two different car crashes

nathansmummy wrote: I wonder if cost is one of the barriers - which I'm assuming is why Waitakere made them "free" with a $25 plunket donation.

I would say its a factor & if everyone had access to this then there would not be any excesses...but I think a lot of the problem is having too many people in the vehicle & there is no room for the child seat. When the relatives come to stay the adults get the seats.

I would hate to see CYF get involved they get slammed enough for placing vulnerable kids with psychos.

It is a law that you have to have kids restrained, just like no using cell phones unless hands free. You break the law you get fined, you kill your kid you live with it & what ever else.

There are lots of campaigns out there to jump on this is one I would not. I have to say I very really see anyone child not restrained in a car.

Chickielou wrote: Thats the prob we want these things to be avoided and not punished after the fact......but then again if the thought of losing your baby isnt enough to want to keep them safe then Im sorry maybe they shouldnt have babies.........for the most part we can only do so much to protect our babies from all the dangers out there, and this one would be a fairly simple one to perform!!!!

that's too far. you have no place what so ever judging people on weather or not they should have kids. you have no idea on their personal situation, they may be a fantastic parent outside their choices on restraining their child, being a good parent isn't solely resting on the way you choose to restrain your child, it may be a contributing factor - but not the be all and end all. yes it is wrong, no i am not defending them, but NOTHING makes it OK to say that someone shouldn't have kids.

Chickielou wrote: [

I dont see tiptoeing around making much difference either......so I suppose the world will always have those that dont for what ever reasons be it igornance or just uneducated due to cultural....[/QUOTE]

Sorry, Im not "getting at you" however it is VERY VERY ignorant to assume ignorance is cultural, by the way. These families get alot of information and help about living here. Weather or not they choose to use them is another thing. Short of physically getting the car with them every trip, ther is not much else you can do.
I see the teachers out here daily reminding the parents to use seats, lending them seats to use, riing the police to do spot checks..then what happens is the families "dissapear" kids are taken out to the vineyards to roam round missing on any kind of education because the parents don't want to bother with "the car seat police" at school and pre school. They can't afford the fines, they don't pay them anyhow and the kids miss out. Most of these kids are restrained, but not in car seats. So its rock and hard place, really, for the teachers.
I get where you are coming from, I really do, however I have "beenin the system" long enough to know that for some people, car seats just aren't a priority. It is sad, but it is an unfortuante fact of life.

I got myself a mirror so I can see my son.......makes ERF much less worrying for me. wouldnt be without it now, even though I did um and ah over the amount it cost!!

freckle wrote: I agree Nathansmummy and my guess would be that they are less likely to access services in which they would be educated about such issues - possibly due to cultural barriers (e.g. plunket, antinatal classes etc)

I am only following on what this person said about it being cultural, so please dont put words into my mouth, esp about something this sensitive, I have never once said that its solely due to cultural, in fact I was asking myself about Stats to do with other things.........

I give up!!!! too many word twisters


Edited by Chickielou

nathansmummy wrote: Just to clarify - when I said cultural barriers, I meant a system that just didn't make it accessible to cultures or not culturally appropriate. Stats are there - which is why there is a cultural alternative to Plunket (Well Child Service).

Yep I got what you meant.

One of which I am employed with..they are known as "Tamariki Ora/Wellchild" providers.

There will be some kind of stats somewhere and we are required to keep them, but nothing I can readil;y access..and really, I don't need too!

Sometimes its a money thing, but more often than not its just not a "priorty", which is horrifying to those of us it is a norm (carseats), but I have learnt very fast there are plenty of things in other cultures that are very different to ours and we have to be..accepting, I guess.

ha ha and Im actually not fat any more!
T think some of the other posers on here call me fats and it dosen't bother me, lol.
Yeah and trying to find the best way to get things across is a challenge too, but we find new things all the time, so fingers crossed and all that!

Bah


Edited by Chickielou

Can I just say that the cultural thing gets to me. I hate culture being used as a reason, and it being generalised (and this comes from a part maori with a half samoan daughter).

I do know in Samoa when I went over it was the norm to nurse children/infants this was about 7years ago so things may have changed?

As for when they are here. Some PI may not go to a wellchild provider for a very long time because they are unaware of them being there and free. It probably wouldn't be mentioned to them unless they went to a Dr and that probably only happens when an arm is falling off (sarcasm in case someone gets upset). As alot of families are probably stay at home mums, who may go to a playgroup, but more then likely to a church. And there are alot of things in the cultures that just aren't discussed and this subject probably doesn't come up in everyday conversation. Not making excuses as I hate excuses like that just explaining one possible situation as to why they may not have been educated.

As for DP and I we wouldn't DREAM of taking DD in a car without a restraint, in saying that I have on two occasions one being when my car broke down on a remote road just her and I and we were being towed by a van she sat with me, I was in tears, stressed, scared, frustrated, alone, you know how that would feel, we got in the tow truck and she went in her car seat.

While on a family holiday recently my 3yr nephew wasn't restrained oneday as they wanted to use only the van to travel, while I didn't say anything it wasn't my choice nor my child. I ensured my child was properly restrained in her carseat at all times. Even to the point before we left to travel I made them wait till I had untwisted her straps.

It comes down to the choice of the person, if you don't want to restrain your child so that another person can have a seat then you won't. Some people its convenience rather then doing 2trips when you only need one.

There are responsible PI and Maori out there, I know alot!

And I turned DD somewhere between 6-7 months because she is a nosey little bugger and had actually outgrown the weight for RF and was twisting and hurting her neck trying to see us. If I had known about ERF then I probably would have considered it if we were in the financial position to purchase a seat that did that, as it was we never had DD in a capsule as we couldn't afford to buy that then a few months later buy a convertible, and infact we still aren't in a position to do that. I had a mirror too when DD was RF and that didn't help her seeing us when we were talking.