Keeping DC Rear Facing in Car
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tara73
carseat nerd
Member since 11/09 3669 total posts
Name: Buttercup
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Re: Keeping DC Rear Facing in Car
Posted by Hofstra26
To each his own. And for the record, it doesn't make ANYONE a bad parent if they turn their kids before age 2, 3, 4, or 14. (Not directed at you specifically, I'm just sayin' )
Nope, doesn't make anyone a bad parent, I agree.
I made my decision based solely on my own research I did. I read the NHTSA database of crashes. I read some of the reports.
I had to ask myself: Can I deal with the consequences of ignoring these facts?
Can I deal with my child dying or being paralyzed from internal decapitation simply because they'll be "more comfortable" or because they complain?
Can I handle my child like this? IMAGE (feel free to visit www.joelsjourney.org for more info on Joel)
For me? The answer was no.
The risks, IMO, are too great. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to my child and I had been informed of the risks. I pray nothing ever happens to my children and I pray they never get into an accident, but regardless I know that I am giving them the best chance of coming through a crash with minimal injury. (that said, there ARE some crashes that are, unfortunately, unsurvivable)
For me, reading the reports was enough to convince me it was a good idea. Joel's story cemented this in my mind.
FWIW, the OFFICIAL AAP stance for almost 10 years now is to rear face to the limits of the convertible seats. The 1 & 20 was easy to remember and is now the bare minimum, not the standard. Pediatricians spout this off as though it is the rule but here is the OFFICIAL policy from the AAP (which is rumored to be changing to 2 which they have unofficially recommended)
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ncpsw.htm
Infants should ride in rear-facing car safety seats to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. When children reach the highest weight of length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertable sear. Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in front of an air bag.
I trust my pediatrician for many things related to my child. I entrust him with their medical problems and tracking their development. If I want advice on car seats, I will ask a Child Passenger Safety Technician as they are specially trained in this area.
It's important to try to remember laws and policies like this regarding child restraints are not always best practice, they are a bare minimum standard to protect those children who otherwise wouldn't be protected at all. It doesn't always mean it's the best/only thing you can do for your child though.
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Posted 2/25/11 10:13 AM |
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