Used the porta potty until my son was about 4 or 5, but always pulled over,
never in motion.

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 7:18 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> I agree completely with this, and I too was a bit taken aback by the
> idea of anyone, child or adult, using a portapotty while a vehicle is in
> motion, or sleeping on the bed -- though in the old days, we simply
> stretched out.  As a small child, I slept many times stretched across
> the back bench seat of a car.  I don't recommend this now.
>
> So far as the rear seat belts, GoWesty sells rear seat 3 point belts and
> a tether kit for child seats.  I'd check them out with safety personnel
> before trusting them, but they are available.  I suspect GoWesty may
> actually have reports from safety agencies, as they would be litigation
> averse (or should be).
>
> David McNeely
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 8:41 AM, Steve Williams wrote:
>
> I don't want to be a killjoy, and certainly I spent many happy hours
>> in the way-back of a Beetle as a toddler, traveling across the
>> country with my parents.  Heck, when I was 10, my Mom drove a
>> squareback VW from California to Iowa with three kids and a weeks-old
>> baby in a bassinet balanced on the back seat.
>>
>> But those VWs also had no seat belts in the back seats, and attitudes
>> about child car safety have changed.
>>
>> In California, at least, children under 6 must be in an approved car
>> seat or booster seat unless they've grown to 60 pounds.  I doubt a
>> booster seat can be used properly without a shoulder harness, and I
>> don't know whether the Vanagon's rear lap belts can properly secure a
>> modern car seat.
>>
>> The laws may grandfather vehicles that lack the necessary
>> equipment.  I know I wouldn't worry about being ticketed for carrying
>> passengers in the rear seat of my '67 Beetle with no seat belts.
>>
>> But I wouldn't let a 4-year-old sleep unrestrained in the back of a
>> Vanagon or ramble around on the floor.  And I certainly wouldn't put
>> a child in the front passenger seat.  I'd want to do some research
>> into the safest way to restrain a child when only lap belts are
>> available.
>>
>> Sorry to be a downer.
>>
>