Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing for as long as possible - up to your seat's maximum capacity. I hear so many people say they can't wait to get their kids forward facing, but after watching this video it might change your mind. As for Eli, it didn't even phase him. In fact, I think he can see better backwards because he has a view straight out the rear window versus just the back of the driver's head. He is also TALL for his age, and his little legs are crossed in order to fit - this doesn't bother him either. In the off chance a leg got broken in a crash, I'll take a broken leg over a broken neck anyday - young children have considerably large heads compared to their necks, and their spinal cords can be stretched to the point of breaking in a crash (essentially internal decapitation) from the force of their heads being thrown forward.
We will probably have to turn Eli forward in the next couple of months simply because he will be too tall for rear-facing limits (the head must be 1 inch below the top of the seat). But, seriously, we need a bigger car. Now Brad can't fit in the front seat without his knees touching the dash... which is a safety concern for him.... WHY did we buy a compact car again???
Anyway, watch the video and let me know what you think! It was good for me to have a visual of what happens in a crash.
3 comments:
Thanks for posting about this. I really had no idea. We also have a compact car, but Mathias just might end up being rear facing longer than I had planned. Besides, he has Anna to entertain him, so he doesn't really need to be front facing.
Wow...that is so scary. I had heard that rear facing carseats were so much safer and that they were trying to extend the age to have them that way. I think our seats can be turned either way too. Good thing Bryton is so small because he may just be stuck that way for a long while after having watched that video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing that, Jeanine! I kept Parker rear facing until right before Emmie was born (he was almost TWO!) and I got so much flack for it. Honestly, I was terrified to turn him around because it really is common sense that a child is so much safer facing backwards and I was scared that as soon as I turned him around I'd get in an accident. Thanks for validating my concern. Watching that video makes me want to go and turn him back around and you better believe that I'm keeping Emmie rear facing for a long, long time!!
I may just have to post this video on my blog sometime... do you mind?
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