SPJ&E
New member
Some may wonder why my 2 year old son is still rear-facing in his carseats. Most don't really want to hear WHY, they just think it's weird. For those of you that care to read this and gain knowledge on the subject, I'm going to tell you why my boys will be rear-facing for as long as possible and then harnessed as long as possible after that.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible for optimum safety. This means that children should rear-face to the maximum limits of a convertible carseat...which is 30-35 lbs. (depending on the seat) OR when his/her head is 1-inch from the top of the carseat shell.
The rule that most parents know is that children must rear-face to at least 1 year AND 20 lbs. (the child must be BOTH 1 year and 20 lbs., not either or). What is not well known is that 1 year AND 20 lbs. is the bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that they be kept rear-facing for much longer.
When a child is forward-facing, there is a lot of stress put on his/her neck in a crash. The weight of a child's head in a crash causes the spinal cord to stretch...the spinal cord is NOT meant to stretch! This can cause a tear...which means paralysis or even death. This is referred to as "internal decapitation"...the child'd head would be slumped forward and it would look as though he/she was sleeping. It doesn't matter if the child has great head control...that means nothing. New data is showing that a forward-facing child is 4 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a rear-facing child of the same age.
Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absord the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.
Something I hear way too much is "His legs are scrunched up, he must be uncomfortable" or "Won't his legs be injured that way?". There has NEVER been a single reported case of hip/leg/foot injury from extended rear-facing. Even if there were...I would much rather my child have a broken leg than a broken neck!
Children are much more flexible than adults, so what may be uncomfortable for us, is not for a child. If you watch a child playing, you will notice that they choose to fold their legs up...they don't sit with them straight out or hanging over the edge of the couch.
My 2 year old folds his legs up in the stroller and squats or sits with his legs underneath his when playing. He has never once complained about being uncomfortable in his carseats, never...he just folds his legs or puts them over the sides of his seat. That is comfortable to a child.
Watch this video...it contains crash test footage of a rear-facing seat vs. a forward-facing seat, you will see the HUGE difference it makes on a child:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI
And here are the links I got this information from (there are many others I've read, but these are the best)
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear.html
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_2.html
As far as being harnessed as long as possible, think race car drivers. They wear 5 pt. harnesses, not just seatbelts. A 5 pt harness is much safer in side-impacts and rollovers, which tend to be very serious/deadly crashes. Most children outgrow their carseats (most go to 40 lbs.) before they are truly ready for a booster. The bare minimum for a booster is 4 years and 40 lbs...a child should be in a 5 pt. harness until then.
Even at 4 years and 40 lbs., a child should only be moved to a booster if he or she can sit in it properly for the entire trip, every trip. It is extremely important for the belt to fit properly and stay in place (lap belt as low as possible, touching thighs, and shoulder belt between neck and shoulder).
A child should NOT be moved to just a seatbelt until he/she passes the 5-step test, which is this:
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the vehicle's seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle's seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats.html
If the answer is no to ANY of those questions, the child needs a booster seat. A 4-8 year old child in a booster seat is 59% less likely to be injured in a crash than a child of the same age wearing a seatbelt alone. On a side note, a booster must always be used with a lap/shoulder belt and it is also important than any person riding in just a seatbelt wear a lap/shoulder belt, not a lap belt only.
I have a Britax Marathon for Pacey and a Britax Decathlon for Joshua. Both seats go to 33 lbs. rear-facing OR when the head is even with the top and harness to 65 lbs. forward-facing OR when the tops of the ears are even with the top of the carseat OR the shoulders are above the top harness slots. These seats will last my boys until they are 5-6 years old, when they will then be moved to good booster seats.
You can't control how others drive...accidents happen, it's just a fact of life, we have no control over that. So why not keep our children as safe as we possibly can...that is one thing we CAN control. If I am in an accident, I know that I've done everything I can to make my boys as safe as they possibly can be in the car. I know that any injury they have will not be because I did not protect them and I can live with that!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible for optimum safety. This means that children should rear-face to the maximum limits of a convertible carseat...which is 30-35 lbs. (depending on the seat) OR when his/her head is 1-inch from the top of the carseat shell.
The rule that most parents know is that children must rear-face to at least 1 year AND 20 lbs. (the child must be BOTH 1 year and 20 lbs., not either or). What is not well known is that 1 year AND 20 lbs. is the bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that they be kept rear-facing for much longer.
When a child is forward-facing, there is a lot of stress put on his/her neck in a crash. The weight of a child's head in a crash causes the spinal cord to stretch...the spinal cord is NOT meant to stretch! This can cause a tear...which means paralysis or even death. This is referred to as "internal decapitation"...the child'd head would be slumped forward and it would look as though he/she was sleeping. It doesn't matter if the child has great head control...that means nothing. New data is showing that a forward-facing child is 4 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a rear-facing child of the same age.
Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absord the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.
Something I hear way too much is "His legs are scrunched up, he must be uncomfortable" or "Won't his legs be injured that way?". There has NEVER been a single reported case of hip/leg/foot injury from extended rear-facing. Even if there were...I would much rather my child have a broken leg than a broken neck!
Children are much more flexible than adults, so what may be uncomfortable for us, is not for a child. If you watch a child playing, you will notice that they choose to fold their legs up...they don't sit with them straight out or hanging over the edge of the couch.
My 2 year old folds his legs up in the stroller and squats or sits with his legs underneath his when playing. He has never once complained about being uncomfortable in his carseats, never...he just folds his legs or puts them over the sides of his seat. That is comfortable to a child.
Watch this video...it contains crash test footage of a rear-facing seat vs. a forward-facing seat, you will see the HUGE difference it makes on a child:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI
And here are the links I got this information from (there are many others I've read, but these are the best)
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear.html
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_2.html
As far as being harnessed as long as possible, think race car drivers. They wear 5 pt. harnesses, not just seatbelts. A 5 pt harness is much safer in side-impacts and rollovers, which tend to be very serious/deadly crashes. Most children outgrow their carseats (most go to 40 lbs.) before they are truly ready for a booster. The bare minimum for a booster is 4 years and 40 lbs...a child should be in a 5 pt. harness until then.
Even at 4 years and 40 lbs., a child should only be moved to a booster if he or she can sit in it properly for the entire trip, every trip. It is extremely important for the belt to fit properly and stay in place (lap belt as low as possible, touching thighs, and shoulder belt between neck and shoulder).
A child should NOT be moved to just a seatbelt until he/she passes the 5-step test, which is this:
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the vehicle's seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle's seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats.html
If the answer is no to ANY of those questions, the child needs a booster seat. A 4-8 year old child in a booster seat is 59% less likely to be injured in a crash than a child of the same age wearing a seatbelt alone. On a side note, a booster must always be used with a lap/shoulder belt and it is also important than any person riding in just a seatbelt wear a lap/shoulder belt, not a lap belt only.
I have a Britax Marathon for Pacey and a Britax Decathlon for Joshua. Both seats go to 33 lbs. rear-facing OR when the head is even with the top and harness to 65 lbs. forward-facing OR when the tops of the ears are even with the top of the carseat OR the shoulders are above the top harness slots. These seats will last my boys until they are 5-6 years old, when they will then be moved to good booster seats.
You can't control how others drive...accidents happen, it's just a fact of life, we have no control over that. So why not keep our children as safe as we possibly can...that is one thing we CAN control. If I am in an accident, I know that I've done everything I can to make my boys as safe as they possibly can be in the car. I know that any injury they have will not be because I did not protect them and I can live with that!
