Would you go against the rules... - Page 5

[JavaFinch]

Originally Posted by happy2bamama

I really do understand that rear-facing is safer than front-facing (I watched the video clips), BUT... you're making it sound like turning your child to the front is the same thing as using no car seat at all, which of course, is NOT! "Why not skip the car seat all together?" - that makes no sense!
We all know that a car seat - regardless of which way it's facing - is ridiculously more safe than no car seat at all. I know what you're getting at, why not be the MOST safe you can be, but if that's the case, then why get in your car at all? Really, I do get where you're coming from - I am definitely not turning DS before a year and in fact, I've completely reassessed turning DS forward before the 33lb. maximum - but I also don't think that front facing before the weight/height maximum is the same as using nothing.

Again, I'll try to be more clear, my guess is almost ANY parent would, if they KNEW they were going to crash and they had seen those videos, would turn their child back to RF or keep them RF if they were still within the weight limit. The only reason a parent who has seen those videos and is aware of the harm that can come *unnecessarily* from FF drives with their 20-lb one-year-old FF is because they think "I won't get into an accident" - and my point was if one is going to make safety decisions based on the assumption that they will never get into an accident, then why even use a carseat? That is my point. My point was not to say FF is just as bad as no carseat in an accident.

As for 'why even drive at all' - well, I'm sure most of us could always improve on safety. Not everyone can afford the BEST carseat or the 5-star safety rated car. We make the safest choices with what we have. And leaving a carseat RF seems like a very easy, ZERO cost way to do that.

I'm glad you're rethinking things. I turned my son around at 20lbs/1 year on advice of my doctor back in 2000 and I am just so thankful we didn't get in an accident! My son has hydrocephalus and has a disporportionately large head. If any child should have stayed RF, it is him. I shudder to think of his poor neck had an accident occurred. I know better now and will not make that mistake again. I'm annoyed that my ped gives such sloppy, mainstream advice to patients (including telling BF moms to wean at a year, telling moms of babies to CIO, etc. = luckily for DS I didn't listen to that advice)

[thepeach80]

I had a 24# 7 mos old come in to my check today ffing b/c mom's ped said it was o.k. after 20#. : He was able to leave in a brand new seat, RFING!

[momsadvice]

You are going to do what you want no matter what anyone says. But think about it why would there be laws governing this and so much money put into testing, researching, and so forth if it was not best for your child. yes while i agree not everything should be governed by the government some of it may be for the better good of the people and innocent.

[bechand0128]

Originally Posted by thepeach80

I had a 24# 7 mos old come in to my check today ffing b/c mom's ped said it was o.k. after 20#. : He was able to leave in a brand new seat, RFING!

Stupid pediatrician. My ds2's ped said that not everyone could afford those "fancy seats" that could last 30 lbs or more. I looked her straight in the face, and said, "Oh, I know! There are some families that just cannot spring for a $40 Scenera from WM. Thank God the SafeKids Coalition here will give out FREE seats that RF all the way to 30 lbs." She was actually a fairly decent pediatrician too - okay w/ delayed/no vax, supportive of ext bfing (was a pumper herself, her dh was a sahd), used cloth diapers, didn't encourage CIO...

I'm glad you were able to keep this kiddo safe!

ETA: I guess I thought I had responded to this post previously. Obviously not. My ds2 is still rear-facing at 19 months. He either sits cross legged or props his feet up on the seat behind him. He doesn't seem bothered. Would I forward face him? NO WAY! I'd sooner have a broken leg than broken neck - Broken leg, cast it, Broken neck, casket. My elder ds rear-faced off and on until just after his 3rd birthday, and is still harnessed. As someone else said - they wouldn't put this much money into testing, researching, etc, for me not to follow their best practice recommendations. Best Practice recommendations, as we were taught in our CPST class - rear-face to the limits of the seat, forward-face to the limits of that seat, booster from 4/40 lbs until the child passes the 5 step test. My children deserve the best I can give them!

[thepeach80]

Yup, we would never not give a child a safe seat b/c the parent's couldn't afford it! We don't advertise free seats, but if you need one, you can get one for whatever $ you do have. We were able to get 6 seats yesterday that weren't any good anymore, that's a LOT for us in one check. So we had that many seats go out as well. It was a good day. The day that makes me really happy that I do what I do.

My DH's cousin can't afford another seat for their baby, so he's getting a new Scenera for his birthday on Saturday. This will let me have my Scenera back.

[*Karen*]

Absolutely not. Not ever. My 18 month old is still RFing. It is about spinal development. My kid's neck is way too important for me to turn it around for any reason at all.

[*Karen*]

Originally Posted by JavaFinch

Again, I'll try to be more clear, my guess is almost ANY parent would, if they KNEW they were going to crash and they had seen those videos, would turn their child back to RF or keep them RF if they were still within the weight limit. The only reason a parent who has seen those videos and is aware of the harm that can come *unnecessarily* from FF drives with their 20-lb one-year-old FF is because they think "I won't get into an accident" - and my point was if one is going to make safety decisions based on the assumption that they will never get into an accident, then why even use a carseat? That is my point. My point was not to say FF is just as bad as no carseat in an accident.

Sadly this is not the case. I would think so too. But so many parents just don't care at all. There is nothing that anyone could do to make me turn DS around, but some parents EVEN AFTER knowing do it anyway. I REALLY don't understand it at all. :

[AndrewsMother]

No way!!! My almost 19 month old rides rear facing. I do not understand why turning a child FF is such a big deal. I understand that some children must be turned around for the safety of the driver(screaming child) but otherwise what is the big deal?

I am slightly annoyed that my one year old is in Atlanta with my mother riding front facing as she could not figure out how to correctly install the seat rear facing. He flew with family so I was not able to install the seat.

My son might be physically able to withstand a FF crash, but why would I take the risk until I have to turn him around?

[MacKinnon]

In regards to fear regarding homebirths vs. car seat safety. IMO, your desire to have your child forward facing DOES NOT CHANGE PHYSICS. The laws of physics don't bend to your will. You can try to drive safely, but you don't control the weather, the idiots on the road, etc.

However, I feel that the desire to have a safe homebirth can be affected by your will. You plan, prepare, read books, hire a midwife, go to childbirth classes, etc. It's totally not the same thing.

I am not an uber safety concious person. We don't use many baby gates, for instance. I would rather teach my babies to climb stairs. I let my 3 yo help me cook, at the stove sometimes, and "chop" veggies with a butter knife. I also let her play in our fenced back yard w/o my supervision sometimes. But she will be properly restrained, according to best practice guidelines, not state laws, which here in Michigan are awful.

So you only drive once every 2 or 3 weeks? That does not mean that you are less likely to get hit THAT DAY than anyone else on the road THAT DAY. Ask my mom and sister, who nearly died on a beautiful sunny July day during a 20 min drive to my grandma's. I don't think they planned on hitting a tree. They were just going to Grandma's, so my sister got to ride in the front seat. She was 7 and hit her head because she wasn't properly restrained and had emergency brain surgery.

Your will does not change the laws of physics. Sorry.

[velvpitt]

Originally Posted by happy2bamama

and turn your baby's carseat facing forward if they meet the weight limit, but were two months shy of being 1-year-old? Why is there a weight AND age requirement? Is there something that could magically happen in those two months that would make it more safe for your child to ride facing forward?

Thoughts? TIA

i would keep the baby facing backwards until 1 yr.
orthopedic surgeons are much better at fixing broken legs (from facing backwards) than neurosurgeons are at fixing brains

[Anastasiya]

Originally Posted by acp

But I do think the fact that I don't often live in paranoia of the worst-case scenarios (child abduction, SIDS, fatal car or bus crashes) happening to me make me a little more likely to do things like tummy sleep, ride the bus with DD, etc.

For one year olds and up, car accidents are the number one - the Number One - THE NUMBER ONE - killer of children.

It should be taken more seriously than SIDS, tummy sleeping, soft-cheese eating while pregnant, child abduction, etc... It's something that kills more children than many of these things combined, and it's one thing that we parents actually have the power to control to a very real degree.

Just my two pennies.

[poetesss]

Originally Posted by Sancta

For one year olds and up, car accidents are the number one - the Number One - THE NUMBER ONE - killer of children.

Yeah that. In the US at least, it's number one. So it's hardly paranoia to be uber-careful about all aspects of car seat safety. I'll tummy sleep my babe, let him do daring stunts, lick raw-egg cake batter, whatever...but car seat safety is non negotiable for me.