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   : )