Considering turning carseat around.... - Page 5

[Throkmorton]

I just wanted to add a link to the technical expanation of the recline angles in rear and forwards facing seats, to clarify some information above: http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tec...te.htm#angleFF
Crash testing has shown that for older babies who ares till rf, a 45 degree recline is not essential, and a steeper angle may, in fact, reduce the loads on them.

[jaylind]

Aha! I've been looking for this for a couple of days now: http://www.carseat.org/Technical/brokencs.htm

That pic illustrates the importance of using the reinforced slots when forward facing. If crash forces can subject the seat and child to that kind of force when forward facing, I'm just not interested.

I get what you mamas are saying about crying and distraction in the car, I really do. But like I said, for me, forward facing before the limits of the seat are just not an option. When you remove the option, you find other ways. Kinda like breastfeeding in the newborn period, kwim?

[TortelliniMama]

Originally Posted by jaylind

Aha! I've been looking for this for a couple of days now: http://www.carseat.org/Technical/brokencs.htm

That pic illustrates the importance of using the reinforced slots when forward facing.

I just don't get why all the manufacturers don't just start reinforcing all the slots. How expensive could it be? The way it is now, it's like they're purposely setting a trap for parents to fall into.

[taosmom]

Can I tell you all what a relief it is to know that mine's not the only one who doesn't like the car?! Thank GOD for all of you...I also want to keep him rear facing as long as possible, mostly because when I ride in the back I can't nurse him in the seat unless it's rear-facing (I sit up on a pillow, put the belt around my lap and manuever the boob to his mouth). I remember him crying himself hoarse when he was an infant, it was heartbreaking. I was in the back with him and had no idea how to comfort him. Then-ta da! The boob! Since then it has always worked to calm him. When I'm driving he likes to play with a set of keys or eat a piece of toast (I know, I know, but desperate times...). Anyway, thanks for the links and good luck to you all!

[TortelliniMama]

Originally Posted by Asaalik

I also want to keep him rear facing as long as possible, mostly because when I ride in the back I can't nurse him in the seat unless it's rear-facing (I sit up on a pillow, put the belt around my lap and manuever the boob to his mouth). I remember him crying himself hoarse when he was an infant, it was heartbreaking. I was in the back with him and had no idea how to comfort him. Then-ta da! The boob! Since then it has always worked to calm him.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, nursing in the car is putting him at huge risk. In case of an accident, he will become your airbag, and have many times your weight land on him. Please reconsider!

[kbridi]

[QUOTE=veggiemomma]nak

i understand your frustration, OP.ds would scream until he threw up EVERY time we put him in the car.

We turned him front-facing when he was 13 months. It helped A LOT for him to be able to see out the window better. Now he actually asks to ride in the "caw"

[QUOTE]

I wonder if he was car sick. I know he was so upset that the threw up, but maybe he was upset because he felt sick. Rear facing can cause that since the babies arn't able to look out the front.

[pumpkin]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

Yes I have and yes I got sick. There are things you can do or motion sickness. As someone mentioned earlier, I would rather have a unhappy or sick child thn a dead one.

But you may not just be talking about an "unhappy" child. My motion sickness is so severe that riding in the back seat of any car for even a couple of minutes can trigger hours of severe wretching. The one time I was rear-facing on a plane, even though I was heavily medicated for any potential motion sickness, I threw up the entire flight. I was just on vacation and had to use a motion sickness patch to go swimming. Yes that's right, swimming. I can't tell you how many times I threw up in the car as a child. Well, its enough that my 6'2" dad with a bad back will happily sit in the back seat of a tiny car so that I can have the front seat and not be puking the whole trip. Its not always about being unhappy. For some people it is the difference from being a functioning person or being sick all the time.

It doesn't sound like OP has a kid with this severe of a case, but it really bugs me when people dismiss the potential severity of motion sickness.

[Yooper]

Me too Pumpkin. I get motion sick in a canoe. I kid you not. I KNOW that dd gets motion sick too. Whenever we have had to have her in a non-middle seat (where she could not see directly out of the front of the car, she gets very upset and remains upset for hours after she is out of the car. Just like I feel when I am forced to sit in a back seat. She was miserable rear facing. We kept her that way until she met the ff requirements and just did everything we could to minimize car time and to try and have another person in back with her. Not that it did anything to relieve her distress, but at least someone could sympathize with her and let her know that someone knew her pain.

I know some people think everything is black and white but I do think there are exceptions to the rules. I am sorry, but the difference in safety between front and rear facing (after age 1 and 20 pounds) is not enough of a difference to justifying allowing a kid to scream continuously on every car trip. It is called quality of life.

[taosmom]

Originally Posted by TortelliniMama

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, nursing in the car is putting him at huge risk. In case of an accident, he will become your airbag, and have many times your weight land on him. Please reconsider!

My body could not possible impact force on him when I nurse (we have a Britex Marathon, not an infant seat). I just cup my breast and feed it around the edge of the seat and the tether prevents me from getting close at all-there's no possible way my weight would land on him...thanks for the concern, though!

[TortelliniMama]

Originally Posted by Asaalik

My body could not possible impact force on him when I nurse (we have a Britex Marathon, not an infant seat). I just cup my breast and feed it around the edge of the seat and the tether prevents me from getting close at all-there's no possible way my weight would land on him...thanks for the concern, though!

First, how do you have the seat tethered? We also have a rfing Britax, and we have it tethered, but the tether goes down to attach to the frame of the front seat. I know that there is a way to tether rfing where the tether would be in your way (Australian style), but that's pretty unusual to see in the U.S. I just wanted to make sure that you don't have it tethered to the upper tether anchors that you'd use if the seat were forward facing. I don't think tethering there will help a rfing seat at all.

Second, I suppose it's possible that you have anatomy that lets you stay completely correctly in your seat and seat belt and still nurse. (I know there are days that I feel like my breasts are getting to that point! :LOL) But if you are leaning out of position at all, then you *are* putting yourself and your ds at risk. In an accident, you can be tossed every which way, so if you're not in correct position, your weight will move around unpredictably. Even if you didn't hurt him with your weight, you're putting him at increased risk of growing up without you. I totally applaud you for wanting to keep him safe and happy in the car, and it's awesome that he's still rfing, but I'd just hate to hear that another mama/child got hurt when it didn't have to happen.

[the_lissa]

Originally Posted by pumpkin

But you may not just be talking about an "unhappy" child. My motion sickness is so severe that riding in the back seat of any car for even a couple of minutes can trigger hours of severe wretching. The one time I was rear-facing on a plane, even though I was heavily medicated for any potential motion sickness, I threw up the entire flight. I was just on vacation and had to use a motion sickness patch to go swimming. Yes that's right, swimming. I can't tell you how many times I threw up in the car as a child. Well, its enough that my 6'2" dad with a bad back will happily sit in the back seat of a tiny car so that I can have the front seat and not be puking the whole trip. Its not always about being unhappy. For some people it is the difference from being a functioning person or being sick all the time.

It doesn't sound like OP has a kid with this severe of a case, but it really bugs me when people dismiss the potential severity of motion sickness.

This is how I am too. I throw up at least once a week. Obviously if my child was constantly vomitting and sea bands and other methods didn't work, I would turn her around. BUt otherwise, no. It is not worth it to me. SO, I am not dismissing the severity of motion sickness. I understand more than you know. I really do. I wasn't talking about something severe like that.

[taosmom]

We have a truck with an extended cab, so the back seat tether is above the seat-according to Britex, it's okay to tether it this way with a rear-facing (Australian method). I do appreciate your concern and please know that we don't do it all the time and our truck is HUGE (it's a Dodge 3500 quad cab), so I'm not quite as concerned as I would be in a smaller car about getting tossed around but I do see your point and appreciate you taking the time to let me know!

[TortelliniMama]

Originally Posted by Asaalik

We have a truck with an extended cab, so the back seat tether is above the seat-according to Britex, it's okay to tether it this way with a rear-facing (Australian method).

You know, I've never really understood the Australian method, so maybe you can help. The tether goes up from the back of the rf seat to the tether above the back seat? How is that helpful? I thought the point of rf tethering was to stop the seat from rotating up toward the back of the back seat. It doesn't seem like this kind of tethering would do that. Is it meant to help keep the seat from tipping down? Please understand, I'm not saying *at all* that you're doing anything wrong, just that I don't understand how it works. I'm just curious.

[taosmom]

Wow, you've got me thinking as well-I thought is was simply to create a better anchor to the frame of the car (besides just the seat belt). We have LATCH on either passenger side, but not in the middle (who's the idiot who thought of that?! ) Anyway, we have him in the middle with the shoulder belt (also makes me feel a bit nervous) but the tether seems to secure the seat better...I'll re-read the instructions 'cuz now you got me scared!

[TortelliniMama]

Originally Posted by Asaalik

Wow, you've got me thinking as well-I thought is was simply to create a better anchor to the frame of the car (besides just the seat belt). We have LATCH on either passenger side, but not in the middle (who's the idiot who thought of that?! ) Anyway, we have him in the middle with the shoulder belt (also makes me feel a bit nervous) but the tether seems to secure the seat better...I'll re-read the instructions 'cuz now you got me scared!

I really didn't mean to worry you! Like I said, I'm not thinking that you've done it wrong, because that's the way the pictures I've seen of tethering Australian style look. I was assuming you were doing it correctly, but I was just feeling clueless about how it helps.

I just did a quick google, and it looks like the benefit of it is what I guessed originally. It prevents forward rotation of the seat. The page I read did say that that's not usually a big concern with rf'ing seats, especially since the seat would usually be stopped by the back of the front seat before it could rotate too far. Personally, I'm more concerned with the seat rotating back toward the back of the back seat, so I'm going to stick with tethering to the front, but it sounds like you're doing the Aussie style tethering correctly. It just depends on what benefit you want to pick.

I just wanted to add, too, that I don't think you need to stress about using the seat belt rather than the lower LATCH anchors. As I understand it, LATCH is just to make installation easier. It is true that it can be safer than the seat belt, but only in cases where the parents would have ended up installing it incorrectly with the seat belt but instead did it correctly with the LATCH. Did that make sense? I'm really tired. :LOL Anyway, as long as you've got a good seat belt install, it's not any less safe than LATCH. And if you're using the seat belt, you don't have to worry about forgetting to switch when your dc gets too heavy for the LATCH anchors, which I think happens at 48 pounds or something like that? (It's academic to me at this point, since we don't have a car with the lower anchors.)

Must go to bed. Little guy's birthday party is tomorrow...

[taosmom]

Thanks and happy birthday!