Dr. Visit

1mommy

New member
So yesterday we went in for a 15 month well checkup and the Doctor asked if he was riding in a car seat in the rear. Actually I'm not sure she even asked about car seat, just that he was riding in the rear. I said he was still facing the rear too, and she told me now that hes over 1 and over 20 pounds I can turn him around as that what the law says. I told her I knew the new AAP recommendations to keep him rear-facing till at least 2, and his car seat says he has to be 22 pounds before I turn him forward. She then said it was good to keep him rear facing up to the limits of the seat, at least until his legs started getting squished.

Overall not too bad of a recommendation... I think next time if the doctor says anything I'll bring up the fact that they are 5 times safe rear facing, and maybe even print out the NHTSA recommendations to bring and leave in the room.
 
ADS

MotoMommaNH

New member
Ehhh...I wouldn't be super stoked with the doc quoting the old recs. Obviously not really keeping up with the latest developments. Good for you for pointing that out!
My doc told me at G's 2 year appointment that it was OK to turn him, and I told her that he fits still and doesn't mind so ill keep him that way until he outgrows it. She agreed and we moved on. :)
 

vtbecca

New member
One of our previous docs pushed boosters on us. It drove me nuts. We had a Regent, so really no reason to switch to a booster, but I think he just didn't get it. Hopefully he is more knowledgeable now.

Becca
 

1mommy

New member
I guess doctors cant be expected to know everything about car seats when their specialty is medicine but I was still a little taken back by the phrasing of the question. So no need for a car seat as long as he rides in the rear? Does the trunk count as the rear? :rolleyes:

I wasn't really expecting anything or even expecting to discuss car seats, but I hope I gave the doctor something to think about for the next person she talks to about car seats.
 

soph's mom

New member
I brought up extended rear facing when my daughter was about a year old. Not really extended at point I know but I knew others w 11 month olds ff... Ugh. The doctor, whom we greatly loved and respect, said he didn't rf his kids after a year and they were fine. I was floored...

That was while my daughter was hospitalized and a few months later at her regular check-up he said, "you know it's recommended to keep kids rear facing to age two now right?" He apparently didn't even remember the earlier convo. I sure hope he doesn't bring up boosters any time soon. I'll be glad to tell him she's still rf!
 

Athena

Well-known member
I guess doctors cant be expected to know everything about car seats when their specialty is medicine

I don't agree. They are expected to keep up with AAP's recs, so yes, they should know this and given it's the leading cause of death, this is a medical issue.

I was just looking over the info sheets at our pediatrician's office and I was fairly pleased. They had rear face to age 2, age 3-5 in a 5 point harness, school age until 4'9" booster, and teens always wear a seat belt. Also, they say the booster minimum is 40 pounds and 4 years .. although yes, I'd like to see them change that age, but still, they're doing fairly good.

However, I was confused about the rear seat until 5 foot. Have you ever heard that? I thought it was rear seat until 13 years old.
 

D&L's-mommy

New member
my kids are 9yo and almost 5, when they went for their 1yo check up the dr told us it was time to turn them ff, in fact said we're "supposed to", that kids over 20 lbs aren't safe rf :eek:,I listened, I figured he was the doctor, he would know these things. this was at the time of "rear to a year", but it's still wrong info to tell parents it's not safe to rf past 20 lbs. When my DS went for his 9yo check up the dr asked if he wears a seatbelt, I said yes, and hes in a highback booster, he chuckled. :mad: DD goes for her 5yo check up in a few weeks, I'll be happily reporting she's back in a 5point harness and most likely will be for another year, I'm interested to hear what he has to say
 

Athena

Well-known member
Wow, there's really no excuse for a doctor being that behind on the AAP's recommendations.

Honestly, if my pediatrician was that out of touch with the AAP's recommendations, I'd be really concerned about what else he or she wasn't keeping up on. I get that some people live in rural areas with little choice, or in cities some of the better doctors aren't always taking patients (having that problem now finding a doctor for me), but I would not feel comfortable with this or with a doctor who laughed at me (ever!), especially due to his own ignorance.
 

katymyers

Active member
It would bother me a lot if my Dr didn't stay up to date on AAP guidelines. My ped happens to be a friend of mine, he and his wife have six kids the oldest in is high school and their youngest is a little older than Ella and I know they kept him rf to two but turned after that. He knows how I feel about rear facing and I actually don't even get asked car seat questions at our well visits. I guess it would be pointless he has personally seen my kids in their seats after all.
 

~*Jen*~

New member
I'd mentioned in another thread how I got the "ZOMG, you need to turn her around NOW because she's not any safer rear-facing" lecture from the resident we saw (teaching practice) at my daughter's well visit last summer. Well, we haven't been back since then but it's time to make an appointment for another well visit and I'm wondering if they'll mention boosters. And if my response that she's still RF (35m, 38", 33lbs) will make their heads explode. :p
 

MotoMommaNH

New member
I'd mentioned in another thread how I got the "ZOMG, you need to turn her around NOW because she's not any safer rear-facing" lecture from the resident we saw (teaching practice) at my daughter's well visit last summer. Well, we haven't been back since then but it's time to make an appointment for another well visit and I'm wondering if they'll mention boosters. And if my response that she's still RF (35m, 38", 33lbs) will make their heads explode. :p

LOL @ heads explode.
 

jacqui276

New member
I haven't chatted with my doctor yet about car seats (DS hasn't seen him for a well check up since he was 3 months old) but at his 12 month immunization appointment I was pleasantly surprised when discussing car seats with the public health nurse. He was 29lbs at that point already so she mentioned that because he was a year, greater than 22lbs and walking that he met the minimums to forward face. I told her that I plan to rear face him for as long as he still fits (and discussed that his seat rear faces to 45lbs). She was absolutely thrilled.

I got a write up on car seats when doing training for my job recently and was really excited when over and above stating the minimums it discussed how much safer RFing is and to keep kids RFing to the maximums of their seats. It was a teaching pamphlet for nurses to help educate parents. :thumbsup: Part of that training also involved having a trauma education drill into us using booster seats and proper seat belt fit regardless of a lack of law here and she also mentioned how much rear facing prevents spinal cord injuries in babies/toddlers.
 

Athena

Well-known member
When do you have well visits in Canada? I'm surprised because I thought Canada had such a good health system. Here in the US, we see our pediatrician for well visits at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 2 years, and once a year after that. When you add all the extra baby visits, like extra weight checks when there were concerns, new mom worrying about nothing, and the actual sick visits, we got to know them very well. :D
 

Mercuria

Active member
Our ped said "he needs to be in a rear-facing seat, in the back, until at least two." I have no idea if all the doctors in our practice are on the same page, but it made me happy that I picked them (which I actually did because they save separate waiting areas for sick and well kids).

I'd seen so many horrible stories about pediatricians and car seat advice that I was ready to dig in my heels and ask the hard questions (e.g. "what other AAP recommendations are you totally out of date on?"), but I nearly hugged her instead.
 

amelia222

New member
We don't really have scheduled checkups past the first 2 months or so. But the doctors also don't do shots and weight checks. Those are done by nurses at the health unit. I've never heard of a doctor around here saying anything about carseats. They are medical doctors and don't try to pretend they know anything about parenting. Public health nurses on the other hand like to tell people that they must FF at one year OR 20lbs :mad:
 

mominabigtruck

New member
When do you have well visits in Canada? I'm surprised because I thought Canada had such a good health system. Here in the US, we see our pediatrician for well visits at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 2 years, and once a year after that. When you add all the extra baby visits, like extra weight checks when there were concerns, new mom worrying about nothing, and the actual sick visits, we got to know them very well. :D

I don't do well visits, period, end of story. We see a family Dr instead of a pediatrician and they don't push that sort of thing, he just tells me to call if I need anything. I don't think we've ever discussed carseats but I have his cell phone number and that's way more important to me.
 

Keeks64

New member
I don't do well visits, period, end of story. We see a family Dr instead of a pediatrician and they don't push that sort of thing, he just tells me to call if I need anything. I don't think we've ever discussed carseats but I have his cell phone number and that's way more important to me.

In Canada, the pediatrician is more like a specialist vs a baby doctor - family doctors here handle all the basic care for everyone. My children see a ped but for specific reasons :)

Like a PP said the "well visit" sort of portion of baby care is done by the health unit not a doctor
 

MommyShannon

New member
I was very excited at DD3's 9 month check when the doc mentioned the "new guideline" of 2 years. I mentioned the 3 year old getting a check was rf and she commented, "the safer, the better."
Monday we see the PA that told me I could go ahead and turn her at 2 and that DD2 would probably be happy for me to.
 

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