Originally Posted by
BillScann
Sorry Dave, I won't play. If you'll go back and re-read what you yourself wrote, you'll see that even you don't these things are safe. I'm sorry, but if you don't want to hold your child you'll have to buy an extra seat and strap him in, effectively immobilizing him. Pleasant for the baby: no. But as you don't want to use your own arms, its better than the alternatives.
Hi Bill,
Okay, no problem. But just to clarify: I do accept that the lap belt approach isn't perfect, and I do accept that a separate seat with a car seat would be safer. But, I also think that holding the baby but not using a lap belt is no safer than the lap belt option, and given the choice of a) holding with arms + lap belt, or b) holding with arms with no lap belt, I don't see any benefit of b) over a). Unless of course, there is some position in which you hold the baby that precludes the use of the lap belt (hence my questions); but in that case, you'd have to convince me that the benefits of that position outweigh the benefit of the fact that the baby is prevented from travelling any distance through the cabin by means of a belt. Personally, I'd have more faith in an the combination of an inanimate lap belt + my arms to anchor a child than my arms alone, in the case of an emergency. YMMV.