The New Standard in Car Seat Recommendations

Your child is 11 months old and weighing in at 20 lbs.  One more month to go before you can turn his beloved car seat around!  You've been waiting for months.  You little one is just getting so sick of not being able to look out the front window and see his mama driving and you just honestly want a peaceful ride.  But, wait.  You overhear some other mothers discussing keeping their child rear facing way after their first birthday and you think, "why in God's name?"  I know that's what I first thought, but then I did the research.

Unfortunately, when I began to scour the internet for safety issues and reasons for keeping a toddler rear facing I was faced with a harsh reality.  There have been way too many accidents that could have been prevented if the car seat was never turned forward.  Unfortunately, it took one too many of these videos for me to finally get the point.  I won't post any videos because I don't think I can bare to watch another grieving parent or grandparent, but I can post some words from knowledgeable doctors hoping to help you understand.

There is evidence behind this new standard and I think a Daily Mail article said it best. "Unlike forward-facing seats, rear-facing ones keep the head, neck and spine fully aligned so the crash forces are distributed over all of these body areas, say the doctors." Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192448/Use-rear-facing-car-seats-age-4-warn-experts.html#ixzz0gPqMeQWF

In a statement by Dr. Watson interviewed for BBC he states, "Rear facing car seats cradle a child in an impact with any frontal component, and align the head, neck and spine, spreading the crash forces over all of these body areas. "In a forward facing car seat, a child's body is held back by the straps, while the head keeps moving forwards, and the relatively large head mass and differences in the cervical spine in young children can lead to excessive stretching of the spinal cord." 

So, why are we in such a rush to turn our children's seat just so that they can get a better view of the world or enjoy the ride more?  Every day when I put my son in his seat I think about changing it...but you know what, it's not worth it.  Other countries have caught on and in many, children are rear facing until 4 years old and 55 lbs!  Surely we can wait a little longer.  Many of you are thinking, how is my child going to fit rear facing for that long?  Well, you ask and shall receive.  I will be doing another post with suggestions on car seats that will accomodate this as well as some great tips!

Whatever you choose to do, just do it with an open, intelligent mind.  Take the time to do your own research because your little one is worth it!