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| A police officer installing our car seats |
Monday was such an eye opening day for me. Before I could really even get started with my daily routine, I received an email to volunteers, from Nancy Veeneman, Online Director at
Sidelines, a non-profit organization that supports women enduring high-risk pregnancies.
The email changed my mind forever!
It contained a link to a story in the Chicago Tribune about car seats being faced forward.
Interesting! That topic had just rolled off the tip of my tongue less than 24 hours prior to reading it, but
according to what I read, what I had in mind was all WRONG!
In the article it states that The American Academy of Pediatrics, has published a new policy in the pediatrics medical journal, "telling its members and parents that children riding in cars should remain in rear-facing child safety seats until at least their second birthday and preferably even longer," adhering to the height and weight limits set by car seat manufacturers.
As a parent, you have probably at some point been given advice about car seats from your child's pediatrician. Most have supported children's car seats being turned around on or near their first birthday.
I know I was told it would be okay to turn my child's car seat around right after my first born, Isabella, turned a year old. I was so excited, I wrote the post
Baby Milestone: Bella Faces Forward, just to celebrate it.
So, here is how my mind has been changed this time around,
(story time)
Last night, after church, my family was on the way home and we had buckled our girls in their car seats. All was well for all of fifty-nine seconds. After that, all heck broke loose. We could barely make it out of the church parking lot before Gabriella, our 18 month old, was screaming uncontrollably. (This isn't new!)
It was like nails to a chalk board, AGAIN. My skin started to crawl. I turned on her personal DVD player, I put her favorite snacks in her seat, I turned up the radio, I adjusted her seat belt, I turned on the light, I turned off the radio, and NOTHING WORKED!
I then turned to my husband and said in frustration, "That's it. She just can't take it, and neither can I anymore. I've had it. I have ABSOLUTELY had it! She needs her seat turned around, ASAP!"
I was at wits end.
He agreed with me. He had been trying to turn her seat around for several days, and I was the one building cases about her safety. He was also concerned about her legs hitting the back seat.
I now know, according to research, this does not pose a problem to the child's safety at all.
Gabriella, NOT enjoying the ride
The thing about it is that for as long as she has been in this world, Gabby has been a terrible car rider. She hates being in her car seat. She has cried throughout 10 hour road trips, causing them to last 14 hours, and she has cried during 3 minute trips to the store, causing me to vow to never take her anywhere EVER again.
My child is sweet, but riding in a car with her is like Hell on earth!
I didn't want to deal with this anymore. It has been 18 months and I finally decided we have been really good to wait this long past her first birthday without facing her forward like other parents anyway.
Boy was I wrong!
The policy's research shows "children under 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are in a rear-facing child restraint."
That's the whole reason my child, as well as yours or anyone else's, is even in a car seat, right. It's for their own safety!
So, what am I doing thinking I should turn my child around to calm my nerves and everyone else's in my car, including my child's?
I was just about to make a really selfish judgement call. I was ignorant to
some of the facts and I am now pinching myself over the opportunity to write about these new changes with my child lying next to me.
Her safety is most important to me! I don't want to take it for granted.
"Every parent wants their kids to achieve things as fast as they can," said Dr. Ben Hoffman, a University of New Mexico associate professor of pediatrics who helped write the new policy. "That's fantastic for developmental milestones or for school. But for child passenger safety, that's the wrong attitude to have."
The Chicago Tribune
I am not so concerned now with how long it takes to get somewhere or how awful the ride will be. Our outings are about 96% awful, and I accept that it's not going to be easy.
I will NOT compromise the safety of my children!
Isabella enjoying riding these days
These changes won't just affect Gabby either, but Isabella too. She recently graduated to a booster seat, mainly because she fit the height and weight requirement, but also to graduate Gabby to Bella's old 5-point harness car seat. I had an easier time with the seat belts, but she will be going back into a 5-point harness as suggested.
Check out the
Chicago Tribune's article on car seat safety to read more about it.
Concerned about your child's car seat safety? Here are the recommendations made by The American Academy of Pediatrics, regarding child passenger safety:
This policy statement provides 4 evidence-based recommendations for best practices in the choice of a child restraint system to optimize safety in passenger vehicles for children from birth through adolescence:
(1) rear-facing car safety seats for most infants up to 2 years of age
(2) forward-facing car safety seats for most children through 4 years of age
(3) belt-positioning booster seats for most children through 8 years of age
(4) lap-and-shoulder seat belts for all who have outgrown booster seats.
In addition, a fifth evidence-based recommendation is for all children younger than 13 years to ride in the rear seats of vehicles.
It is important to note that every transition is associated with some decrease in protection; therefore, parents should be encouraged to delay these transitions for as long as possible.
Be sure to read the
The American Academy of Pediatrics Child Passenger Safety Policy Statement here, and a sample of their new brochure
Car Seat Safety Guide for Families 2011 here.
Let's right the wrong about children's car seat safety today!
Also, remember that
it's not just good enough to have the proper car seat, but to also have it installed correctly.
I highly recommend that you take your car seats to the nearest police or fire station to have a trained professional install them. I've taken my car seats to the police station on two occassions,
(see Car Seat...Check!) and they have thanked me for making their job easier in the long run!
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