AAP officially states children under 2 should be rear facing

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/16/2011

Thats awesome Teresa! Lucky boy :)

Teresa - posted on 04/15/2011

My son had his 3 year check up on Wednesday. He's only 31 pounds, so I can still get a few more months rear facing (seat limit is 35 pounds). :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/15/2011

Eric just turned two and is still rearfacing!

I have a small compact car, a pt cruiser and he is now in a radian xtsl. It does not fit on the side, but it does fit in the middle of the back! The top of the seat comes right between the driver and passenger seats, but it fits!

And we have our safety first convertible seat on the side next to it ready for baby Fierna when she is born.

Radian is rf until 45lbs so I'm thinking Eric will be approx 4-5 before going front facing.

And the awesome thing about the radian is it then remains a 5 point harness until 80lbs! Yay!

Yeah it's expensive, but he won't need any more car seats ever. It will last him til he is big enough to safely ride in a regular seat. So I feel it's worth the money.

As for his legs, they rest on the back of the seat, no big deal.

As for kids hating being backwards, Eric has never been forwards so he has no idea he could have it any different! Can't want what you don't know exists :)

LaCi - posted on 04/11/2011

ah, you're right, it is 2 (OR) weight limit of the seat. I only read the linked blog, didn't check the actual document.

Rebekah - posted on 04/11/2011

I was under the impression that the RECOMMENDATION was for children to remain rear-facing to age 2, OR until they reached the maximum height/weight for their convertible car-seat. Most seats that I've seen only RF to 33-40lbs, so if your child was 18 months old and 35-40lbs he'd HAVE to be FF. I'm not sure what you'd do if your child was too tall for the RF seat, b/c wouldn't that also mean they were too tall for the FF seat? Aren't the height restrictions the same for both RF and FF? Or are people saying "too tall" when they really think uncomfortable?

Anyway, my son was 26 months old, and daughter was 21 months old when we turned their car-seats around FF. They both rode RF in a Britax Marathon in our 96' Honda Civic in the middle or on the side without a problem... so maybe Civics are larger than they appear. My son had pretty long legs and he just sat with his legs crossed. In fact, at 4 years old now, he still sits with his legs crossed in the car in his FF seat.

LaCi - posted on 04/11/2011

I think it's fine to say children under 2 need to be rear facing. but in doing such they need to dorce carseat manufacturers to make products with appropriate weight limits. My conv. seat was a great seat. The rear facing weight limit was 35 pounds, he was 35 pounds long before he was two.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 04/10/2011

That's so sad, Teresa. My brother has also fallen out of the back of a truck. Luckily, he just busted his head open and got a concussion. The driver accelerated a little quickly. Oh, and they were just driving around our farm. There's a reason that not being buckled is illegal.

Tena - posted on 04/10/2011

My oldest rear faced until he was 2 and finally outgrew the infant carrier (still is small for a 'grown man' at 18 1/2 yrs old) My middle rf till he was 1 and was too big to be rf in his seat at almost 40 pounds. We put my daughter ff in her new seat at 13 months. The convertible seat will not fit rf in our small car. Between her seat and the booster seat for my 6 yr old there is enough room to sit the diaper bag only. Her father can barely drive when we are all in the car as he has to have the seat closer than is comfortable when we are all in the car to get her in the car. Trading the car in is not an option as we are still paying a hefty note on it. But we will have to look at trying to find a used 2nd car when it is paid off as the kids are only going to keep getting bigger.

Tena - posted on 04/10/2011

My oldest rear faced until he was 2 and finally outgrew the infant carrier (still is small for a 'grown man' at 18 1/2 yrs old) My middle rf till he was 1 and was too big to be rf in his seat at almost 40 pounds. We put my daughter ff in her new seat at 13 months. The convertible seat will not fit rf in our small car. Between her seat and the booster seat for my 6 yr old there is enough room to sit the diaper bag only. Her father can barely drive when we are all in the car as he has to have the seat closer than is comfortable when we are all in the car to get her in the car. Trading the car in is not an option as we are still paying a hefty note on it. But we will have to look at trying to find a used 2nd car when it is paid off as the kids are only going to keep getting bigger.

Teresa - posted on 04/10/2011

Is this the post where I posted about my friend dying?

I can't remember. He was 10. I was 14. Him and some other kids were sitting in the back of a truck on a dirt road. They were going slowly. The driver went around a corner and my friend fell out. Hit the back of his head on a rock and no more friend..... :( It's not just crazy drivers, but people being in unsafe seating.... and stuff happens.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 04/10/2011

"When I was little I sat on my mom's lap all the time, or sat in the back-end of a pick-up truck. Both now illegal! It's not that these things harm babies/children. It's just that there are more and more unsafe drivers out there."



You think that sitting on someone's lap or on the tail end of a truck doesn't harm children. What if you have to stop suddenly, have a tire blow out or hit an animal? Other drivers aren't the only reason that people have accidents. That's why everyone should be properly restrained and car seats should be used correctly. Research has shown that kids who are turned forward facing early are at an increased risk of death due to internal decapitation. So yes, extended rear facing can prevent deaths.

Jayce - posted on 04/10/2011

I turned my son to FF when he was around 18 months. I followed the guidlines for his car seat. Now at 3 yrs, it's almost time for a booster. He's tall for his age.

Jayce - posted on 04/10/2011

According to the AAP, my husband's 89 yr old grandmother should still be in a booster seat.

Teresa - posted on 04/10/2011

Earlier I was reading an old post in Babies born in June or July 2008 (forget which month it was) and it saddened me to read just how many of those mothers turned their kids BEFORE a year. I wanted to join that board just to talk about my 3 year old who is still rear facing. He probably won't be much longer though since the rearfacing limit on his seat is 35 pounds. Not sure how much he weighs now, but we'll find out at his 3 year check up on Wednesday. Last I knew he was at or just under 30 pounds....

LadyJane - posted on 04/10/2011

Honestly, no matter how many safety measures car manufacturers, carseat manufacturers take for their products, it will never prevent deaths. There will always be crazy drivers out there always driving out of the safety zone, to the point that the safer a car is made, the more reckless these crazy type drivers will drive. I have several car seats, that have been given to me by friends, family who have used them for their babies. I can't afford new ones, so I make do. Honestly, the only real safe place for a baby is at home. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one day, it will be against the law to have a baby in a car, period! Car seat or not.
When I was little I sat on my mom's lap all the time, or sat in the back-end of a pick-up truck. Both now illegal! It's not that these things harm babies/children. It's just that there are more and more unsafe drivers out there. OF course I do believe money is at hand here as well. Basically, if I have another child, I think I'd just move to the countryside where there's only one house per every 20 miles and not worry at all about car seats.
Personally, when I have another child, I'd prolly avoid all the issues of carseats by just walking everywhere in a stroller.

Sarah - posted on 04/10/2011

There's no way on earth I can get my convertible car seat in RF, it barely fits FF. And maybe I'm the only person with a super-opinionated, loud child, but at 18 months she screams bloody murder if she can't sit FF. (Found this out when we were in my husband's work truck) IMO listening to her shrieking greatly increases my likelihood of wrecking vs statistics of injury I read in the article. I mean, in the US ~700 kids per year (who're strapped in somehow) are killed. That's an incredibly low percentage, and they don't even give the percentage of those kids who are FF versus RF.

Personally, I think it's excessive- maybe that's b/c I come from a family of shorties (my mom's 5' my aunt's 4'10) but my kid will be in a booster seat till high school.

Crystal - posted on 04/09/2011

but I am a "trained car seat installer" otherwise known as a Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Johnny - posted on 04/09/2011

Well then. My bad. I guess I should have consulted you rather than the trained car seat installer. Oops.

Crystal - posted on 04/09/2011

The driver of the Sentra was pretty tall. It's a difficult install, but it can be done. Really, you just have to have the carseat pretty upright.

Johnny - posted on 04/09/2011

Our BCAA carseat clinic couldn't. At least not properly and allowing us to drive in a proper position. Which is also important to being safe in a car.

Crystal - posted on 04/09/2011

You guys do know that a child with good head control doesn't have to be at the recommended 45 degree angle anymore. They can be as upright at 30 degrees.

I've fit a rear facing radian into a sentra.

Crystal - posted on 04/09/2011

You guys do know that a child with good head control doesn't have to be at the recommended 45 degree angle anymore. They can be as upright at 30 degrees.

I've fit a rear facing radian into a sentra.

Minnie - posted on 03/27/2011

I do remember whenever we were visiting my mother (who had a Hyundai Accent) having to push the passenger seat waaaaaay up to fit my daughter's seat rear facing in it. Not comfortable for a front passenger with long legs. I'm 5' 4" and my knees were just about touching the dashboard. Thankfully the Civic has juuust enough interior room to not have to scoot the seat all the way up.

Johnny - posted on 03/27/2011

Which is great if you have a large car.. Do many of you live in suburbs or rural areas? I live in a densely populated urban centre and very many people here drive small cars. We don't need large vehicles and it is hard to find anywhere to park them, even in our parking garages. The local baby store to me doesn't even bother selling those larger convertible car seats because people don't have the SUV's and minvans to put them in. Now that I live farther from the city centre and drive a larger car, it is no longer a personal issue for me. I just know so many people who have had this "car seat battle" that I know what a problem it really is.

Ramona - posted on 03/27/2011

My personal opinion? With this recommendation you actually wind up spending LESS money, since many of the convertibles go from about 5-65 ish lbs or so, and you can use it for as many as 5 years. They also only average $130 or so, at least for the midwest. $130 vs the $400 you spend on a infant seat, then a toddler seat, then a booster seat....it's no contest for me!

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/25/2011

"That's the reason these new recommendations are finally out there, not to punish moms or make your life difficult. It's not a conspiracy by car seat companies in an attempt to make you spend more money, but it's so your child doesn't end up bleeding out on the pavement or the hospital bed."



http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/11791...

Ramona - posted on 03/24/2011

Yes. Breastfeeding and rearfacing isn't really better for you, they're just trying to make money. WTF??? WHO??? LOL

Minnie - posted on 03/23/2011

Well the AAP does tend towards conspiracies ;)

Ramona - posted on 03/23/2011

I have a MyRide 65 too and love it!

I wouldn't bother trying to convince people who are adamantly against it though. For some reason, they seem to think the AAP is conspiring against them....

Minnie - posted on 03/23/2011

It's simple physics and phyisiology, Christy. Under 2 1/2, a forward-facing child has 75% higher risk of internal decapitation than a child rear facing.



People in Sweden put their children rear facing in the front seat if they must. And I wonder like Krista: did you not rear face your infants?

April - posted on 03/23/2011

Those who cannot afford a new vehicle might be able to trade their vehicle? Not sure how that works, never did something like that. However, it is something I would consider if I needed to obtain a safer car for my children.

Krista - posted on 03/23/2011

No, Christy, they don't.

However, they're pretty darned good at creating anatomically realistic models of the human body. Watch the video Celeste posted.

So here's the question: you say it's impossible to put the car seats rear-facing. Did you have rear-facing seats when they were infants?

Christy - posted on 03/23/2011

I get so tired of the laws and changes in these studies. Do they actually put a LIVE baby in a forward facing seat and wreck the car to see what happens? I have a very small backseat in my truck and there is no way I can put the seats rear facing, and getting another car is not financially possible.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/23/2011

Lol, Lisa. I have a 21 year old cousin who's about 4'9" so she's just at the edge of not needing a booster. She's such a tiny little thing.

Minnie - posted on 03/23/2011

Heh, my five year old could still rear face at 32lb, if she wasn't taller than the shell.

Krista - posted on 03/23/2011

I'm really happy about this too, and also agree that car manufacturers and car-seat manufacturers should put their collective heads together to make it easier for parents to keep their kids RF for as long as possible. I have my 19-month old RF in his Graco MyRide65, and intend to keep him that way until he hits the weight limit of 40 lbs. He's only 25 lbs now, so we've got a long way to go!

Ramona - posted on 03/22/2011

I AM SO HAPPY about this! More children will be safer!!! YAYYY!!!!

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/22/2011

Amy, when you click the small picture it shows you the whole thing (legs included).

Minnie - posted on 03/22/2011

I've never been in a sentra or corolla. Maybe the Civic does have more interior room.

I wonder though- would making the seats more compact shorten the shell so that the seats would have a shorter rear facing height restriction? My toddler is pretty tall and there are only a few seats she can rear face in. How high does the Radian rear face to? I wonder if she'll gain three inches before age four.

Celeste - posted on 03/22/2011

Johnny, you make an excellent point. I do hope that car seat manufactures will have a bigger variety of carseats for those parents who have smaller cars. And maybe more affordable, too, especially for those who have more than 1 child!

Johnny - posted on 03/22/2011

Lisa, I was just asking my co-worker, who has a Civic & a 3 year old what car seat she has. It's a rear-facing Radian and it fits fine in her car. Which makes me think that the Civic must have more room than the Sentra, the Corolla and the Prius ( I'm not the only one who has had this issue amongst my friends. I was just the only one unlucky enough to have bought the seat on sale and thus was unable to exchange it)

I really applaud this recommendation. I would just like to see a strong push for the manufacturers to make the seats more compact somehow. Not all families can afford big cars.

Alecia - posted on 03/22/2011

joelsjourney.org this is what can happen to an 18mnth old who is FF in an accident...and he was lucky :\

Alecia - posted on 03/22/2011

my daughter is 18 mnths and still RF and prbly will continue to until she reaches the limits of her Graco MyRide65.

Amy - posted on 03/22/2011

I think if there were some better car seat designs and car companies made cars with car seats in mind more - which some are, i just can't afford to buy a new car - then this wouldn't be so bad and not such a big deal. Recommendations or statements aren't law, though. I'm wondering how long before they push it to become one.

Celeste - posted on 03/22/2011

Right, numbness would occur whether they were forward facing or rear facing..

As far as pictures, I just looked and there are plenty of pictures with their legs in view.. The first one I clicked on "Aaron" showed how his legs are..

Here's a youtube video and it shows plenty of pictures of kids rear facing and showing how their legs are, as well as addressing some concerns about extended rear facing

Minnie - posted on 03/22/2011

Ahh, well, yes, butt numbness of course- but that would happen ff or rf after sitting on it for a long time!

Many children actually complain of leg numbness due to the pressure put on the underside of the thighs while forward facing.

Amy - posted on 03/22/2011

Only reason I worry about it is because we walk pretty much everywhere and the times they are in the car - it is trips over an hour long into the big city. Safety should always trump comfort, don't get me wrong. I just imagine how numb mine would be after an hour of sitting like that. I know what my ass feels like after an hour! lol.

Minnie - posted on 03/22/2011

Amy, it might be helpful to know that there isn't a single case of broken legs due to rear facing in a collision. But there ARE from forward facing due to the legs colliding with the front seat.



My 2 1/2 year old has very long legs. She hangs her legs over the sides of her seat or sits cross-legged. That's what she would do playing on the floor anyways.



We don't have loads of money either- I can't afford the excellent but $200 Radian. So we bought the Scenera, which set me back $54. It rear faces to 40lb, 41 inches, and fits in our Honda Civic, a compact car, behind the passenger seat.

Amy - posted on 03/22/2011

I didn't see ANY legs in those pictures though.

April - posted on 03/22/2011

love the pictures of the older children rear facing! they do look comfty and happy! thanks for posting, sara!