Baby Seats

[Neeranam]

Do you have a baby seat in your car?

I didn't for my daughter when she was a baby but am having a baby in 2 months and wondering how important it is.

Actually I didn't have a car when my daughter was born and she was taken on the motorsai between her ma and me. So relatively, the new baby will be safer, even without a seat.

If I had the money, of course I'd get one.

I'd say that it's more important how I drive with a baby on board. Sticking to 40 kmh without a seat is better than travelling at 140 with one.

When my parents were here last year they were moaning about not having a seat, until I reminded them of some of the things they did when I were young.

I have one mate who gave me a flaming for not having one - now he drives like Stirling Moss with his kids and mine in the back of a pick-up truck, which I am very against.

Your thoughts please.

[buriramboy]

it doesn't matter how carefully you drive, some ###### driving at 100km\h can always plough into you, not your fault but your child is going to be at a lot more risk without a proper seat.

3 1\2 years ago, i could not find a decent baby seat here so paid for one to be sent over from england, can only speak for pattaya but mikes shopping mall has some to western standards at reasonable prices.

BB

[Meerkat]

Agree with Buri above. It doesn't matter how carefully you drive, you could still be involved in an accident. Robinson and Central both have a range of European and US seats - it really isn't worth skimping on something so important. Hopefully you'll never need the protection it affords, but if something does happen, you'll be glad you've got it.

[Crossy]

VITAL!!

If I could make the above flash as well I would.

Your child's life is worth far more than the cost of a good child seat.

WARNING If you must fit the seat in the front, remember to disable the passenger airbag.

[hUsh]

like others said, VERY IMPORTANT!

It's crazy that some people let their chidlren play (no seatbelts or carseats) in the car while moms and dads (have their seatbelts on)... and also how some people let their children ride (especially really really young kids) with them at motorbikes...

[Neeranam]

It's crazy that some people let their chidlren play (no seatbelts or carseats) in the car while moms and dads (have their seatbelts on)... and also how some people let their children ride (especially really really young kids) with them at motorbikes...

We used to take my daughter when she was 1 1/5 on the motorbike as we didn't have anything else. There are no taxis where I live and the buses finish early. My wife finished work at 9 pm and I couldn't get any babysitters. One thing I preferred to do was get a Tuk Tuk which was pretty expensive. Should baby not be allowed in Tuk Tuks?

[buriramboy]

it makes me cringe every time i see a baby on a motorbike, but i understand due to peoples (especially thais) financial situations that they really don't have much choice, however this is still no excuse. maybe put it down to a lack of education, but i am not a violent person but when i see a farang on a motorbike with a baby, i want to punch him.

the bottom line is, all children of all ages should always be securely fastened in, in what ever mode of transport they are traveling in, if not then don't travel.

bb

[chuchok]

Here is an easy answer for you...

You car/tuk-tuk hits a bit of oil on the road or on comming traffic etc and comes to a dead stop.the vehicle that you are in was traveling at 60kph.Everything in the vehicle is travelling at 60kph...that includes your child.

Impossibe to hold on to.Any object that is not either belted up or tied down is a low velocity missile.

[Jared]

Baby seats are so important mate, it doesnt matter how carefull you are at driving these so many <deleted> on the roads, I brought a decent one for around 4500baht from the Mall korat. Ive got a magazine somewhere with a website where you can buy them online, ill try and dig that out for you. In general Thai people dont know how important they are but they are a definate in the UK. I wont let my child in any car without one. Ive had several arguments with the misses about how important they are, she seems to think her holding the baby in the back seat is enough for her to protect the baby if we have a crash. Motor bikes are just another story and ive told my wife if i ever find out our boys been on the back of a bike with her ill leave her and take the baby with me. Her sister has a 2 year old girl and goes on the back of the bike everywhere with her, i cant bear to watch. They have have been knocked off the bike 2 times with her on and luckily she has only escaped with a few scratches, its scares the crap out of me.

[PeaceBlondie]

Whether it's a helmet or a baby seat, if you aren't willing to pay for it, you shouldn't buy the vehicle. One of our friends used to hold his baby in his arms when they were riding down the street in the family car. They crashed, the baby went through the windscreen, and onto the pavement. He was about 3, and had to learn to speak all over again, and he also spent weeks in the hospital, great pain, facial injuries, etc.

50 kmh, or about 31 miles per hour, is 44 feet per second. Stand in a large space, just 22 feet away from a wall, and throw an egg so it splatters against the wall within half a second. That's your baby's head. Any more questions?

[indothai]

I've been in 2 minor car accidents this year, both not my fault.

The first one in HK, taxi decided to cut infront of a bus, I in the back seat, not wearing my seat belt, thrown from one side of the car to the other like a rag doll... bus and taxi was going about 10-15 mph. If I was holding a baby/toddler... well... lets just say that I'm glad I wasn't holding a baby/toddler.

The second one in BKK, taxi decided to rear end a BMW 318. I was sitting in the front seat with seat belt, had a light belt mark across my chest (black and blue). I don't know how fast we were going (20 - 30 mph?), but BMW had his brakes on and the impact pushed it about 10 feet forward. My mother in in the back seat landed a nice lipstick mark on my headrest. Baby?.. would have bounced around the cab like a basket ball.

My dad was in car accident this year in BKK, he was in a van. Some drunk jerk-off in a SUV plowed thru a stop light. My dad's van was the 3rd car in line that was hit.. pushed it forward into another car. Dad is fine, he was wearing a seat belt. But the girls that decided to walk between the car in front of my dad didn't do so well.

I don't have a baby right now.. but when I do have one.. you can bet your savings that I'll be getting a baby seat. And the baby is not going to be in any vehicle without one.

Cheap insurance... if you ask me.

[Jared]

This is the website i was on about, i think there server is down at the moment as i cant get the site working. They do free delivery aswell. I got all my baby stuff from here and everything is very good quality.

[jumnien]

When I was a kid in the US we didn't even have seat belts installed in the cars and look how I turned out - well, not very good I guess. My wife and I have bought 2 car seats from America and our little angel doesn't like them. Mother in law holds him on her lap in the back seat. We are taking the car seat on the plane so we can rent a car in America.

My advice to you is always use a car seat! It's just not smart not to. The reality in my family is, if the baby doesn't like his seat and starts crying - out he comes... He's in charge!

[Jared]

Guess where im taking my 2 year old neice, hospital. The wifes dad just had a bike crash into the side of the car, he was only going 15 miles per hour and the bike flew out from a side road. My niece was in her mums lap got thrown into the windscreen, shes ok just a bump on the head but best to get her checked out. Carseats people!

[indothai]

Guess where im taking my 2 year old neice, hospital. The wifes dad just had a bike crash into the side of the car, he was only going 15 miles per hour and the bike flew out from a side road. My niece was in her mums lap got thrown into the windscreen, shes ok just a bump on the head but best to get her checked out. Carseats people!

Hope she's fine.

15mph that's fast enough to do damage.... try running into a wall.... heck.. i've accidentally walked into a wall and it was painful.

You know what, it's the mentality/perception of life.

Some people prefer to expect the worse and be prepared for it... Others prefer not to think of the worse and gets SOL.

Hope she's fine.

[goldfish]

well that seems to be quite a resounding yes all round. I ride a bike, no helmet. Drive a car, no belt. My choice. Any adult gets in/on, their choice. Any child gets in/on they wear a belt or lid. No choice

[bino]

Neeranam-

I'm solidly in agreement with everyone else on this thread.

No matter how careful or slow you are, you can never trust another driver.

I think about this especially when I am driving at night in Bangkok- trying to guess the percentage of motorists around me who are drunk. I'll bet that more than 20% (and probably substantially higher) of motorists on the road after midnight are pissed.

And, even slow speeds have the potential to be deadly. What chuchok is saying is right on the money.

Here is an easy answer for you...

You car/tuk-tuk hits a bit of oil on the road or on comming traffic etc and comes to a dead stop.the vehicle that you are in was traveling at 60kph.Everything in the vehicle is travelling at 60kph...that includes your child.

Impossibe to hold on to.Any object that is not either belted up or tied down is a low velocity missile.

When you have a collision, even a "slow" 40 km/h one, the car and everything in it will experience about 5 to 6 G's of deceleration. This means that your 7 pound unsecured newborn is going to instantly weigh 35 to 42 pounds, and accelerate to 40 kmh.

If you have a head on with another car going the same slow speed (40 km/h), these numbers double.

When your baby is a few months old and weighs 15 pounds, multiplied by 6 g's= 90 pounds.

Ive had several arguments with the misses about how important they are, she seems to think her holding the baby in the back seat is enough for her to protect the baby if we have a crash.

There is no way a 120 pound woman can hold a baby that is weighing 90 pounds due to G Force and acceletating instantly to 40 or more km/h. Most women would struggle to lift 90 pounds!

You can try and rationalize it by saying that the Thai people don't use them... for financial or whatever reasons. I guess that they believe if there is an accident and someone is killed, that is fate / the way it was meant to be / what they deserve from karma or being a bad person in another life.

If I lost a child that wasn't secured in a car seat in a car accident, I doubt that I could live with myself because I could have prevented it. It didn't have to be that way.

[gpt]

Does this poster earn a prize for possibly the stupidest question ever on TV? Goldfish sums it up well - he is an adult and the choice is his. Most of us have have done reckless things as adults, mine include transferring between moving vehicles at about 50 mph, doing a ton plus on a Norton in just T-shirt and jeans, doing wheelies with the intention of damaging the car in front and cycling down high Alpine passes at over 65 mph.

Children do not get such choices and as a parent it is your duty to protect them. There has been a recent law passed in the UK that states that children under a certain age/weight must be in a child restraint. http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/law/fromseptember06.htm

If your child or any child dies as a result of your negligence, how would you feel?

[indothai]

Road/Traffic education is piss poor in Thailand.

Start talking "G-Force", "momentum", "decelaration" and all you will get is a blank stare.

Start explaining about accidents and all you'll hear is "fate", "karma", "his fault".

New year is around the corner... there's going to be a lot of "fate, "karma", "faults" coming real soon.

B smart, stay safe.

[Neeranam]

Thanks for the replies - they are, of course, very important. I'll get one.

Do they fit very young babies?

[Crossy]

When the baby is very young you need one of the rear facing seats that cradle the infant in the event of a shunt. Not sure what age the little one can move to a forward facing seat.

Don't forget to turn off the passenger airbag if you fit the seat in the front.

[pal78]

The rear facing seats are good for the first 15-18 months, depending on how big your baby gets in that time. Our guy is still okay in a rear facing at 18 months, although he has to bend his knees a little. The front facing ones can be got with a removable back, so it converts into a booster type seat for about 3+ years.

I've noticed that many cars here don't have a way of disabling the front seat airbag.

One more thing, don't get a second hand car seat. Car seats are designed to dissipate the force of accidents, and although they might look perfect to you and me, a second hand one that has been in an accident might actually be dangerous.

[Bredbury Blue]

I can’t believe this posting!

You are clearly not British brought upon on Jimmy Saville’s “clunk – click – every trip” TV public announcements, because if you were you would know that the majority of car crashes are close to ones home and at low speed (“oh I didn’t think I’d need a seat belt on just nipping to the corner shop at 40 km / hr”), and you would remember the image of a hammer smashing in to a peach to show the effect on your noggin, and the horrible scared faces of car crash victims.

A baby seat will both help save your kid in a smash, and save your peace of mind by keeping them firmly tied down and stationary while you concentrate on driving.

As some one else said, your kid is worth it so, Get a baby seat mate!

One other thing – you’ll find your kid likes it and will sleep very well in one, a blessing for any parent. You can even carry them around department stores and the like in the car seat, sleeping.

[gpt]

One more thing, please, please, please, if you do not have a child in your vehicle do not display the 'baby/child on board' notice. It does serve a very useful purpose. It alerts crash rescue services, in the event of a crash, that there is a child either in the vehicle or the vicinity. They are putting themselves at risk trying to find a child that is not there.

[fxm88]

Is this baby seat for a car or a motorcycle?

[Jared]

One other thing – you’ll find your kid likes it and will sleep very well in one, a blessing for any parent. You can even carry them around department stores and the like in the car seat, sleeping.

Thats true, my boy loves his, everytime he falls asleep as soon as we start moving...........

[Neeranam]

Is this baby seat for a car or a motorcycle?

For the car - already got one for the motorcycle, although I've said I don't ever want it being used again. I'd rather use a car with no baby seat than that.

Why must you disengage the air bag?

Where can I get a good cheap baby seat? I'll be going to Bangkok next week.

Anyone selling one?

[Jared]

Its the passengers air bag you have to disengage, do not disengage yours. Its basically so it doesnt go off if you get hit and crush, or make the baby seat loose

[gpt]

or make the baby seat loose

Sorry but I think that is very bad advice. The child seat is loose, gets hit by the airbag then what will happen to the child?

[wilko]

The best baby seats for the very young are the rear-facing ones, take a look at the consumer guides, they vary tremendously on how effective they are, some really flash ones have glaring attachment faults.

When it comes to "adults"....Im not even sure that's the right word - The “up me, I’m over 21” attitude doesn’t really cut it for me....

We all know that driving in Thailand is quite risky and requires a pretty high level of skill and concentration and we are all aware of the vagaries of failing to attend to this...

However if you don’t take the maximum precautions provided for you - seatbelts, helmets etc., what happens...out of no fault of your own you end up in an accident.

No seat belt...you are thrown around like an egg in a box, receive injuries that may or may not be fatal.

If not you get a hospital bill...this might be paid for by your insurance...in other words US! Our premiums as well as yours pay for your hospital treatment, so it directly affects others...

Your family are put through the hassle of anxiety, financing your treatment; you take up a hospital bead that you might have avoided if you’d worn a seatbelt. Ambulances are called, roads are blocked, people are late for work etc etc...If you have an accident of course you affect others.

And if you die..... or are permanently disabled, what about your family, dependants and loved ones, if you ask me it’s showing little respect for them. They have to pick up the pieces, they have to survive without the number one breadwinner and if you’re insured the same thing applies again the money comes from ALL our premiums...all this hassle because you think it’s “up to me” if I wear a seatbelt or helmet or whatever.

Governments don’t introduce these laws because they want to “nanny” people it’s for sound financial reasons, they cut down on hospital bills and all the related social and health costs that ensue.

The idea that driving slower will help is also misleading when it comes to injuries; imagine if some walked passed you with a lump hammer over their shoulder and caught you a passing blow....it could fracture your skull....and that’s at walking pace, when a car stops suddenly in an accident , your body wants to continue at the same speed, without a seat belt it does, that means you will hit the dash, steering wheel windscreen etc at 40 kmph...a lot more than walking pace....that can cause easily enough damage to be fatal, the same applies to a side on collision from another motorist.

And one more thought....rear seat passengers....ever thought what it's like to head-butt a driver at 40 kmph?, or what a drivers' seat/headrest tastes like? just don't wear a seatbelt - but not in my car - OK?

Edited December 20, 2006 by wilko