I was driving their car). But common sense tells me that some of those positions are horrifyingly unsafe, and I'm sure there are other visual indicators I don't even know enough to pick up on.

I was out of a carseat by the time I was 5. Things have changed a lot just since the early nineties. Apparently the Duggar parents are stuck way back when and, unfortunately, the rest of the family is just as bad.

[ClaraOswin]

On a five point harness...that clip is called a CHEST clip. Not a belly clip. That one should be so obvious to parents. It's often stamped (or whatever) right onto the clip itself. But so many people think as long as the buckles are clicked together, it's all good. They don't tighten or adjust. It's really bad.

For our infant seat and our convertible we went to a "car seat clinic" to have it checked. Both times they made us go through a whole "lecture" about proper use. I remember thinking "why are they telling us this? It's common sense." But then I remember people like Sierra and the Duggars it all makes sense.

[Shadoewolf]

Here's an interesting point too.  JD is (was?) and Jana did some training as,  volunteer firefighters.  Aren't you supposed to be able to go to any fire house or police station and they can help you safely and correctly install a car seat?

[Scribber]

Here's an interesting point too.  JD is (was?) and Jana did some training as,  volunteer firefighters.  Aren't you supposed to be able to go to any fire house or police station and they can help you safely and correctly install a car seat?

That's the rumor... But it's not always the case.

My friends dad is the local fire chief and I asked him to check the seat I installed for a kiddo I was babysitting. His response? "I haven't touched one of those in 30 years!" So I asked if one of his guys could look it over, he asked "why?"

Here they will give you a car seat/booster if you can't afford one, but they are not trained on installing.

[quiverofdoubt]

8 minutes ago, Shadoewolf said:

Here's an interesting point too.  JD is (was?) and Jana did some training as,  volunteer firefighters.  Aren't you supposed to be able to go to any fire house or police station and they can help you safely and correctly install a car seat?

No. Some fire fighters, police officers are certified car seat techs and can check car seats and installs  But that training is above and beyond the standard. There are websites that will list when and where you can get your car seats checked. The city near me seems to only have seat checks at fire stations on certain Friday's during limited hours, or by appointment. And not all stations have the service. Most emergency workers like emts, cops and firefighters don't have any more knowledge than the average person. Some have been known to give outdated info or dangerous advice because they are just as ill informed as mist lay people 

[Chickenbutt]

Several of our police officers, firefighters and paramedics were sent to "car seat school" so they could install/check car seats. The police department has a notice posted on which days the officers are available, as do the fire stations and the paramedic headquarters. You can also call and "push * whatever" for carseat information and hours.

[ClaraOswin]

Here, no, you cannot just go to any fire station. There are various car seat "clinics" or whatever throughout the year that you can attend for free. I think there are also some places you can call and make an appointment with but you have to pay for those. I think all cities are probably different.

[RosyDaisy]

My husband is a certified car seat tech and an EMT. He volunteers at our local VFD.

[nastyhobbitses]

I have commented before about how sometimes the car seat safety discussions can get so heated and safety regulations change so fast that I can understand why some parents can be frustrated (plus the whole "my parents let me ride in the trunk while they drove along the Karakoram Highway in a modified hazardous materials truck on their way to a Road Warrior reenactment and I turned out totally fine" thing), but even I know that you shouldn't let a four-year-old be seated in a car like that and car seats need to actually hold the damn kid upright. Either they stopped giving a shit about their kids' safety, or they figure that if the kid ends up paralyzed or in a coma, it's like nature super-blanket trained them.

[crazysnark]

My dad is a firefighter and my husband is a cop. Most people go to the fire station to have their car seats checked because firemen seem more approachable than cops, however, the firemen are not certified in car seat training but the police are. That's how it is here anyways.Probably because if cops are giving citations on seat belt use they need to know about proper car seat use as well.  But my dad gets asked so much that he figured he should learn so he got certification on his own time so he doesn't keep having to redirect people. 

[ksgranola1]

My daughter in N. Virginia went to the firehouse & they got that carseat in there much tighter than she was able to do. It's a great service.

[twinmama]

2 hours ago, crazysnark said:

My dad is a firefighter and my husband is a cop. Most people go to the fire station to have their car seats checked because firemen seem more approachable than cops, however, the firemen are not certified in car seat training but the police are. That's how it is here anyways.Probably because if cops are giving citations on seat belt use they need to know about proper car seat use as well.  But my dad gets asked so much that he figured he should learn so he got certification on his own time so he doesn't keep having to redirect people. 

It is different everywhere. You have to find a car seat tech. They can be anyone. We went to the local police station, after calling to make an appointment. The line was long but it was well worth it for our kids' safety. HOWEVER, the car seats all come with instruction manuals. It is possible to do it all correctly if you read the manual. I can understand having trouble installing the seat correctly as it all has to be tight and at the right angle and all that. But strapping the kid in is sooo common sense. Don't have tangled straps, chest clip is a CHEST clip at armpit level/nipple line, make the straps super duper tight. 

[HarleyQuinn]

How hard is it to buckle your child in correctly? It floors me that the Duggars keep failing at this. I get doing it wrong if your a first time parent. My doctor actually corrected my husband and I on how we were doing it at our 2 week check up and I was very grateful for that. But after eleventy kids? Good lord. 

[2manyKidzzz]

To me, it is your responsibility as a parent to figure out the car seat deal. Really. Do the right thing for da baby.

[Bad Wolf]

Thirty years ago laws were different, and car seats have evolved since then. The Duggars have not bothered to adapt. Josie was probably the only kid actually fitted into the car seat correctly. I doubt that they would have let her leave the NICU without checking that she was in there safely. Now, whether the seat was installed correctly in the car is a different story. At least the M kid was in the back seat, other than that, there was nothing right about that picture.