I plan on discussing this with my pediatrician next week, however, was wondering if someone had clarification on this issue.
I copied this from a the AAP's new guidelines for rear-facing car seats.
"In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their "toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday."
My DD is over 20 pounds and about 31 inches. So according to the new guidelines, would I continue to put her in a rear-facing car seat?
Thank you for your feedback. I am going to keep her rear-facing. I watched the video recommended and I am a believer now!!
As well intentioned as the guidelines are, my toddler is just too tall to be rear-facing anymore. His long little legs need to hang over the carseat, and when the carseat is rear-facing, there's no place for his legs and feet!
I was told that state law is still age one and 20 pounds, but that the pediatric recommendation was to keep them rear facing until age 2 (this is what I was told when my daughter turned one in October of 2009). I was reminded that bent legs are not a reason to turn a child around. We kept our daughter rear facing until she was almost two.
I would keep her rear facing for as long as possible.
I attend the Safety Fair every year at the Scottish Rite Hospital, and meet with the State Troopers there to assess my car seat installation. And here is what the officers ALWAYS tell me:
It doesn't matter what the recommendation says about when you can turn them around, delay it as long as you can. In other words; my 3 year old daughter is 37" and 27#, so she could be front facing now. But why do it? Her rear facing seat is rated for a child up to 40lbs, so I will keep her in it until she outgrows THE SEAT, not the recommendations. She could be 5 or 6 years old at that weight, but as long as she fits in the seat parameters, that's what we will do. Because her safety is more important that seeing her face in the mirror.
The longer you can keep them rear-facing, the safer they are. There is NO reason to ever turn them around, other than outgrowing the seats. So I teach her to "crisscross, applesauce" her legs and we stay rear-facing for her safety.
It is absolutely safest to be rear facing as long as possible! Probably because rear end type accident are more common than head on accidents. Google extended rear facing for many videos and explanations why. I would keep them rear facing as long as possible, they can sit cross legged, mine were 31 and 26 months when we turned them forward!
They are just recommending you keep her rear facing, at the moment its not required!
My eldest was rear facing until 2.5 yrs old and could technically be rear faced still but at 3.5 yrs I felt he capable of being forward facing. My 22 month old is still rear facing (31lbs and 33 inches tall) he has a really really big head and feared if he was forward facing he'd run the risk of serious injury. I plan on keeping him rear facing until he complains (or grows into that huge head j/k)....Good Luck
Yep. Keep her rearfacing. And I really don't know how you would do that w/ the Cosco seat...It says it can be...but it just seems so flimsy.
Please watch the video-it is so powerful.
i can see the point of safety for the older kids. but for the internal decapitation, i don't get why they are rear facing? i mean if you get rear ended and you are forward facing your head flies forward. if you are in a head on collision, your head would also fly forward even though you are backward facing, right? i don't really see the difference? maybe it's just me and i think too much.
Sounds like an advisory not a you have to type thing. As long as she is over 1 yr and 20 lbsthen use your discretion in my opinion. I would definitely bring it up to your pediatrician to get their. I also think it's silly to have a pre-teen in a booster seat, but that's just personal opinion. I'm 5ft 2 now and at 12 I would've never went anywhere if I had to be in a booster seat lol.
With Sarah B's post, I would leave her rear-facing. I personally had no idea that was the case.
I would just add that you need to check the weight limits on your seat. Many rear-facing seats have a maximum weight of 20 pounds. If that is true for yours, and you still want to keep her rear-facing, then buy a convertible car seat (one that can go forwards or rear-facing) with a higher weight limit.
Yes. My youngest is 3 and his pedi. said 2 years old before turning him around. The exception is if your child is like 35 lbs and your car seat says that it's Ok to have it them rear facing until 30 lbs, then you'd need to turn your child around at 30 lbs b/c that's what your car seat is made for.
My grandson was turned when he reached a year, but he is also tall and VERY long legged, so it was getting uncomfortable for him with no place to really put his legs! My daughter made the comment when she read that about keeping them rear facing until 2, that he would have to "throw his legs over his shoulders" LOL. I would do whatever I could to keep her safe, but if she has outgrown her rear facing seat, a front facing seat for her weight and height would still be better!
