Posted by
rainbow
18 yrs ago
Hi There,
I was trying to go to the joeysafe website but it doesnt seem to work. Anyway, may i know if we can use baby'b'air on taxis too??? Please advise
Please support our advertisers:
I guess you could, but it's hardly a safe alternative. A real carseat is best. Babyb'air keeps a baby/toddler from being thrown into bulkheads or cabin ceiling during turbulence. Vehicular crashes require more serious protection.
Please support our advertisers:
crj
18 yrs ago
You might want to take a look at this thread:
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/forums/parentingadvice/threads/89782.asp
It compares all the options on the market.
While a car seat is the safest, you don't always have one when you are in a taxi so alternatives are better than nothing.
I used a joeysafe, and my friend used a baby'b'air and I have to admit hers was easier to get on and off as long as your baby doesn't have a big head. They both protect the organs and secure to you in a similar way. BUT you need a seatbelt in the car for them to work.
Please support our advertisers:
we have the joeysafe, absolute pain to put on but without a car, it's still better than nothing when we are in cabs!
Please support our advertisers:
It may be better than nothing but it's still dangerous. Young children need age appropriate carseats/boosters.
I must say people who let their children travel in taxis (or other cars) without proper restraint make my blood boil. In the US or Sweden such people would be in blatant violation of laws designed to keep children safe. Carseat laws are the result of years of research and quite a few dead and injured children. The main point is that such people are endangering their children.
Car seats are a pain in the behind if you don't have your own car, and we curse them every time we have to lug them around. But we would never think of putting our children in a taxi without them.
For 2 years and up, a Compass booster is a lightweight, foldable option: http://www.amazon.com/Compass-Premier-Folding-Adjustable-Booster/dp/B000HHYJKS
Please support our advertisers:
I take my children in taxis with the Joeysafe (3-yr old) and a sling (1-yr old) - for me it is not practical to carry 2 car seats with me (I live on an island). We all make choices about our children's health and safety, and I don't think it's helpful to criticise parents for using less-than-perfect child restraints. In the end I hope I make the best choices for my family. I'm sure axptguy, you make compromises with your children's well-being - if not you would be living somewhere without HK's levels of air pollution, for example. Anyone who uses any form of car restraint is doing a lot better than the majority of the population here who uses nothing at all.
Please support our advertisers:
"I don't think it's helpful to criticise parents for using less-than-perfect child restraints."
My hope is that more children will be in proper restraints. If it takes criticism of parents, so be it. It took thousands of dead children before the US and other countries introduced restraint laws. It's all academic until your child is in an accident. If adults don't wear a seatbelt, that's their choice and Darwin will take care of the problem. If kids don't sit in a car seat, they are just innocent victims.
"for me it is not practical to carry 2 car seats with me (I live on an island)."
You choose to live on that island. We choose to live somewhere where we don't have to put the kids in a car for our daily routine. So there are ways around the problem.
"Anyone who uses any form of car restraint is doing a lot better than the majority of the population here who uses nothing at all."
Of course.
"I'm sure axptguy, you make compromises with your children's well-being - if not you would be living somewhere without HK's levels of air pollution,"
We all make your choices as you say. But the risks from pollution on the south side are very small versus the odds of a car accident. So I don't really think it's a fair comparison.
There's no way to protect one's children from every risk. However the chances of a car accident and associated injury are fairly high compared to other risks, so it makes sense to take adequate precautions.
Please support our advertisers:
But living on an island, with my children at a local KG, means we hardly ever take a taxi anywhere. Car seats or not, I think the odds are still in my favour.
Please support our advertisers:
axptguy38,
what system have you found that makes carrying a car seat around more convenient? i would love some suggestions. we have a "tote n go" which is like the joeysafe but i am wonder how safe it really is...
thanks. :)
Please support our advertisers:
Thank you all very much for the advices. BUt where can i get joeysafe now??? the website doesnt seem to work anymore....about about "tote and go" where can i get it???
Please support our advertisers:
crj
18 yrs ago
joeysafe does still work, it is now called freedom ride... it is just that their website is very very unreliable.
Please support our advertisers:
Hi CRJ
thank you for the prompt reply. I just went to the www.joeysafe but still no luck. just the picture of this blond and whole lot of crap in there....
Please support our advertisers:
Hi CRJ
thank you for the prompt reply. I just went to the www.joeysafe but still no luck. just the picture of this blond and whole lot of crap in there....
Please support our advertisers:
"what system have you found that makes carrying a car seat around more convenient? i would love some suggestions. we have a "tote n go" which is like the joeysafe but i am wonder how safe it really is..."
Our system is that I stop complaining when my wife gives me a sour look. ;)
Seriously though, it will never be convenient. The Compass Booster is great for our 2 year old. Quite compact and with a handle. I am thinking of rigging some sort of straps for it. The big seat for our 10 month old is more of a problem.
I guess we just planned around our kids when it came to home location. Given where we live there's no huge need to take them anywhere by car/bus very often. We have 1 grocery store (and soon 2), 4 good restaurants, 2 coffee shops, 1 convenience store, 1 spa, 2 pre-schools, the beach, several playgrounds and a bunch of other stuff within 10 minutes walk with our handy double stroller.
If we do take them somewhere we sometimes take the bus or minibus. Heavier vehicles handle crashes better since their inertia gives slower decelerations. That's why countries like the US have belt and carseat laws for cars but not buses. If we take a taxi we just install the car seats. It only takes a couple of minutes on either end. This leaves the problem of what to do with the car seats when we get to our destination but typically it works out. Sometimes we can leave them in some reception.
But yes, it is inconvenient. But the risk of an accident in a car is far greater than say, being in a plane crash. Compare the amount of ppl you know who have been in a car crash compared to those who have been in a plane crash and then ask yourself why people are scared of flying but not scared of getting in a car. ;)
Please support our advertisers:
Thanks for the reply axptguy38.
Please support our advertisers:
mrsl
18 yrs ago
From the Baby B'Air website:
'Can I use the Baby B'Air in my car?
NO! The Baby B'Air was designed ONLY for use during air travel to prevent injuries due to severe turbulence and should NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BE USED IN AN AUTOMOBILE'
http://www.babybair.com/faq.html
I thought that JoeySafe/Freedom Ride had gone out of business, but may well be corrected on that one.
I have found this website very helpful in finding recommended solutions for safe car travel in taxis etc.
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/taxis/using_taxis.html
One solution for a single child might be the Sit 'n' Stroll. Not as workable with 2 or more though.
The Gogo Kidz also looks like it might work, but have not tried it yet (ordered and having it delivered to US).
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
Please support our advertisers:
That carseatlady site is great mrsl. Thanks for the tip.
Just as food for thought, I would like to quote from the Babybjörn section:
"in a soft, cloth front carrier like the Baby Bjorn and used a lap/shoulder belt. The researchers found that this infant was at a very high risk. The tested carrier shredded completely, ejecting the infant dummy into the dashboard. If the carrier had not shredded, they found that the infant would likely still not have survived. As the adult's head traveled forward in the whiplash motion, the adult's chin would have slammed down into the infant's head right where the soft spot is."
Please support our advertisers:
crj
18 yrs ago
Thanks MrsL
axpatguy - You might also like this link: http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/loose_in_the_car.pdf
I sent an email to the car seat lady, and will post any reply I get here.
This is what I wrote:
Question: what about cars with no seatbelts?
Hi Emily
I hope you are well.
I live in China, and 90% of taxis do not have seatbelts in the back. This is not just an issue in China, but travelling to many other countries in Asia and around the world we often encounter cars without seat belts.
I have a 10 month old and a 2 year old.
Currently, I put the 10 month old in an infant car seat, placed facing backwards on the back seat behind the driver and I wear the toddler in a Baby Bjorn or Ergo Baby Carrier. Other times we have had the babies in ‘backpack’ type carriers and put them between our feet on the floor, so the backpack is in between the front and back seats, with the baby sitting in it, and our legs to the left and right.
Pretty soon the baby will be too big for the infant car seat, and the toddler too big for the baby bjorn.
Can you please advise the safest way to travel with a baby in a car with no seat belt? And the safest way to travel with a toddler in a car with no seat belt? It is okay to assume one adult per baby in your answer.
I have posted the question on numerous forums and not received any practical advice.
Thank you so much, my whole family appreciates any advice you can share.
Best regards,
Please support our advertisers:
Hi, I just wanted to mention that I got a Sit-n-stroll by Tripleplay (or 'The Pod' which it is known as in NZ www.thepod.co.nz) which is a carseat that has pop out wheels so doubles as a stroller and can be used in planes apparently. It is safety approved in the US & NZ. I don't use it much as I don't generally take bubs in taxis (I use public transport or my car) but when I have used it it has been great.
The downside is that it's a little heavy to carry (though you can wheel it of course) and somewhat awkward to fit (the taxi seatbelts only JUST get around it!) plus it is expensive. BUT it seems to be a good compromise for the carseat in taxi problem (and also when travelling overseas). I wouldn't recommend it for babies younger than 6 months though as it's quite upright.
Please support our advertisers:
Nula
18 yrs ago
I was just looking into travel systems. I have a britax infant carseat which I have used for the last 10months in taxis but need the next stage now. Appparently Orbit is about to release a toddler carseat that has a proper stroller base that can be rear or forward facing from 15lbs. I am going to email them to confirm that it will be as easy to install in taxis as the infant seat
http://www.orbitbaby.com/why/taxi.html
http://spillingthebeans.net/?p=732
I have an older child that I will use the ride safer travel vest (from 30lbs)
http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/
Expensive, but seems the safest option
Please support our advertisers:
crj, that link scared the living daylights out of me. Thank you for posting it though. Has guaranteed that I will take a vfew minutes to check the carseats have been fitted properly next time. Feel for you in Chinese taxis; the only solution we've come up with was to get hotel drivers when we are travelling with the children. That only works when you are spending the odd weekend in Beijing etc.; would be painfully expensive to do so every day. Interested to hear what the car seat lady suggests (thanks for the link mrsl).
Nula, that travel vest looks impressive. Did you buy it online?
Please support our advertisers:
From a carseat perspective, it's a bit of a shock coming from the US or Northern Europe to a place like HK.
When they let mother and baby out of the hospital in the US, a nurse comes down to the car to ensure there is a car seat. (Yes, I know it's about liability but the laws behind that are the result of lots of dead children.) In many towns, you can go to the police station and they will check that your carseat is mounted correctly. Car seat culture is deeply ingrained.
In Sweden, I remember rear facing car seats in the seventies, when most countries didn't even have seatbelt laws (or seatbelts) in the back of cars.
What I also find weird is that parents who would never have allowed their kids in a car without a carseat "back home" do it in HK as a matter of routine. There are local laws and laws of physics. The latter don't change with location.
Sorry to keep harping on about this but it's all academic until your child flies through the windshield. That's my nightmare.
Please support our advertisers:
crj
18 yrs ago
axpatguy - I strongly suggest you do not travel to any other location in Asia, Africa, South America or other non highly regulate countries... you will be haunted by nightmares so much you won't be able to sleep.
Dora - The care seat lady has not written back to me yet... that link terrified me as well.... the thing I didn't add, is that when a car does have a seatbelt in the back here, it is often a bit shorter than the ones in HK and other places... so we really have to squeeze to get the baby seat in, and while I think it is right, sometimes the angle is not perfect because that is all the length of seatbelt allows.... so yeah, that link freaked me out too! The one saving grace is that the driving is very slow here....
Please support our advertisers:
"axpatguy - I strongly suggest you do not travel to any other location in Asia, Africa, South America or other non highly regulate countries... you will be haunted by nightmares so much you won't be able to sleep."
Hey I've been, just not with the kids. ;) I'll just have to figure something out.
Please support our advertisers:
crj
18 yrs ago
if you figure out what is best without seatbelts, do let me know...
Please support our advertisers:
crj, couldn't finish reading the article you posted...made me sick reading the first half, very scary.
what can we do then, realistically speaking when most of us are on our own who don't drive with 1-2 kids everyday and ours hands are filled with them, prams, groceries required to feed them, nappy bags and other bits and pieces? not being cheeky here but if there really is a realistic option, i am willing to try. i mean, if there are local cabs that come with carseats, i am prepared to pay the extra money for hire them but alas there are none. and rentals in singapore have pushed us out to an area where we can no longer just walk easily to shops and eateries.
we have a toddler and a newborn - toddler goes into carseats when we travel in friends' cars and joeysafe when in cabs and my newborn goes in his infant carseat, which terrifies me now after reading crj's article because most of the seatbelts here are not long enough for me to strap him in as recommended.
i am wondering if my toddler who will turn 2 in mar is too young for a backless booster seat or will that make things worse?
Please support our advertisers:
It's trucky and as I said we chose our home location very very carefully to ensure that we wouldn't need to be in cars with the kids very often. I think we drove our real estate agent crazy but she did eventually find 2-3 places that met our requirements. And so now our daughters are only in cars every few weeks, so we can plan around that easily.
The other option is to buy a car of course.
Oh yes, a big backpack is a great thing for freeing up your hands. When I go to the grocery store, I always have my backpack and put heavy stuff in there.
"i am wondering if my toddler who will turn 2 in mar is too young for a backless booster seat or will that make things worse?"
Too young for a backless booster, but a foldable booster like Compass is pretty compact and light.
"if you figure out what is best without seatbelts, do let me know..."
Trying not to think about it might work. ;) Seriously, I have no good solution. I guess in these situations you have to accept the increased risk.
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail