Hot Topic (7/7): Should older children be in rear facing car seats?
Even older children should be in rear-facing car seats, study shows
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A new British study shows that children are safest in rear-facing car seats up until the age of 4. Currently, recommendations allow for changing car seats to forward-facing when children are around 20 pounds, or 1 year old.
Experts say that children are simply safer when facing backwards than facing forwards in a car. In Sweden, where keeping kids in rear-facing car seats until age 4 is the norm, research has shown children have died in accidents when facing forward that they would have survived if rear-facing.
US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows that children in all kinds of accidents are safer in rear-facing seats.
The reason why is that the head, spine, and neck remain fully aligned so that the force of a crash is evenly distributed over those areas.
You can view the full article here.
Learn more about car seat safety in Colorado here, including where to get your car seats checked and/or installed...including perhaps making your child's car seat rear-facing!
What are your thoughts?
I say if you would like to rear face your child longer than 20lbs or 1yr then by all means do it. But other parents should be permitted to decide what is right for their own children.
This topic always makes me think of this video. I have done lots of reading about this and think it's a great idea! But, I just couldn't do it even after watching numerous crash test videos. I feel terrible that I didn't do it, but I just couldn't take the crying. My child hated being rear-facing. Also, this website has lots of info concerning the subject: http://www.carseat.se/rear-facing-myths/
Well supposedly your child is multiple times over safer in the rear facing position- I don't know- I may look into it further for this last child, however, I turned all of mine at the usual time and unfortunately have had two very serious accidents and the carseats protected them wonderfully both times- so I'm not really clear on what the significant difference is.
Rear facing or Forward facing should be a decision left up to the parents. My son was turned around at 13 months because he is really tall for his age. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he would be rear facing now (he just turned two but is alreadyalmost 3 feet tall).
Jess & Tom Riley Ami
12/28/04 06/05/07 05/11/09
They fold their legs cris-cross or put them up on the back seat. They are perfectly comfortable. Kids can sit comfortably in all sorts of positions that many adults can't even get into!
My son is 16 months and still rear facing. He will remain rear facing as long as possible. I don't care so much about the law changing to require extended rear facing, but I would like to see changes so that US parents could legally use European car seats that can rear face to 55 lbs.
Quoting realPatientMama:I would be fine with it. My question is: where would their long legs go? Would that be uncomfortable for the child?
I'm thinking this is more of a to each their own thing, and to not make it a law, if that is the case.
While safety IS first, I think comfort should be taken into account as well to a lesser degree, and I'm not sure that all vehicles are equipped for that (in terms of comfort for a 4-year old and especially one that might be taller than the norm).
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I have a 3.5 year old who RFs. She is 29lbs and 37 in. The AAP now reccomends RF to at least age 2 and 30lbs. Remember kids are way more flexible than we are, so what is uncomfortable for us isnt always for them. Sweden typically RFs to age 5-6 years old and they have one of the lowest child death rates in car accidents, but not here. Car crashes are the number one killer. Heck its a struggle to even get some parents to give thier kids the minimum. Just last night at work, I saw a FF 4 month old and a newborn being held in a lap.
Proud mom of Dylan, 6 years old, EH'd in a Britax Regent and Trinity, 3 years old, ERF'd in a Britax Marathon
MommyBoha and babyboomboom...part of the conspiracy to RF kids till they graduate high school...:)
I think that this is something each parent should decide for themselves. I didn't ERF and wouldn't if I had another child. What you do is up to you.
I am a non-ERF, can't wait to drop the booster, breast-fed til 6 weeks, Nestle formula using, pro-choice, Independent, open-minded, gay marriage supporting, CIO, NON-AP, former Marine mom to the only perfect child on Earth. Don't tell me how to raise my kid, and I won't tell you what's wrong with yours!
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