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Carseats are one of the {many} things that are a challenge to navigate. There is the law, and then there are recommendations.
When Ellie turned one, there was not this huge deal made about 'rear-facing as long as possible.' You turned your child forward when they hit one year and 20 pounds.
Now people talk about keeping their 3 even 4 year olds rear-facing and I had to wonder, is this the new thing? Making your own organic baby food and using organic cloth diapers isn't enough. Now we need to somehow fold a child's legs like Origami to keep them facing backwards? Seriously?
Our pediatrician is a realist. She's a mom of two and knows how stressful driving is when your child is facing the opposite direction. Dr. B told me not to feel bad about switching Madeline forward at 18 months if getting her into the car is a struggle or you find yourself distracted trying to tend to her needs in the car. Because a distracted driver is less safe than having your child forward facing.
But here's the thing, Madeline doesn't fight going into the carseat. And she doesn't complain so I'm not distracted. With an impending road trip where having both children facing the same direction so they can easily view their favorite tv shows would be really nice, I went searching for information about WHY rear-facing is so important.
Why is rear-facing so important? According to Carseat.org:
Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks. The neck bones are soft, and the ligaments are stretchy. If the baby is facing forward in a frontal crash (the most common and most severe type of crash), the body is held back by the straps, but the head is not. The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck. Older children and adults wearing safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries. But a baby's neck bones are soft and actually separate during a crash, and the spinal cord can tear. It's like yanking an electrical plug out of a socket by the cord and breaking the wires.
In contrast, when a baby rides facing rearward, the whole body--head, neck, and torso--is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash. Facing rearward also protects the baby better in other types of crashes, particularly side impacts.
When should a child switch from rear-facing to forward-facing?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says: When they are too big for rear-facing in their convertible seats. Most kids are 2 or 3 years old when they are too big. "Too Big" means either too tall or too heavy.
Too Tall: If head is within one inch of the top of the child safety seat.
Too Heavy: If child is 30 or 35 pounds--it depends on which seat you have.
The Car Seat Lady states that, according to research, a small child is 5 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a car crash if they are forward-facing.
After sharing this information with Ryan, we have decided to follow the 'as long as possible' recommendation. Madeline still meets the height and weight requirements and getting into her carseat is not one of the times she throws her trademark baby fit.
For more information about carseats and forward vs rear-facing, visit:
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Carseat.org
HealthyChildren.org
Is your toddler still rear-facing? When did you make the switch?
As a mommy, I remember when my 14 year old hit that forward-facing milestone. I counted the days until his one year birthday, because he hit the 2o pound mark a couple months earlier. Our toddler/preschool carseat laws were relatively new, and just having to leave them in the bulky seat was an irritation. We all survived, right?
ReplyDeletePart of our family was in an car accident at the end of July. The twins were still rear-facing at 15 months, because I had viewed a youtube video showing the necessity of the added protection rear facing seats provide. I personally will not hesitate to keep them rear-facing for as long as I can find a seat that will support their weight. I will even pay extra for it. Because my twins were rear-facing at the time of the crash, they sustained only seat belt rash and bruising from the harness. We were rear ended by a brand new shuttle bus- the driver somehow did not notice us waiting to turn right into a driveway and hit us from behind at nearly full speed!
If you're interested in reading my post on rear facing safety, it can be found at http://www.mysnugglybugs.com/2010/11/is-your-childs-car-restraint-keeping.html
I am actually in the process of working out their seating situation again. The vehicle that replaced the one that was totaled in the accident does not allow for the same rear-facing opportunities for the twins. They had to take a trip forward facing last weekend, and I did not feel comfortable with the available options. Forward facing is definitely better than no harness at all though.
I turned both of my kids right around age 1. I didn't really know about all of the "as long as possible" recommendations with my first... and with my second, it was just plain easier to have both kids facing the same way. I don't have to turn around nearly as much this way. This really isn't an issue for us anymore since they're 30 & 40 lbs.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank you for making your OWN decision about FF/RF, and for sharing the info you found without preaching or bashing the people who don't choose to ERF. Kudos & safe travels to all.
I've read the rear-facing as long as possible info and that is our plan. Mungee doesn't know what she's missing since she's never faced forward (other than one time when we rode in a friend's car with a forward-facing seat and she got to watch a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD - I thought it was all over, but I think she forgot :)
ReplyDeleteI say keep them rear facing as long as possible. Safety for my kids are my major concern. I would rather be safe then sorry.
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