new law, big problem.. - need advice
kimberley wrote: well, ontario has passed a new child seat safetly law which means that James now needs to be in a booster seat starting sept 1st. my car will not fit a car seat a booster seat and Jacob!  . he can't go into the front because i have an airbag that cannot be switched off. there is no law stating he can't sit in front, but it is just common sense safetywise. the fine for no booster seat is $110 and 2 demerit points  . how am i supposed to transport the boys to school every day???? i can't leave Jade here and i can't fit them all in the car unless Jacob is in the front. oy!
jamie and i are looking into financing our lives away to lease a bigger car cuz there is no way we can afford to buy one but the leases are so expensive too. and we won't likely be approved because i am not working. i am scared of that kinda debt too. it is 4 yrs :S
i have no one to watch Jade and no bus service for the boys. help! tia.
~Roo'sMama~ replied: Wow that's a toughie.  I'm sorry! I don't have any suggestions - it sounds like you really do need a bigger car. I hope you figure it out soon!! 
gr33n3y3z replied: Put Jacob in the front but move the seat back
this way if the air bag goes it wont be to much pressure on him
What other options do you have?
kimberley replied:
no options at this point  i could do that i am just terrified something will happen. i guess that is my only choice.
booey2 replied: Kimberley, how much does he weigh and how tall is he? DH and I have had this discussion over and over again. Also how old is he? I forget. I think that if they fulfill at least one of the requirements to not wear one he won't have to. The Toronto Star had a huge write up about it about 1-2 weeks ago and that sparked our discussion cus our neighbours boy who turns 9 this weekend is exempt because of his age. Other than that try looking for the smallest booster you can find I know there are some smaller versions, like just the seat part because that is what we have for Matthew. HTH
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
What kind of car do you have?
Reason I'm asking is that I didn't think that 2 car seats and a booster seat would fit into mine - but we're stuck with no bigger car for a while... and we have a big EvenFlo Car seat for Emilie - we picked up a small booster seat for Zach, and Zach's old car seat fits behind the drivers side.
We put Emilie behind me on the passenger side, Zach in the middle in his booster, and the new car seat behind the drivers side.
There's no room for travelling stuff...as in, we won't be able to go on a trip with anything more than what fits in the trunk... lol but they all fit.
Would you be able to get together with another parent to carpool? take turns?
When does Jamie work? Could HE take the boys to school?
A&A'smommy replied: Oh hun I wouldn't know what to do either!!!
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Yeah - the one we have for Zach is very small too - we got it at Sears, for about 40$. Actually, we got it for free, cuz the cashier didn't charge us for it... and we walked out of the store. Oops! 
It's small enough that if *I* can get my arse in the backseat of the car with the booster and Em's car seat, the extra car seat will too. 
kimberley replied: i have already called the ministry of transport about this and James doesn't meet the requirements yet. a child is exempt from a booster if they meet ANY of these requirements:
he has had his 8th b-day
over 80lbs
over 4'9"
i have the small lap booster from when the boys were small and it just won't work with 3 in the back. even with just Jade's car seat, the boys are pretty squished back there
i have a saturn SL2. it is really much smaller than we thought it was when we bought it. i don't want to ask Jamie because he gets home from work after midnight, eats, relaxes, and rarely gets to bed before 3am. he wouldn't be able to function. i will try to see about car pooling but most of the mom's at this school want to be paid because of the price of gas why can't life be easy lol
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Can you start a carpool with another mom, or two...this way maybe you can add a carseat to one of their cars if they allow it. You guys can all just caravan over together. Offer the mom a little cash for gas or some tasty treats. Or maybe take her kids off her hands one Saturday each month.
Just trying to find inexpensive ways. Can you get a used minivan?
Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Understandable... I'd almost expect to be paid too. Maybe you could offer them some money...how far is the school? you could offer them money bsed on the extra km they do - at work, we get 45cents per km we do for work purposes...but that's an insane amount of money. Maybe like 10 cents per extra km? It's not like it would be that much more expensive for you to give THEM the money instead of putting it in your gas tank.... kwim?  
Is there a playgroup in your area that you could do a switch? Or another mom in the same boat as you? The other mom watches Jade for an hour or so in the morning, and you watch their little one in the afternoon for an hour?
I realize that Jamie needs his sleep, considering he goes to bed around 3am and then goes to bed.... but... is being awake with Jade for a little while, to prevent a fine....worth it? 
kimberley replied: i would definitely carpool but my vehicle barely fits my kids, never mind pick up someone elses lol. and DH would go nuts if i baby sat on weekends.. that is his time. plus i can only offer something like that til december when the baby comes. it is a tough school from the parent perspective. they are all quite snobby and seem to know each other well. i had a lady bringing the kids home for me and she frowned when i was giving her $60/mo.. i am on the way to her house from the school!! it is not like she is detouring  . the school is about a 5 min drive from my house (15-20min walk with the kids).
we aren't in a financial position for buying a new car. we are dumb and bought the saturn last year.. not expecting to be pg again and not realizing how darn small the car actually was! i still have 4 yrs of financing left on this car which totals more than the car is currently worth we made a huge mistake! to be bought out of our financing on a trade in, we are looking at 600-800/mo in financing for a new car or lease. it is so depressing because that is completely out of our budget.
and yes, i could ask Jamie as a last resort.. i was just really hoping to avoid that 
unfortunately, the area i live in is mostly seniors. most of the families are well off and live closer to the school. last year, jacob got a bunch of phone numbers from friends and we tried to call to make playdates and they just dodged my calls and say "oh sorry, we had company" when i see them at the mall or school. it really upset me that their snobbiness would supercede the kids' happiness. mean imo. all the playgroups are super expensive and the church only does a christian hour wednesday mornings meant for parents. they don't offer any other services which i would like to help change once the baby is out and a bit older. i have a harder time fitting in here than the kids do lol
~KARA~ replied: My oldest should be in a booster seat at least untill november but the seat belt hits her funny and would do more damage to her than if she was just in the seat belt alone. A cop told me that And I carry a note in my glove box from that cop to show any cop/sherrif that pulls me over telling the officer why she isnt in a booster seat. (its wonderful having depuitys as friends!)
I hope you figure something out, soon!
3_call_me_mama replied: I would talk to Jamie about watching Jade, because regardless if her seat fit with the boys adn a small booster, when your new little one arrives, your need a space for 4 children (2 carseats adn one booster plus 1 extra kid) You definately will need a bigger car, and I wouldn't look for someone to write you an excused slip to get out of the booster, the law is the law for a reason.. to keep your little one safe. I'll be praying for you that something good comes your way, at a great price.HUGS TO YOU!
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