So I'm sure all of you mommies with babies have seen this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/21/car.seat.guidelines.parenting/index.html
I was devastated when I heard the news. It is no longersocially acceptable safe to turn your child forward when they turn 1 year old or reach 20 pounds (whichever comes second). The recommended age to turn your child forward in their carseat is now 2 years old. So what do you do?
I'm only 11 days away from my Sweet B turning 1. She HATES being turned toward the back. I hate that I can't see her. I hate that I have to ask her sister if she is awake or asleep. Being forward facing just makes for a happier kid...and a happier mom.
When I was a baby we were taken home in carseats that were as flimsy as a baby doll "car seat", probably forward facing or even on the front seat (okay, maybe not on the front seat taken home from the hospital). By the time we were 2, maybe 3, we were riding on the "hump". You know, the arm rest on the front seat.
I'm so not saying that I disagree with carseats or that I don't think they are safe. I totally think they are a good idea and much safer than riding on the "hump". I think they are a good idea mostly because people have so many distractions while they are driving that we didn't used to have. You know, people are texting, facebooking, talking on the phone, etc. I just think that if you use the forward facing car seat correctly then the toddler will be A-Okay. This information had not come out yet when it was time for O to turn around, so 3 days before she turned 1 I turned her seat around. MUCH.HAPPIER.KID. She weighed about 17 pounds. I don't think she reached the 20 pound mark until she was at least 18 months old. Sweet B will be 20 pounds or really stinking close when she turns 1.
So my question to you is what is your opinion on turning your toddler forward facing in their car seat? Do you think I would be a bad mom if I turned Sweet B forward facing in 11 days? What would you do/are you going to do if it were your toddler?
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/21/car.seat.guidelines.parenting/index.html
I was devastated when I heard the news. It is no longer
I'm only 11 days away from my Sweet B turning 1. She HATES being turned toward the back. I hate that I can't see her. I hate that I have to ask her sister if she is awake or asleep. Being forward facing just makes for a happier kid...and a happier mom.
When I was a baby we were taken home in carseats that were as flimsy as a baby doll "car seat", probably forward facing or even on the front seat (okay, maybe not on the front seat taken home from the hospital). By the time we were 2, maybe 3, we were riding on the "hump". You know, the arm rest on the front seat.
I'm so not saying that I disagree with carseats or that I don't think they are safe. I totally think they are a good idea and much safer than riding on the "hump". I think they are a good idea mostly because people have so many distractions while they are driving that we didn't used to have. You know, people are texting, facebooking, talking on the phone, etc. I just think that if you use the forward facing car seat correctly then the toddler will be A-Okay. This information had not come out yet when it was time for O to turn around, so 3 days before she turned 1 I turned her seat around. MUCH.HAPPIER.KID. She weighed about 17 pounds. I don't think she reached the 20 pound mark until she was at least 18 months old. Sweet B will be 20 pounds or really stinking close when she turns 1.
So my question to you is what is your opinion on turning your toddler forward facing in their car seat? Do you think I would be a bad mom if I turned Sweet B forward facing in 11 days? What would you do/are you going to do if it were your toddler?
I'm with you. I get that it's safer to face backwards, but we'd ALL be safer in rear-facing seats...so are we going to ask car-makers to start designing cars with rear facing back seats?? You have to draw the line somewhere. Ashley's been out of a booster seat for a couple of years now...there's NO WAY I'm making her get back in one when she's almost in fifth grade! And I'm not putting Tyler back in a 5 point harness seat when he's almost gotten the hang of buckling himself in the booster with the regular seat belt.
ReplyDeleteThis is Samantha...I turned Rowan front facing a few days after she turned one....Then, the new guidelines came out and I turned her back to rear facing. She actually likes facing backwards. When she was forward facing we had a problem with the sun being in her eyes, and she hardly ever fell asleep in the car. She seems much more relaxed rear facing.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree. My sister called me about this. VOMIT! I can't imagine not turning Jack around the day he turned 1, it changed my life, now I can pass him stuff, talk to him, etc. I'm the worst though, I've already switched him to a booster with a back for 3 year old, 30lb, 38 inches tall. Jack meets the last 2 requirements but he's not 3 yet. The booster with just a seat belt is awesome. maybe I'm unsafe, I hope my child doesn't die but he is happy, his feet no longer stick straight out of his roundabout and he's much more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe I'm the worst of them all but I'm really happy and I know when we were kids we were on boosters at his age.
edi, you are her mom, you love her, and you would never do anything to endanger her life. use your mama judgement and do what you think is best. unless it is unlawful to turn her around, do what you think is best for all concerned. there. i give you permission. not that it counts for anything.
ReplyDeleteWell, you asked the right question if you were trying to drag me out of my commenting laziness :)
ReplyDeleteI don't plan to turn E around. Even if it means I have to buy a carseat with a higher rear facing limit. (He weighs 17.7lbs ALREADY- He's only 4 months old!!!) I might not wait until he is the full two years old, but will probably go until well into the first year.
Car accidents are the leading cause of death of people age 2-32. It is the single most dangerous activity we do with our children. So I am willing to put up with some inconvenience to make my children safer- Charlotte is still in a 5 point harness booster even though legally she can ride in a seatbelt booster seat.
And ironically, this is my one weird hang up. I am actually a pretty laid back parent. (Have you ever read Free Range Parenting? I HIGHLY recommend it!!). I believe in letting children build confidence through taking calculated risks. But the car seat thing is a deal breaker for me. We take it seriously :)
I just feel like the tiny inconvenience has a pretty big pay off. Their little spines are not even fused to their brain stems yet. Their bodies need all the protection we can give them.
P.S. the title of your post has now made me start singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in my head non-stop...thanks so much! :-p
ReplyDeleteSorry Steph. I kind of did it on purpose. Ha ha!
ReplyDeletewell, i'm kinda a car seat nazi. i've been known to pull over and get a wooden spoon after mine if they unbuckle while riding down the road. (that got the point across rather quickly!) that being said...i turn mine around at one. i know "they" say age 2 now, and some of "them" even recommend keeping them rear-facing until age 4. really?!?! where are their legs supposed to go? even at age 1, my long-legged people had their knees stuck in their necks. i've researched it, and i do believe it's debatable. i don't think you're wrong for keeping them backwards until they graduate high school, and i don't think you're wrong for turning them around at 1. do they need to be in a carseat? heck yeah. which way do they face? if it's not against the law...which ever way you want. i mean, they are recommendations/guidelines. and it will probably change again next year when they research it more. all that to say...who knows?!? it's up to you. i'm sure that was all very helpful! :)
ReplyDeleteEdi I agree with you - I can't imagine if Parker was still sitting rear facing (he is 17 months) and I am definitely not turning him back around. I think you have to use your judgment. I feel like everything they say today will be wrong 2 to 3 years from now anyway, at least that seems to be the way things work, so do what you think is right.
ReplyDeleteyou better believe she is the car seat nazi!!! i would not dare let one of her kids ride 20 feet down the driveway with out being buckled up. i don't want to feel her wrath (which i have only one time--i am a fast learner) and i love them toooooooooooooo much.
ReplyDeleteI think to each his own. If you want to keep your kids turned around until they don't want to ride with you anymore, more power to ya! I won't judge you on this parenting matter. I'm totally leaving it open for some other parenting issue. I personally turned O around when she turned 1 and will have B turned around probably by the end of the week. BUT - even though I think making a kid stay in a booster seat until they are 5 feet tall is kind of absurd, I do think carseats are mandatory since there are so many people looking down at their phones instead of paying attention while driving.
ReplyDeleteLaura, do you keep a wooden spoon in your purse? Ha ha - I haven't had to break out the wrath of the wooden spoon yet.
DK - I do love my babies too much to put them in danger.
Carseats or booster seats (for you MH). I'm not judging b/c O is going to a booster as soon as she turns 3...if she weighs much closer to 30 pounds than she does now, that is.
ReplyDelete