Comments on: Rear-facing car seats until 4? 5-pt.-harnesses up to 80 lbs.?

By: nixie

nixie — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:47:42 +0000

My 4 month old weighs 21 lbs I anticipate him weighing over 35 lbs before he is a year that is the upper limit on most rearfacing car seats. What are parents of heavier babies to do to keep their babies rear facing till age 1? (he is also very tall)

By: Nikola

Nikola — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000

I think a lot of this issue is greatly dependant on being in formed and knowing the Laws. To me you really can’t go back to when you were younger and not in seat belts. EVERYTHING has changed, how the cars are made, more and more drivers on the roads, cell phones and other distractions that we have now as we drive. You have to admit there was less distractions then. So then less accidents. It’s just no where near as safe as it was. I had never heard of any child over 1 year still rear facing. Ok that is rediculous I have to agree with that. Where is that information I’d sure like to read it?

By: Nikola

Nikola — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:33:52 +0000

I am also glad to see this on here. Ok I volunteer at a pregnancy here in Georgia. This past monday a woman came in & said she got a $700 fine for her 8 month old that weighed 20lbs and 9 oz still being in an infant car seat. The Cop took out a scale and weighed the baby. Now the baby is to be rear facing till the age of 1 AND 20 lbs, but the infant seats only go up till 20lbs then you have to find them another rear facing seat. That they ride in till they are 1 and 20 lbs before turning around. Booster seats without harnesses are for toddlers that are 4 AND 40lbs. Not 4 and 37lbs. The laws are strict & seem a little much but it’s your precious gift from GOD that’s at risk if you don’t follow the laws. Forget about the fines, it’s their safety that should be your NUMBER 1 priority.
Today at the pregnancy center a 20 something year old woman came in and her 5 month old son was in a infant carseat, but listen to this she did not have the harness on him at all. Ya’ll she just drove in the car with her baby basically not in a car seat because all that was holding that baby in was the lap belt from the car itself & the wonderful grace of GOD. I had a fit!!!!!!! She took the car seat appart to clean it and then didn’t know how to put it back together. It didn’t look that clean at all so I can only imagine how long she had been riding around like that. We gave her another seat that he fits i properly now and I gave her the printable pamphlet on the Georgia site. Hope she reads it. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ok sorry just can’t stand it. I would rather know my kids or grandkids as I have are safe in a car at all times.

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:43:00 +0000

my third grader is still in a booster AND will remain in one until she is 4′9″ – to me it’s a bunch of whoey to say “my kid is too old” … you’re never too “big” to be safe! as for the legs, kids can sit comfortably in a criss cross applesauce position – and some even enjoy having their legs straight up the back of the vehicles seat … broken legs can be fixed MUCH easier than a broken neck!

By: mjbrox

mjbrox — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:43:25 +0000

As many of you have pointed out yes, I remember being stretched out in the back of car with out a seat belt and yes mothers use to carry newborns on their laps and yes they survived.

However more children died in car crashes. In fact the rate of vehicle occupant deaths for children 1-3 years old has decreased by over 50% in the last 30 years!

That is a pretty impressive statistics considering how much more time kids seem to spend in cars these days.

http://www.saferidinkidz.com/files/RearFacingBest_DrBull_et_al.pdf

Car seat safety fanatic? I do not think so. The statistics are clear. Rear facing is safer.

Does that mean that if you face your kid forward they will die? No of course not, but they are more likely to die if you are in a crash. Let me repeat that. They are more likely to die in a crash.

By: DB

DB — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:24:20 +0000

ANYONE would be “safer” in a five-point harness!! 40 lbs is somewhat arbitary — my son hit that much sooner than most, because he was tall/big for his age. They both enjoyed the Kangaroo booster seats until they were old enough to see out the window on their own. As long as the seat belt is fitted properly as they are growing (i.e., using a clip that keeps the belt from around the kid’s neck), you are taking reasonable precautions, and that’s fine by me.

Yes, ANYTHING can happen to kids. You can make yourself and everyone around you crazy trying to anticipate every single little possibility, or you can take reasonable precautions and live your life.

I can remember when seat belts were “optional safety equipment”, sitting in the backseat floor of our car during trips and reading in a cozy little nest. My mother still shakes her head over the “portable bassinet” that she used when I was a baby, that simply was a little playpen for infants to sleep in that you popped in the backseat. Of course, this was mid-1950’s!

By: Stacy

Stacy — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:49:27 +0000

Both of my kids will be RF till 40lbs and in a 5pt harness until 80 lbs. I dont care how old they are. It is safer. To the people who are saying that by their standers you should be in booster seat: There is alot of difference in the insides of adult compared to a child. My son is now 2 and still rides rear facing and is not uncomfortable at all. I would rather him break his legs than his neck and be paralyzed..also have you guys ever heard of internal decapitation??the child’s spine can “snap in half” when facing *forward* if their neck and spine isn’t formed enough to handle crash forces. A childs spinal column is not fused all the way together until at least 6yrs of age.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:46:29 +0000

To be quite honest..I don’t care the age height, weight..etc..if it makes my kids safer, then I’m all for it..they could be 15 for all I care..if they found factual evidence that said..that 15 year old would be safer in a carseat..then my 15 year old would be in one. 5 point harnesses? sometimes..when I see the way people drive? I wish I had a 5 point harness..so to me? they should change all the seatbelts to a 5 point harness. Anything that can make being in a car safer for me and my children would be just fine for me..no matter how silly it looked, no matter how uncomfortable it was. The fact is…more and more teenagers are on the road, and more and more older folks are on the road these days…and people in my opinion are more careless…..if I can figure out where the legs go, and its proven to be more effective in protection, then yes..my 4 year old would be in one. and if my daughter was 12…she would still be in one…age doesn’t matter..safety does.

By: penguinmom

penguinmom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:14:59 +0000

I actually have no problems with the government issuing guidelines or suggestions about how to improve your child’s safety in the car.

Where I have a problem is when laws and regulations are passed forcing these guidelines on us. At some point, the level of safety should be a matter of parental choice. Yes, everyone should wear seatbelts. Yes, young children should be in car seats. But when to move them up, how long they have to be rear facing, how long they have to be in a booster should be safety Guidelines not laws.

By: FCM

FCM — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:28:28 +0000

The law in GA says something about being 12 to be in the front unless the other seats are occupied. My eldest loves when friends are in the car with us, because only then can she ride shotgun…..Unless she is with her grandpa in his two seater convertible :o) In his car we push the seat all the way back as far as it will go and strap her in. This allows for extra room if the airbag were to deploy and is recommended by the manufacturer.

One other thing about the standard seatbelts and children. I bought those seatbelt covers (I think ours are lambs wool) that velcro on. They wear those on the seatbelts at collar area. So does my mother who is not tall (right at 5 feet but her weight meets the requirements) and this will allow extra protection from decapiation according to some officers I know….Not 100% fool proof, but better than just that plain edge against your neck.