Oops she did it again- Britney Spears errs with child safety

Additional Editor’s Note:
Regarding the statement Sony BMG, Britney’s record company, released yesterday (see original post below):

Whether Sean is or is not over 20 pounds isn’t important. What is important (to me anyway) is that even if the law doesn’t require it, why wouldn’t you want what is safest for your child?

Also, I think it is funny that they are saying that rear facing seats aren’t required in California, but even if they were, Sean is over 20 pounds. 

If you want to weight guess Sean, I would posit that he is not over 20 pounds.  Anya is just a few weeks younger than he is and is a big fat baby too and she’s not even 18 pounds. 

Originally posted May 16
First it was driving with son Sean Preston Federline on her lap, then it was his fall from a "highchair malfunction"- now pregnant mom Britney Spears is facing violations for improperly installing Sean’s car seat in her convertible Mini Cooper.

Britney was seen driving in the car with 8 month old Sean in the car seat- facing forward- as opposed to rear facing which is what federal regulations mandate until the child is at least 1 year old and 20 pounds.   Britney 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.

"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.

However, in order to enforce this, law enforcement would have to witness the violation in person, but just via photograph.  Additionally, as CHiPs spokesman Marshall says, "It’s a bit of a gray area," because although federal regulation specifies rear facing installation, the state code doesn’t.

Britney’s rep released this statement this afternoon: "It has been reported that there is a photo of Britney Spears driving with her child sitting in a forward-facing child safety seat in the back seat of the car. Having a child in the child safety seat facing forward in the rear seat of the car is in compliance with California law. California law requires, pursuant to Vehicle Code 27360, that all children under the age of six or weighing less than 60 lbs. be in safety seats in the back seat of the car.

There is no law in California requiring rear-facing car seats. In fact, there are only ten states that require a child to be in a rear-facing car seat, and in two of those states it is not required if the infant is more than 20 lbs. Britney’s son Sean weighs over 20 lbs. As such, Britney Spears was in total compliance with California law with the forward-facing child safety car seat with the baby strapped in properly in the back of the car."

Editor’s opinion: I find it interesting that Britney is driving around with Sean in this car, period.  My husband and I traded our non-convertible Mini Cooper when I was pregnant for a Volkswagen Passat Wagon- much more functional for a baby-toting family- but also much safer.  I know that the Mini is VERY safe but we were nervous because the trunk space (if you can call it that) is very tiny and if we were hit from behind, there was very little buffer zone between the bumper and who ever was riding in the back seat.  (Even my brother didn’t like to ride in the back seat.)  That said, I really miss our Mini.  It was one sweet ride!

Source: "Britney baby buggy blunder – again!" NY Daily News, I Don’t Like You In That Way and BBC News, "Spears denies baby car seat error."

Thanks to CBB readers Aparna, Shelly, Christina, Carol, Iliana, Eva, Kate, Vanessa, Frances,  both Jennifers, Bella, Renee, Aline.

Comments

Maybe Britney just didn’t know she was supposed to put it facing backwards? Alot of people don’t. It’s kind of scary!

- Scarlett on May 16th, 2006

If the officials went after every mother who probably has installed their child’s car seat improperly, they’d no doubt have far more cases on their hands than they realize.

Still though I agree Sean should’ve been at least cinched up better than that, despite being faced forward.

(I still think Britney’s trying to maintain the “typical” life of most gals her age, ie being former college coeds/soririty girls, despite being mother, but that’s just mho. Still at 24 you won’t have the wisdom/insight that you have a 30 or later.)

- Autumn on May 16th, 2006

I’m not even a mother, and I know that babies under age one are supposed to be in rear facing carseats…

- erin on May 16th, 2006

I saw this photo in another blog.

I mean, how many times is going to f this up?

(Oh goody! Another baby to endanger!)

Perhaps her money would be better spent not on her douchebag husband but on having one of her people getting her a clue.

Fast.

I hope they throw the bloody book at her.

That kid will be lucky if he makes it to his first birthday.

- Principesa on May 16th, 2006

Oh yeah! You guys don’t think S-Preston is 20 lbs!? He is 8 months old and that boy is definately 20 lbs. He is a big boy.

- Scarlett on May 16th, 2006

It doesn’t matter if he is 20 pounds, the law is 1 year AND 20 pounds. He is supposed to be both of those things before sitting forward facing and should sit rearfacing for even longer as it is still safer.

- Jaime on May 16th, 2006

I suppose it is possible that Britney didnt know he should be rearfacing, but I seriously doubt that her mother didnt know and probably about everyone else in her “group.” Besides it was no doubt plastered all over the box, and who ever actually did install it should have seen it plastered all over the owner’s manual. She can play dumb all she wants, but I doubt buy it!

- Jeanie on May 16th, 2006

Sorry Autumn, age has nothing to do with this.

I’m 23 and a Mother and I’ve never done anything as stupid as Britney has.

Britney is just daft.

- Stacey on May 16th, 2006

Oh I know that there are intelligent young mothers out there, but I do know that there are some young people who aren’t ready for motherhood yet, and truly I think that’s Britney’s case for the most part.

She probably has the emotional IQ of a spoiled “princess” teen girl who’s been ‘given’ everything, never had to have a real job (as in fast food, babysitting, etc. I don’t call the MMC a “real job”) or rarely babysat, and “suddenly” becomes a mother.

Actually Brit’s almost as bad as the 12 yr old girl from the UK who’s mother is only 34. The 12 year old found herself pregnant 8 months ago (when she was still only 11?!) , claims that she still smokes nearly a pack a day, and that the baby’s father is only 15?! Now I have no idea what kind of mother she’ll turn out to be, but I’d imagine not a very good one.

- Autumn on May 16th, 2006

this girl has a ton of cash to find out how to be a good mom or to pay someone to do it for her – but she still thinks she is playing out house like she is playing marriage

and there are good young moms out there – celebrity ones too – reese witherspoon was younger that little miss thing and she never did anything so stupid

- Sara on May 16th, 2006

Age should have nothing to do with your ability to parent. My husband was getting ready to start Med School (he is now a Surgeon)and I was working on my RN and now work in a burn center prefer not to say which one sorry. I was 19 when I had my first child. It was amazing how many wonderful parents even spouses of doctors had no clue about car seat safety. I have people my husband and I BOTH work with that drive around with there 5-6 year olds in the front seat. We have our oldest still in a car seat! When our oldest was born around 6-7 months people started asking us why she was still rear facing. Being medical related we assumed they were right and turned her forward. My husband within a few days did a lot of research and found out how wrong it was. We were very thankful that nothing had happened especially the amount of time we had spent on the highway and windy country roads. Our sons Ped. tells all his patients to contact Certified Child Seat Installers and they can also check out Safekids.com for the limits. I’m not trying to defend Britney but there are so many medical professionals out there that also are clueless. We get medical advice all the time that we are in no way about to safely give out. They assume MD is full covering and RN is not too far off! Britney may just have been given poor advice. As far as the head dropping like that I’ve seen it happen with many babies of friends that actually have their car seats properly installed including my children. But never that bad. His straps have to be too loose. Maybe she didn’t adjust them after he had worn something heavy. As far as the car goes. We personally drive our kids in our Sienna and our Passat. We own a Audi TT Convertable but none of our three kids have ever stepped foot in it. We feel they have many years when they are older to enjoy a car of that type. Sorry if I had rambled on. I just wanted to point out her source of advice maybe plain old ignorant!

- 3SweetKiddos on May 16th, 2006

can anyone even see the shoulder straps on spf?

and what about sunscreen – this is LA – no ozone layer

but she has her seatbelt on

- Sara on May 16th, 2006

Autumn I heard that story about that girl and I also heard the “grand” mother is extremely thrilled! I think in those circumstances you have to look at the parents and wonder why they allow their kids to do as they please at such young ages.

Now to Brit it’s a very common mistake. Unfortunately she was caught. The whole age and weight thing varies though. Because even though my niece wasn’t 20lbs her feet were hanging out the infant seat and the doctor said that it’s very unsafe once the child’s feet hang out of the seat bc if impact did occur the child could break it’s legs. So they said to remove her to an infant/toddler seat and face it backwards until she was close to 20lbs. By law I believe it’s 1 year or 20lbs.

- joy on May 16th, 2006

Nope, Joy, the law is 1 year AND 20 lbs. My baby girl is 7 months old, 20 lbs and our doctor told us explicitly that she had to be both 20 lbs and 1 year to be front-facing.

Maybe after all the publicity, someone will make Britney aware of that!

- comicbookchick on May 16th, 2006

Actually, Joy, your comment about the baby’s legs being over are also incorrect. It is safer to leave a baby rear-facing for as long as possible.

Please take some time to read through this site:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx

- starshollow on May 16th, 2006

Oh boy! Not another Britney mistake! I am by no means a Britney fan, however I simply want to say that although she makes a lot of mistakes I don’t believe she truly means any harm! It’s obvious she loves her son very much and I think she will wise up sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I am glad SPF has not been seriously hurt and hope his good luck continues! Hopefully by the time the latest Federline arrives she will be more prepared.
I’d also like to add that not every mother is born with “maternal instincts”. Some can adapt to motherhood better than others and should not be judged as a better or worse mother for it. To all you young moms who are doing a great job, keep it up! To those who are struggling a bit, keep your head up and you’ll get there!

- Maria on May 16th, 2006

Also meant to mention in relation to Danielle’s comment that the Mini-Cooper was not rated highly for rear-seat passengers. In fact, the NHTSA said (on their site) the rear seat is too small, and therefore they couldn’t “reasonably seat the crash rating dummy in the rear seat.” The other ratings for the car were 4 out of 5 stars.

- starshollow on May 16th, 2006

Here is the best website that my husband and the MDs I work with recommend for everything if you want to do online research!
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
They have the most up to date info and have links to websites that are creditable! My husband saw the pic when he was walking by and the first comment he made is why is that poor baby not buckled into his carseat! Now as far as the comments go with people asking why he isn’t wearing sunscreen that is irritating. How do you know he isn’t wearing any? Without us being close up to him or sniffing him there is no way for us to know! Maybe that is part of her morning routine! Maybe she puts it on him hourly. We have no way of knowing! My sister lives in Hawaii and she has for all 4 kids put it on first thing in the morning after breakfast, again after lunch and then mid-day. You would have no clue that she does this unless you could smell the kids! I don’t like Britney one bit I think she is feast off attention but that doesn’t give us any rights to assume things about her.

- 3SweetKiddos on May 16th, 2006

Yeah, is he even buckled in? Jesus.

- Stacey on May 16th, 2006

While I agree that this is a mistake that a lot of people make, I would think that after all the hoopla earlier this year about SP being on her lap, she would have started being extra, extra careful about transporting him in the car.

Also, while some doctors might be ignorant on the rules of how to properly restrain a child, Britney has enough to money to get the top pediatrician in L.A. I mean, a heck of a lot more money than we’ll ever hope to have. If she can’t get reliable advice I don’t know who could.

- pippincat on May 16th, 2006

Someone on another blog commented that it looks like Britney is wearing her seatbelt under her armpit rather than over the shoulder. It looks like that to me too but I’m just wondering if anyone else thinks that’s what they’re seeing also? if it were the case, it would prompt me to think that she can hardly know how to restrain her baby properly if she doesn’t know how to put a seatbelt on for herself (and while she’s pregnant to boot in a convertible car with no roll bar).

- crzymaid on May 16th, 2006

I certainly could care less if Brit is wearing her seatbelt or not. She’s an adult and although it’s law my concern is for the baby.

I didn’t realize that picture bc it didn’t upload at first but I agree w/ alot of people now he’s slouched over and he doesn’t even look all that restrained in his seat. And babies are supposed to be snug and secure and able to safely lay their head backs to sleep. I’m not slamming Brit bc atleast this time he’s in a seat. But she needs to go to the police and ask them to help her properly install the saftey seat. They’d be more then happy too.

Starshollow – I am going by what my nieces doctor said. So it looks as if all doctors have different views on the matter. My twin nephews are 16lbs and they are long and their feet hang over pretty good now and I told her to upgrade them to an infant/toddler but rearfacing seat so that they can be more comfortable in the seats but still safe. The doctor said that’s fine. But did say that they had to remain rear facing until 20lbs. So my nephews and nieces doctors always say different things when it comes to the kids. I guess some doctors go by the book and some go by instinct. Who knows.

- joy on May 16th, 2006

I have a hard time believing THAT is actually a photo of Britney and her son. She looks a bit “distorted” in the photo. And would she really let her son hang over like that in a carseat??? I think it’s a fake photo, JMO.

- Traci on May 16th, 2006

I wanted to comment on the feet hanging over. Around 5 years ago or maybe a little more there was some concern about the whole feet touching the seat thing. There were doctors that said to move them front facing because of impact and breaking there feet or damaging their spinal cords and all that fun stuff. I’ve actually heard a few OLDER doctors that were at their prime around that time that still say it is unsafe to have their feet touch. American Pediatrics say that isn’t an issue and nothing has been documented to prove that to be the case. There are so many things that can happen to a baby front facing too early in an accident that it would take me a while to list. Brits doctor maybe top line but also could be old? We don’t know what goes on at SP’s appts. so while she is doing wrong by the laws she might be doing what her Dr says. I’m suprised the CPS that investigated her back with the driving on the lap incident didn’t refer her to somebody certified in installing car seats and infant safety in vehicles. Brit either needs quick intervention and some safety classes or SP needs to be removed into foster care.

- 3SweetKiddos on May 16th, 2006

You know, if you guys are going to write something, make sure your facts are straight. Otherwise, you’re no better than the tabloids.

First, there is NO LAW for a child under 1 to be rear-facing. NONE. There are no weight or age requirements that require a child to be rear-facing.

Second, the California Vehicle Code you listed states that a child cannot be in the FRONT SEAT and be under 20 lbs, a year old or rear-facing.

Little Sean doesn’t look comfortable, and the Mini isn’t the safest car on the road, but what Britney is doing is perfectly legal in California, as well as by Federal standards, so long as the car seat Sean is using is for babies 20 lbs and up, and he weighs 20lbs.

Recommendations are not laws. Sorry.

- avid_reader on May 16th, 2006

Perhaps you meant “NO LAW” in California. Because there are states that have this very law, including South Carolina:

“SECTION 56-5-6410. Child passenger restraint systems; age and weight as basis for required restraining system; standards. [SC ST SEC 56-5-6410]

Every driver of a motor vehicle (passenger car, pickup truck, van, or recreational vehicle) operated on the highways and streets of this State when transporting a child five years of age or younger upon the public streets and highways of the State must provide an appropriate child passenger restraint system and must secure the child as follows:

(1) A child from birth up to one year of age or who weighs less than twenty pounds must be properly secured in a rear-facing child safety seat which meets the standards prescribed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

In other words, even a child who weighs less than 20 lbs. who is over 1 year old must be in such a car seat.

In any case, there are lots of things that are “perfectly legal” that can endanger lives, so that argument is invalid when talking about child safety.

And for Joy, I understand that there may be some pediatricians who are not educated about car seat safety; however, should they be up on their own AAP standards, they would advise differently, I’m sure.

I can see that no one read through the information I posted. I’m a first-time mom, too, and the argument that people “just don’t know” is really more accurate stated as “just don’t feel like looking it up.” And with Britney, it’s not as if she has no access to information in her position. I think most people do look up things in relation to many aspects of caring for their children.

- starshollow on May 16th, 2006

For the record I haven’t looked up CA laws and have no intentions on looking them up but wanted to say something else. Sorry I think the whole maternal instinct comes out with baby safety even for others children. For the record lol I’m bored and my kids are on their weekly Tuesday outting with their Grandma.
avid-reader: While that might be the case for the law of CA carseat safety goes far beyond the laws. Following laws is great blah blah but they in a lot of states seem rather minimal. While a lot of people posted things about laws that may in fact be false that doesn’t mean all is good and Brit is doing the right thing. A child needs to be properly restrained in a proper fitting and installed car seat to decrease their chances of injury or death in an accident. Follow the laws yes but also follow what is recommended by the aap. They set these standards for a reason!

- 3SweetKiddos on May 16th, 2006

I am thinking there can’t be room to put the car seat rear facing in that tiny back seat. I struggled to fit my godson’s car seat in my Nissan Sentra while he was rear facing, even with the passenger seat pushed pretty far forward. If so, then perhaps a different vehicle would be in order. It’s not like she cannot afford to buy whatever car she wants! I am starting to get sick of seeing/hearing about every thing she does wrong. I am not defending her in the slightest, I am just personally wishing we didn’t have to hear about her anymore.

- rabbit77 on May 16th, 2006

I do believe some people look things up while I think that many go with their motherly instincts. I guess Brit feels as though she did no harm and maybe she didn’t. I know that when I am caring for my nieces and nephews and they are in my care I go by my own instincts. I don’t think it takes a mother to even know what’s safe and what’s not. Brit’s young she’s got alot to learn but it would of been nice if she learned alot of her skills before becoming a mom. However, like I said when having a baby they don’t come with manuels and sometimes people just do what they feel is right.

- joy on May 16th, 2006

Traci, it is not a fake photo. I chose the most zoomed in photo to add to Danielle’s post, which is why it’s a little grainy. If you follow the Source links, you can see more photos from the incident.

As far as the laws, I can’t comment on that because I don’t know specifics. From what I understand, Danielle’s source is the New York Daily News and their research into the matter is what is being referenced.

Thank you for the great link, starshollow!

- Sarah CBB Editor on May 16th, 2006

I think it mainly all comes down that it’s Britney Spears. If another celeb did this people would not be near as harsh. She can’t do ANYTHING at all without being nearly stoned to death. I know SO many mothers who have kids Sean Preston’s age where they put them front facing. Maybe where I live you can. Is it really that big of a deal that Sean isn’t 1? I am sure he is 20 lbs. 4 months away from being 1. Big freaking deal.

- Scarlett on May 16th, 2006

I believe, and I may be wrong about this, so please correct me … that the California law says that you must adhere to Federal reccomendations, which is Standard No. 213 – Child Safety restraints. I believe that Standard No. 213 is what everyone is referring to when we say that it is required that your child be 20 lbs and 1 year to be rear facing. I’m not an expert, though.

- comicbookchick on May 16th, 2006

I must admit I am more concerened as to whether or not the baby is strapped into his car seat properly. The way his head is slouched forward as he is sleeping, it looks as though his shoulders aren’t restrained or the straps are way too loose. In a modern car seat, if the shoulder straps are correctly adjusted, a baby shouldn’t fall forward. This used to be a problem when my kids were babies as they didn’t used to make enough depth or recline in baby seats back then. This shouldn’t be an issue today though and it looks like Sean isn’t correctly restrained in his car seat.

- Kresta on May 16th, 2006

I meant to add starshollow your right about the laws. Every state is different. 5 mins. down the road from me is a different state and I know there laws are so diff. than ours. From what I understand as long as you follow the aap you will be well within the laws of every state. Don’t quote me on that one I’m not certified to say that but the aap seems to have some very strict guidelines.

- 3SweetKiddos on May 16th, 2006

oh man…where to begin….

I would think if I were her I would make sure that I dot my I’s and cross my T’s…she doesnt seem to care. I would be a nervous wreck if I had been investigated twice by CPS. I’ve said before I don’t consider her a young mom. She is 24…I had my first 2 months after I turned 25, I had my 2nd at 26 and my third at 27. SOmeone needs to send her a book on parenting…Parenting for Dummies comes to mind.

As far as SP being hunched over, my kids did that alllll the time…I *think* some of that comes from the camera angle. Your not supposed to get your fingers up under the harness if its installed right and even when it was tight like that my kids would droop over.

There is a HUGE difference between being a year and being 8 months old…HUGE…the neck muscles are just not strong at 8 months old. Think of how different an 8 month odl is from a 1 year old…at 8 months they are crawling and babbling…at 1 many are walking and starting to say mama or dada. There is a TON of difference there. 4 months makes no difference in an adults life but in a childs its ALOT.

my 2 and a half year old who is 38 inches tall still rides rear facing…doesnt bother her a bit…

- krewcat on May 16th, 2006

you would have tot think that her reps must be exhausted – running around to defend her bad parenting action time and time again

driving with him on her lap – when she could have at the very least had the body guard hold him

dropping him from the high chair incident – i don’t care who dropped him or how – you take him to get checked out and don’t wait 5 days – their skulls aren’t hard

and now this?

i can’t think of one celebrity parent who does things so stupidly – and this includes the drowning incident with tommy lee –

- Sara on May 16th, 2006

The saddest thing about all these photos catching her making mistakes is I think these are intended to be photo ops showing Britney “parenting” her son.

I mean come on, she has multiple nannies, but she carried Sean out of Letterman herself in order to be photographed. People already assume she is a bad mother, and she trys to dispel that, and ends up doing something stupid(er).

I agree with the above poster that that seat probably didn’t fit rear facing at the correct 45 degree angle required. I have a full sized car and my husband couldn’t drive it because he couldn’t get the driver’s seat back (the seat was in the middle)

As for whether it is the law or not, why play games with your child’s safety? I didn’t, and neither did a lot of parents I know. And NONE of us were investigated ONCE by Child Services, much less twice.

- Notorious M.I.L.F. on May 16th, 2006

One more thing re:rearfacing. Wouldn’t you rather your child break a leg in a car accident, rather than breaking their neck?

- Notorious M.I.L.F. on May 16th, 2006

To all who wrote that it shouldn’t be a big deal that SPF is facing forward:

Actually, it is a HUGE deal. The bones in the vertebrae do not ossify (harden) completely until sometime around one year of age. Until they have, turning a child around to face forward risks death for the child in the event of a crash. See the whiplash forces that our adult necks can withstand will essentially stretch the spinal cord of a young child to the snapping point. I’m simplifying a bit, but you get the gist I hope.

And as for that nonsense about legs being too long, tell it to the Swedes, where kids sit rear-facing till sometime between their second and third birthdays! Broken legs heal in time, a broken neck, well, no guarantees.

- EarthMomma on May 16th, 2006

Okay everyone get a grip!!!!!! I think people are wayyyyyyyyy to harsh on brit…Its like you all look for things to criticize her on…first of all most of the people that have made comments said that they are mothers, aunts etc. and have taken care of a small child..there is no way in this world you can tell me you didn’t make mistakes with you’re kids!!! Get real!!!!
Parenthood is like learning to walk, its a totally NEW experience and as you all know we all fall and slip before we learn to walk properly!!!
Oh and I know it is human nature to be hypocritcal but be honest with yourselves you’re not perfect so stop expecting perfection from everyone else when I’m sure you don’t ALL put you’re baby’s car seat facing backwards!!! Be real with yourself!!

- nasismith on May 16th, 2006

2 out of 3 car seats are installed incorrectly. Many of you who are bashing Britney are probably driving around with a carsear improperly installed. Just saying.

- spindoctor on May 16th, 2006

It’s a real shame that people don’t have to have an intelligence test before they become parents.

First of all – I would think that the wind blowing in the baby’s face wouldn’t be good and that it would occur to her that if he was facing backwards – it wouldn’t be as bad.

Second – driving around with a small child in a convertible for safety reasons – should be something a responsible person would think about.

But I guess we shouldn’t be surprised – afterall she selected Kevin to be the father of her children.

I just hope the precious child lives to be able to drive himself around.

- Patty on May 16th, 2006

It’s not even a matter of “looking it up.” The info is right in the instruction manual that comes with the carseat, as well as on a sticker on the side of the carseat. Law or no, the manufacturer still recommends rear-facing until at least a year. And for going against those guidelines, I think she is being neglectful. And I’m not just saying that because she’s Britney Spears – I would say that about ANYONE who had their 8-month-old forward-facing. Being a “young mom” is no excuse. I had my son at 20 and knew how to properly install and use a carseat by the time I was 20 weeks pregnant. Not educating yourself before you give birth is NEGLECT. You owe it to your child.

- iternity26 on May 16th, 2006

To those who think it’s “no biggie” that SP is foward facing, you are sadly mistaken. It doesn’t matter if he’s 4 months shy of his first birthday — the fact of the matter is, 4 months is a HUGE difference for an infant. If Brit were to get into a car wreck, SP’s neck could easily snap because his immature body would NOT be able to handle the collision. Why would anyone risk that when something as easy as placing a child in a rear faced carseat can mean the difference between life and death? How would you (general you) feel if your child was seriously injured or killed over something that could’ve been easily prevented? In fact, it’s no secret that a lot of doctors/experts will agree that if you have a child put into a carseat that does NOT go with their age/weight requirements, you might as well not even have them in a carseat because it’s not going to protect them properly. As parents it is our duty to make sure that everything our children eat, touch, play with, smell and placed in are 110% safe for them. There is absolutely NO excuse for SP to be riding fwd facing — make up all the lame excuses you want. “Oh, she’s a first time mom. Maybe she misunderstood”, ect. but I don’t buy it at ALL. It’s evident she pissed away her last 3 brain cells a few years ago.

- DeviantMind on May 16th, 2006

I didnt know if anyone else shared this but ANY fire station/house will check your car seat ANY TIME. Just walk in and ask for someone to install/check it. They know what they are doing and they take classes…etc…to make sure its right.

I go in about every 6 months…they know my name. but I have 3 car seats in my car and its hard to get them all in right sometimes.

- krewcat on May 16th, 2006

wow this topic blew up!!

okay well I read through *eyes are now strained* But one thing that I was thinking about and yes I know times have changed but back when I was little and I’m 23 we didn’t have carseats…well we did but if you were to look at them today they’d be the most unsafe carseats to exist. And by the time I was 2 I sat in a seatbelt. Well yes we all know that over the years it became public knowledge that it was unsafe and now carseats are TOP priority (which they should be) but I after reading and thinking about it don’t really think BRIT did anything wrong. If her doctor told her it was okay then why would she think otherwise. I mean my nephews doctor told my sister in law that it’s okay to give the babies who just turned one straight juice. I would NEVER give my kids straight juice but then again her doctor said it was okay so she does (who am I to judge i’m not a doc). Then again it just sometimes takes motherly instincts like I’ve said to know what is right or wrong for YOUR child. I am in no way defending her (in actuality I can’t stand her) but I think she was just doing what she was told she could do. I can’t bite her head off for it for atleast this time the baby is actually in a seat and not on her lap.

- joy on May 16th, 2006

I think the photos are 100% authentic. I doubt her rep would have released a statement defending Brit if they weren’t of her and Sean.

Front facing or rear facing, shouldn’t those straps be tighter? Sean looks so slouched over and uncomfortable, in my opinion.

What about a hat and sunblock? I hope he had some on. We are having one heck of a heat wave out here in the West right now.

I don’t think that Brit is necessarily an unfit mother – just an airhead sometimes…

- gargoylegurl on May 16th, 2006

After a lengthy discussion with our pediatrician, who practices out of Boston, we turned our daughter around to be forward facing at 11 months. Her Dad is 6’2, and she’s taken after him since she was born (at 23 inches and over 9lbs). Our Britax carseat is shaped so that the baby is at a reclined position, so instead of leaning forward, she’s leaning back. She has never slumped over in her seat like Sean is in this picture, because of her seat being at a reclined position. Her long legs would’ve had to be completely bent if we kept her rear facing, which was extremely uncomfortable, and also put her at risk for breaking both legs if we were hit. The doctor said that because of her size and strength, AND because of the type of carseat we owned, she would be okay to sit forward facing a month early. We were really scared to have her forward facing for that whole month. There are plenty of children who die at the ages of two, three, and even four from whiplash. I would say the smaller the baby, the longer they should be rear facing. If our daughter wasn’t as big and long as she was, we would have kept her rear facing for as long as we could, even past the age of one.

- KrisGams on May 16th, 2006

A broken leg is better than a broken neck. I have seen several children sit comfortably cross-legged and rear-facing all the way up to age three.

- iternity26 on May 16th, 2006

You guys need to give Britney a break. Sure she has made sime mistakes but I dont think anyone on here hasnt made a few mistakes that could have had horrible consequences.
I think if each person had cameras taking pictures of your every move and exagerrating on things that happened in then privacy of your own home, you may just understand.
I am not a parent and it seems like so many of you are. You act like you know everything and you just got this kid and everything just clicked. I kind of doubt that honestly.
Britney may not be the smartest girl in the world but shes made it this far.
She found love whether we understand or not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.. not ours.
THis girl deserves our sympathy… not our criticism. She deals with enough… I dont mean just enless amounts of money… She loves her kid her husband and her next child more than anything and would do anything for them. She doesnt mean to harm them and Im sure its not out of ignorance. Shes young and just needs some guidance. From somehwere other than the cover of USweekly.

- peacegurl on May 16th, 2006

Britney,

Take some parenting and child safety classes.

I am sure you could afford a tutor.

- Principesa on May 16th, 2006

I live in Australia and we only place children in rear facing carseats until they are 3 or 4 months old. I was really surprised that in America that children stay in rear facing carseats till they are 1 year old.

- missa83au on May 16th, 2006

Peacegurl:

“I am not a parent and it seems like so many of you are. You act like you know everything and you just got this kid and everything just clicked.”

Actually it did.

And being young is not an excuse.

- Stacey on May 16th, 2006

As an Advocate for child safety ,I help install carseats fo rthe school I work for with the training of the police and fire dept.
They say”

Don’t be in a hurry to start using a forward-facing child seat. The longer you use a rear-facing infant-only seat, infant /child seat, or infant/child/booster seat that fits correctly, even past your baby’s first birthday, the safer your baby will be in a crash. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use and check the label for the weight and height that are allowed.
Weigh your baby.
Measure your baby’s height or length.
Check the label to be sure the seat will fit your baby’s weight and height.
A rear-facing infant-only seat is a good choice for a smaller baby, or a newborn.
An infant/child seat used in the rear-facing position is a good choice for a taller or heavier baby.
Make sure that the rear-facing seat fits well in the back seat of your vehicle.
Install the harness straps using the slot positions that are at or slightly below your baby’s shoulders.
Buckle your baby into the seat.
Make sure the harness straps are fastened tightly. They hold your baby in the seat.
“Tightly” means only one finger fits between the harness strap and your baby at the collarbone.

To me it doesn’t seem the rear facing of the seat is the issue it is hopw sh ehas the shoulder straps installed on him.She should also concider a neck pillow to hold his head upright.Or even rolled up blanket on either side.
This car seat looks to be from my point of view to large for him or not on proper settings.

- michelle anne on May 16th, 2006

I find this interesting that how you seat a child in a carseat can be against the law. I will have to see if my province has a law like this.

I don’t think that Britney’s age has anything to do with the choices that she’s making. I know plenty of young mother’s that make well informed decisions.

Everyone is most definately entitled to their own opinion about Britney be it negative or positive I just think as adult women/men we can post opinions that don’t sound plain mean.

- halifaxhoney on May 17th, 2006

Longtime lurker here and couldn’t not comment on this. I am really upset about this topic. Not because of Britney but because of those who are crucifying her over her mistakes as a parent.

How *do* you know that she didn’t put sunscreen on him and can you really tell he isn’t strapped in? My older niece flopped all over the place like SP is in that picture, despite the fact that we had her car seat checked and tried valiantly to have it properly done up at all times.

Obviously Britney misunderstood the recommendations or law (if it is a law) about car seat positioning.

If you came across your best friend doing what Britney did, would you flip out and get all nasty? No. You’d kindly help her make better choices. Obviously we can’t talk to Britney and help her but that doesn’t mean we should be so cruel. She is human after all.

And to those who say you haven’t made mistakes, you’ve got to be lying or delusional.

I see it in my life in general and where I work in retail. I see parents doing stupid things all the time.

How many of you speed while driving or run red lights with kids on board? Against the law and can be very, very dangerous. How about talking on the cellphone while you’re driving? Some places against the law and also very, very dangerous.

At work, I see parents paying more attention to their cellphone conversations and their quest for the perfect shirt than for their child who is desperately pleading for help finding the bathroom. One such mum was so absorbed in her conversation, she lost her child and had to ask me to help her find her little girl.

I see them letting their kids play on, pull down and jump around the ropes that create our line divider despite the fact that they aren’t designed for that. Kids can trip on the rope, crashing into the concrete floor. Pulling too hard makes the posts connected to the rope topple over and can really easily knock some kid on their noggin. Even when I ask kids to stop, the parents don’t even care or assist in preventing disaster.

In one of our stores, we have an unsupervised child’s play area where kids are meant to be watched over by the parent (signs are posted saying this), but most parents drop their kids there and go off to shop, leaving kids to their own, often ill-advised, devices.

I could name hundreds of stupid things I’ve seen parents (of all ages) do. But most of you don’t get caught.

I don’t agree with or understand some of Britney’s decisions and actions and I am not some huge fan of hers. But she is a young woman whom I genuinely believe is trying to be a decent parent, like all of you. It isn’t kind or reasonable to vilify her for her mistakes.

- could_not_stay_quiet on May 17th, 2006

Wow! Well said ^

- gargoylegurl on May 17th, 2006

could_not_stay_quiet – I think you raise some VERY valid points, many that I agree with.

However – I’m not sure that I agree that Britney is being unfairly vilified. There have been a string of “incidents” since Sean P was born, so of course it’s only natural that people are going to speculate, make assumptions and debate her mothering skills. I believe that had these things happened to the kids of Reese Witherspoon, Brooke Shields, or any other celeb mom, we would probably be having the same discussions.

As I stated above, I personally don’t think that Brit is a bad mother, just a bit air-headed sometimes. 8)

- gargoylegurl on May 17th, 2006

I actually feel very bad for Britney…who else would have their every parenting mistake scrutinized by the world? I know she is famous, but she is so hounded by photographers its insane. I couldn’t imagine living her life.

I don’t agree with her carseat issue, and think she could have researched some parenting issues a bit more, but like a pp said, if this was your friend would you go nuts on them? No..you would just explain & help them correct it.

I DON’T agree with this being because of her age and am very offended by those who said it was. I am a “young” mom at 24 and don’t consider myself an idiot or trying to “continue a normal soriority life” while still being a parent. The choices I have made are best for me….maybe some people wouldn’t have wanted to or been ready to be a parent in their 20′s..thats fine. I am. I throughly research baby products, check for recalls and try to be the best parent I know how to be. Isn’t that all anyone can do at any age? Just because a parent is in their 30′s or 40′s dosent mean that they are suddenly great parents. In fact, a lot of the older parents I know have less experience with children since they spent so long focusing solely on their career. That too is fine…but just being older dosent make you wiser in parenting terms. In my opinion, experience, good support and the willingness to research & read up on current parenting topics HELPS you be a good parent. But, putting in the time and effort is what actually makes you be a good parent. REGARDLESS of age. I’m just so annoyed by people saying you have to be 30 or 40 something to be a good parent & to be “wise” enough to do things right.

By the way, I don’t consider 24 and up to be a “young” parent.

- ckw on May 17th, 2006

Speaking of suggested highway safety laws, yeah Britney was wrong in pretty much everything she did in that situation, but then again how many of the rest of you all follow all of the laws to a T?

Does everyone put their kids in carseats up until they are 100lbs or so, like the govt. suggests?

And what about the mere fact that the air bags in most vehicles were designed to ultimately protect a 6ft, 200lbs male, so anyone less that “shouldn’t be in the front seat…” (What the…?)

Some (on another board) suggested Children’s Services should “take away Sean and Brit’s next baby, because Brit & KFed are such bad parents, and pput them into Foster Care” although I don’t know how that’d go over if Britney’s kids ended up in the CA State Foster Care System!?!

- Autumn on May 17th, 2006

No one is perfect and I don’t think that any of the other mommies were saying that we are perfect. But, obviously, from the responses on here and things I have seen/heard elsewhere we all thought that all peditricians tell you to follow the 20 lbs and 1 year rule, whether or not it is law is beside the point, really.

I don’t think that anyone really has it in for Britney, either. As someone else pointed out, no matter who this was getting caught doing things like this, we would all be saying the same thing.

Britney just seems to have a knack for getting caught while doing stupid things with her child … then again … before she was a mom she had a knack for getting caught doing stupid things. LoL.

- comicbookchick on May 17th, 2006

As for Sean being or not being 20 pounds, he is 8 months old and looks to be a chub. My daughter and my son were both 20 pounds by 8 months and actually my son was by 6 months. The car seat laws have changed since mine were babies, but I did still follow the law. I feel for Britney having every little or big thing she does captured and scrutinized for the world to see. It must be terribly hard to go through as a new mother. I can tell you I did not know it all when I became a mom and I was only 19, but I did figure out the important stuff like car seats and immunizations and doctor appointments.

I have had friends who turned their children forward facing before a year and 20 pounds. I did try to explain it to them, they didn’t care. They were tired of not being able to handle their children while driving because they were rear facing. Their kids screamed while rear facing so they turned them forward and voila!! The kid stopped screaming in the car because they could see mommy. I know it is stupid, but it happens more often than people realize. It just never gets talked about because we are not all celebs like Britney.

I usually take up for her, but on the car seat issue I can’t. I refuse to bash her though. It isn’t right. Is is terrible for people to say they should take her children away when she makes a mistake. EVERY PARENT MAKES MISTAKES!!!! Whether they are life threatening or not, it happens. Should we take everyone’s children away if they fall out of a chair? If they are not buckled in a car seat correctly? No, we should try to educate so it doesn’t happen again. As long as we have the opportunity to educate young women we should. Britney needs a parenting class IMHO, but she shouldn’t have her children taken away. The “system” gives physically and sexually abused children back to those who abuse them all the time. I have personal experience with that through extended family members. But incorrectly buckle your child into a car seat and we need to take the kid away cuz it is Britney doing it. Why is she held to a higher standard??

Someone said about being a young mom and a celeb…Reese Witherspoon was an example of a young mom who got it right. She got it right from what we saw. But, remember…she didn’t get really famous enough to be photographed every day til AFTER she had Ava. So, how do we know she always did everything right! Nobody is perfect. I am certainly not. I am sure I caused some damage parenting my kids at times, but I learned from it and I tried to do my best. Britney just needs some real honest to goodness help and advice. Where is her mom right now anyway?? I never see her with Brit anymore. Maybe her mom could help her learn a bit.

I hope she gets wise from this and starts thinking safer.

- tink1217 on May 17th, 2006

Aside from the forward-/rear-facing debate, has anyone noticed the obvious and MUCH more dangerous problem here? The entire upper half of Sean’s body – which should be held against the back of the car seat by the straps, even if his head rolls forward – isn’t even connecting with the seat!

C’mon people, does it even matter which way the carseat is faced if the child’s body isn’t even RESTRAINED in the first place?

- mom4bob on May 18th, 2006