RF-Why don't people know??

This might not be the right place to post this but why isn't it more publisized about the benefits of rear facing? I informed my DH last night that our DD would sit rear facing as long as possible. He originally had a problem with this. He thinks we've gone way too far and next thing you know our kids will have helmets on in the car. And we were fine as kids. Well a lot of parents smoked while pregnant too and we were fine. Anyway, he asked why everyone else does forward facing. I don't think many people make a decision based on reviews and online info. I think they go to the store and find the one they like best with no backup. Anyway, if you start researching car seats you will be hit the forward facing, rear facing question because you start to wonder why car seats are advertising the rear facing weights at 35 and 40. But if you go looking for the information, it's out there....like msnbc articles and other news sources. Why aren't people more aware...we all know about H1N1, but the rear facing car seat thing no one knows about it and thinks you're weird because your child is going to sit rear facing at age 3. I read my DH some articles including what AAP said and after that he understood. Now I am more aware and it bothers me that my nephew and other friends kids sit forward facing, but I don't want to push anything on anyone.

Right now, NHTSA has chosen to push boosters are for big kids (the 4'9" thing) instead of ERFing. They decided that more good would come from the booster push than from an ERFing push.

I think people don't know for several reasons. The major one is that the outdated 1 year and 20 pounds rule is still everywhere. It's in books, magazine articles, pamphlets, etc. Pediatricians hand it out on forms at appointments and talk about it with parents. Many parents turn their kids then and talk about it. Parents are bombarded with the idea of 1 and 20, as well as being given misinformation, like the supposed "dangers" of feet touching the backseat. I even heard that from a CPST. Turning forward-facing is looked at as a milestone, something for parents to be excited about, as well.

Tied into this is that there is never an explanation given as to why babies are rear-facing. If something's mentioned, it's about neck muscles. Rear-facing is always presented as how a baby should "ride" in a car; there's never any mention about how it protects a child in a crash. I think most parents see car seats as a way to transport a child in a car, not as a potentially protective device in a crash.

I have also found that a lot of people who have heard of extended rear-facing have also practiced other things outside of the mainstream (extended breastfeeding or cloth diapering, for instance). So, I think when I try to share info with friends and family about rear-facing, they see it as just another wacky thing I'm doing, like breastfeeding a toddler.

I also think people don't understand research and statistics. They also think that they are good drivers who won't get into a crash. When the info is promoted (like Good Morning America did a segment on it and posted it online), the reactions are bizarre. I've heard things like, "we rolled around in the way back of the station wagon as kids and we are fine" or "that is just babying kids" or "my doctor said my six month old has super neck strength so he is fine forward-facing" or other nonsensical ideas. So there's a combination of both the idea not being known by parents or rejected by parents who do know it.

bree said:

I've heard things like, "we rolled around in the way back of the station wagon as kids and we are fine"

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These are like the things I've heard. I've heard it when talking about SIDS, which people also don't seem to know too much about. I've heard the we were fine thing for that too. Maybe they should talk to the parents that have lost kids to sids and ff car seats, do you think they say "we were fine" too. I was surprised that my mother-in-law who is the daycare provider for my nephew has to keep asking back or front sleeping. I always feel like I am being too careful because of everyone else, but really I think it's just lack of information on the part of everyone else. I am obviously not going to bubble wrap my child, but if there are little things I can do to protect her, then I will. I feel I owe it to her to make sure that what I am going to put her in is safe for her to be in. I really don't like feeling like I am being overly cautious though.

Some people just don't care either. One of my friends, who I have shared all of the data with, has chosen to put her then 2.5 year old and less then 30lbs in a booster because it is easier. She is also thinking of forward facing her 12 month old who is only 17lbs. All because it is easier for her to deal with and his legs are "just too long for rearfacing". I have shown her pictures of my daughter in an MA with orthotics and is 34 inches long at 18 months.

I love her dearly but this makes me fume.

I know for me, it was lack of knowledge. Years ago, I drove with a baby (6-10months) FF because I didn't know better. Mom asked me if I had a seat, and I did. That was that.

A few years ago, my boss was replacing a roundabout with a regent for her 28 pound 18 month old. The tech we spoke with on the phone didn't give us enough info. All she said was the regent was too big, he was too small (but he was over the 22 pound min). We said his legs touched, and she said the legs didn't matter. That was it. No explanation of crash forces or protecting the neck. So, we got the regent anyway.

Many pediatricians don't talk about carseats. Many are too busy with other things to keep up to date with carseats.

Crash forces aren't always explained to techs during training. If they don't even know, how can they spread the info?

I understand. The reason I figured all this info out was because I always ask questions about things and have found the best places are dedicated forums...found my way to this place a year ago when I was looking for an infant seat and came back when looking for a convertible. I had originally planned to rf until 2 cause I figured there was a reason car seats had extended rf limits and figured there was a reason for the 1 year 20 pound thing. I figured rf had to be safer for little ones, so 2 years old. Then I realized the extent when I came here and decided longer, maybe 3 years old. Then I saw Joel's story and there was no turning back....she was going to be rear facing as long as possible.

also, many people don't look in their manuals... and see where some (more and more now) will say to leave your baby rearfacing as long as you can.

Or they don't keep up on the news... where the AAP changed it's policy to recommending babies stay rearfacing until at least 2yrs old unless they reach the maxium rearfacing capacity of their convertible carseat (and assuming Mommy and Daddy can't/won't buy a different one).

And then we go to picking our battles.... a too-small kid in a seatbelt really is (I PROMISE) more dangerous than a 1yr, 20lb toddler riding forwardfacing AS LONG AS THE SEAT SAYS YOU CAN (aka... was tested and approved for it)

Also, what most people don't take into account is MINIMUMS... the first thing I would ask most people... well, is the MINIMUM all you want for your child in terms of safety? (really only a question for those who are super receptive or who are all IN MY FACE getting offended at my very soft approach)

With DS I didn't know and everyone around me said I could turn him at 1 and 20 plus it said that a child could FF at 1 and 20 in the manual. That is what I did but DS was closer to 30 at a year and the limit was 30 on the seat. With DD she will RF until the 35 pound limit on her TF. I get some guff from the babysitter because he feet are touching the seat but I says it's safe if there was a crash and most likely more comfortable. I am sure people think I am crazy because they let would let me drive their 5 year old children with out boosters and didn't know better at the time.

I think another reason is that people want to trust their government to keep them safe and they figure that if the law is 1 and 20 then it must be safe. The government wouldn't recommend something that's not safe, right?

You know, I just learned that this holds true for carbon monoxide detectors (I had no clue). I had our annual furnace check and the guy did a demonstration with one of our CO detectors. At 400 ppm of CO it took 5 minutes to go off! It won't even go off at all if it's less than 70ppm. So there could be low level CO in my house and I'd never know. Kind of scary. But this is the minimum by law. Now I'm off to research low-level CO alarms.

I have to say that as much as I love the idea of ERF and practice it with my DD, I think the most focus needs to be placed on getting people to use seats PROPERLY. I saw one yesterday with a little girl maybe 14 months ~20lbs. FF in a Scenera, the FF is bad enough but the car seat was so loosely installed that it sat turned at an angle so that 3 other unrestrained kids could also fit in the back seat. It took all of my willl power not to say anything to them directly while I was in Toys R US with them. At least if the seat was installed correctly the baby had a chance to be protected. We need more education on car seat use in general.

You know what really bothers me is that talking about carseats is a like a "sensitive subject" a lot of the time for some reason. I don't understand! I think it is because most people really don't care if they use carseats correctly or not. So they don't and they know it and think it really dosn't matter! But when you try to talk to them about it, its like they would rather talk about ANYTHING else. Maybe they feel slightly guilty or something? Or maybe they just feel like the subject dosn't pertain to them? I don't know....

My aunt for example, her youngest is 6 years old and rides in nothing. None of her kids wear seatbelts unless they decide to put them on, like the little girl who is 8 (but TINY, she only weighs around 45lbs! and she can wear 5T clothes!) usually wears hers from what I've seen. My aunt wears her seatbelt because if she dosn't the car beeps at her so she puts it on to shut the car up. When I mentioned something about car safety to her, she quickly changed the subject and wouldn't let me say anything else about it.

I'm pretty sure the 6 and 8 year old both need to be in HBB's!

My neighbor runs a daycamp company and is around kids all the time and she made the comment that she thought you HAD to turn them at 20 lbs and that 1 year was just the average age kids were when they hit the 20 lb mark.

I was getting my girls in the car while she handed me directions and she commented on why G was still RFing. I said she was still well under the weight limit and she couldn't believe me. I told her that her seat goes to 33 lbs and she's only 28 so we have a ways to go. My friend was sure the weight limit was 20 lbs. Explained that 20 lbs is the bare legal minimum and just because the government says it's good doesn't make it so (got a laugh and the point across ) and that you're really supposed to go by the limits of your seat.

I also think one of the reasons people don't even want to consider ERF is that they think it's so much more inconvenient to put kids in their seats. My DD2 has been climbing into hers probably since she was 18 mo and totally solo (don't worry, I'm spotting her just not touching her) for several months. My friend was actually impressed that she could climb in, even in her witch costume on Halloween. It's not hard, it's just different than what people have done prior.

The "Back to Sleep" campaign has been great to bring awareness to proper sleeping position for babies to reduce the risk of SIDS, so I don't quite know why there isn't a similar campaign for seats. My guess would be that there are so many seats available that there isn't a "standard" weight limit that all seats have. If all seats were 35 lbs there could be some cutsie slogan like "Backwards Drive til 35" but there isn't a standard. So there isn't a slogan so it makes it harder to make an ad campaign to raise awareness.