taxi rides

[jojo72]

Would anybody really want to put their baby into a carseat that lives in the back of a HK taxi?
How often do you think it would get cleaned? Mmm very hygenic!
If every taxi in HK had a carseat how pleased do you think the 99% of travellers without children would be?

Lets use some commonsense people.

You do the best you can in the environment that we have to live in here in HK.
With my first baby I too was adamant that you must use a car seat in a taxi. But if all of us are honest, once we've had a 2nd child or our first has outgrown their carseat you find yourself restraining your toddler in a regular seat belt.

Or perhaps you find yourself out somewhere with only your baby bjorn, and find yourself taking an unplanned taxi ride?

We have enough to make us feel guilty and inadequate as moms as it is.
Let's stop playing the I'm a good mom your a bad mom game and accept that this is where we live and this how it is.

 

[Nula]

Here is a link I have found very useful at explaining restraints and giving you options in taxis etc.

http://www.thecarseatlady.com/taxis/using_taxis_5.html

FYI - the safety 1st tote and go is not recommended by the site nor is it rated highly by parents who have bought it.

 

[bekyboo44]

Just because HK has no laws saying how children should travel in cars/taxis does not mean it is safe for them to travel in cars/taxis without a proper car seat and or seatbelts. Just because it is difficult to make sure your child is always in a car seat in taxi or properly restrained does not mean it is safe to do so. Just because there aren't many cases of children, not properly restrained, being killed or hurt in car/taxi accidents in HK does not mean it is safe to do so.

I'm not trying to judge anyone for how they travel with their child- I'm just saying what is a stated fact- to travel with a child in a taxi or car without a car seat or proper restraint/seatbelt is dangerous! This is why developed countries around the world have very strict and stringent laws saying how a child should travel in a car or taxi. I still have yet to understand why HK does not.

Personally I wouldn't care about the few germs that might be living on a car seat that permanently lived in the back of a taxi- I would just be so relieved and happy that my son, and countless other babies, were safe during a taxi ride.

 

[bekyboo44]

And if car seats in the back of taxis meant HKs babies could travel safely....what other passengers think is of no consequence....surely the safety of babies in a taxi comes before what others may think!

Plus the car seat does not have to be strapped in the back all the time. It can be kept in the boot and taken out when a passenger with a baby gets into the cab. And then removed when passengers without babies get in.

The issue is - who should pay for the car seats? The government would be one option, because it would obviously be unfair to expect the taxi driver to do it.
Am still waiting to win the Mark 6....but if and when I do a car seat for every taxi in HK shall be one of my first purchases!

 

[jojo72]

Bekyboo44, If the taxi trunk has a carseat in it, where am I supposed to put my luggage on my way to the airport on work trips each month?
And before you say take it out and put it in the taxi, what happens when I am sharing a cab with others?

It's kind of naive to think that passengers without children would put the safety of children over there day to day comfort.
I'm not anti safety, I put both of my children in carseats as infants, and plan to do so with my third, but as someone who has lived here before having children, you have to be able to look at life in HK from the perspective of other peoples lifestyles, not just your own.

 

[MrsP]

After reading this thread, I thought I would give the Joey a try. It is now called FreedomRide. I think I ordered it on Tuesday and it was delivered to my desk the following Monday. I have yet to try it but it looks fab.
My wee one is almost 2. We do have a car and she sits in her car seat whenever she is in that but if I am working and she goes out and takes a taxi I do worry about how to keep her safe. Unfortunately, lugging a child + stroller + bag + car seat around town with one pair of hands just isn't practical in Hong Kong, especially as most of the cab rides are quite short and usually require quick entries and exits. Never mind if there is more than one child.
We had a car seat/stroller combination when she was a tiny baby but I found that about 1/3 of taxis I took didn't have a long enough seat belt to secure it in the back (can you not buy seat belt extensions??). When she grew out of that, we used the Baby Bjorn but she is now too big for that.
When I was 8 weeks pregnant with #2 (travelling alone), the taxi I was in ran into the back of a truck on the Eastern Corridor. Everyone was fine, thankfully, but it did make me stress even more about how to keep my wee one safe. Hopefully the FreedomRide will do the trick.

 

[snoopymom]

I heard about this convertible car seat that is portable.

Check it out:

http://www.elitecarseats.com/TriplePlay-Sit-n-Stroll.pro#specs

 

[cemily]

Where can I get a Joeysafe in Hong Kong pls? Around how much? How long can a child use it for, say up to 6 yo?

tks

rgds

e

 

[MrsP]

I don't know if you can buy them in Hong Kong but I just ordered mine over the internet. I used the link one of the other mummies posted and it took me to the website. I think the total price, including postage, was US$80. It took less than a week to arrive.

In terms of age, it says up to 50lbs and the children in the picture seem to be quite big. It would be worth checking out the website though for more information.

 

[nycschatzi]

Personally I'm not a fan of the Joeysafe. It's a pain to put on and my daughter resists strongly. It doesn't get a lot of use in our house, except for longer trips or rainy days. How to travel with children is always a challenge-safely and efficiently, that is.
Good luck.