If she puts the child in anything other than her proper car seat when she picks up the child tonight, get her tag number and make and model of her car and call the police immediately.

You should call the Child Protection Agency during the day today as well.

Also, you can let her know tonight that you can not release the child to anyone who you are aware of not having a proper car seat for the child.

I had this exact thing happen with one of my daycare kids a few months ago and discussed it here on this forum. I made a big fuss about it to the mother. I told them that if I see a child with no car seat, I am a mandatory reporter and am required to report it to the police immediately. I told her that I can not release the child to anyone without a car seat. The mother had her cousin (I think it was her cousin) go buy the child during the day and had it when they picked up the child.

If you make a big fuss about it like that, hopefully they will buy the child a car seat. If they can't afford one, you might be able to find programs that either give them away for free or sell them at a reduced price. Maybe you can try to find some of those programs during the day today and give her contact information about them tonight. In my area, though, the people at those places said that so many people need car seats here, that as soon as they get them, they are given away. So you have to get on a waiting list that's months long. So, the program didn't help my daycare mom and she simply had to buy a car seat at the regular store.

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