Most car seat safety advocates recommend that toddlers stay rear-facing in their car seats until they reach the rear-facing limits of the seat. New research shows that toddlers are more than 5 times safer in the car if they stay rear-facing until age two! Are you a believer in extended rear-facing? When did you, or will you, turn your baby's car seat around? Why? Share Your Reasons
Weight AND age
- Babies need to be rear facing for a MINIMUM of 1 year AND 20lbs. That means your 30 lb 9 month old needs to be rear facing. The baby's neck muscles still aren't developed enough to hold the relatively large head up in an accident. Imagine ripping an electrical cord out of the socket by the cord and breaking the wires inside. Those wires are like your baby's spinal cord. The forces in an accident are much greater and babies spinal cords can be damaged in accidents when they are forward facing. Also, having to sit with crossed legs does not damage a child's legs and most kids don't think it is uncomfortable. I don't know why anyone would think it would be damaging. Most kids will sit with crossed legs if they are sitting on the ground. And to repeat what others have said, broken legs or ankles can be easily fixed. Broken necks, spines and head injuries can be deadly. I'd rather risk glass or cuts on the baby's face than spinal damage.
- —Guest atxnurse
Mirror!!
- My son is 8 months and loves to look at himself in the huge mirror attached to the backseat.We'll keep him rear-facing as long as we can,but he seems perfectly content to admire himself for a long time!
- —Guest Jo
Be smart
- Um, WHY is this even a debate? Being a parent means protecting your child. Why would you NOT listen to safety recommendations and place your child in a position where you know they could be seriously injured or killed. I am NOT a safety expert so I will follow the advice of the safety experts to protect my daughter. She will rear face until at least two. Not doing so because you don't want to listen to the crying? Selfish and stupid.
- —Guest RImommy
Sometimes it's more safe to be forward
- My brother was in a crash and hit from behind by a guy going about 50mph while they were going about 15mph. Their 18 month old son was in the back in his forward facing carseat. If he had been rear facing, he would have had a face full of glass and probably many cuts all over his face. Because he was strapped properly forward facing, he didn't hace any problems after the crash.
- —Guest Michelle
I say
- I have heard the statistics & I totally agree that ur child should be rear facing for as long as possible. alot of the mommies on here have the right idea-childs legs may be smushed up into the back of the car & i too have had to have my seat moved up to accomadate the space for the car seat with the added headrest (my daughter is 13m and 24lbs) I know that its hard to hear ur child cry but really u need to remember that just because ur child crys doesnt mean its because of being rear faced and also its suppose to be about whats safest not what they want. would u let them touch the hot burner on the stove because they are crying to? I think the USA needs to be more like sweden and make it required to rear face ur child for as long as possible, its about ur childs saftey. its not about their way, or ur comfortabilty, we bought a brand new suv cuz its safer- u make sacrificies to make sure ur children are safe. do whats right for ur child. broken legs mend but necks dont.
- —Guest krystasapplseed
My babies are rear facing!
- My 10 month old twins are rear facing, and will be as long as possible. I will not go on the 'what are the chances of an accident' thought process. Tell that to parents who've been in an accident and have an injured or dead child. Those 'odds' don't bring them comfort. My little ones can see out the window just fine even though they're rearfacing. I'd rather have them rearfacing and maybe a bit less to see than dead or injured.
- —Guest Mommy2Twins
car seats can be too big rear facing
- i am with the mother who said that the rear facing car-seats just do not fit in her car. Not all of us have so much space like an suv or a van, i am looking for a van right now but my son is almost 11 months and 23 lbs not sure exactly how tall but his legs are cramped while riding rear-facing. This really is hard when you want the best safety for your child.
- —Guest mamadubz
rear facing till 2
- Although I would love for my son to face forward in his car seat, he will remain in the rear facing position until his 2nd birthday. New research funded by the CDC suggests that toddlers have a 75% less chance of death or serious injury if they remain rear facing in a car seat until 23 months of age.
- —Guest Leah
Rearward facing as long as possible!!!!
- there are car seats that rearward face until 4yrs and beyond and frankly if countries made it law then car seat manufacturers would be forced to put our children's safety first, take a look at some of the comparison videos around - type in rearward vs forward car seats in youtube and you will see for yourself, many studies show how forward facing can even crush or split a child's spine in two - it is far beyond me why this is allowed to happen, in many European countries children stay rearward facing until 4yrs why is it not so everywhere else - look at airlines - their staff face rearward so they can help the injured passengers - its a wonder why the don't just make all passengers face the back!!!!
- —Guest HDI
Americans should look at Sweden
- In Sweden toddlers must be rear facing until 4 years of age! This is a country where the family comes first. Mother's get 18 months off work after the birth of a child. Put your baby facing backwards from birth and keep him/her that way. If they have never faced forward they won't complain about facing backwards.
- —Guest Liz
accident experience
- my now 13-month old was in a head-on collison just 2 weeks after her first birthday. We had decided to keep her rear-facing until her 12-month check up scheduled just 5 days after the accident. She did sustain a broken leg. However, given the force of the accident, if she had been forward facing, I KNOW I would not be rocking my baby to sleep tonight.
- —Guest gina
Kept mine rear facing
- I've not only read the research, I've read real-life stories written by parents whose children have died in car accidents and wished they'd kept them rear-faced in their car seat. So, not only does the research sway me to choose the SAFER option of keeping the car seats rear-faced but the real life stories written by grieving moms and dads. Like another person wrote, you can fix a broken leg but not a broken neck and not a brain injury as well as many of the other horrendous injuries that are results of car accidents. If you keep your child rear faced, then that is all that they are used to and won't object to it. My older child was rear-faced until over 3 and my younger one is 23 months and still rear faced and will continue that way for a year or more.
- —Guest Kathryn
turn around at 1
- It is the law in CA to have rear facing until one year old. But, I can not image how long a kid can see the world backwards. So on the first birthday the seat was turned around.
- —sillymommy5150
soon
- my son is only 9 months old but he is already 30 lbs, he is very tall and he constantly cries because he is squished in his seat.... (i have a britax btw) so he will be getting turned very soon.... i have been trying to hold out until he is 1 but with his size and weight theres no way i can wait that long, i do agree tho that parents should keep their child rf until they are at LEAST the proper weight, because after all seats are designed for size and weight purposes... not the age of the child
- —Guest mandi
rear facing car seats
- my baby is 4 months and 2 weeks old and weighs 22lb.He is very uncomfortable and squashed in his seat and my partner wants to get a new 1.after reading the info provided i wioll now buy a comby seat asnd keep him rear facing for as long as i can
- —Guest sherry
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