Thursday, July 25, 2013

Safety in the Car


One of my newest discoveries of being a mom is car seat safety. With my son, I started forward facing him at 13 months. I was annoyed with not being able to see him, and I thought it was a big boy step. Little did I know, I was potentially putting my child at risk for death in a car accident. I thank God that We never got into an accident. After having my daughter, I started learning a lot more. According to the AAP, it is recommended to rear face until at least the age of 2 or until they max out the height and weight limit of the rear facing seat (hopefully around the age of 4). A child's spine does not complete ossification (the process in which cartilage is transformed into bone) until around the age of 4, causing many more injuries when a child is forward facing. Here is a video of the comparison of a rear facing child and forward facing child.

A lot of people will argue about the safety of rear facing in a rear end collision. The fact is that only a very small percentage (under 10%) is a rear ending collision, and most of the time, it's when a car is slowed down. So the danger is there but not nearly quite as high as a forward facing child. When you are hit from the side or the front, the car hitting you is usually going at full speed. So as you can see the danger is much worse. Because the ossification process is not complete, it causes what is called internal decapitation. Rear-facing car seats cradle your child’s head and back protecting his or her spinal cord. Unlike a forward-facing car seat where a child’s head can be thrown violently forward stretching the spinal cord and breaking it. This is internal decapitation.

Car seat safety does not end with ERF (extended rear facing), the next step is turning your child around safely. This is recommended around the age of 4 when they outgrow their limit for rear facing and it is more likely their spine has ossified. At this point, you would continue them in a harnessed seat. around the age of 6-8, most children are ready for a high back booster with seat belt only (mostly of which have now outgrown a harness seat). Age means nothing, it maturity at this point. Can your child sit still, and understand that she/he needs to stay safe by nut unbuckling their seat? Also are they capable of sitting up straight at all times rather than leaning over, causing serious risk in the event of a crash? If the answer is yes, then your child MAY be ready for the high back booster. Around 8 years old, is a great time to test for booster. There is less holding the child so they really must be mature enough. The no back booster is mainly for height at this point. The lap belt should be on the lap not on the abdomen (mistaken alot), and the shoulder belt (there MUST be a shoulder belt for their protection) must be in the middle of their shoulder and acorss their chest not their neck. Around the age of 10+ your child may finally be ready to sit in the seat on his/her own without and seat. The child should be able to pass a five point test.
The Five Step Test
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfotable at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?


If ANYTHING on this list is a "no" your child would be safer in a booster. It sounds crazy, and I have had people argue that my child will be made fun of. I have spoken to several parents and children at this age who still use a booster (one of which is almost 12) and they have never been made fun of. Besides are you more worried about a possibility of ridicule or a possibility of death?

Now, although I turned my son FF at the age of 13 months, at 22 months I turned him back around. It wasn't hard, and he doesn't even mind. I plan on keeping him RF as long as possible. Same with my daughter. I see no acceptable reason with my children to turn them FF. People will argue with the fact that their child is uncomfortable, but most children, if you never turn them FF don't know the difference so they adapt as they grow. My son was a little frustrated the first day we switched him back around but now he just bends his legs. There are many ways a tall rear facer adjusts. Whether it be criss cross, putt the feet above them on the seat, hanging over the side, they will find what is best for them.

I hope you have learned something as i did, so that you may make an informed decision about when you choose to switch around your child. You may choose to switch them at one year, and that is fine, but at least you know your options. Yes the car seat says 1 year and 20lbs, that does not mean you HAVE to switch them. Remember that. We as parents want to keep our children safe. So why not take advantage of what is available to us?

Please list any comments, questions, or concerns below.


AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age. - See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendation-on-Car-Seats.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token#sthash.o4If3W9E.dpuf
AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age. - See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendation-on-Car-Seats.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token#sthash.o4If3W9E.dpuf
AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age. - See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendation-on-Car-Seats.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token#sthash.o4If3W9E.dpuf

No comments:

Post a Comment