Hot Topic (5/12): Extended Rear-Facing Carseats
04/25/2009 04:00 AM
By: Casey Bortnick
Joel O'Farril suffered serious injuries when the car he was riding in was in a front end crash.
“He broke his neck," said Jim Peralta, grandfather. For Joel's grandfather, it didn't make sense.
“How do you put them in a car seat, and they break their neck," said Peralta.
New information suggests Joel's injuries could have been avoided, if the safety seat he was in faced the other way.
"Studies have shown that it's much safer to have the child rear facing," said Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Golisano Children’s Hospital.
It was long thought that a child could be safely moved into a forward facing car seat when at 20 pounds and one year old.
“He was 18 months and 33 pounds," said Peralta.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is working toward new recommendations that would keep kids in rear facing car seats until they're two.
"So, keep them rear facing as long as your specific car seat will allow," said Dr. Murray.
To help promote the new data, and tell his grandson's story, Jim Peralta created Joel's Journey, which is a website with a detailed video devoted to sharing what he learned from Joel's injuries.
"I think people take it as mandatory law that you have to turn them at 12 months and 20 pounds, and I think they should reconsider that," said Peralta.
Now two years old, Joel is back on his feet and expected to make a full recovery. He also has new rear facing car seat.
* * *
In light of new information, will you use a rear-facing carseat as long as possible? Or do you think it's acceptable to turn carseats around at 12 months and 20 pounds, as per the current guidelines?
Is it just because of this one incident that the AAP is reconsidering this? Or has this happened mulitiple times across the country?
My DH and I forward faced our DD at 11 months. Nothing happened to her. She'll be 3 years old next week. I plan to follow that 20 pound and 1 year old rule with my DS.
Quoting Mom2Nora-Shane:
Is it just because of this one incident that the AAP is reconsidering this? Or has this happened mulitiple times across the country?
My DH and I forward faced our DD at 11 months. Nothing happened to her. She'll be 3 years old next week. I plan to follow that 20 pound and 1 year old rule with my DS.
Same here 20 pounds/1 year will be when I turn my car seat around.
Catherine
A married, liberal, secular humanist, pro choice, pro-GLBT rights, vaccinating, working mom
"Sometimes the greatest risk of all is never taking one at all"
My 15 month old dd is still rear facing in my car but in dh's truck she's forward facing. His truck is huge and much safer and she's in the middle. I haven't seen any research or statistics on how much safer ERF is. I really think it'd be hard to find out. It'd have to be major accidents. In any carseat a child restrained FF or RF isn't going to be severly injured.
Quoting Mom2Nora-Shane:Is it just because of this one incident that the AAP is reconsidering this? Or has this happened mulitiple times across the country?
My DH and I forward faced our DD at 11 months. Nothing happened to her. She'll be 3 years old next week. I plan to follow that 20 pound and 1 year old rule with my DS.
Well of COURSE she is ok.... you didn't get into in accident with your baby forward facing!
Extended rear facing is NOT a few fad, the AAP has recommended it for years. Children die EVERY SINGLE DAY in the US because parents are forward facing them. The leading killer of children ages 1 + is car crashes! Why? Thats when people forward face their children. The AAP has finally made their recommendation to rear face children as long as possible, or at least 2yrs and 30lbs official.
In Sweden, children rear face to 55lbs, and less children die due to car crashes in a year there than in a single day here in the US. What does that tell you?
It takes years to change laws, justl ook at how the new booster seat laws are being changed now to 8yrs/80lbs because now taht we KNOW better, we are dOING better. Soon there will be a push to change the laws to rear face kids longer to age 2/30lbs! THat would be amazing.
Quoting mushmom:My 15 month old dd is still rear facing in my car but in dh's truck she's forward facing. His truck is huge and much safer and she's in the middle. I haven't seen any research or statistics on how much safer ERF is. I really think it'd be hard to find out. It'd have to be major accidents. In any carseat a child restrained FF or RF isn't going to be severly injured.
That doesn't make any sense! Just because your husband has a big truck doesn't mean your child is any more protected if you get t-boned by a semi! Or even a car! Or going in the ditch from ice or rain.
Children get injured forward facing too soon in fender benders, in cars going under 30mph, and in cars going over 30mph. You can't predict your accident, but you CAN keep your child 5x safer in the car by keeping htem rear facing to the rear facing weight limit of the convertible car seat of 33 or 35lbs.
read my post above with some more info.
I am an ERF. My DD is 3 years old and still RF. Why? Its PROVEN to be 5x safer and why in the world wouldnt I do all I could to protect my kids. My 6 year old is still in a 5 pt harness. Internal decapation isnt something Im willing to fool around with.
All is takes is 30 sec for your life to be changed forever. Hopefully since it is now the AAPs policy to recommend RF to at least age 2, then more Drs will listen and who knows, maybe we can get the law changed.
REAR FACING TO 1 AND 20 IS ONLY A MINUMUM. OUR KIDS ARE WORTH MORE THAN JUST A MINUMUM. RF TO THE LIMITS OF YOUR SEAT. IT COULD SAVE YOUR CHILD'S LIFE.
No it would not change my mind. I FF all of my kids at 12 months. It was easier to get to them if i needed too. And a lot easier to soothe them. My youngest liked having her toes and feet massaged on the way home when she was really tired. It would stop her from crying and make an enjoyable ride for the whole family.
I had already decided that my son will rear face as long as possible. As Becky stated, the statistics of countries like Sweden who commonly rear face much longer show that rear facing is far safer.
"From 1992 through June 1997, only 9 children properly restrained rear-facing died in motor vehicle crashes in Sweden, and all of these involved catastrophic crashes with severe intrusion and few other survivors." (http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx)
I
have endured the agony of losing a child twice. I do not want to go
through that again, so I will take extra steps to help ensure the
safety of my only living child. The hassles of rear facing are nothing compared to the benefits. My son will continue to rear face until he reaches the limits of his seat, and if there is another seat available at that time that will rear face longer, I will use it.
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