If you have children, how long did they stay in a rear-facing car seat?
Some people move their children out of rear-facing seats once their child is over the age of 1. After that, moving to a booster seat can vary from family to family.
Did you know, according to the AAP, children should be in a rear-facing seat until they are at least two years old.
Children should not be moved out of a rear-facing seat until they reach the height and weight requirements listed by the car seat manufacturer.
That means, that if a two-year-old doesn’t meet the height and weight, they should still remain in their rear-facing seat. For a Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 car seat, children 40 pounds and under should be rear-facing.
This might be news to a lot of folks, but one pediatrician is sharing why children must sit like this and even suggests that children as old as 4 are much safer this one.
In a viral 2015 post from Dothan Pediatric Clinic explains why children aged 2 to 4 are safer this way.
The post was originally shared in December 2015 but continues to be shared by parents on Facebook to this day.
In the post, the photos (of an adorable toddler model) says that new research suggests that children aren’t ready to be moved to front-facing until they are four years old because of their growing bones.
The post has generated a huge amount of engagement, garnering almost 400,000 shares and almost 50,000 likes.
It seems some parents are for keeping their children rear-facing, while others are against it. One Facebook commenter wrote:
I raised 3 kids, as soon as their feet started getting cramped and had no room to stretch out I turned to front facing. Personally I feel rear facing is dangerous because as the driver, you can’t see them and what’s going on. They could be choking on something, could have vomitted or spit up and be choking, wringling their way out of straps, as they get older they can even unbuckle the straps themselves. Those are just a few examples.
One commenter couldn’t believe how many parents doubted the clinic:
It never ceases to amaze me at the lack of education parents have on this topic. I am also amazed that a medical facility is posting what is said to be best for a child in regards to a car seat and yet people continue to justify why they choose to not properly restrain their child in a vehicle. Do you think they pull this stuff out of thin air? Also, kids are incredibly flexible. Bending their legs rear facing isn’t uncomfortable to them, doesn’t cause them pain, etc. I will never understand if it has been proven that rear facing is best that you would choose otherwise. Why take the chance?
After the post got so much attention on Facebook, Dothan Pediatric Clinic shared a link with more information on car seats for children.
The article, which is from healthychildren.org and is powered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), has a chart of when children should be in what seat.
It suggests for toddlers and preschoolers that have surpassed the standard 40-pound weight limit suggestion for rear-facing seats move on to a “front-facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.”
Ultimately, what parents should take away from the viral post is that children need to stay in rear-facing seats until two years old.
But if they weigh under 40 pounds when they are 3, they should stay in rear-facing seats until they hit the required weight (which is usually around age 4).
Do you remember how long your child stayed in a rear-facing seat or when they made they switch to front-facing?
Please SHARE this with your friends and family on Facebook today if they travel with children in their cars.
