Rear Facing Carseat Debate!

TandCplus1

Wow, let's just say. I have a sister who is a stay at home mom (I am a working mom) She ALWAYS makes me feel as though my parenting choices are all wrong, and that I don't care as much about my children because I do not agree with many of her parenting styles. (It's always a subject I try to avoid with her, as many parenting choices are personal decisions). Anyway, we got into a debate today about how long your child should remain rear facing in their car seat. She told me that at  four years old they should STILL remain rear facing. I find this a tad ridiculous, I am sorry a four year old just does not fit that way (my opinion). Just thought I would get everyone?s on this.

TriciaandSean

If you google extended rear facing there are plenty of images to show that a 4 year old can definitely sit rear facing.

My son is almost 2.5 and rfing and I have no intentions on facing him forward anytime soon.  There is a ton of research showing how much safer it is to be rfing during an accident. 

ehnasto

As a FTM I have been talking to a pregnancy/baby consultant every 2 weeks that is offered through my work. She says that some states are trying to pass laws stating that children should be rear facing until 2 years old. After that they can turn around... I'd personally trust someone who it is their job to know these things rather than advice from my sis. 

ChristyD6

ehnasto:

As a FTM I have been talking to a pregnancy/baby consultant every 2 weeks that is offered through my work. She says that some states are trying to pass laws stating that children should be rear facing until 2 years old. After that they can turn around... I'd personally trust someone who it is their job to know these things rather than advice from my sis.nbsp;

Before I got pg I thought it was only until 1 yr and then someone told me te new guideline is 2 years. I even think that seems like such a long time! I'll do the two years, or whatever is the current safety guideline when my child is 2, but 4 years seems like a VERY long time!

handsonthewheel

It's actually the law in Sweden that kids must remain rear facing until at least 4, and many parents choose to keep the kids rear facing beyond that (Sweden has pretty much had no children under 4 die in a car accident in YEARS because of this). I personally think every parent should rear face until at least 2, but studies show that kids are much, much safer if they remain rear facing beyond 2. 

We chose to import a car seat from Sweden to keep our daughter rear facing until she is 4 OR 5 (here in England, the seats aren't designed to rear face past 1 and we are absolutely not okay with that). If the seats are designed correctly, they can easily accommodate bigger kids for rear facing. Our daughter is nearly 2 and nowhere near outgrowing her rear facing seat. As far as US seats go, they obviously aren't designed to last until age 4 in the way Swedish seats are (most kids will outgrow US seats in height and have to forward face sooner), but most should last well past 2. If parents don't want to rear face their kids that long then that's their choice, but I don't buy the argument that kids will be uncomfortable rear facing at that age. If you look at a child's natural way of sitting, they cross their legs rather than dangle/hold them straight.  

RissNRuss

I'm a FTM, so I don't know the ages, etc. But we will be consulting with EMTs/Medical Professionals to make these decisions. I would assume (based on the research I've done so far) that some of this also depends on the seat itself- some seats are not designed to be rear facing.

KatInTheHat28

My son is two and we just turned him forward facing in my husband's car because he's very tall and he outgrew that seat rear-facing.  I was really upset that we had to turn him...so much so that I almost spent $300 on another new car seat!  He is still rear-facing in my car because we have a car seat that has a higher height limit for rear-facing in that car.  My goal is to get another six months rear-facing (by that time I think he will have outgrown the seat) in my car.  My husband and I agreed to do most of our driving with him in my car.  He is SO MUCH safer rear facing.  I'd have him rear face until he was 10 if I could get away with it!

My son is tall for his age (97th percentile) and he is perfectly comfortable rear facing.  He just crosses his legs. 

Mommy2CB

ehnasto:

As a FTM I have been talking to a pregnancy/baby consultant every 2 weeks that is offered through my work. She says that some states are trying to pass laws stating that children should be rear facing until 2 years old. After that they can turn around... I'd personally trust someone who it is their job to know these things rather than advice from my sis.nbsp;

It is all ready recommended that children stay RFing until 2, though as long as you can is safest!

PortlandValentineBride

Yep, we will rear face as long as possible- like until 4 or beyond.  My kid can cross his legs.  

hjk5000

Well I'm not going to debate that rear facing isn't safer, because it is. So it's not a bad idea to keep them rear facing for as long as possible, but your SIL sounds like a jerk. DS has been forward facing since he was 13 or 14 months when we switched him to the convertible carseat.

RileighsMom1224

I put my daughter in a front facing seat very quickly.  I will not do the same this time.  I saw a video of how different the impact is on a child in a front vs rear seat.  The difference is amazing. 

You clearly see the difference between how much more movement a child in a front facing seat has vs rear.  I am tempted to go out and turn my kids seat around now, and she is 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U

caffrin

All of this.
If you actually research extended rear facing you would see why your sister is saying that. I'm sure she is just trying to educate you so your child can be as safe as possible. I don't think you would say it's ridiculous if you saw how possible internal decapitation for young kids, even up to age 4.

skio

IrishCoffee7:

I'm a huge advocate for RF until at LEAST two. After that you have to do what works for your family but to be the absolute safest, your SIL isn't totally wrong.
Go to YouTube and look up internal decapitation. Pretty eyeopening.

Ditto all this. My opinion is that if you do the proper research and talk to properly educated medical professionals, you'll keep your kid RFing as long as possible. I really hope they make it the law to RF until 2y.

DD will most likely get turned in June when we have to install the infant seat again, at 27m. But if we can fit her seat behind the driver RFing, we will keep her RFing until she outgrows the RF limits. She has always been 99th percentile for height, so she honestly doesn't have much longer, but the most important thing is keeping her RF as long as possible.

tantdylf

Yeah, I think the thing is, if you actually DO research, you will see that there aren't any professionals who will say anything but rear face as long as possible. A broken leg is waaaaay better than a broken neck. Until our kids hit the requirements on their seats, they will be RF. I don't care if its to 7.

kanga1622Wed220857

DS is almost 3 and still RF happily. He will stay that way until he outgrows his seat in approximately 3 more inches or 5 more pounds, whichever limit he hits first. I really want to keep him RF until at least 4 but don't think we can spend 300 on a seat to buy us a few more months. I expect him to make it until late summer or early fall before he needs to switch to a FF seat.

DreadLoc

RissNRuss:

I'm a FTM, so I don't know the ages, etc. But we will be consulting with EMTs/Medical Professionals to make these decisions. I would assume (based on the research I've done so far) that some of this also depends on the seat itself- some seats are not designed to be rear facing.

EMT, pediatricians, firemen, policemen, people who have installed 98439075823-7 seats...they're not the ones you want to talk to.  You want to contact someone who is a SafeKids certified car seat technician, who is specifically and expertly trained in child passenger safety.

DreadLoc

tantdylf:

Yeah, I think the thing is, if you actually DO research, you will see that there aren't any professionals who will say anything but rear face as long as possible. A broken leg is waaaaay better than a broken neck. Until our kids hit the requirements on their seats, they will be RF. I don't care if its to 7.

Did you know that FF kids break their legs more often than RF kids in a crash?  There hasn't been one case where a RF kid broke their legs because they were RF. 

duffmaker

Your sister is correct. So are all PPs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8

I think it was linked, but didn't click... so not sure if it's the same one or not but this video really opened my eyes. 

 

ambah

I live in Canada, and the province I live in has laws in regards to carseats. For us a child is to stay in a rear facing carseat until they are 1 year or weigh a certain amount. A lot of our laws are based on weight. I would say here, probably 75 percent of kids 12-18 months are switched over to a forward facing carseat once they reach the designated weight.

animalcrckr

RissNRuss:

I'm a FTM, so I don't know the ages, etc. But we will be consulting with EMTs/Medical Professionals to make these decisions. I would assume (based on the research I've done so far) that some of this also depends on the seat itself- some seats are not designed to be rear facing.

Then you do not buy that seat. 

AZMagnini14

RileighsMom1224:

I put my daughter in a front facing seat very quickly.  I will not do the same this time.  I saw a video of how different the impact is on a child in a front vs rear seat.  The difference is amazing. 

You clearly see the difference between how much more movement a child in a front facing seat has vs rear.  I am tempted to go out and turn my kids seat around now, and she is 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U

Just watched this video, and in a quick minute it shows you the dramatic difference. We will stick out RF as long as possible! Thanks for sharing this.