Not Yet!

I've recently seen several people on the road with tiny kids in forward facing seats, and it makes me SO nervous.  So I decided to do some research for myself, because I've noticed that Eli's getting taller and taller, believe it or not.  His little legs have to bend just to be able to fit into his car seat. And nothing would be more convenient than to turn him around and have him finally be forward facing! Not only that, but that would give the passenger in my tiny car a ton more leg room.

BUT - not yet.  It's not time yet.  Did you know the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises children to stay rear-facing until at least age 2?!  OR until they reach 40 pounds?!  And in this case, if your kid is 2 and not 40 pounds yet, they advise to keep them rear-facing until they outgrow their seats. This can be a little confusing, because I also found that the AAP actually says the minimum age to turn them forward-facing is 1, or 20 pounds.  So parents started to flip their kids around, thinking it was OK.  And although it may be - it's still not safe enough.  Here's why:

• A 2007 study found that kids under age 2 are 75% less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing.
• A rear-facing seat is better for protecting the head, neck, and spine in a crash.  
• Another study found that riding rear-facing is 5 times safer than not.

SO - here are a few ways I've found to make this small "inconvenience" a little easier.

1. Get a mirror!  I've heard some of my friends say they turned their kids around because they couldn't see them.  Easily solvable problem.  We've had this mirror (below) since Eli was born. I can see his entire body in my rear-view mirror.
   
   
   
2. Worried about their squished legs?  I was.  But guess what - kids don't care.  They don't know the difference.  It doesn't bother them.  They'll survive - literally.
   
3. Did you already switch your kid forward-facing?  It's OK - switch them back.  But if you still don't want to, then at least make sure your forward-facing seat is harnessed correctly.
   
4. Talk to your pediatrician.  I never did.  I still haven't.  But I'm glad I found this info!

"Parents are always looking for the next stage of development because in every other scenario, that's a good thing.  With car safety seats, however, that's often not the case." -Dr. Ben Hoffman

Take this info and do what you think is best for your family - for us, we have decided to leave Eli rear-facing.  He'll be 2 in December, but he probably won't be 40 pounds.  So he may be rear-facing until he's 3, haha!  And although I'm DYING for more space in my car, I would rather keep him 5 times safer than worry about convenience right now.