The importance of rear facing

I thought I'd link a few videos for people whose kids are getting close to 1... and hopefully it will strike a few chords and leave the babies rear facing longer...

I'd love this to be a sticky but if people read it it will be better than nothing.

The important of rear facing as long as possible... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

And another one, for when you consider switching to a booster...

The importance of using a 5pt harness as long as possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

 

ive been wondering about this. dd is 17lbs now, and the side of the carseat says when they hit 20lbs to put it forward facing, guess im not gonna now!! thanks

 

I think this is an awesome post!

The AAP now recommends that infants/toddlers remain rear facing until their 2nd birthday. This one is a sore spot for me... my SSIL (Stupid Sister in Law ) turned her son around at nine months and he's always been by the door because it is more convenient... Lazy = BAD.

 

I'm just curious what if your child's legs are too long - my twins are 11 months, and DD has to already scrunch her legs up when she's in her seat (rear facing of course). Obviously I want them rear facing as long as possible!

Any suggestions?

 

My Graco seats go to 30 pounds and I'm planning on keeping them in them for as long as possible. Of course I'm not going to be lugging them around at that weight.

 

the video shows a few older children and their legs are just bent up. looks uncomfy, but its safer!

 

QUOTE(MamaD @ Nov 11 2008, 05:27 PM) [snapback]1065948[/snapback]
The AAP now recommends that infants/toddlers remain rear facing until their 2nd birthday.


I got very excited when I read this. But I hadnt heard this, so I went to the AAP website and this is what I found. I dont see where they changed it. ardon:

While I agree that riding rear facing as long as possible is safer, it is up to the parents to decide once they meet the one year and 20 pound requirement when to do so. I know that the NICU strongly encouraged us to keep them rear facing until at least they reached their adjusted age birthday and weight limit.

 

I was just discussing this w/ dh as Nathan was 20 pounds 27 ½ in the day he turned 6m (5m adjusted) … what are we going to do in another 6m? Seth was 19 pounds the day he turned 6m (5 m adjusted) same height… of course I want them rear facing… older ds made it past 12m rear facing… but he has always been the size he should… wore 6m clothes at 6m… 12 m at 12m… Nathan and Seth are wearing 12m pjs… and only fit some of their 9m… OYE!

 

There are several convertible car seats on the market that are rated for rear facing and 30lbs! To the pp who asked about what to do with her big 6 month olds, definitely check the requirements for your seats for rear facing. I know ours wasn't rated to turn around forward facing until 22lbs.

 

I just want to add - it's not 20lbs OR 1 yr - it's 20 lbs AND 1 yr. So no kids should be turned before 1 yr, ever!

 

"When used properly, rear-facing carseats provide significant safety advantages in frontal, frontal offset and side impacts. These types of crashes are far more frequent and severe than rear-end crashes. For these reasons, rear-facing is the safest mode of travel, especially for infants. In the USA, this recommendation is valid through the 30, 33 or 35 pound maximum rear-facing weight limit of newer convertible carseats, or until the child outgrows their convertible carseat by height. The height limit of a rear-facing carseat may be listed in the owner's manual. A child is also considered too tall for a rear-facing seat if the top of their head is at the level of the top of the carseat shell. It is NOT considered a safety issue if a child's legs are bent at the knees in a rear-facing carseat, or if their feet can touch the vehicle's seat back. At a very minimum, children should remain rear-facing until AT LEAST one year of age AND 20 pounds in weight. In countries like Sweden, children are often kept rear-facing much longer, even to 3 or 4 years old. Auto related injury and death rates for rear-facing children in Sweden are near zero because of this."

attributed to car seats.org

My mistake regarding the AAP - it is what I understood to be true and I should have checked - mea culpa.

 

Yes mamaD...

Here's another post of a Grandfather telling his story...

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppcarseats/?msg=66986.1

It's pretty horrible when you think of it, you can't really keep your children safe in this country!!!

 

R and E will turn 3 years in February. They are still rear facing and will continue to do so until they reach the limits of their Britax Marathon car seats (33 lbs). The girls don't know anything different and are happy facing that way. They usually just bend their knees up or sit crossed legged (doesn't bother them at all). Rear facing is much safer for their necks and spinal columns in the event of an accident.

Please remember that even though it is up to the parents to decide it is the law that:
The baby MUST be AT LEAST 1 year old AND AT LEAST 20-22 pounds before going forward-facing.

Another good source of info:

www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html

 

QUOTE(Ryan & Emmy @ Nov 11 2008, 02:00 PM) [snapback]1066002[/snapback]
I'm just curious what if your child's legs are too long - my twins are 11 months, and DD has to already scrunch her legs up when she's in her seat (rear facing of course). Obviously I want them rear facing as long as possible!

Any suggestions?



My older DS rode rear-facing until he reached the weight limits on his Britax Marathon (33lbs) and he just learned to sit "like a pretzel" as kindergarten teachers say. It never bothered him at all - I think they just adjust and they don't know any different, so its no big deal to them!

 

I didn't look at any of these links, but I've already seen some videos and such on this topic, and one, and I forget where and all that, said that in a perfect world children should stay rear facing until like 4 or 5. Which sounds good to me too, but what if your child outgrows the seat weightwise? either for rear facing or all together? You can't continue to keep them in it rear facing, can you? Cause I think I would totally keep mine rear facing until like 3 or so, if it's possible.

 

You can't in the US

 

These videos have come up many times on the board here and I was glad to see that the one of the three year old little boy now goes into specifics about tethers, before they just encourages five point harnesses and most require that you use the seat belt from about 38lbs.

 

Thank you! It will make me think twice and be more informed when people ask me about it!