PSA: Please rearface your children as long as possible.

[TravelingGal]

I posted this in the mommy thread, but thought I might give it its own thread for all the soon to be mommies and everyone with friends who are moms. Heck, just everyone!

Here is a link to a video that shows the impact of the same crash, rear facing vs front facing. Let''s take care of our beautiful children!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo&feature=related

 

[oobiecoo]

Very informative! Thanks!

 

[TravelingGal]

Oh, and the other quick video I emailed my friend tonight (for those of you who like quick, down and dirty videos with no music. This one is just of a simulated crash).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8mFsXNXOLw

 

[TravelingGal]

For those of you interested in the front crash vs rear end issue on carseat safety.

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

 

[fieryred33143]

And on another slightly related note (if you don''t mind TGal), please never have your child sitting on your lap in the front seat. And if you see someone do this, especially on busy highways, then call the police.

We were on the Turnpike and I saw a family of 6 in a Rav4 and due to the space, they had what looked like a 4 year old sitting on their lap, not strapped in. We''re talking speeds of at least 80mph and as high as 110. We just happened to get off on the same exit and I called the police. A few blocks later, they were pulled over (the exit was by the police station). I know that probably created a payment for them and a hassle, but I didn''t care. I rather a family like this get a ticket then God forbid get into an accident and have that one child fly through the windshield

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Tgal- thanks for the PSA. Fiery- good for you for calling the police. I''m a nurse in a pediatric intensive care unit and believe me, a ticket for having an improperly restrained child is much better than the alternative if an accident were to happen.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/11/2008 10:13:44 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted
Tgal- thanks for the PSA. Fiery- good for you for calling the police. I''m a nurse in a pediatric intensive care unit and believe me, a ticket for having an improperly restrained child is much better than the alternative if an accident were to happen.

Agreed. I can''t believe people still do this kind of thing.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Thank you fo posting this, TGal. I have a friend who I was just telling NOT to front face her baby yet, and now I have a video to email her, too.


I also call 911 when I see a child not strapped in appropriately. Annoying, maybe, but I''m more concerned about the life of the child who can''t physically strap his/herself in than I am about being an annoyance to an adult who didn''t think through the possible consequences of their choice.

 

[divergrrl]

Date: 11/11/2008 9:58:16 AM
Author: fieryred33143
And on another slightly related note (if you don''t mind TGal), please never have your child sitting on your lap in the front seat. And if you see someone do this, especially on busy highways, then call the police.


We were on the Turnpike and I saw a family of 6 in a Rav4 and due to the space, they had what looked like a 4 year old sitting on their lap, not strapped in. We''re talking speeds of at least 80mph and as high as 110. We just happened to get off on the same exit and I called the police. A few blocks later, they were pulled over (the exit was by the police station). I know that probably created a payment for them and a hassle, but I didn''t care. I rather a family like this get a ticket then God forbid get into an accident and have that one child fly through the windshield

At 30mph I read that an infant on the lap flies forward with the weight of 100lbs or more. That much force could kill a child easily.

Thanks TGal. Delaney just turned 1 and is now 20lbs and i still have her rear facing. I turned Jake around the minute he turned 20lbs (shortly after his 1st bday...yes, i have twiggy kids) even though I knew he was safer rear facing. He used to get so car sick & vomit every time we got in the car, it was getting crazy because you can''t slip the car seat cover off without taking it out & taking it apart with a screwdriver to wash it & he would get puke down into the straps/webbing. So I took my chances. Now he''s 4 and 30lbs. I will NOT be putting him in a booster seat for a very long time. His car seat will accommodate him in a 5 point harness through 65lbs. (safer than a booster).

However, with Delaney, she is perfectly content to ride backwards & does not get sick. I figure I''ll leave her backwards until she gets her own damn driver''s license. In retrospect, I should have left Jake rear facing longer & found another solution to the puke issue, (like fashion my own removable/washable cover) but hindsight is 20/20 and this info was just coming out & sometimes you have to do what works. It really was every car ride that lasted longer than 5 minutes.

Its great advice....

 

[divergrrl]

Tgal, both my carseats I have for my kids are listed on your links as good for extended rear facing! (Alpha Omega & Comfort Sport) And the msnbc link on there recommends at least 2 years of age, & in Scandinavia they do it till 4!! Wow.

I''m not sure on the height though, they all say ~25 inches, but my kids are so tall. Jake is well over 3ft and Delaney is just shy of 3ft.

hmmmm what does "`" mean? (tilde I think the symbol is called)

 

[Demelza]

Thanks again for posting this! It was very timely considering I was about to turn my 2 year old daughter around this week. She''s just 21 pounds.

I have another carseat safety question for anyone who happens to know the answer -- I''ve heard that the center seat is the safest position. I also know that (in most cars -- mine included) you can''t use the LATCH system if you put the car seat in the center. So, my question is this -- should I keep my daughter in the center seat using the seatbelt or do I put her in the outboard position using LATCH? With LATCH, the seat is much tighter and I don''t have to worry about the seatbelt becoming accidentally unbuckled when there are passengers sitting in the rear next to my daughter (this has happened a few times and I was pretty freaked out to find that I''d been driving around with her seatbelt unbuckled!). Thoughts?

 

[diamondfan]

Not to be dumb, but I hope it teaches them for the long term. I know that some folks would get the ticket and be mad but not necessarily stop doing it. I saw a little kid jumping around, from front to back seat and all around, in a moving car the other day. I was so steamed. I almost called the police but they turned and I could not get the plate quick enough. I just hoped that they did not have to stop suddenly or get into an accident.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Thanks TGal, I passed this infomation on to all my mommy friends.

 

[snlee]

Thank you so much TGal for posting this! How scary! Seeing the side-by-side comparison is really powerful. We will definitely keep our child rear facing for as long as possible.

 

[partgypsy]

Yeah I agree. I kept my youngest in rear facing until she literally outgrew the seat, just no way to adjust the straps further. She''s in a (new) front facing seat but one with a 5 point harness, the best we could do.