ERF? update: question in replies!

[NicholeL400]

So i've read alot of posts about ladies having their children sit rear facing for a longer period of time. I don't know much on the subject and was wondering if any of you had info or thoughts on the subject. Anything would be great :)

[liz1986]

It's supposed to protect your child's neck in an impact by putting less strain on it. I don't ERF.

[Kissybratzmom]

I hope you like to read LOL

 

Car crashes are the #1 killer of children 1-14.

The absolute bare minimum is 1 year AND 20lbs. What is best practice? To keep your child rear facing for as long as possible. The AAP recommends keeping your child rfing until the weight limits of your seat which is either 30, 33 or 35lbs. Another thing, MOST states have LAWS in place that say your child HAS to be in a rear facing child restraint until 1 year AND 20lbs. So ANY dr telling you that it is okay to FF them before 1 year is WRONG.

I am a Child Passenger Safety Technician and I all too often see the horrific aftermaths of children who were forward facing and were involved in a car accident. Most recently, we reviewed a case study of a 26 month old, 26lbs child who was in the middle of the backseat, ffing, in a 5 pt harness seat. A car came into their lane and they were in a head on collision at 45mph. This little girl suffered a broken C2 vertebrae. She was the LUCKIEST child. She was in a HALO for 3 months. She had to into temporary state custody b/c the mother couldn't care for her (due to the mother being in the hospital). Evidence shows that if she were still rear facing, she would not have sustained this life threatening injury.

I have had a broken neck before, my C1 and C2 vertebrae's were broken. This area controls breathing, movements, etc...Christopher Reeve is a prime example of having a broken C1 and C2 vertebra in his neck. It is NOT a nice injury and I would never wish that upon anyone...especially a child. It breaks my heart when I hear of parents ffing their child too soon. Because of this kind of mind set that it is a "milestone" to ff your child at 1 year AND 20lbs, many MANY children are needlessly injured.

When a child is in a frontal, head on 35mph crash and their car seat is NOT tethered and they are using a 5 point harness, they will go forward 32". When their seat is tethered, a child will be thrown forward 28". It is imperative that families recognize the NEED to keep their children rear facing for as long as possible.

Here are several links to support keeping your child rear facing for as long as possible.

http://www.joelsjourney.org

http://www.anec.eu/attachments/ANEC-R&T-2008-TRAF-003.pdf
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/c...trics;109/3/550
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/re...cing_seats.html
http://myangelsaliandpeanut.tripod.com/id5.html
http://momtoaliandshae.tripod.com/keepingkidssafeinthecar/
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.aap.org/family/1to2yrs.htm
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/travelsafetytips.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868
http://www.carseatsite.com/rear-face_article.htm

Here's an article reinforcing WHY Rear facing is BEST
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4144421a10.html

Here are a few crash test links to show you the difference in rear facing vs forward facing:

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/...icosipriori.mpg
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rsqE-uOtMM4&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K62Ea8Fs4ng...related&search=

Here is a crash test of a 12 month old RFing
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view¤t=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

Then, here is the SAME 12 month old FFing
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view¤t=video06B_MGA_213_ForwardFace-Conver.flv

For those who say their children were uncomfortable rfing, your child knows nothing different. In fact, their legs bending the way they do RFing is actually comfortable to a child. It may not be for an adult. A child is usually more uncomfortable with their legs dangling over the edge or close to the edge of the seat than they are all "squished" up. ALL children go through the kicking, screaming, yelling phase b/c they are active, crawling, walking, etc and would much rather be doing that than harnessed in their seat. They also WANT to see mom or dad in the car. They can hear you, but can't "see" you. They are all phases and they will pass. A child is TOO tall rfing when their head is 1" below the top of the SHELL of the seat OR (check your car seat manual) if you own an older Britax, it is when the tips of the ears are even with the shell of the seat rfing. There are NO documented cases of a child's legs being broken in crashes, but there are TONS of documented cases of children with spinal injuries.
42% of accidents occur in rural settings. 25% of them occur within 5 minutes of your home.

Autopsy reports have shown that children under 2 years old are at 4 times the risk of Internal Decapitation when forward facing. What is Internal Decapitation??

Wikipedia says this:
Internal decapitation, atlantooccipital dislocation, describes the rare process by which the skull separates from the spinal column during severe head injury. This injury is nearly always fatal, since it usually involves nerve damage or severance of the spinal cord. Hanging relies on allowing the subject to break their neck under their own weight.


Here is a lady that actually survived Internal Decapitation http://youtube.com/watch?v=PWmJ1m3Jvhc&mode=related&search=

So, as you can tell, it has ZERO to do with neck STRENGTH. I was in a side impact crash where the drunk driver was going 65-70mph and it snapped my neck--I wahttp://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/07/12/reader-question-do-car-seats-expire.htms 20 years old.

Did you know that if YOU are in a 30mph, one vehicle accident and your child weighs 20lbs, they turn into 600lbs of force. THAT is a LOT of force for a child.

Consider this: A car going 40mph would hit a tree with the same force as hitting the ground after falling off a 50 foot cliff. A person inside the car would hit the windshield (unrestrained, of course) with the same force as hitting the ground after a fall from a five-story building.

Another thing to know is that when a child is RFing, the BACK of their carseat--the part that goes behind their back and head--take the brunt of the crash force. In a FF car seat, the CHILD takes the brunt of the crash force.


CAR SEATS EXPIRE AFTER 6 YEARS!!!!
http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/07/12/reader-question-do-car-seats-expire.htm

[sallymoon]

Rear facing is five times safer than forward facing.  In a front collision, the head of a forward facing child is thrown forward with tremendous force.  Due to their underdeveloped muscle and skeletal systems and the fact that their head accounts for a much higher percentage of their total body weight, these extreme forces can internally decapitate a young child.  When rear facing, the child is pushed into the seat instead.  Rear end collisions are not as common and almost always at far lower speeds than front or side impact accidents.  The recline needed for a rear facing seat helps against the forces of the accident, so even in a rear end collision it is safer to rear face.

I recommend joining one of the car seat safety groups for more information on the benefits of extended rear facing.

[CAarmywife]

my oldest didnt erf because iknew nothing about it, my youngest is 16 months and is still rearfacing. i will turn her when she either reaches the rf limits of the car seat or her she gets uncomfortable (i dont like the legs hanging over the sides of carseats). she doesnt complain, for her its jst the same as putting a child who is under age 1 because she still fits perfect rearfacing and i know its safer.

[butterflyblu]

ERF has been PROVEN to be safer.  The AAP actually recommends RF until age 2 or 30 lbs and up to the limits of the seat.  My 2 yr old is 34.5 inches tall, 31 lbs and is still RF in an Evenflo Triumph Advance.  He will continue to RF until the limits of his seat (35 lbs or less than 1 inch of shell above his head).  There is a ton of information on the internet about why it's safer.  Check out the links posted above. 

[RheaF]

 It is safer and the World Health Organization,AKA,, The WHO, recommends Rear facing untill 2. I am RF my DS untill he is at least 2, after that IDK. The seat we have now will rear face untill 65 pounds. He may have to cross his legs, and in the event of a serious crash the legs may break, or dislocate, but ya know what? A broken leg is better then a dislocated Cervical bone (AKA NECK) anyday.

 

[Allebas]

I have 5 children. ALL have ERF. I would NEVER be able to forgive myself if one of my babies had EVER been in a bad car accident and had either died, or had a severe neck injury from NOT being RF!!!! My children have NEVER EVER minded being ERF!! They never cried, never whined, nothing!! I drove my 4-year-old son, and my then-18-month-old daughter from Washington to Oregon last summer. My son is big enough to be FF. My DD is still RF. She was RF ALL the way down to Oregon and back, and slept on the way down and on the way home!! I TOTALLY SUPPORT ERF!!! I see ppl with TINY, TINY babies--I saw one about a month ago--looked to be around 3-4 months old, FORWARD FACING!!!! I was like--what is WRONG with you ppl???? VERY, VERY SAD!!!

[luvinmyeano]

Quoting RheaF:

 It is safer and the World Health Organization,AKA,, The WHO, recommends Rear facing untill 2. I am RF my DS untill he is at least 2, after that IDK. The seat we have now will rear face untill 65 pounds. He may have to cross his legs, and in the event of a serious crash the legs may break, or dislocate, but ya know what? A broken leg is better then a dislocated Cervical bone (AKA NECK) anyday.

 

What seat do you have that RF until 65lbs?...I don't know that I have heard of that one!!

[matswife2023]

If you read my siggy you will see that I erf my son. He's 20 months old and will rear face to his car seat limit of 35 lbs.

[kcook55]

 my daughter is erf she is 2 yrs almost 29 lbs and she will stay that way till she hits the limits on her seat which is 35 lbs i rather her have a broken leg than neck or worst when my son turned a yr the dr told be to put him ff even tho he was only 15 lbs i did but that was before i knew what i was doing hes 4 now and in a 5 point and he will be in that for a long time to come