It is apparently MUCH MUCH MUCH safer to keep your child in a rear facing seat as long as possible! I always thought you should just keep them there until they outgrew the weight limit or reached the certain age that they say you should put them in a forward facing seat by. Well, Tate is still in his infant carseat. He is very light for his age, so he probably is just barely reaching the weight limit now (22 lbs - although I think he's lost some weight now by having this flu). He is really long though, so his legs can't stretch out straight anymore when he's in the carseat - he never seems to mind or complain about it though. In fact, he is always fairly happy in his carseat - even on longer trips.
Check out this though:
Here is a 5 year old who is happily riding in a rear facing car seat! He outgrew the carseat by weight when he was just over 5 years old...and notice how he's sitting crosslegged -and obviously isn't looking distressed over that fact! ;) Have you ever seen this before? I know I haven't! At least not until I read about it on Heather's blog - which I am very glad I did because I definitely want to know this kind of stuff!I was reading on THIS site as I was researching this a bit and the experts are saying that rear facing is the absolute SAFEST way for a child to travel...and that you should keep them in rear facing as long as you can. If you want to see more pictures of older kids in rear facing seats check out this page. I looked at quite a few of them...and wow! It actually works.
And since Tate is such a small (in weight anyways) boy for his age, I think that we should probably keep him in rear facing as long as possible - maybe even until he outgrows the weight limits for rear facing seats. He doesn't mind it at all (he's never been forward facing so I guess he doesn't even know what that's like! :) ) But I definitely want him to be safe - and I was thinking about this (in the middle of the night when I couldn't get back to sleep! haha) and was thinking that if we were in an accident and he was in a forward facing seat - I don't even want to think about how much damage he might have to his neck, etc...Yes, I can definitely see how rear facing is the safer route. PLUS then he can still sleep in his carseat without doing the "head-bob". haha. What do you all think about this rear facing thing?
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7 comments:
I can see some logic in that. but we wont be putting our boys rear facing.. our boys are both huge. Calebs 40 pounds! i cannot even imagine putting him that way, hed have a fit.
i believe in the soverignty of God and I think their safety is in his hands.. not the carseats.
I dont even remember using carseats as a child :-) and I WAS TINI TINY.
I think we can be smart though and buckle our kids correctly... but maybe im just lazy or something LOL or just think its funny looking... i just dont think thats needed.
I appreciate the links to other sites! They are helpful.
Carter was rear facing as long as we could stand the crying :-) he has ALWAYS hated carseats, even when he was really little...I do agree that it is safer, though, but now that Carter is one, we've found he enjoys the ride more if he can look forward and see us.
As far as the head bobbing while sleeping - I've seen friend's kid's who don't sleep well in their carseat, but noticed they've removed the "infant" head rest thing. We've kept it in, and his head doesn't move at all while he sleeps.
I believe that rear facing carseats serve there purpose, but it can be overdone. I'd hate to think about the damage that little boy in the picture would suffer to his legs if he was in an accident! I do believe in waiting until they meet all of the requirements. If the don't weigh enough by the time they're one, keep them rear facing. If they meet the height and weight, but they're still too young, you shouldn't flip them yet. I believe that the people who design the carseats and set the guidelines know what they're talking about. But to each his own!
::giggling::
Okay, Andrea you let me know how Tate does! I will take your word for it.
MASON WOULD BE SOOOOO MAD AT ME!!!!
THAT IS THE FUNNIEST LOOKING THING EVER! I will say that we waited till Terri was 14 months old to turn her around,her seat said 20lbs, we waited till she was 24lbs. SHE LOVES IT!!! :-D I say to trust in sovereignty of God and turn that child around.
Good Luck!
All that does seem to make sense. Ashlyn has been facing front for so long now that I am sure she would be MAD if we turned her back. I know safety has to be first...but I don't think we will be turning her back. With Riley though, I will probably wait until, I don't know....he is already past the length/weight reqiurements
Just so you know, there is a weight limit on rear facing (33 lbs for most seats), and you have to have a seat that will actually accommodate the weight limit. Check your seat instruction booklet to know.
Also, Tate is likely way too long for his infant seat. Even if he is only at the weight limit now, he should probably be in a convertible seat.
I think broken legs are far better than spinal injuries if you ask me. And really, Rowan is already past the weight limit for rear facing, and he's not a huge child, just really tall for his age, so it's not like every child will be 5 when they are 30 lbs.
I could go on and on about car seat safety, and in fact I'm looking to get certified as a car seat safety technician. If you have any questions, I can try and answer them!
Lani has been hovering on the 20 pound mark for months, but we still turned her around. She was miserable being backwards...was getting super car sick!! BLAH!! There are so many differing opinions on car seat safety and I feel that you need to do what is best for your family. I know that Wesley NEVER would have sat cross legged for too long:P
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