Resources:

About seatcheck. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.seatcheck.org/about_overview.html

Car safety seats: information for families for 2011. (2011, April 5). Retrieved from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx

Car seat laws by state. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=car_seat_laws

Rear-facing seats. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_2.html

Rice, T.M., & Anderson, C.L. (2009). The effectiveness of child restraint systems for children aged 3 years or younger during motor vehicle collisions: 1996-2005. American Journal of Public Health, 99(2), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/ehost/detail?sid=c6bee515-ffdd-41d2-80fe-5e0a130e4fda%40sessionmgr15&vid=1&hid=24&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=36300972

Weber, Kathleen. (n.d). Rear-facing vs forward facing. Retrieved from http://www.carseatsite.com/rear-face_article.htm

Thank you!

For taking the time to check out my blog! Extended rear facing is very important to me, and I hope to spread the word about how much safer it is than forward facing. Please feel free to share my blog with others!

Quick tip: any time you see words in pink, click on it and you will be redirected to another website with helpful info!

Youtube Videos:

Joel's Journey is a sad but true story of the injuries that can occur when a young child is forward facing in a crash. This is a video that his grandpa made shortly after his accident to put out awareness of extended rear facing:



Rear facing vs Forward Facing crash test videos:




The last one is a short 38 second video, and it's not in English. However, I don't think you need to speak the language to understand the message

Current car seat laws

There are laws about car seats in every state, and for rear facing they're all the same. You can NOT legally turn your child around until he or she reaches 20 pounds AND 1 year old. If he is 1 year old and 17 pounds, you can not turn him around because he does not weigh enough. If he is 20 pounds at 6 months (like my son was!) you can not turn him around because he isn't a year.

My son, rear facing at 15 months and 31 pounds

1 year AND 20 pounds

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their recommendation from the old 1 year and 20 pounds for rear facing to 2 years old, and even better, until the child out grows the height and weight for their particular seat.

Since there is new research that is enough to make the AAP change their recommendations, and there are seats that can rear face 98% of the infant/toddler population until 2, new laws should be implemented to keep these children safe! I realize it takes time to put new laws in place, so the process should be started now.

I can't afford a car seat that will rear face long enough

A lot of people think that car seats have to be expensive to be safe. That is far from the truth. Some may be fancier than others, but the fact is: they all have pass the same safety standard tests. The Cosco Scenara is a perfect example: at only $39, you can rear face your child safely until 35 pounds, which is around 3 years old for most children, give or take a few months.

Won't my child be uncomfortable?!

This is a common concern parents have about older children rear facing. The answer is quite simple, no!

A child will easily accommodate themselves once they start getting bigger.

They will sit cross legged:


or

Even when a child is forward facing, you'll often find their legs to be crossed. Think about it, do you ever sit for long periods of time with your legs dangling free?

Probably not.

It's just not comfortable. All the pressure on the back of your legs, the tingles because your legs fall asleep...

I bet when you sit on a bar stool you always have your legs resting in a cross bar.
Am I right?

My point is this:

A child will not be squished or uncomfortable. They can still move their legs and stretch/move them.


note: this is my 4 year old daughter, who unfortunately is too big to rear face safely anymore (too heavy). She was modeling in her baby sister's car seat for me, showing that it is possible for an older child to rear face! Notice the smiles?

Rear facing vs Forward facing Injuries

Rear facing in a car seat is safer for everyone not just a child. It is however much safer for children since they are not physically as developed as an adult. A child's skeleton is is still immature, thus making it easier to suffer serious injuries if they are forward facing, such as internal decapitation.

Internal decapitation occurs when the skull pulls away from the spine. This can occur as little as being pulled 1/4in away. Some autopsies have shown the skull being pulled away as much as two inches in young children.

When a child is forward facing in a crash, the head flies forward while the rest of the body is restrained by the car seat straps. If a child is rear facing, their body is cradled by the back of the car seat, thus making the impact more distributed and not as traumatic.