The Data Speaks

Everyone is entitled to make parental decisions on their own, but there are some subjects that I'm passionate about and need to discuss on here. I've seen a lot of people on facebook, instagram, the blogging world etc posting pictures of their little ones forward-facing in their cars lately. We're talking some as young as 11 months old. I realize that some of us have tall toddlers, but that's no excuse to turn them around. The "rear-facing until 1" standard was thrown out YEARS ago and people are now rear-facing their children up to 3 and 4 years old!

Here are the main two reasons why I chose to rear-face:

A) It's what the pediatricians recommend. One of the first questions my pediatrician asks is if Drew is still rear-facing at every single check up. Some people trust certain websites, some people trust old wives tales, some people trust just their gut. Personally, I trust my pediatrician as well as the American Academy of Pediatricians. There is so much information out there, but this is my go-to source for all things baby. Do these people changing their young children to forward-facing not have pediatricians hounding them about this?

• This is directly from their website:

  Infants and toddlers—rear-facing

  The AAP recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seatuntil they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.

B) The data. It speaks for itself.

• Rear-facing car seats spread front crash forces over the whole area of a child's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.
• A 2007 study in the Journal of Injury Prevention found that rear-facing toddlers under the age of 2 were 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash. 75 percent people!!!!!
• In the same article, they stress that 2-year olds and under were FIVE TIMES SAFER riding rear-facing than forward!
• According to the NHTSA, a rear-facing car seat is 71 percent safer than no restraint at all, where a forward-facing car seat is only 54 percent safer than no restraint at all.
• Forward-facing seats only show a 77% injury reducing effect whereas rear-facing shows a 96% injury reducing effect.
• In a crash test, it was also found that toddlers in forward-facing seats have 300kg forced onto their necks in a 30mph crash whereas rear-facing toddlers have only 50kg to handle.

For now, Drew is a tall, happy rear-facing baby and will stay that way until he is at least 2. I would urge all parents out there to let the above stats really soak in. Are you willing to risk your child's life just to turn him around? Forget the old myth that it's uncomfortable for them. It's not. they just prop their legs up or cross them and are more concerned about looking out windows and/or playing with toys than their comfort. 

Please understand there's no judging from this momma. To each his own and I truly believe that, however, I just want to educate my readers!