When are you turning your carseat around?

[katybriggs]

bunny- newp. They're not recommended, so I think most of us are going to fall in that "uptight" category with you.

djtippietoes‌ A still used the bucket when he rides in my parents car, which isn't often. He was too heavy to manage the bucket, so we switched in Jan. He's still within the limits for the bucket though. They'll get a convertible when he outgrows it. For now it's a handy spare.

[mamacrunch]

DS1 is huge so we turned him almost a week before his 2nd birthday and only because he outgrew the safe limits for rear facing and a new car seat wasn't in the budget as DS2 was days away.
DS2 has a hemivertebrea, so he will stay RF till min 3 when the neck is fully developed.

[mamacrunch]

Apr 1, 2015 18:35:21 GMT -5 carissalynp said:

Apr 1, 2015 18:26:16 GMT -5 squirm said:

Since we're talking car seats, I had read that it was best to install the car seat in the middle back seat if possible. Now, I dont remember where I read that. Is that true? It would be easier to get her in and out if she were by the door but worth the extra effort if it is safer (she's in the middle now).

I think as a general rule it is, but can depend on your car. Our car's manual (rav4) said to use the sides. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes, maybe check your car manual or ask car seats for the littles?

Second this, it depends on the vehicle and also depends on if your child is RF or FF. If you have 2 kiddos and 1 if FF then that child should be in the middle and the RF child should be on the side.
You should also take in to consideration where the airbags in your vehicle are.

[lovebug]

We are also waiting until at least 2, better safe than sorry.

[rosiepeare]

L was in the bucket until last week when we switched to RF convertible (which she'll be in until she maxs out of RF). However, the bucket and base moved into our second car since she's still within limits for it. We haven't used the bucket to carry her in ages--it's purely a car seat for us.

Thanks to the wisdom many of you have armed me with, I've had some uncomfortable conversations with friends about turning one year olds. I HATE that pedis tell you it's okay; I think it's incredibly irresponsible not to explain that it's not about height/weight but about spine development, which is much more an age milestone than a growth one.

[LBS2012]

At least 3 but ideally closer to 4.

[boogerbear]

We switched LO1 at 2.5yrs, he was still within the limits of the carseat (despite staying in the 80-95% for height and weight btw), however being 9m pregnant, the car we own, and him being as tall as he was it was hard for me to physically get him into the seat. It wasn't until he was 3yrs that he hit the limits so we could've kept him rearfacing a tad longer (at least in the seat in my car - IME the more expensive seats tend to be a tad bigger and have taller height limits).

WRT leg crossing - most kids actually do not like their legs dangling for long periods and will cross them in some manner even when forward facing. My LO1 often puts his feet into the "butterfly" position (feet together, heels towards the groin, knees facing out in either direction) and sleeps like that in the car.

For those with bigger LOs, keep in mind they will not grow as much in the next year, I think the average is something like 3-5in and 3-5lbs. And while at this point it's legally acceptable to switch FFing at 1yr AND 20lbs, I suspect that will change in the next few years. My state, for example, had a bill come up in the senate (but never made it to the house ) that would've made 2yrs the new legal minimum for RFing. However, the AAP (and ummm, everyone?) recommend 2yrs as the minimum so I don't think anyone is being uptight about following those recommendations. I cannot understand why people seem to equate which direction LO faces as some sort of milestone or something. Heck, you and I would all be safer if we were RFing, although it'd be harder to drive

[boogerbear]

Apr 2, 2015 7:42:43 GMT -5 Dreaming said:

mamacrunch do you have research you can share about the neck being fully developed at 3?

Here's an article from the Washington Post about RFing: www.washingtonpost.com/local/parents-wrestle-with-rear-facing-carseat-advice/2011/09/08/gIQAb4cOuK_story.html

"Riding in a rear-facing seat is particularly important for children, medical experts say, because their heads are relatively heavy and their necks and spines are less developed. In a crash, doctors say, children’s heavy heads can snap forward with a force that can break their necks, injure their spinal cords and cause severe brain injuries. When rear-facing, the safety seat cradles the head and neck, keeps them properly aligned and spreads the crash forces across the entire body.

A 2007 study published in the medical journal Injury Prevention found that children younger than 2 were 75 percent more likely to die or be seriously injured when facing forward.

As for the limited legroom, pediatricians say children are far more flexible than adults, which allows them to sit comfortably with their legs folded for long periods. Moreover, studies show that leg injuries are relatively rare in rear-facing children and are more common in forward-facing children. Most important, doctors say, leg injuries are far less serious than the head, neck and spine injuries that they see in forward-facing children." 

And from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital blog: cincinnatichildrensblog.org/safety-and-prevention/does-my-baby-really-need-to-ride-rear-facing-until-age-2/#.VR0_7-Gb0y0

"A child’s head and neck structures aren’t fully developed until around the age of 2. When a child rides rear-facing in the car, their head and neck are better supported within the upper shell of the car seat and they are able to better sustain crash forces in a vehicle."


And here's from Car seats for littles: csftl.org/why-rear-facing-the-science-junkies-guide/

" A toddler’s vertebrae are connected via cartilage rather than ossified bone. Those connections are called synchondroses, which are slowly closing over time. There are three major points of ossification, each with two synchondroses. According to a study published in the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, the first station to close is the C3, second is the axis, and third is the atlas. The results of the study show:

50% probability that the primary closure of the C3 is complete at age 2 and the secondary at age 3.
50% probability that the primary closure of the axis is complete at age 5 and the secondary at age 6.
50% probability that the primary closure of the atlas is complete at age 7 and the secondary at age 8. 1

These findings show that before age two, none of the cartilaginous spaces have completed ossification. Those pieces of cartilage have the ability to stretch up to two inches. Yet only 1/4″ stretch is enough to rupture the spinal column, resulting in paralysis or death. 2"

[firefly9]

Apr 1, 2015 14:50:31 GMT -5 cd7211 said:

Ava is getting pretty tall and her legs are kinda crunched in when shes facing backwards. I was wondering if any of you have turned to front facing. I got the okay from the pediatrician cause she is good height and weight wise but I know American Pediatrics recommends them being two years old. SO just trying to get a feel with my F14 moms.

I haven't read the responses, but height and weight have nothing to do with the internal strength and development of the spine and neck.  Rear facing at least until two is safest.  Some states, like Michigan, are attempting to make this law.  It's passed in Senate here, but seems to have stalled on the way to House.  I hope it makes it through, because I think RF until 2 is extremely important.  I would think a pediatrician would recommend that, even the car seat manufacturers recommend it.  So, in answer to your question, we haven't turned and won't until he's at least 2.

ETA:  I'm definitely uptight about this, too  Daycare put DS2's coat on him when I went to pick him up Tuesday and I took it off while I was there and explained to the teacher why we don't use coats in the car.

[mamacrunch]

Apr 2, 2015 7:42:43 GMT -5 Dreaming said:

mamacrunch do you have research you can share about the neck being fully developed at 3?

Yea, let me do some digging I don't have anything saved to my computer.

Edit: boogerbear beat me to it.

[mamacrunch]

Dreaming
I'm an pretty sure I got this info from the ortho, but this is what I found from searching.
"fuse posteriorly by 3 years of age"
Now there is a lot more to the neck, so it just depends on what aspect you are looking for when you think fully developed, for me I was referring to the cervical vertebrae, but if you are looking for like full ossification this is not going to be the answer you are looking for.

This

[elissamarie]

LO isn't even 30 inches yet and has never been over the 9% for weight. She will be there for years! I'll cough up the money for a new car or car seat if we end up with another LO and have no room in our small cars. My aunt works in a children's ER and has told me horror stories.