PSA on carseats

Before my little PSA, here's a fun picture comparison. Here were my two boys in their carseats on the day we brought Parker home:


And here they were about a month ago on the last day Parker used the infant carseat:


How quickly these babies grow!

Now I'm going to get up on my soapbox for a moment, which is something I try not to do...

A few people have asked me. "When are you turning Parker around in his carseat? He is one now, you know." Many people believe that once your child is one year old and at least 20 pounds, you should turn him around. Well, you can (by law), but you should not. The American Academy of Pediatrics now officially agrees; they released a recommendation that parents NOT turn children around until they are age 2 or have reached the rear-facing limits of the carseat (this varies slightly by carseat and not all carseats CAN rear face). The AAP cites research that indicates children are up to five times safer when rear facing in a carseat until two years old.

I knew this when Thomas was a baby, that it was safer. We kept him rear facing until he was about 18 months, but we had his seat forward facing in Trey's car and he got used to that and started whining in my car. We won't do that this time around. Because while I knew it was safer to not turn him around, I had not seen real proof as to why. Then I stumbled across some links on YouTube that changed my mind.

In this video, my greatest interest is in the part that starts at about 1:44 into it where it compares identical crash tests on rear- and front-facing carseats. It's startling. Here's the link if you don't see the video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8


There are also websites and videos I've found about real children who have been horribly injured (neck injuries) in accidents where they were forward facing in a carseat before age two.

While this is the decision that is right for me, I also recognize that we all make the decision that is best for our child and our family and I won't look funny at any one for choosing something other than me (just as I would hope others would do for me!). I just think that often times people do not know, so I thought I would share.

A few other tips and rules you may not know.... When rear facing, the straps should be at or below a child's shoulders. When forward facing, straps should be at or above. Always use the strap level closest to the shoulder. And the chest clip (as I always have to remind my husband!), is a "chest clip" not a "belly clip." It should be at chest level with the top of it at the armpit. And straps should be snug enough that you cannot pinch the strap with any excess material.

There is also much research out there about the importance of a five-point harness carseat, and it is why Thomas will not be in a booster until he is closer to age 5 (if I can help it), but that's a story for another post. :)

This concludes my PSA. :)