Old News? RF is now law??

dixee.deluxe

I know this wasn't the law when Edie was smaller. 

But I just Googled and found this.  This wasn't my plan.  Also odd that my pedi didn't tell me about this, right:

Maryland's child safety seat law requires that all children younger than eight years of age be secured in a federally approved child safety seat according to the safety seat and vehicle manufacturers' instructions, unless the child is 4 feet, 9 inches or taller. The child restraint must be right for the child's size, age, and weight.

In addition, all children two or younger must sit in rear-facing car seats.

Child safety seats include: infant seats, convertible seats, forward-facing seats, booster seats, or other safety devices federally approved for use by children in motor
vehicles.

SarahKate31

I didn't know that was the law either. I thought the law was still 20lbs + 1 year but the strong recommendation was to RF until at least 2 years.

We have no plans to have DS FF in the near future anyway. He's perfectly happy RF and not at all scrunched so I wasn't really going to even think about it until he was much closer to 2 or over 2.

TriciaandSean

I think this is great and I hope other states follow Maryland's lead.

Kieran is still RF and I don't intend on switching him for at least another year.

TriciaandSean

Also, where did you find this?  I don't see it online, and I was curious and was looking to find it so I could share with a friend.

weezie825

Our daycare actually put flyers in all of the parent mailboxes about this. The new law went into effect either on Oct 1 or Sept 1st.

Ragdolls

TriciaandSean:

I think this is great and I hope other states follow Maryland's lead.

Kieran is still RF and I don't intend on switching him for at least another year.

Ditto this.  I'd have Maddox RFing until he was 18 if I could.

mrs. remy

LoveLossHopeRepeat:

I don't know when the law went into effect, but I did know about it. It wasn't the law when Mia was younger, either, but I think it makes sense and I understand it completely. People think I'm nuts for having a 5 1/2 year old in a 5-point harness instead of a booster seat, too, but it's the safest thing for her, so that's where she'll stay until she exceeds the height or weight limits. 

Can ask what 5-point harnessed seat you have that comfortably seats a 5-year old? We got S two new Safety First seats when B moved into the convertible seats, and I am a little irritated that already he seems to be outgrowing the harness.

Megcheer2

I did know about this, although I agree with Weezie that its very recent that it went into effect. What's interesting is that DD1 exceeded either the height or weight limit for her carseat in the RF position (it has a different weight limit for forward facing, although I can't remember which one she exceeded) before she turned 2. We switched her around 21 months or so. She's very tall for her age - she's in a 4T at age 2 1/2 because the 3Ts are all too short on her!

dixee.deluxe

TriciaandSean:

Also, where did you find this?  I don't see it online, and I was curious and was looking to find it so I could share with a friend.

It was on the DMV's website:

https://www.dmv.org/md-maryland/safety-laws.php#Child-Car-Seat

TriciaandSean

Ragdolls:

TriciaandSean:

I think this is great and I hope other states follow Maryland's lead.

Kieran is still RF and I don't intend on switching him for at least another year.

Ditto this.  I'd have Maddox RFing until he was 18 if I could.

I knew you were smart!  I wish this were the case in Virginia, I actually had multiple "car seat techs" tell me that it was safer to turn Kieran FF.  They didn't believe me that the recommendation is 2 years.

melissabender

Just an FYI, DMV.ORG is not maryland's motor vehicle website, it is private company, not afflilated with the government.  MVA.MARYLAND.GOV is Maryland's official motor vehicle administration website. 

I agree with everyone that it is safest to have your child rear facing as long as possible, however according to the news stories on this topic a few months ago this is just a recommendation not a MD law.  I would imagine it has to do with the fact that many of the convertible carseats out there can only withstand a certain amount of weight in the rear facing position.  I would have to think that you could not be ticketed for having a child forward facing if their car seat is deemed unsafe for the child's weight in the rear facing position.   My son is fairly big for his age (90th percentile both height and weight) and he weighed too much to rear face in his seat much past 1 1/2 years. 

I have not been able to find any information stating that this is actually a MD law.  Everything on various Maryland websites (MVA and SHA) only discuss the car seat law for children needing to stay in a child restraint until the child is 8 years of age or at least 4' 9" tall.

----I just re-read this I am hoping that I was not coming off sounding like a know-it-all because I am far from that, just relaying what I have been told and what I have read.  If anyone has information showing that this is an actual law on the books, please post that information.---

dixee.deluxe

melissabender:

Just an FYI, DMV.ORG is not maryland's motor vehicle website, it is private company, not afflilated with the government.  MVA.MARYLAND.GOV is Maryland's official motor vehicle administration website. 

I agree with everyone that it is safest to have your child rear facing as long as possible, however according to the news stories on this topic a few months ago this is just a recommendation not a MD law.  I would imagine it has to do with the fact that many of the convertible carseats out there can only withstand a certain amount of weight in the rear facing position.  I would have to think that you could not be ticketed for having a child forward facing if their car seat is deemed unsafe for the child's weight in the rear facing position.   My son is fairly big for his age (90th percentile both height and weight) and he weighed too much to rear face in his seat much past 1 1/2 years. 

I have not been able to find any information stating that this is actually a MD law.  Everything on various Maryland websites (MVA and SHA) only discuss the car seat law for children needing to stay in a child restraint until the child is 8 years of age or at least 4' 9" tall.

----I just re-read this I am hoping that I was not coming off sounding like a know-it-all because I am far from that, just relaying what I have been told and what I have read.  If anyone has information showing that this is an actual law on the books, please post that information.---

INTERESTING!  I should know better and check my sources!  I just emailed my cousin who is a state trooper.  One who is really on top of stuff, heehee.  I'll let you guys know what he says.  And if anyone else has any law enforcement connections, see what they say.  Thsi should be interesting.

melissabender

I actually just emailed an acquaintance that is a Baltimore County police officer to see if he could shed light on this issue.  If I hear back from him I will post the information.  Please post whatever you hear from your State Trooper cousin.  I definitely want to do what is safest for my children but I would like to be clear on what the law is.

idonthavethis

Ragdolls:

TriciaandSean:

I think this is great and I hope other states follow Maryland's lead.

Kieran is still RF and I don't intend on switching him for at least another year.

Ditto this.  I'd have Maddox RFing until he was 18 if I could.

I feel like I'm the only one IRL that has my older kid RFing though. What about you guys?

TriciaandSean

idonthavethis:

Ragdolls:

TriciaandSean:

I think this is great and I hope other states follow Maryland's lead.

Kieran is still RF and I don't intend on switching him for at least another year.

Ditto this.  I'd have Maddox RFing until he was 18 if I could.

I feel like I'm the only one IRL that has my older kid RFing though. What about you guys?

I agree, I am the only one left in my group of friends who is still RF (except one friend who is still RF her 18 month old) most definitely switch right around a year here.  I hear from some, oh I know it's safer but my child was so uncomfortable...blah blah blah.  I don't buy it.  Kieran fights going in his car seat some days, but he'd fight it just the same if he was FF, he's 2 he's supposed to have an opinion and express it. 

jnealet

I agree, according to this site, its just that they need a booster until age 8.  In MD the law is 1 year OR 20 lbs for rear facing. 

(I'm not saying that you should turn your child at 1 year but its just not law at the moment.)

https://fha.dhmh.maryland.gov/ohpetup/kiss/docs/MDLaw5Step2012.pdf

 

 

 

melissabender

Just received an email back from the Baltimore County police officer that I know. 

There is not a law regarding rear facing child safety seats.  He mentioned the law for booster seats but nothing specifically stating a child has to rear face, he said it is just a recommendation, but that the recommendations are usually given for good reason.  Basically it is not something you can get pulled over and ticketed for but for the safety of your child it is recommended to keep them rear facing as long as possible.

jcsntms06

LoveLossHopeRepeat:

mrs. remy:

LoveLossHopeRepeat:

I don't know when the law went into effect, but I did know about it. It wasn't the law when Mia was younger, either, but I think it makes sense and I understand it completely. People think I'm nuts for having a 5 1/2 year old in a 5-point harness instead of a booster seat, too, but it's the safest thing for her, so that's where she'll stay until she exceeds the height or weight limits. 

Can ask what 5-point harnessed seat you have that comfortably seats a 5-year old? We got S two new Safety First seats when B moved into the convertible seats, and I am a little irritated that already he seems to be outgrowing the harness.

Mia is in a Graco Nautilus - 65 lbs/53" limits in the harness. It also transitions to a booster seat with limits of 100 lbs/57". 

We just moved Annabelle to the Graco Nautilus this past month. My girl is tall and skinny so she will probably be in this seat until she's 8. 

I turned A around at 16 months old because of her being so tall, but we plan to keep C RF until she's 2. It was recommended by both our pedi and the NICU neos. 

daisyterp

Both of my kids are in Marathons. We have one that is RF40/FF70 and one that is RF35/FF65. 

DD was RF'ing until she was 4 and change- we turned her around this summer. I wanted to keep her RF'ing for as long as possible because I know it's safer and I knew that once I turned her around that DS would want to follow suit. Sure enough not long after we turned DD around, DS started throwing fits getting into his carseat, like positioning himself so he was FF'ing, etc. After multiple occasions of having to forcibly put him in his seat, the resulting carseat breakdown, being 10 minutes late to everything because of this ongoing battle I caved and turned him around, at least we made it to 2 yrs and a few months, right?

Both kids will be in 5 pt harnesses for as long as possible. We are going to have to buy a new carseat soon because I bought our one marathon when DD was an infant and it will expire before she outgrows it.  

lauranne

LLHR I'm glad I'm not the only one who has an (almost) 5 year old in a five point harness with no plans to switch soon. I swear, almost every kid in Aiden's preschool class is in a booster.  I don't get it.  Aiden is barely 35 lbs and I need him as safe and secure as possible.

Mrs. Remy, Aiden rides in a Nautilus in DH's car, and a Britax Frontier in my car.  Both convert to a highback and lowback booster.  I like the Frontier better simply because the new buckle on the Nautilus is hard for Aiden to do himself.

Claire is RFing and perfectly content.  It helps that she can see big brother better.  She'll be RFing for quite some time.  She is in a Diono, which is a very narrow carseat, so she hangs her legs over the side and is not scrunched up at all. 

madladybride

FWIW, Lucy is still rear facing and I plan to keep her that way as long as possible, hopefully until she is 3 or 4. DD is tiny for her age (she was in the 3%). She doesn't seem terribly scrunched up, either.

downtown80

At my DD's last well-visit appointment, my pediatrician mentioned that a new MD law going into effect in October 2012 would change the previous recommendation to a law that children under 2 be RR.

Brady77

downtown80:

At my DD's last well-visit appointment, my pediatrician mentioned that a new MD law going into effect in October 2012 would change the previous recommendation to a law that children under 2 be RR.

This is incorrect.  The only change that came out is this:  "Maryland?s law (effective October, 2012) requires that children under eight years old to ride in an appropriate child restraint,* unless the child is 4?9? or taller."

  https://fha.dhmh.maryland.gov/ohpetup/kiss/sitepages/mdlaw.aspx

 While a 2 yr RF requirement was initially part of the bill, it was stricken during the amendment process.  Here is the link to the final legislation that was signed by the Governor. https://mlis.state.md.us/google_docs$/2012rs/chapters_noln/Ch_46_sb0185t.pdf

You can see on page 2 where that provision was struck.

I don't post on here too often, but I work on state legislative issues in the area of public health and monitored this bill.  Hope this clears up any confusion!