Hemophiliac

My nephew is nearing the one year old mark, which means he'll probably get the OK to go forward facing. However, he's a severe hemophiliac. What would happen if he were to be in a wreck while forward facing? Would he get bruises? He bruises fairly easily.

How much safer is rear facing than forward?

Thanks.

(I'll probably end up showing my brother & his wife this post too.)

Rear-facing is 5 times safer than forward facing for children under 3. In a RF car seat in an accident the seat takes most of the impact. In a FF accident the child body takes the impact.

With a child that had any health condition I would as a parent want to keep him RF for as long as possible.

Here are some links:

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K62Ea8Fs4ng"]YouTube- rear facing car seat crash test[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFPSStXfqE&NR=1"]YouTube- Forward facing crash test[/ame]

Rear facing would spread the crash forces across his entire back. Forward facing the crash forces would be spread across where the straps are. Would you rather run into a wall or run into a street lamp? Plus when forward facing there is a much decreased risk of serious injuries for little ones.

The AAP recommends rear facing to the limits of your convertible seat, which by weight is between 30 and 45 lbs. The vast majority of seats will take the vast majority of children to at least their 2nd birthday rear facing- although we prefer seats that have taller shells and higher weight limits and can take most kids to 3 or 4 years old. Maybe suggest to your brother and SIL that they google "Extended Rear-Facing" and read for a few minutes .

Here are some more videos that are helpful
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8"]YouTube- The Importance of Rear-Facing: Version 2[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWKm7SenDHU"]YouTube- Keep Kids Rear-Facing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8"]YouTube- Front facing or Rear facing? Car seat safety TRUE STORY crash test videos[/ame]

Rear facing is 500% safer than forward facing, and that is for a child who does NOT have a life-threatening clotting disorder.

NO one year old is 'ok' to go forward facing. All one year olds should ride rear facing in the car, 100% of the time. However, this is....150%? MORE true for your son.

The dangers he faces from forward facing are severe head and neck injuries, never mind the bruising that generally occurs in high-speed crashes, along the points of the harness.

In a rear facing accident, the shell creates a cradle for him, so that he rides down the crash, without any one part of his body experiencing pressure or strain, or bruising.

It's imperative that ALL 1 year olds stay rear facing if at all possible. We have seats on the market that rear face right up to 45 pounds now, meaning that even the largest of toddlers and preschoolers can be better protected in the event of a crash.

If he were my son I would rear face him until at least age 3, regardless of having a hemophilia diagnosis. But because he does have a clotting disorder I think it's especially important for him to be kept best protected in a crash which means rear facing past the legal minimum of age 1.

Please have a look at some of the above linked information; especially Joel's Journey which is by far one of the BEST rear facing online resources. :thumbsup: (it's the youtube video that has a child in a halo in the first shot)

Thank you so much for those responses & videos.

So when do they take him out of the bucket? Is the infant bucket safer than a convertible? When is he outgrown it? He's in the Chicco Keyfit 30.

And what are some "good" convertibles to look at? I've looked around a bit and seen a lot of recommendations for the MyRide 65 by Graco & the True Fit by the First Years. Are those indeed good seats? Are there any I should stay away from?

Sorry for all the questions!

OP, I was thinking about this and I also wanted to mention a few things that are particularly imperative because of your nephew's medical condition.

You want to do everything you can do reduce the risk of even minor bruising in the case of an accident. Of course we don't want ANY children to be hurt, your baby is particularly susceptible, because a bruise for any other child might be a life-threatening injury to him.

One way to really reduce the chance of injury is to make sure the harness is tightened and adjusted properly.

The harness should lie 'snugly' on his body, with no slack or gaps. It should be taut on his shoulders; if you try to pinch a flap of horizontal strap, your fingers should slide right off the webbing. You don't want to be able to pinch even a little bit.

The chest clip is designed to make sure the harness rides in exactly the right position on the shoulders, so make sure it's adjusted to armpit level and not down by his belly.

Another important thing to consider is winter coats. Parents often bundle up their kids against the cold in the winter, not realizing that they're putting children at risk in a car accident. The only thing that should be between the child and the harness is street clothes and perhaps a layer of warm but thin polar fleece. Be sure to bundle up his head and hands with hat and mittens. You can put his coat on backwards, bundle him up with blankets, or even unzip his coat before you put him in the seat, place the harness correctly on his body without the coat getting in the way, and then zip the coat up again over the harness

I hope you'll come back, OP, if you have any further questions, and please encourage your family to ask any questions they have about their son's safety in the car

Happy New Year!

Unregistered said:

Thank you so much for those responses & videos.

So when do they take him out of the bucket? Is the infant bucket safer than a convertible? When is he outgrown it? He's in the Chicco Keyfit 30.

And what are some "good" convertibles to look at? I've looked around a bit and seen a lot of recommendations for the MyRide 65 by Graco & the True Fit by the First Years. Are those indeed good seats? Are there any I should stay away from?

Sorry for all the questions!

Click to expand...

He can transition from bucket to RF convertible at any time. As long as they both fit, neither is inherently safer. Many older babies seem to prefer convertibles. The bucket is outgrown when he reaches the weight limit or when he has less than 1" of hard shell (not poofy cover) above his head.

The MyRide and TrueFit are excellent choices. I'd also look at the Sunshine Kids Radians, because the Radian80 and RadianXT RF to 45#, which is the highest capacity currently available in the US. I would stay away from Britax and Recaro convertibles for ERFing, because both have very little leg room for taller kids.

I will not touch base on the rear facing beyond one, as it seems it was well covered. So instead, I will just reinforce what some others have said.

Be SURE that the chest clip is placed in line with his ARM PITS. This will keep the harness straps on his shoulders and prevent him from being ejected.

More importantly, be sure that the harness is tight enough. Many times, parents think they are tightening the straps enough when really they aren't. You should pull all of the slack from the thigh area, and then tighten. You should not be able to pinch any of the harness. It should be "as snug as a hug".

When rear facing, the straps should be coming out at or below the shoulders.
When forward facing (though it does not apply in your case ) the straps should be coming out at or above the shoulders.

Again, repeating the coat problem. You should never use a bulky coat with a car seat. When using bulky or thick clothing, in the event of a collision, the forces of the child moving will smush down the clothing. If the child is wearing bulky clothing, the thickness will "disappear" as it smushes down, creating extra slack in the harness (think about the space saver bags ). The extra slack could possibly eject him. When putting a child in the car seat with a coat, you can use the coat trick. See the video below.

You can also, like a previous poster said, use a thin jacket such as fleece. To be able to tell if the coat is too bulky for the car seat, put the coat on the child. Buckle him/her up as if they were just wearing normal clothes. Tighten appropriately. Now, without loosening the straps, unbuckle & take the child out. Take the coat off & put the child back into the seat (without loosening, so that the straps are still tightened to how they fit when the child was wearing the coat) & re-buckle. If there is extra slack in the harness, it is too big.

However, *I* feel it's simply better (no room for error) to just buckle the child into the seat without his/her coat and bundle them up with blankets, mittens & a hat. I would recommend no coat. Here is an awesome video demonstrating the "coat trick":

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLTVPqn0aR8&feature=related"]YouTube- How to SAFELY wear a winter coat in a car seat[/ame]




Just some tips to make sure your installation in the vehicle is good.

**Another thing that I want to mention that many parents don't know about. When installing your car seat, be sure to use either LATCH OR the seatbelt. You can not use both. They are both equally safe, just cannot be used together.

Statistically, the center is the safest place for a car seat. It is roughly 3-5% safer than outboard. However, it is only safer than riding outboard if you get a good, tight install. -- Meaning no more than 1inch of movement.

Also, regarding center installation. Many vehicles do not allow you to use LATCH in the center. If you do not have three separate sets of LATCH anchors, you might not be able to install with LATCH. Before you install in the center with LATCH, be sure to check your vehicle manual. If you cannot install via LATCH, seatbelt is just as safe.

Be sure to lock the seatbelt! This may include: using a locking clip, having locking latchplates, or the most common-- pulling the seatbelt all the way out and allowing it to switch over to locking mode. It will ratchet as it tightens. All vehicles after '96 are required to have seatbelts that lock in some way. If you aren't sure how your vehicle's seatbelts lock, check out this link:
http://www.carseatsite.com/lockingclips.htm

The car seat or base should never move more than 1". Extra movement could be fatal in the event of a collision.

You should never use anything underneath a car seat installed in your vehicle either. Are you afraid of ruining your seats? Use a thin towel. Shelf liners use to be recommended, but no longer are. They may give a false sense of tightness. They have anti-slip materials, so when you think your car seat is installed tightly, it really may not be. Not to mention the fact that they can melt onto your vehicle seat.

I think that's the main stuff!



Feel free to register to ask questions! We don't bite here! You may reply to this thread as well, you don't have to be registered. You can also have family join too, to learn how to keep your darling son safe in the car-- grandparents, aunts, uncles.

Mom & Dad-- do you have questions? Have you looked into convertible seats yet? We could help to recommend a good seat, depending on what vehicle you drive & your spending limit.