It's official... Tatum is 1! Since she has turned one, she can now face forward in her car seat in the car. Facing forward is SO convenient. It takes up way less space in the car, she can ride in the direction we're going for the first time ever, and she can peek over at her sister, who is also facing forward.
Lately I've been on a big car seat safety kick. I have done so much research and time after time I've read that 80-90% of children aren't restrained in the car properly. Is it really possible that only 10% of kids 80lbs and under are in their seats properly? What's the point of using a car seat if that many of us aren't installing them correctly?
We just bought 2 more Safety 1st Alpha Omega 3-in-1 car seats this week. PS: They're on sale at Walmart for $127! Anyway, it had been a while since I had last taken a brand new car seat out of the box to install. We used to move the 2 seats we did have from car to car, but I figured with that much seat moving, we're just asking for trouble. I thought it would increase our chances of installing them incorrectly. I pulled out the directions to the new seats, removed all of the plastic rapping and began the install. I read the entire booklet, and the sections that pertained to me, multiple times. I'm still not sure if I understand 100%. This is my 2nd year and 8th month using a car seat, I read the directions thoroughly, I'm extremely concerned about the safety of my children, and I'm still not sure if they're in right! Now I get why the majority of us can't get a seat/child in right.
I have signed up to take a car seat technician course. It's absolutely ridiculous that this many people aren't getting their seats in properly... I don't blame them, the instructions might as well be in another language! I figure that if we can get this stat reduced drastically then perhaps I won't ever come across a kid injured in an accident because his/her seat wasn't in right.
Today was Tatum's 1 year check up and I asked her pediatrician about extended rear facing. He told me that he believes that if a child's seat is in properly, forward or backwards, it won't make a difference. The key being that the seat is in as it should be. He said that if there's an accident bad enough to injure a child, that child will be injured whether they're facing forward or backward.
Now, I'm not sure if I agree with him completely. I have read so much information on extended rear facing and I was a determined to keep Tatum rear facing until she was 2.
In Sweden, they recommend keeping their children rear facing until age 4 or 5. From 1992 through June of 1997, only 9 properly restrained rear-facing children died in Sweden. The car seats approved for Canada won't accommodate a rear facing 4 or 5 year old, but will accommodate a child who is less than 30 or 35 lbs depending on the manufacturer.
Rear facing is said to be safer than forward facing in front or side impact collisions. 96% of accidents in the USA are either front or side impact. Seems like an easy decision.
When it comes to the installation of a 3-in-1 seat as a rear facing seat, the seat doesn't seem as secure in the car as it does forward facing. The tether at the back of the seat makes a big difference when it's forward facing. I feel completely torn!
I think I have over thought this whole thing a bit too much... what are your thoughts?
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We bought a 3 in 1 because Maizie was so long for her age I figured it would be best to take her out of her bucket/infant seat and put her in a 'big girl' rear facing car seat. I drive a Dodge Caravan and the F&%King seat wouldn't fit in it! The passenger seat had to be moved forward all the way in order to get the seat enough space to be levelled. The seat hung off and because there is no tether for the back when it's rear facing it's only attached with the seat belt and Ubolts ... there was what I felt to be considerable 'motion' of the car seat. I took the car seat back disgusted.
ReplyDeleteNow Maizie is in a front facing big girl carseat. It fit's my van perfectly. In fact it's so well attached it looks like it was built in.
It's such a personal decision and you need to do what feels right for you. If the car seats fit properly & comfortably in your car rear facing then there can't be much harm in having her that way for a while longer.
I will admit to one more thing: I'm a bad Mumma who sometimes gives snacks to my kids while I'm driving (especially when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic and they are hungry & tired). I am much more comfortable giving Mai a snack now that I can keep an eye on her and not have to rely on my 3 year old to report to me that Maizie 'in trouble'.
Please rear face for as long as you can. There are many seats on the market that allow for this. Britax is coming out with some amazing seats.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, as as car seat technician myself, the Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer and some of those bigger seats are harder to install rear facing it can be done. And done well once you know the tricks.
And as much as you are allowed by law to go FF at 1 year, the law is the bare minimum. Not necessarily what is best for your child. The neck bones/muscles/etc don't actually become strong enough until the child is closer to 3 years old. Strange that your doctor wouldn't know this.
If you have any other questions, please let me know and I'll answer them or do my best to get you the answers.
Please check out http://car-seat.org It's a discussion form for car seat related questions.