reclining in carseat?

berrybear · Dec 17, 2009

Hi all,
i have a general question. we just turned our 15MO son's britax boulavard to FF in our subaru legacy. we are struck by how far back he is reclined now. it seems like it makes it more difficult for him to comfortably hold and look through a book. in the instructions it says we shouldn't pad or add towels or anything so i dont want to do that.
this is the first kid in our family so every step is a first for us - maybe this is an optimal position to minimize neck injury in case of accident??
any thoughts welcome...
thanks!

Maedze · Dec 17, 2009

Welcome and gird your loins for about a million answers saying the same thing

Your baby is MUCH too young to forward face. He is 500% more likely to suffer a serious injury...or even worse. NO one recommends turning a one year old forward facing as a matter of course.

Children need to be kept rear facing to the limits of their convertibles which in your case is 35 pounds or within an inch of the top.

On the off chance that your infant is all ready 35 pounds, you need to buy him a new car seat because no 15 month old is safe in a forward facing seat.

(Incidentally, my guess is that he looks overly reclined because you have the seat in the mechanical reclined position rather than the upright position).

But if you take anything away from this thread, it's that your 15 month old is too young to forward face...

Go out, turn it around. Don't take another ride, not even a short one, not even a ride around the corner, with the seat facing the front of the vehicle. His neck and head are at serious risk like that.

ame0312 · Dec 17, 2009

Maedze said:
Welcome and gird your loins for about a million answers saying the same thing

Your baby is MUCH too young to forward face. He is 500% more likely to suffer a serious injury...or even worse. NO one recommends turning a one year old forward facing as a matter of course.

Children need to be kept rear facing to the limits of their convertibles which in your case is 35 pounds or within an inch of the top.

On the off chance that your infant is all ready 35 pounds, you need to buy him a new car seat because no 15 month old is safe in a forward facing seat.

(Incidentally, my guess is that he looks overly reclined because you have the seat in the mechanical reclined position rather than the upright position).

But if you take anything away from this thread, it's that your 15 month old is too young to forward face...

Go out, turn it around. Don't take another ride, not even a short one, not even a ride around the corner, with the seat facing the front of the vehicle. His neck and head are at serious risk like that.

:yeahthat:

lovinwaves · Dec 17, 2009

Yes, the Britax seats can install looking more reclined forward facing than other seats. I wouldn't worry about it honestly. The Britax seats are very popular, and I haven't really heard to much about kids not liking the recline forward facing. If anything, it is a plus for kids so when they fall asleep their head doesn't flop forward.

How much does your son weigh? What vehicle is his seat installed in?

Have you heard about all the new buzz around keeping children rear-facing for as long as their seat will allow? Which in your case would be until your son is around 35lbs (depends on your Britax model and year) or until his head is within an inch of the top of the car seat shell.

Welcome to car-seat.org

berrybear · Dec 17, 2009

ok, thanks for the quick feedback!
no, the seat is not in the mechanically reclined position - but that's fine, if that's how it's supposed to be then that OK.

he's about 25-26 lbs and super Loong - 95th percentile. i realize that he could technically stay in RF position longer but his legs were so cramped (i can't quite remember without seeing him in the position but i want to say they def bent 90degrees - maybe more?.) we even began to wonder if that became dangerous in and of itself w/ a rear end collision that pushed his legs towards his chest (??)....but i guess in an accident compressed legs would be better than a whipped neck....

i'ts a subaru legacy.
thanks again!

DisneyWorldNanny · Dec 17, 2009

Please, Please turn your son back around rear facing... My little sister is 32 inches tall, 24lbs and very comfortable rear facing in her Boulevard. She is in the 90th percentile for height as of last week's Dr. visit and given we have the straps set down almost as low as they go- she must be all legs, not torso...sounds like the two are of similar size so I am quite positive that your son is perfectly comfortable rear facing in that seat.

I know it's mainstream for him to be forward facing but it is so dangerous and we would't dream of turning my sister right now. I know you're new to the site and our opinions about rear facing are very strong on here- the opinions are strong for a reason...

This video was created by a member on here and even features Car-Seat.org kids...this will make you understand things a little better and help you to realize that your son will be safe and comfortable rear facing for a long time to come!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyIv9QVRBE"]YouTube- Rear facing is safer[/ame]

wendytthomas · Dec 17, 2009

No, his legs aren't a concern. And you're right, if the worst were to happen it'd be far better to lose his legs than to lose his head.

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx (check out the crash test videos and the album of older kids, especially if you're concerned about his legs)

The AAP has recommended since 2002 that children face the rear to the maximum limits of the convertible seat. If you need a seat with more leg room there are other options, but unless he complains I'd just turn him back rear facing in his current seat. If he complained I'd buy a new seat. I wouldn't be comfortable at all with him forward facing that young.

If you must, make sure the seat is properly installed and tethered.

Also, just know that he may complain more about his legs forward facing. They'll dangle, and many kids end up with their knees, bums, and backs hurting because of their feet dangling. I remember riding the school bus as a kid and having this happen every day between my house and the school. I hated it.

Wendy

tweetykl · Dec 17, 2009

Your concern about the legs is a typical concern. There have been no reported cases of broken legs from crashes. The benefit of rear-facing is increased support to the spinal column. When I got my car-seats checked last summer, the fire fighter said something that has really stayed with me. "A child's spinal column can stretch an inch and a half but the spinal cord only stretches to half of an inch before it snaps." The carseat supports the child's spinal column better. The videos above really show the whole idea.

Here is a picture of my sweet girl over the summer in her marathon.

Maedze · Dec 17, 2009

berrybear said:
ok, thanks for the quick feedback!
no, the seat is not in the mechanically reclined position - but that's fine, if that's how it's supposed to be then that OK.

he's about 25-26 lbs and super Loong - 95th percentile. i realize that he could technically stay in RF position longer but his legs were so cramped (i can't quite remember without seeing him in the position but i want to say they def bent 90degrees - maybe more?.) we even began to wonder if that became dangerous in and of itself w/ a rear end collision that pushed his legs towards his chest (??)....but i guess in an accident compressed legs would be better than a whipped neck....

i'ts a subaru legacy.
thanks again!

Thanks for coming back! The Britaxes do have a natural recline in the forward facing position, even if they aren't in the mechanical reclined position.

It's PERFECTLY safe to have legs bent rear facing. In fact, his legs are actually statistically more likely to be injured or broken now that he's forward facing.

His neck isn't just at risk of whip lash, either; serious injuries to the actual spinal cord can result.

My daughter, 4 years, 41" and 40 pounds just got turned forward facing because she outgrew her rear facing convertible by weight (40 pounds). She was perfectly comfortable with her legs bent

berrybear · Dec 17, 2009

ok, once again - thanks so much for feedback...

and i have a second, independent question (something we have always wondered about) i have read that we shouldnt move the car seat to the center of the backseat in our 2001 subaru legacy wagon. i realize that there are only two "latch bars" (one for each side) so that one danger of having a car seat in the middle is that if you then put another carseat next to it you would then be "borrowing" the bar....so i guess technically have 1 1/2 seats anchrored to a bar that should only have one.

is this the only reason - because we are a one kid family and a second car seat is not an issue. people talk about the "hump" in the subaru back seats. we tried installing in the center and didn't see any issues with the "hump"....although we still stuck witht he side position b/ c that was recommended to us.

inquiring minds want to know!

thanks.

wendytthomas · Dec 17, 2009

Subaru doesn't recommend using the middle unless you can get a good installation (I tried in a 2009 Forester this week and couldn't in the middle). However, you cannot use LATCH there. The anchors are only for the outboard seats. And you can never use one anchor for two seats.

IF you can get a good installation in the middle with the seatbelt, go for it. If not you can use LATCH or the seatbelt outboard. Not both.

Rear facing is so much safer than forward facing that I'd have no problem with a baby newborn aged and up outboard in a car and feel perfectly good about it. In fact, my second baby has never ridden in the middle. She's always been on the side. But I'd be much more scared with her outboard and young forward facing.

Wendy

reclining in carseat?

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