This is a HUGE subject for me.
After doing some research, I have decided that K will be rear facing as long as her carseat allows. Extended rear facing is something that's not so popular around my area. People I know turn their kids around right at a year, or even before.
Keeping your child rear facing is 500% safer than foward facing. No lie. A child's neck just doesn't have the strength to protect it during a wreck. A simple fender bender can snap a child's neck if they are foward facing.
I know, I know. I've been told by more than one person that I'm being stupid.
Here are the "excuses":
"She'll get bored." Yeah. I have the high maitenence child that hates the car. She screams from point A to point B 98% of the time. She never sleeps in her carseat. But, I'm not sure when and how happiness trumps safety.
"Her legs will have nowhere to go" - Yes, when you ERF, there is less leg room. However, it is so natural for a toddler to sit "indian style" (no, I don't know the politically correct way to say this, so my apologies.) I've been told that sitting like that will break her leg if we get in a wreck. Well, then so be it. I'd much rather have a broken leg than a snapped neck.
That's just 2 of the responses I've gotten so far. There's more, but those are the 2 most stated.
When I had K, I became a lot more outspoken about some of my opinions. This, is not an opinion. It is so much safer to rear face your infant/toddler. It's a fact. The law states that an infant must be 1 year and 20 lbs, but it is in the process of being changed to 2 years and 30lbs.
It's really not a hard decision if you stop and think for a second.
Here is a video that explains it all a little better. Take a few minutes and check it out.
and for good measure, here is K in her new carseat. =]
We ERF too Shawna. You are NOT alone even if others make you think you are! Fact is... they get used to RF and until you actually turn them around, it's what they know! We've never FF Jansen and he sits RF just fine. He was a ROTTEN traveller until just this summer and we made it on MANY trips more than 2 hours one way! We've never felt that compromising safety was worth a few screeches and tears. He'll stay RF until the weight limit is reached in his seat. Since he's a shrimp even at 2yrs old he'll probably have to have a RF Driving car when he's 16 at this rate! Maybe it's time for Mamma to start inventing one, the years are flying by! :oD Stick to your guns My Dear!!
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