The Forward-Facing Child

A recent discussion with an in-law sparked this latest entry.  Actually, it was more of a statement than a discussion, but anyway... Why are some parents so eager to turn their child forward facing in their carseat? 

To be quite honest, I do not care what the reasons are because none of them are good enough to justify.  At one year of age, parents are suddenly exclaiming that their child is "a big boy/girl now" and that they can face forward in the carseat.  Why?! One year of age is the MINIMUM to be forward facing.  I was shocked and slightly horrified to find out that the family member had already had their child forward facing even though the child was not yet even a year old! They claimed is was due to the child's weight, but to me that means they haven't done much research to know that that isn't a reason until the child is more like 45 lbs. 

If a child tends to be heavier, then their carseat should meet that need.  Not all carseats are the same.  They should be tailored to the child.  If a child is taller, then the carseat should be one that is meant for taller babies.  Look into it, parents.  The right car seat for your child, and used properly (ie: rear-facing when they should be rear-facing), could save your child's life.  It is quite possibly the most important purchase you will make for your child.

Some parents are so uninformed.  They think because of their age, social status, or previous parenting experience that their knowledge is superior.  Research, people! Research.  EVERY parent should be doing research on pretty much everything for each child.  Don't trust one doctor to give you the correct information either.  "Oh well the doctor said, so it's fine."  Um, no, actually it isn't.  It's quite possible that you misunderstood the doctor.  And this is the case for more than just car seats.  Again, research.  Seeing as how there are convertible car seats that have a rear-facing weight limit of 45 lbs, no doctor is going to recommend  that you turn your child forward-facing before they are one year old.

Here are the FORWARD-FACING FACTS:
+ child must be at least one year of age
+child must be at least 20 lbs
these are the bare minimums, meaning that absolutely no way should not meeting these two simple requirements be forward-facing.

Here are the AAP RECOMMENDATIONS: (AAP is the American Academy of Pediatrics)
+child should be rear-facing until the age of two (recommendation as of April 2011)
  -exception: child outgrows height/weight requirements before the age of two
again, this is a minimum recommendation. if children haven't outgrown the height/weight limit for rear-facing by age two, then it is preferable to keep them rear-facing until they do


Why is rear-facing best?
In the case of a car accident (which is the whole purpose for car seats), the head and neck take most of the impact of the crash IF the child is forward-facing.  If the child is rear-facing, then the impact is distributed throughout the whole body. Thus, causing less injury to the child and proving that REAR-FACING IS BEST.

You are encouraged to check out this information for yourself.  Let's face it, most people won't accept the facts until they discover them for themself.  Please visit healthychildren.org or aap.org or simply type what you're looking for into google, bing, etc.

Rear-facing for as long as possible will keep your child safer, longer   : )

Itsy Bitsy

It has been far too long since I have written on here.  I'm working on some pieces that I hopefully will be able to get published eventually, so my blog has been put on the back burner.  So much has been happening with my daughter that I would have enough material to write on her at least twice a week, but I just don't have the time!  However, a very exciting moment this morning prompted me to get back on  :)

My daughter knows Itsy Bitsy Spider!  She has seen in on Barney and I've sang along with the motions a few times, but I still didn't think she'd pick it up so fast.  Even when she knows how to do something, she's very selective on when she chooses to actually do it.  This morning she did the "itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout" motion during the song!  It was amazing to see and whenever my husband or I would say "Itsy bitsy spider..." she would start doing the motion.  Obviously, seeing as how she's only just a year old, the motion is not exact but it's pretty darn exciting to see  :)  Love our smart baby girl!

Children are capable of so much more than we, as a society, give them credit for.  They understand most of what is said to them and what is going on around them early on, even though they can't tell us in words.