Passionate

I think everyone has something they are passionate about. Mine has always been my kids or anything that involves them. Since having Hannah I have always been one of "those" mom's who researches everything and makes sure she is getting the best, I am doing it the right way, or she is the safest she can be. The latter thing led me to researching car safety.

I stumbled across car safety information on a parenting message board and was totally shocked about what I found. I learned that with Hannah, Kirstine, & Seth that I hadn't been doing the safEST thing for them when we were in the car. Granted even at age 7 (when I found this information) Hannah was still in a booster seat but my kids weren't the most protected they could be and putting your kids in the car each day is probably the most dangerous thing they do. Below is what I have learned over the last couple of years about car safety. It covers from birth - 35 lbs. and 36 lbs - 100 lbs.


Birth to 35 pounds - Rear Facing (RF) and Extended Rear Facing (ERF)

This is the category Larissa fits into. She is 2 years 5 months and weighs a small 25 lbs. We have chosen to ERF her... yes she still faces backwards in the car. Here are some photos of her in case you can't picture it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that, "All infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. It is even better for them to ride rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer" which for most convertible car seats is 33 lbs.

1 year and 20 lbs is the absolute minimum for forward facing children. Still with this minimum standard reitereated to parents repeatedly, many parents are turning their babies forward facing too soon. Automobile accidents are the #1 killer of children under the age of 15. Extending the period of time your child rear-faces in the car greatly reduces their risk of injury in an accident. Children who are forward facing are 4 times as likely to be injured in a crash than rear facing children. (MSN article "Child Car Seat Advice).

Here are a couple videos showing the difference of a forward facing seat and rear facing seat in a crash test. Click Here.

Head Weight: When a child is in a forward-facing seat, there is tremendous stress put on the child's neck, which must hold the large head back. The mass of the head of a small child is about 25% of the body mass whereas the mass of the adult head is only 6%. Rear-facing seats do a phenomenal job of protecting children because there is little or no force applied to the head, neck, and spine. CPSafety.com

Won't My Child Be Uncomfortable? Many parents have the misconception that children are uncomfortable or at risk for leg injury by having their legs up on the vehicle seat or bent when kept rear facing. As you can see from my photos Larissa is not uncomfortable at all. Children are more flexible, what is perceived as uncomfortable is not. In reality, most children who are old enough to voice an opinion will tell you they are much more comfortable rear facing. Additionally, there are no documented cases of children's legs, hips, etc. breaking or being injured in a crash due to longer rear facing. Sadly, there are many cases of head and neck injury in forward-facing children and even internal decapitation that could have been prevented if the child had remained rear facing. However, even if a leg or hip were broken or injured, it can be fixed. A damaged spinal cord is much harder, if not impossible to repair. The vertebrae in a child do not fuse until age 3 - 6 years years old. This is why rear-racing is the safest and give more support and protection.

If you want more links, photos, or literature on the above information or a list of carseats in every price range let me know and I can email it to you.

Larissa is so small that she will probably be rear-facing until she is at least 3 if not longer. I am sure some will think I am crazy but to me this is the safEST choice for us and a no brainer, the facts speak for themselves. I have never met anyone in real life who ERF so I know I am in the minority but that is okay.

36 - 100 lbs ~ Harnessing Beyond 4 and 40 pounds

Before moving your child out of a harnessed seat please consider keeping them in a 5 point harness. Think about buying another seat with a harness until they are physically ready for a booster seat or adult belt. In a 2006 survey by the NHTSA only 14% of children between 40 - 60 lbs remained in a forward facing harness seat.

5 Reasons to Keep your Child in a Harnessed Seat:

1. Before age 5 - 6, kids (generally) aren't mature enough to sit in a booster properly. Leaning forward, picking up that toy that fell on the floor are all opportunities for a child to be in a poor position during a crash. Around age 5 - 6, they start to be mature enough to sit properly for the entire duration of a trip, and listen more consistently to directions not to move out of their seat.
   
2. Around age 6, the iliac crest, which is the part of the pelvis in adults that the seat belt rests on, develops in children. This makes booster use much safer.
3. Small children also have developing, fragile, flexible neck muscles, loose ligaments to allow for growth, small rib cages, developing abdominal muscles, soft spinal columns, and unprotected relatively larger abdominal organs. The vertebrae do not completely ossify until close to age 6. This vulnerability allows the seatbelt to do far more serious internal damage to a young child than to an adult.
4. 5 point harness systems are the ideal for any safety system.
5. Seatbelts are designed for an average sized adult. When your car manufacturer designed your seat belts he wasn't visualizing your 4 year old. Where a seat belt lays across your body is critical for how it protects you in an accident. Seat belts are not designed for kids.

Below is a video and a website I strongly encourage you to check out.


KyleDavidMiller.org on the site is also a list of recommended carseats - look for his video on YouTube.

Here is a video showing the difference of a booster seat vs. a 5 point harness in a crash: Click Here

There are some great seats out there that can last you years once your child hits 30 lbs.

Booster Seats

How to know when your child is ready for a booster seat AFTER age 4 AND 40 lbs.

1. Does the child sit tall so his/her whole back is touching the seatback?
2. Does the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Does the lap belt touch the tops of the legs?
5. Can the child sit like this for the whole trip and keep the shoulder strap in the correct spot?

All three of my older kids, age 9 1/2, 7 1/2, & 6 still ride in booster seats and will until they hit the recommended height of 57".

If you want any more information about the the above information let me know and I can email you some good literature.

For information on laws in your state visit this site: State Laws