Surprised.
c1955 leaning against the door of one of these 
when the vehicle just wasn't there anymore. About 30-40 mph, fortunately country road, soft sand beside, hit and rolled. Couldn't have done it better if I'd been through paratroop school.
Posted on 05/16/2006 9:04:54 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
LOS ANGELES - Oops ... the child-care-challenged Britney Spears has done it again. First Mommy Spears-est got nailed for driving with her baby son in her lap like a toy poodle. Now she could be busted for improperly installing a child safety seat in her car, state officials say.
The pregnant pop princess was spotted tooling around in her convertible Mini Cooper with 8-month-old Sean Preston slumped over in a forward-facing car seat. Federal regulations say kiddie seats should face backward until a child is a year old.
"It's far safer if the seat is facing backwards to avoid head-on injuries and whiplash in case of a collision," said California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall.
Spears, 24, "could be" cited for violating Section 27360 of the California Vehicle Code, which says child safety seats must be installed to comply with the federal standard.
"We would have to witness the violation. We can't issue a citation from a photograph," Marshall said.
"It's a bit of a gray area," he added, because state code doesn't specify the backward installation - a federal regulation does.
Spears' rep did not return calls for comment yesterday.
"We strongly urge anyone who is uncertain of how to install a car seat to come down to one of our headquarters and get help. We offer that service free of charge," said Marshall.
How about highchairs?
Spears, who recently confirmed she's expecting a second child, and hubby Kevin Federline rushed Sean to the hospital last month for a bumped noggin after he fell from a highchair that reportedly "snapped" and broke while a nanny was lifting him out. Child welfare officials investigated but cleared the couple of any wrongdoing.
In February, Spears got a visit and a warning from the cops after she was photographed driving illegally with her son in her lap. She admitted she "made a mistake" but blamed paparazzi for hounding her.
Hey, Me too!
You can take the girl out of the trailer park...
I fell out of an AMC Hornet ca 1978. Pure dumb luck that we weren't going fast. A little lumpy and a little road rash, but nothing serious.
Djoo get hurt?
These morons should hire a "personal child safety consultant" to review whatever safety steps they are taking before they go out in public.
I expect Vlad to hit 20 lbs. before 6 months, but we'll keep him in the original car seat until his head hangs over the top, or he can sit up independently. The rear-facing vs. forward issue is really about how well they can sit up, which varies from one child to another.
Surprised.
c1955 leaning against the door of one of these when the vehicle just wasn't there anymore. About 30-40 mph, fortunately country road, soft sand beside, hit and rolled. Couldn't have done it better if I'd been through paratroop school.
I was thinking the same thing. It looks like the car seat straps are up to high, but that is nothing compared to all that wind and debris blowing around in his face. I knew she was blonde for a reason!
When I was little we would ride sometimes up on the back of the seat just under the rear window. I know, really dumb but at night time it was fun to ride there and look up at the stars. :)
My little brother did this! He (at 3yo) was leaning against the door handle when my mom went around a corner. Luckily my sister was in the back seat and saw him go out!
Meanwhile, Britney needs some parenting classes.
Sorry -- it's one year and 20 lbs, according to American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations:
Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 lb to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash. Infants who weigh 20 lb before 1 year of age should ride rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age. If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.I just read here that Britney's record company is now claiming she did nothing wrong because her eight-month-old son is over 20 lbs. But he's not over a year old yet.
My youngest is 4½ months old, and was a hair under 19 lbs at his four-month check up. He'll be 20 lbs. any day now. I'm not going to switch him to a forward-facing because he's over 20 lbs. Rather, I'll get a convertible seat like the one his two-year-old sister rides in, but keep it rear-facing until he's at least a year old.
It's not a question of complying with the law or too many federal regulations for me. It's a question of keeping my kids as safe as possible.
Hmmm, I was told at the hospital it was either/or. I wonder if the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations are more conservative than the federal regulation that is what Britney's record company is claiming compliance with?
No argument here on keeping your kid safe, though. I've got another one popping out in a month. The way people drive around here, it's probably best to limit their car experiences as much as possible.
Somebody give this poor clueless girl some parenting lessons before it's too late!
I wonder if she is doing everything, feeding, changing, etc or just the "fun" things with her child.
I had a few night time car trips like that. I have a few pics my parents tok of me sleeping behind the rear passener seat of our 66 VW Beetle on one of our summer road trips. We're brininging back some childhood memories here!
In our state I believe it is 1 year old AND 20 lbs.
Probably the same here. We keep the babies in the original seat-carrier as long as possible, because when the youngest needs a bigger seat, everybody else has to "move up," too, and we have to reconfigure the whole van, which is a real pain.
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