I remember having to avidly research how we could fit three car seats/boosters into our smallish sedan. We did figure it out but it was not an easy solution. "Don’t make it harder to have a family. Make it easier." In many situations larger families are disadvantaged when registering for programs (sports, art, music, you name it), as it gets very costly. For this reason I use a "family first" costing system for my homeschool co-ops: each family pays the same price, whether they have one, two, or six children. This allows many families to participate in hands-on science classes, Latin, sports, etc who could otherwise not afford it.
My husband and I had 3 children in 3 years (starting right after his grad school), and also moved three times in there. With all the costs associated with those life changes - and living on one income - the hassle of loading our child into fancy, slim Diono carseasts has seemed better than shelling out a small fortune to buy a minivan. For now, at least.
I grew up in Brooklyn as 1 of 5. We took the bus a lot. I wouldn't argue cars should be more dangerous for children; it's the car itself that poses a problem. If I'm forced to use this in effect deadly machine, I do want my child to be as safe as possible.
I remember having to avidly research how we could fit three car seats/boosters into our smallish sedan. We did figure it out but it was not an easy solution. "Don’t make it harder to have a family. Make it easier." In many situations larger families are disadvantaged when registering for programs (sports, art, music, you name it), as it gets very costly. For this reason I use a "family first" costing system for my homeschool co-ops: each family pays the same price, whether they have one, two, or six children. This allows many families to participate in hands-on science classes, Latin, sports, etc who could otherwise not afford it.
Reminds me of two essays (in the realms of fertility decline & the friction of carseats):
The New Malthusians by Lyman Stone
https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/culture-of-life/the-new-malthusians
The Case of the Carseats by Addison Del Mastro
https://thedeletedscenes.substack.com/p/the-case-of-the-car-seats?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=329870&post_id=89285142&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
My husband and I had 3 children in 3 years (starting right after his grad school), and also moved three times in there. With all the costs associated with those life changes - and living on one income - the hassle of loading our child into fancy, slim Diono carseasts has seemed better than shelling out a small fortune to buy a minivan. For now, at least.
Great read! Thanks for your diligent research and excellent writing!
I grew up in Brooklyn as 1 of 5. We took the bus a lot. I wouldn't argue cars should be more dangerous for children; it's the car itself that poses a problem. If I'm forced to use this in effect deadly machine, I do want my child to be as safe as possible.