New AAP Car Seat Recommendations - rear facing until age of 2!

[Kimberli]

FINALLY - Marissa, I know you'll be happy to see this! ;)

AAP comments on rear-facing car seats. There is a well known myth that toddlers in rear-facing car seats whose feet can reach the back of the vehicle seat are more likely to suffer injuries to their legs in a car accident, however these injuries are NOT common in rear-facing seats.

New research indicates that children under 2 years of age are 75% less likely to die or experience serious injury when they ride in a rear-facing car seat and, toddlers between 1 and 2 years of age are 5 times safer than toddlers who ride in a front-facing car seat.

The reason behind this conclusion is pretty simple. When an accident occurs and a child is rear facing the force of the accident is distributed evenly over the entire body, forward facing children, because the force of the car crash is concentrated on seat belt contact points, can suffer from neck and head injuries because children’s necks are weak and their heads are disproportionately large for their little necks. Dr. Bull, who wrote the commentary for Pediatrics, states, “…it is far better to send children to orthopedic specialists to have lower extremities treated, than to send them to neurological specialists to have cervical spine injuries treated.” Makes sense!

According to the AAP, all infants should ride rear-facing in an infant car seat or convertible seat. If an infant car seat is used, baby should be switched to a rear-facing convertible car seat once the maximum height (when the infant’s head is within 1 inch of the top of the seat) and weight (usually 22 pounds to 32 pounds) are reached for that infant seat, as suggested by the car seat manufacturer. Toddlers should remain rear-facing in a convertible car seat until they have reached the maximum height and weight recommended for the model, or at least the age of 2.

To see if your car seat is installed properly and to find a certified passenger safety technician in your area, visit www.SeatCheck.org or www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm. You also can call 866-SEATCHECK (866-732-8243) or 888-327-4236.

http://askdrsears.com/news/headlines0809.asp

[TXLeslie]

I read that this morning and I am glad Ryan is almost 2yo.

Leslie

[Marissa]

Yes Kim makes me very happy, I just wish parents would take this into conisderation..........everyone that knows me still THINKS I am bananas for having Gael rear-faced........... I hope pedis start to emphasize this on parents just like when they turn one they tell you its okay to turn them ff.........

[Tracy]

I'd consider it Marissa! ;) If Megan were little, she'd still be RFing. But I look at how long her legs are when she's FF and can't imagine her RFing. I know they can bend their legs but as soon as she got long enough to where she couldn't stretch her legs straight, she started throwing fits in the car. It was hard enough getting her in the seat when she was 32in and 25lbs (the size she was when I turned her at 4 days before her birthday), I couldn't even imagine the fight now with her being at least 36in and 32lbs!

[EthanNLillysmama]

i have been thinking about this for a while now. i think i am going to keep ethan rear facing til 2 or almost. his head is like an inch from the visor thats on his carseat now and 29 in is the length and hes 28in. i just keep holding off on a new one cause i like that i can grab his seat and switch it from one car to the other just snapping it into a base and go. but my mom will just have to get a carseat also so i dont have to move it. i still have $60 to save up for his new one!!!!! someone i knew there baby just turned one and i swear she wasnt even 20 lbs and they had her forward facing!! after i saw that i decided im keeping ethan rear facing longer.

[MistyAnn]

Yeah!

Tracy I couldnt imagine Megan rear facing. She is such a big girl! but she's as "big" as my girls so it's just harder to think about. though my girls are a little bit taller at 42 inches lol.

[Marissa]

Gael is not a tall little guy, but even then I will keep him RF as long as possible, his feet do touch the seat but he just sits indian style or he opens his legs.

Speaking of I might take a trip somewhere soon we might take gael we might not.........I am debating on taking his carseat in the plane........he can still sit on my lap till 2 but then again he will not stay still and the best thing for us and his safety might be to just take his seat in the plane....... we shall see.

[Kimberli]

If he's anything like Nicholas Marissa, he would want to be down and getting into everything - I'd have to take his seat to keep him contained! :lol:

Nicholas' feet touch the back seat and have for some time but he isn't uncomfortable by any means so I will keep him rear-facing as long as I can get away with! Legs are meant to be bent! ;)

[Marissa]

I was thinking the same thing Kim, I think we would have to take his seat for our sanity and for that of the other people on the plane.........lol and well for safety.....We shall see.........if we go to Canada then we will take G if we go to Vegas then we will leave G

[4BlueBlessings]

i am glad... the sad thing is.... around here.. it wont be "enforced" =( car seat safety is NOT taken seriously enough by law enforcement if you ask me!

[*Molly*]

We kept youngest RFing until she was 17 months. I felt so guilty turning her around, but it's worked out so much better for her.

Does FFing and RFing make a difference in carsickness?

[Marissa]

It can Molly, some children have very bad motion car sickness when rear-facing........ just like they do when on a swing or what not.......

[Raquel]

i wanted to RF as long as possible but my boys are so stinking tall i had to move them to FF

[*Molly*]

As soon as we switched her to FFing, she started getting carsick.

[Marissa]

Yeah its possible Molly, it can happen with either or...............

I honestly love Gael rear-facing.......he is used to it and it does not inconvenience me in any way, plus when he naps in there he has a better angle for his head than if he were FF........ Gael will just have to learn to sit indian style for a long time or open them up to the sides like he does now.......... I can see him this way till he is 3 or more, we shall see

[MamaCulby]

I read that this morning and I am glad Ryan is almost 2yo.

Leslie

I wish the government would leave carseat choices up to the parents and what they think is safest for their children. I don't like the government or any other organization telling me what is safe or not safe for my own kid.

Regardless of my feelings on this issue.... we should all be free to do what we think is safe for our children.

[TXLeslie]

Gael is not a tall little guy, but even then I will keep him RF as long as possible, his feet do touch the seat but he just sits indian style or he opens his legs.

Speaking of I might take a trip somewhere soon we might take gael we might not.........I am debating on taking his carseat in the plane........he can still sit on my lap till 2 but then again he will not stay still and the best thing for us and his safety might be to just take his seat in the plane....... we shall see.

I took Ryan on a plane 2 times before he was 1. He did great. I had an airplane strap on thing that he sat in and it strapped to me.

Leslie

[Tracy]

I wish the government would leave carseat choices up to the parents and what they think is safest for their children. I don't like the government or any other organization telling me what is safe or not safe for my own kid.

Regardless of my feelings on this issue.... we should all be free to do what we think is safe for our children.

Its actually not law, just a recommendation. Each state varies but in CA, the law is that seats be used according to carseat manufacturers restrictions. So if on your seat its printed child must be RFing until 1 year AND 20lbs then thats the law here. If the seat says one year OR 20lbs, then legally you can change before the first birthday. I think all newer seats say 1yr AND 20lbs but in the past it was 1yr OR 20lbs. So, until the AAP gets the carseat companies to change their labels/manuals/websites/etc to say 2years OR 35lbs (they can't do AND because Megan and lots of other kids will be 35lbs before she is 2-some kids hit that by age 1!), its still up to you when to flip.

[MamaCulby]

for now it is but it used to be up to me when to take my kid out of a booster seat after 4 years old and now it's not. Give it enough time and ERF will be law just like the in a booster till 8 years old law.

[TXLeslie]

In TX, they either have or they are trying to pass a law that states a child must remain in a booster seat until they are 8yo.

Leslie

[MamaCulby]

yeah, ohio just passed it this year. i think pretty much all the states will have it within the next few years.

[Tracy]

In CA its still 6yrs and honestly, might only be 4yrs. I'll have to go do a little more research on it. I know my bff's 4yo ds is in a backless booster already (I don't agree with it as I don't like the way the belt hits his neck but he's not my kid and I'm not fighting with her about it, my soon to be 7yo ds still has a high back!). And in an older vehicle (like my brother's truck) that doesn't have shoulder belts, my ds can wear just the lap belt with no sort of carseat or booster.

[4BlueBlessings]

same here Tracy. I have 3 in 5 point harnesses and 1 in a high back booster... and I plan to keep the older boys in the 5pt harness untill they cant fit any longer they will reach height before weight.

Brian is still rear facing (we moved him out of the infant carrier seat about 2 weeks ago) I agree it's jsut as convient as forward facing. My only complaint is that you cant put the passenger seat back REALLY far... like you cant recline it on a long trip... but my being uncomfy vs his safety is not ? about what I will tolerate..lol. If I had my choice my boys would be in car seats on the bus!

[Tracy]

Don't get me started on buses! At the very minimum, they should have lap belts installed! I went on a field trip with Cameron's class back in Jan and it drove me nuts that the kids could move around so much.

I just moved my 4yo ds out of his harness (his only goes to 40lbs) to a high back which is why I can't believe my friends kid is just in a backless (our boys are about the same size). He was 40.5in and 36 or 37lbs at his 4yr appt. I thought he'd be in his harness longer (he's my runt!) but was bigger than I thought. I moved him so that I had time (more like 3lbs and 2in) to train him how to behave in a booster but still had the option of moving him back to the harness if he didn't behave. I didn't have that option with my ds1 who was moved to a highback at 3yrs, 3mo because he was already 43lbs and waaaaaaay too tall for his seat. At the time, I couldn't afford a really expensive seat and to be completely honest, I don't think Britax had a 65lbs harness yet. I got Megan the Marathon because she's big like my ds1 was (bigger actually) and I didn't want to run into the same issues we had with him.

[4BlueBlessings]

i think ours is up to 65 lbs.... BUT the boys will outgrown the height restrictions before the weight part I am sure

[Marissa]

The reason that the govt/law has to get involved is because a LOT of parents don't understand the safety importance of having a child restrained in a carseat and how it can save their life. Maybe as parents we think we know whats safe for them or not, but when you are recommended to do something to save your childs life and then go against it and end up with a tragedy is just something we might as well avoid. I don't mind carseats and I don't see the big deal of discomfort it might cause to us parents.........they don't bother me one bit and I think the booster law that might pass here in TX for up to the age of 8 is awesome, the kids will be better positioned while using a seatbelt. :-)

[Tracy]

The booster until 8 doesn't bother me either. Its not like they're demanding a harness. And it only has to be a backless which is nothing. Heck, my kids will probably sit in one forever just because they like to put toys in the cup holders! And, my kids are no where near my height and the belt set as low as it can go, still rubs along my neck and drives me insane so there's no way I'm letting my almost 7 yr old who is about a foot shorter than me go in just a belt.

I just don't see them ever being able to make it a law to RF until 2yrs old. There are too many other factors involved. The size of the car seat and how it fits in a car. RFing limits would have to be increased as there are lots of kids that are over 30/35lbs by 2yrs old. Not all cars can fit a big giant seat RFing in the back. If the Gov. is going to insist on bigger, older kids RFing then the seats are going to have to get bigger. The Gov. can't force people to buy new, big cars just to make a carseat fit.

And to be completely honest, making the limits bigger aren't going to make all those people who don't use seats and don't use them correctly suddenly rush out and follow the guidelines. The people who don't use seats or turn their kids at 6mo are still going to do so. It just hurts people like me who do whats best as long as they can. Sure, I flipped Megan at a year old but had she not been screaming and fighting every time I tried to get her in the seat (and her size made it very hard for me to get her in), she would have stayed a little longer. I couldn't handle the screaming. Maybe I'm a terrible mother for letting something as stupid as screaming be the reason flipping my child but I couldn't concentrate on driving with it. So if the law was turned to 2yrs, I would have to stop driving. Which means my kids wouldn't go to school, wouldn't go to doctors, I'd never be able to go to a store for groceries/diapers, the kids wouldn't get to play sports, etc. until Megan was 2. Seem excessive? Its not. I cannot walk everywhere (it would probably take me and the kids 2hrs to walk to the drs office) and will not take my kids on a bus (no seatbelts at all!).

[Kimberli]

I agree that we as parents should be responsible for decisions with our kids but at the same time, as Marissa said - there are a lot of ignorant people out there who think "they know best" without doing any kind of research - which makes these recommendations from the AAP and other gov't agencies who put a lot of money into research for making these recommendations, very important IMO.

My front passenger seat is in the same position (pretty far forward but still possible to sit in) with Nicholas' Britax that it was with his Graco infant seat so I don't see how that would be a factor to not ERF...

[Tracy]

But again, those people that don't do any research aren't going to suddenly change because now the limits are higher! I'm all for the recommendations being changed to higher but not the laws. Definitely get drs telling people that ERF is safer but don't force everyone to have to stick to that because there are people that just can't! Thankfully I drive a minivan and could ERF if I had chosen to do so but if I was still driving my 2 door Saturn Sports Coup and it was law to RF until 2yrs old, I couldn't have had another baby. Well, *I* could have because my kids are 2.5-3yrs apart but if I wanted kids close in age (like my cousin who's kids are 14mo apart), I couldn't have done that. My car was so tiny that I couldn't even get the infant seat in the back. It fit once in but to get it back there, you had to move the front seat all the way forward, lean it forward and then turn the seat sideways and wedge it in. The front seat then had to stay all the way forward. Now, I'm not exactly tall but if I had to have 2 RFing seats (lets say I had an 18mo old and a newborn), I couldn't drive that car because I'd be on top of the steering wheel. My DH wouldn't have been able to get into the car! The only seats that worked in that car were FF. I kept Cameron in the front seat when he was RFing (no airbags so it was okay!) because that was honestly the only way the seat (both infant and convertible) fit properly. I just don't see how the govt can make ERF a law when there are so many cars out there that don't fit 2 RFing seats. If my front seat was all the way back, there was all of 3-4in between the back seat and front seat. Only about 8 or so if the seat was forward. There was absolutely no way to get a RFing seat behind the drivers seat and still be able to drive if you're much more than 5ft tall! Oh, and there was no middle rear seat. I'm thankful I was able to get rid of that car after I got pg with Sam because I don't know how I would have worked with a RFing seat and a FF seat. But not everyone can just go out and get a new car because they're pregnant again or pregnant for the first time! (and don't say they should wait until they can afford it because if I had waiting until I knew I could afford kids, I'd still be waiting!) I know that the middle center is the safest but I couldn't get a seat back there and there wasn't a middle to begin with! And I couldn't afford a new car with Cameron! My DH's car was a better option for a carseat but he couldn't drive my car for his job. He drove people around and couldn't be shoving people in that back seat. I barely fit back there! He drove it once and only had his boss with him and he barely fit in the front seat and told my DH to not drive that car anymore!

[Kimberli]

Well I don't know, I guess I'm agreeing to disagree - all I'm saying is I believe, from the research I've seen, ERF is safest so that's the option I'm choosing for my children. And I will make whatever sacrifices I have to make to keep them as safe as possible (not that I'm saying we all wouldn't)...

[Marissa]

Very true Kim, I think ERF is the safest also, and I also agree that infant seats take up more space RF than Covertible seats RF, I have more space in our vehicle now with the covertible seat RF than when we had the Infant seat. Eventhough we do whats best for our kids you always have the parents who think their kid is safe at the age of 2 with no carseat or FF at 6 months..........like Kim said some people are just ignorant........

[Jketti]

I recently flipped Miss M right before her 2nd birthday. I wanted to keep her for a bit longer but she was getting too close to growing out of it height wise and I was getting tired of measuring her every other week. At a year she was barely 20lbs and there was no way she was going FF. That is just too little to be facing forward in my eyes. My ds was 25lbs at 1 yrs old and had I know what I know now he would of also be Rf till he hit the height/ weight limit.

Now the reason I choose to have Miss M ERF because I had seen a story on a little boy who was hurt very badly in a head on collision. He was not RF'ing.

Both of my kids will be in a harness till they are 65lbs or until they grow out of it height wise. (ds will for sure) In my eyes I would rather be safe and know that they are safe then be sorry and mad at mad at myself.

They are now making seats that RF up to 40lbs. Not sure if anyone has seen this or not?

[Marissa]

Yup we have seen the 40lb rf seat its the new Graco Myride and also another one which is the Radian Car-seat the weight limit RF was increased http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2009/07/09/radian-car-seat-rear-facing-weight-limits-increased-to-40-lbs.htm

JKetti- by height limit, do you mean what the manufacturer says or because she has reached to have less then one inch of hardshell over her head?

[MamaCulby]

for those to do extended rear face.. have you seen these seats?

http://www.gracobaby.com/Catalog/Pages/ProductListingPage.aspx?catid=10:41%7C%7C1+10434:4 294958943%7C%7C1#/1815

http://www.orbitbaby.com/products/tcs.html

I was reading an article and it seems these seats are the recommended ones from parenting.com. They look like they have more leg space.

[Marissa]

Yup I am aware of the Graco My Ride but I already have all my million carseats lol I have 4 so yeah I can't possibly buy another one...........I bought my seats before the MyRide came out and well the Orbit one is a bit to pricy :yup:

[MamaCulby]

i'd like to see what a 2 year old looks like in the myride rear facing. Has anyone seen any pics of that one with a grown child in it?

[Jketti]

JKetti- by height limit, do you mean what the manufacturer says or because she has reached to have less then one inch of hardshell over her head?


Marissa yes she was getting a bit too close to the hard shell. If I was measuring correctly (I found on a carseat board how to measure) she was like at 1.5in from the shell. I wish I would of pushed for a britax back when we had to get a carseat for ds. She probably would still be RF'ing right now.

[Marissa]

Oh I see, well you kept RF as long as possible, which is good, I do have Marathons so G will be RF a while longer. I have not seen a two year old rf in teh MyRide yet............If I find a pic of one I'll let you know.