Is putting a child in a car seat REALLY that hard?

My mom is a home daycare provider. One of her former charges was a little girl whose mom sometimes wouldn't use a car seat when she picked her daughter up after work. One more than one occasion, I watched in horror as she put her little girl in the front passenger seat without a car seat or even a seat belt! AND, her daughter was less than two years old!!! Granted, her house was just a few blocks away, but I don't get why she wanted to take the risk for even that. What if a dog or something ran across the street and she had to slam on the brakes? She was obviously not in a time crunch, and besides, car seats are not hard to use. I know because I help my mom get little kids in the car a lot, and it takes me a matter of seconds to buckle them in. And I'm just a dumb teenager! Maybe I'm being overly biased here, though. So I am hoping to get a post from a mom who has done something like this. Is there ever a situation where avoiding the car seat is actually better for the child?
Additional Details
Thanks for the responses, I agree with Full Moon 100%!

littleangelfire81

Knowing exactly how to use a car seat and why can be a confusing thing for parents. There's SOOOOO much to consider and research. But, once you have the seat? No, not very difficult usually just fully read the instructions for the seat. Sadly, though, even parents who *think* they're using it right often aren't. Over 80% of seats are installed and/or used incorreclty. That's a HUGE amount. But a lot of it could be corrected if parents would take the time to completely read the manual BEFORE installing and using the seat, and having an appointment with a car seat tech.

I agree with other posters - i would've reported her. Something like 85% of accidents happen within 5 minutes of home. So she's in the danger zone, there, and her daughter should've been properly restrained in a 5 point harness seat in the back seat. NO child should be riding in the front under 12 years old. Its negligent and irresponsible of this mom to driver her daughter around anywhere this way. I won't even drive through a parking lot without my son in his harness, and he's 4. For good reason - accidents happen in parking lots, too! I once had one. I've also had a run=in with a mailbox less than a block from my home in icy weather. Things DO happen, some people just think it will never happen to them.
The stats say otherwise:
Cars are THE #1 killer of ages 0-18 years. More than drowning, falling, burning, SIDS, etc. We protect from all these other things, but are cavalier with the most likely thing to kill our kids.
http://www.car-seat.org

Full Moon

Whether they are hard to use or not is irrelevant. She should still use the car seat. But I do agree that they are not that hard to use, especially the older child ones you leave in the car. The baby ones take a little more time but she would be in the toddler car seat anyway. I never leave my child unbuckled, no matter how much time it takes or if I am in a hurry. It's not that time consuming that I would put my child at risk and even if it took an hour to buckle them in I would still take the time.

Also, if the parent absolutely had to not use a car seat, the child should definitely not be in the front seat!

Edith Anne

No. If your mother is a licensed home daycare provider she would be required to report this as child endangerment. Child seats are required by the law. Children under 12/a certain weight& height must be seated in teh back seat (airbags are deangerous if you are under a certain size. If the child was injured, or worse, in an accident on the way home from her house your mother could face accessory charges.

UCANTCME

I would have called the child protective service on this women.

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