Car Seats

[Cazz]

As childminders do you provide car seats for mindees or do parents provide?

The reason I ask is that on my ICP course last night we were told that due to new car seat regulations they all have to display a certain EU number on them.

I have two good car seats that I last used a few years ago for my twins and was planning to bring them down from the loft and use them for minding (as I know they haven't been in an accident or dropped etc), but obviously now I may not be able to if they don't have that number.

I know you shouldn't buy a car seat secondhand due to the above reasons, so does that mean I am going to have to spend a fortune on brand new car seats to suit different ages? (Apparently the rule applies to booster seats as well, which I also have and will need to check!).

If any parents do provide a car seat are they responsible for fixing into the childminders car?

Carole x

[Lou]

I provide them. I have a range from newborn up to boosterseats, which are all in excellent condition and were brand new to me.

I do however offer parents the choice, ie if they would prefer to use their own thats fine by me. No one has ever taken me up on that and im glad it would be so much hassle every morning taking it out of their car and into mine!!!!

[foxy lady]

I provide them. I have a range from newborn up to boosterseats, which are all in excellent condition and were brand new to me.

I do however offer parents the choice, ie if they would prefer to use their own thats fine by me. No one has ever taken me up on that and im glad it would be so much hassle every morning taking it out of their car and into mine!!!!

me too i di the same as lou

[Jinx]

I provide carseats as I need them to fit my car and the ones in the parents car might not be a good fit.

I have had a parent offer to buy a seat specifically for my car but I already had one so there was no need.

Jinx x

[katickles]

I provide them. I have a range from newborn up to boosterseats, which are all in excellent condition and were brand new to me.

I do however offer parents the choice, ie if they would prefer to use their own thats fine by me. No one has ever taken me up on that and im glad it would be so much hassle every morning taking it out of their car and into mine!!!!

Yeah - me to

[hello kitty]

The reason I ask is that on my ICP course last night we were told that due to new car seat regulations they all have to display a certain EU number on them.

I went on a Health and Safety course a couple of weeks ago and they said about car seats having to have this new EU number on them. This changed very recently. Of course mine don't so it looks like I will have to spend a fortune changing 4 car seats!

I'm not happy.

[sue32]

I use my own seats and have done so for years, I regulally check them and I would not use a parents seat unless they buy me a new one and it stays in my car only as you not sure how they treat it and it is responabily to keep their child safe

[Cazz]

The reason I ask is that on my ICP course last night we were told that due to new car seat regulations they all have to display a certain EU number on them.

I went on a Health and Safety course a couple of weeks ago and they said about car seats having to have this new EU number on them. This changed very recently. Of course mine don't so it looks like I will have to spend a fortune changing 4 car seats!

I'm not happy.

Yep, I think she said it came in last month .

Just noticed that you are in my neck of the woods - are you in Norwich itself or the outskirts?

Carole x

[susi513]

What EU number should they have?

Did they tell you different to this?:
=====
Older Standards
Although new child restraints must conform to R44.03 or later version of the standard, people who have child restraints that conform to a British Standard or to an earlier version of R44, may continue to use them.

=====

I buy my own car seats and have them checked in the car before I buy. You need to be careful if using parent provided seats as however good the fit in the parent's car it may not fit your car safely. If its a Britax you can easily check here:-

http://www.britax.co.uk/index.php?op...me=1&Itemid=62

Otherwise you'll have to have a good check over of the seat in your own car before you agree to use it. You might want to ask parents to provide a copy of the manufacturers instructions or you might be happy they've shown you the correct fitting.

A parent provided seat may not be new, it may have been bought second hand or used for a dozen family members before. You might want to look under the cover and check its condition before using it. No disrespect to the parents, but I was given a seat that looked great til you took the cover off. Huge chunks of the polystyrene stuff missing. I didn't use it and that cured me of the temptation of considering donations/second hand seats.

Obviously its their child who's sitting in the seat, but I would imagine that if there was an accident and the seat was found to be at fault in some way that it would be the childminder and not the parent who would be considered responsible for having chosen to make the journey with that particular seat. But then I'm always looking for the worst case scenario.

http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing/index.htm
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/carr...ldren/duty.htm

[Alibali]

When did they start putting this EU number on them? Mine are only 18 months old!

A x

[hello kitty]

Yep, I think she said it came in last month .

Just noticed that you are in my neck of the woods - are you in Norwich itself or the outskirts?

Carole x

I'm in the outskirts. Where are you?

[tulip0803]

I always provided carseats and will again. You cannot guarnatee that a parents car seat has not been in an accident or that it will fit in your car properly. Also you cannot guarnatee that a parent will fit it correctly into your car or back into theirs at the end of the day.

[ajs]

i usually provdie my own but s's mum wanted to buy one for meas hse didn't think it was fair that i had to buy one so i let her
then i bought the same one again for the other child of the same age
none of my car seats are more than a year old and i am not replacing them whether they have the eu mark or not.

[flora]

Same here Mandy,

I have a mix of older and newer seats. All in really good condition and all been very well looked after.

Only working part time there is no way I can replace them all with ones just cos they have a number on them

Both sets of my parent don't use car seats. Not even for the 2yr old

[Rubybubbles]

I do the same as lou

better look for eu marks on them then , when did they put them on?

[Cazz]

I do the same as lou

better look for eu marks on them then , when did they put them on?

Just looked at my notes from last night and it came into effect May 2008 - the number they gave us was ECE 44.03.

I have got Graco booster seats (ones with back that can then be removed to become a booster cushion) and I bought them about 5 years ago and they have the number on so maybe your seats will be okay! (Mind you it is on a sticker on the back which could have quite easily been peeled off )

My babys mama and papa's infant carrier seat which was bought about 8 months ago has ECE R44/04 which is slightly different but presumably okay as it is a newish one! No way am I changing that anyway!

Carole x

[Trouble]

my husband is a health and safety officer and he reckons if you buy a car seat from may 08 it will have this number on but if they were bought before then they are fine. but dont take his advice ask for yourselves just so your 100% sure

d

[Cazz]

Thanks Susi513 for that Britax fit-finder site! According to that the two car seats in my loft should only be used in recline position in my car (different car since I last used them) so they're probably not going to be any good to use for minding even if they do have the number . But it says that it will fit really well in my mum's Zafira so at least she can have one for taking my baby out and about.

I quite agree with all your comments about car seats having to fit properly in your own car so I think I will always provide them (I'll just have to treat it as an expensive start-up cost ). I know if one of my children was going to be travelling a childminder's car I would want them restrained safely. In fact I still make my 10 year olds (dd quite small) take one of their booster seats if other people haven't got them - which apparently officially makes me an embarrasing mum

Carole x

[crazybones]

Thanks Susi513 for that Britax fit-finder site! According to that the two car seats in my loft should only be used in recline position in my car (different car since I last used them) so they're probably not going to be any good to use for minding even if they do have the number . But it says that it will fit really well in my mum's Zafira so at least she can have one for taking my baby out and about.

I quite agree with all your comments about car seats having to fit properly in your own car so I think I will always provide them (I'll just have to treat it as an expensive start-up cost ). I know if one of my children was going to be travelling a childminder's car I would want them restrained safely. In fact I still make my 10 year olds (dd quite small) take one of their booster seats if other people haven't got them - which apparently officially makes me an embarrasing mum Carole x

You and me both then

[chez1373]

If the Gov or Ofsted or Early years want to buy me 3 new car seats then ill gladley replace them if they dont have the number on but if not then they are fine i bought them all new and they have not been in an accident