Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced new car seat guidelines today that every parent needs to made aware of. They are as follows:
1) Children are to ride in rear-facing seats until 2 years of age.
2) Children are to ride in a booster seat until they are 4'9".
3) Children are to ride in the back seat of the car until they are 13 years of age.
I wasn't surprised to hear the news. I had done a fair amount of research on car seat safety for a post I wrote in January about keeping children in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible (until they reach the height and weight limits for the seat.) At the time, my motivation was the number of parents that seemed all to eager to start using a forward-facing seat as soon as the minimum requirements were met (one-year AND 22 pounds.) It seemed to have become a milestone of sorts and parents were switching their children as soon as possible despite the recommendations to keep them rear-facing as long as possible (information which was not adequately communicated to parents in the first place.)
When I heard the news today, I decided to pull out and re-read the manuals for our car seats. I also measured Lilah only to find out that she is on the verge of exceeding the height limit of her rear-facing seat (32 inches.) Unfortunately, she has not reached the minimum weight requirement for her forward-facing seat (22 pounds.) This means that despite the new recommendations, we need another seat that can accommodate Lilah until she can use her forward facing seat (which is now not until she turns 2.)
Our only option at this point is to invest in yet another car seat. We considered buying a convertible seat to fill the gap, but it seems to make more sense financially to purchase a 3-in-1 seat that Lilah can use in the rear-facing position until she is 2 years old. She could then start using the forward-facing/booster seat we have already purchased and we could use the 3-in-1 seat through all three stages (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster) with our second child. My only fear is that something is going to change between now and then and we will find ourselves in a similar position. As all parents know, car seats aren't cheap and we hope to be able to use them for more than one child. With constantly changing standards and recommendations, this becomes challenging. I know these changes are in the best interests of our children, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
I am open to suggestions and/or recommendations!
Showing posts with label car seat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car seat. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Rear facing beyond age 1 and 22 pounds...IT'S SAFER!
I recently watched a video on YouTube about a young boy (18 months) that had been involved in a front impact crash while sitting in a forward-facing car seat. The boy's head, arms and legs were violently thrown forward in the crash and he suffered severe spinal cord damage as a result. It was hard to watch and prompted me to do some research of my own on the use of forward-facing car seats (as one should do before believing anything they see/read on YouTube or anywhere on the Internet for that matter)!
I bought my daughter's forward-facing seat several months ago and up until today my husband and I had planned on putting her in the seat as soon as she reached the 22lb minimum weight restriction (given that she is now a year old). That is no longer the case! I have since discovered that the the 22lb weight restriction is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM weight at which a child should be taken out of a rear-facing seat and that the Government of Canada, Transport Canada and the American Academy of Pediatrics are but a few of the organizations that STRONGLY encourage parents to use rear-facing seats for as long as possible. Luckily, we purchased a rear-facing car seat with a maximum 32lb weight limit and as long as my daughter's head is an inch below the top of the back if the seat, she can continue to use it until she reaches the weight limit and will!
If you are not convinced that you should continue to use your rear-facing seat for as long as possible consider this:
1) The American Academy of Pediatrics (and other organizations) are working to strengthen the rules and regulations regarding car seat safety including encouraging car seat manufactures to make rear-facing seats to accommodate children up to the age of 4 years.
2) When conducting crash tests on forward-facing car seats, Transport Canada uses dummies that are similar in size to the average 3 (35lb), 6 and 10 year old child. They don't conduct tests for children under 35lbs! Translation: we don't know what happens to children under 35lbs when they are involved in a crash in a forward-facing seat. I don't know about you, but I don't want to find out what might happen.
It seems as though parents are in too big of a hurry to put their children into forward-facing seats. I really don't know what is behind this drive because it is clearly not what is in the best interests of our children as far as their safety is concerned. I have heard a number of "reasons":
-"my child is just not happy in a rear-facing seat"
-"the rear facing seat takes up too much room in the vehicle"
-"my child's feet are touching the back seat and he/she appears to be uncomfortable".
None of these (or other) reason are strong or convincing enough to justify making the switch before it is absolutely necessary.
The Take-Home Message:
You don't HAVE to put your child in a forward-facing seat just because they are one year of age and 22lbs. This the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM age/weight you can switch them and NOT the RECOMMENDED age/weight at which you should make the switch. You should keep your child in his/her rear-facing seat FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. If your car seat has a low weight limit, you should consider buying another rear-facing seat that will allow you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time. As parents, the safety of our children should be our number one concern, not cost, not space or any of the others "reasons" parents use to justify making the switch before it is absolutely necessary!
I bought my daughter's forward-facing seat several months ago and up until today my husband and I had planned on putting her in the seat as soon as she reached the 22lb minimum weight restriction (given that she is now a year old). That is no longer the case! I have since discovered that the the 22lb weight restriction is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM weight at which a child should be taken out of a rear-facing seat and that the Government of Canada, Transport Canada and the American Academy of Pediatrics are but a few of the organizations that STRONGLY encourage parents to use rear-facing seats for as long as possible. Luckily, we purchased a rear-facing car seat with a maximum 32lb weight limit and as long as my daughter's head is an inch below the top of the back if the seat, she can continue to use it until she reaches the weight limit and will!
If you are not convinced that you should continue to use your rear-facing seat for as long as possible consider this:
1) The American Academy of Pediatrics (and other organizations) are working to strengthen the rules and regulations regarding car seat safety including encouraging car seat manufactures to make rear-facing seats to accommodate children up to the age of 4 years.
2) When conducting crash tests on forward-facing car seats, Transport Canada uses dummies that are similar in size to the average 3 (35lb), 6 and 10 year old child. They don't conduct tests for children under 35lbs! Translation: we don't know what happens to children under 35lbs when they are involved in a crash in a forward-facing seat. I don't know about you, but I don't want to find out what might happen.
It seems as though parents are in too big of a hurry to put their children into forward-facing seats. I really don't know what is behind this drive because it is clearly not what is in the best interests of our children as far as their safety is concerned. I have heard a number of "reasons":
-"my child is just not happy in a rear-facing seat"
-"the rear facing seat takes up too much room in the vehicle"
-"my child's feet are touching the back seat and he/she appears to be uncomfortable".
None of these (or other) reason are strong or convincing enough to justify making the switch before it is absolutely necessary.
The Take-Home Message:
You don't HAVE to put your child in a forward-facing seat just because they are one year of age and 22lbs. This the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM age/weight you can switch them and NOT the RECOMMENDED age/weight at which you should make the switch. You should keep your child in his/her rear-facing seat FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. If your car seat has a low weight limit, you should consider buying another rear-facing seat that will allow you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time. As parents, the safety of our children should be our number one concern, not cost, not space or any of the others "reasons" parents use to justify making the switch before it is absolutely necessary!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Leaving the Hospital...The Scariest Car Ride of My Life!
I could not WAIT to leave the hospital! I stayed for the mandatory 24 hours and then I got the heck out of there. Part of the reason I wanted to leave so quickly was because my daughter was born on December 23rd which meant that we were not able to leave the hospital until Christmas Eve and I really wanted to be home and with my family for Christmas. Even under different circumstances, I still would have left as soon as I did. The food is awful, the beds are incredibly uncomfortable and the bathrooms are not the nicest. If you have support at home, I would highly recommend going to the comfort of your own home as soon as you can!
Give yourself time to actually get out of the hospital. It took a lot longer to leave than we expected. There are security procedures that have to be followed before you are allowed to walk out of the door with your baby which are all well and good because it ensures that some random stranger can't just walk away with your baby, but they take FOREVER! By the time everything was said and done, my daughter wanted to nurse again which delayed leaving even more (for good reason). About an hour passed between the time we decided we wanted to leave and when we actually walked out of the door...and boy, was that SCARY!
Prepare yourself, that first car ride with your brand new baby is TERRIFYING!
Newborn babies are SO tiny and the car seats are SO big that it looks like the seat is going to swallow them up! Tightening that seat belt so that it is snug against their little body is no fun either. I was so afraid I was going to pull it too tight and hurt my little one. No one really tells you how snug the belts should be. A good rule of thumb is that the belts should be sung enough that you can't pinch the shoulder straps and get a hold of the belt. Too make sure it is not too tight, you should also be able to comfortably slide a couple of fingers under the chest plate. I can't stress enough how important it is that you tighten those belts properly. If you are ever in an accident, your baby should move as one with the seat rather then being able to be jostled around within it. Keep that in mind when you are feeling bad about buckling them in and pulling those straps tight!
Our 30 minute drive home took us more like 45 minutes because my husband was driving so incredibly cautiously! We laugh about it now when we look back on that night, but at the time we were both terrified. Our daughter started to cry shortly after we pulled out of the hospital parking lot and cried for most of the drive. She was so new and tiny and all I wanted to do was get her out of that seat and cuddle her. It was the longest car ride of my life!
We finally made it home around midnight to see Christmas Day arrive. I really wanted to be home for Christmas to be with my family, but I honestly don't remember any of it because I was so incredibly exhausted. I do vaguely remember opening gifts and eating brunch, but more importantly, my baby was home and I was comfortable and that was all that really mattered.
Give yourself time to actually get out of the hospital. It took a lot longer to leave than we expected. There are security procedures that have to be followed before you are allowed to walk out of the door with your baby which are all well and good because it ensures that some random stranger can't just walk away with your baby, but they take FOREVER! By the time everything was said and done, my daughter wanted to nurse again which delayed leaving even more (for good reason). About an hour passed between the time we decided we wanted to leave and when we actually walked out of the door...and boy, was that SCARY!
Prepare yourself, that first car ride with your brand new baby is TERRIFYING!
Newborn babies are SO tiny and the car seats are SO big that it looks like the seat is going to swallow them up! Tightening that seat belt so that it is snug against their little body is no fun either. I was so afraid I was going to pull it too tight and hurt my little one. No one really tells you how snug the belts should be. A good rule of thumb is that the belts should be sung enough that you can't pinch the shoulder straps and get a hold of the belt. Too make sure it is not too tight, you should also be able to comfortably slide a couple of fingers under the chest plate. I can't stress enough how important it is that you tighten those belts properly. If you are ever in an accident, your baby should move as one with the seat rather then being able to be jostled around within it. Keep that in mind when you are feeling bad about buckling them in and pulling those straps tight!
Our 30 minute drive home took us more like 45 minutes because my husband was driving so incredibly cautiously! We laugh about it now when we look back on that night, but at the time we were both terrified. Our daughter started to cry shortly after we pulled out of the hospital parking lot and cried for most of the drive. She was so new and tiny and all I wanted to do was get her out of that seat and cuddle her. It was the longest car ride of my life!
We finally made it home around midnight to see Christmas Day arrive. I really wanted to be home for Christmas to be with my family, but I honestly don't remember any of it because I was so incredibly exhausted. I do vaguely remember opening gifts and eating brunch, but more importantly, my baby was home and I was comfortable and that was all that really mattered.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Getting Ready for Baby...The Big Decisions
One of the most exciting things you get to do while waiting for baby to arrive is prepare the nursery! Although this is very exciting, it can also be a slightly stressful experience because pregnancy books list about a million things that you "need" (never mind the selection that is out there). I hope to ease some of this stress by sharing what we actually "needed". I am going to start by talking about the big ticket items and will get to everything else in a later post.
The Crib
Picking the right crib was a daunting task! There are an overwhelming number of cribs out there. Narrow your search right away by eliminating all drop side cribs. I suspect it is not going to be very long before drop side cribs are no longer available on the market. The trend away from drop side cribs had started when I was shopping due the many recalls that included this kind of crib. In fact, Consumer Reports now recommends non-drop side cribs. You may think that non-drop side cribs make it difficult to get baby in and out, but that is not the case at all. An added bonus is that you don't have to worry about waking that sleeping baby by raising the noisy side. We ended up choosing the Graco Victoria crib and are very happy with it (I am a huge fan of everything Graco)! Don't worry if you don't have a crib by the time baby arrives because you won't need it for a few months. Be sure you do have a bassinet!
The Bassinet
I would highly recommend putting your baby in a bassinet in your bedroom for the first few months (We switched to the crib at 3 months because our little one had outgrown the bassinet. If I could have kept her in there forever, I totally would have. It was a really hard transition for me...more on that later). If you are breastfeeding, this will make your life so much easier because your baby is within arms reach. If you are a worrier like me, you will feel much better if you can see and hear your baby. I don't have any advice to give on buying a bassinet because we used the same bassinet that I slept in when I was a baby initially and then a bassinet we borrowed from friends.
A Baby Monitor
A baby monitor is a wonderful thing for peace of mind! We live in a small two bedroom apartment so you might think we wouldn't need one, but I am so glad we have it! The Angelcare monitor is amazing because it comes with a sensor pad that goes underneath the crib or bassinet mattress to monitor breathing. If your baby stops breathing, an alarm will sound to let you know there is a problem. Even while our baby was sleeping in the bassinet right beside me, I used the monitor for this. Later when baby is in his or her own room, it can monitor sound and temperature as well. Overall, it is a great monitor and I would highly recommend it.
The Change Table
Save your back and get a change table. Some people will tell you that you don't need a change table because you can change baby anywhere. While this is true especially after you have been changing diapers for a few weeks, your back with thank you if you have a change table that you can use. You body will be sore enough after delivery and while your body adjusts to carrying around and infant, you don't need to add more strain. We bought our change table at Ikea and it is great because the top comes off and it can be used as a regular dresser. It anchors into the wall as well so there is no fear of it tipping over as baby grows and becomes more active.
The Car Seat & Stroller
Again, I am a huge fan of Graco everything so my car seat and stroller are Graco as well. We bought the Graco Metrolite Travel System in Utopia (Utopia is no longer available because they are always coming out with new models and new fabrics). This system is great and the car seat can be used until your baby is 32 pounds. People might tell you that you don't want a car seat that holds baby until 32 pounds because you won't be able to lift it after awhile, but the truth is I don't think that really matters. For the first few months, we did carry the car seat in and out of the car, but now that our baby is getting older, we just leave the car seat in the car and carry her in and out...much easier!
Interesting side story...
I am a Canadian living in the U.S. and because we have Canadian tags on our car, we are required by law to have a car seat that meets Canadian regulations. My husband and I initially purchased our car seat and stroller at our local Babies'R'Us and thought that we would be fine because the car seat and stroller looked EXACTLY like the Graco version sold in Canada. We later found out that all car seats purchased in Canada have a sticker on them that indicate they meet Canadian standards and without that sticker, it was possible that we could have our car seat confiscated when we crossed the border. Luckily, Babies'R'Us took our travel system back and we bought the same system in Canada (for A LOT more money). Interestingly, there are quite a few differences in the stroller which make the Canadian version totally worth the money! Anyway, back to the car seat...
Make sure you have your car seat well in advance because you never know when you are going to need it. Have it installed and inspected, they are not easy to install!
The Highchair
This is another thing that you don't need to worry about right away. We did start using ours fairly early (shortly after our little one was able to hold her head up, to get her used to sitting at the table with us). As you might expect, we have a Graco highchair. It was given to us so I am not sure which model it is, but it is nice because the legs collapse together and it can be stored out of the way.
Hope this helps!
The Crib
Picking the right crib was a daunting task! There are an overwhelming number of cribs out there. Narrow your search right away by eliminating all drop side cribs. I suspect it is not going to be very long before drop side cribs are no longer available on the market. The trend away from drop side cribs had started when I was shopping due the many recalls that included this kind of crib. In fact, Consumer Reports now recommends non-drop side cribs. You may think that non-drop side cribs make it difficult to get baby in and out, but that is not the case at all. An added bonus is that you don't have to worry about waking that sleeping baby by raising the noisy side. We ended up choosing the Graco Victoria crib and are very happy with it (I am a huge fan of everything Graco)! Don't worry if you don't have a crib by the time baby arrives because you won't need it for a few months. Be sure you do have a bassinet!
The Bassinet
I would highly recommend putting your baby in a bassinet in your bedroom for the first few months (We switched to the crib at 3 months because our little one had outgrown the bassinet. If I could have kept her in there forever, I totally would have. It was a really hard transition for me...more on that later). If you are breastfeeding, this will make your life so much easier because your baby is within arms reach. If you are a worrier like me, you will feel much better if you can see and hear your baby. I don't have any advice to give on buying a bassinet because we used the same bassinet that I slept in when I was a baby initially and then a bassinet we borrowed from friends.
A Baby Monitor
A baby monitor is a wonderful thing for peace of mind! We live in a small two bedroom apartment so you might think we wouldn't need one, but I am so glad we have it! The Angelcare monitor is amazing because it comes with a sensor pad that goes underneath the crib or bassinet mattress to monitor breathing. If your baby stops breathing, an alarm will sound to let you know there is a problem. Even while our baby was sleeping in the bassinet right beside me, I used the monitor for this. Later when baby is in his or her own room, it can monitor sound and temperature as well. Overall, it is a great monitor and I would highly recommend it.
The Change Table
Save your back and get a change table. Some people will tell you that you don't need a change table because you can change baby anywhere. While this is true especially after you have been changing diapers for a few weeks, your back with thank you if you have a change table that you can use. You body will be sore enough after delivery and while your body adjusts to carrying around and infant, you don't need to add more strain. We bought our change table at Ikea and it is great because the top comes off and it can be used as a regular dresser. It anchors into the wall as well so there is no fear of it tipping over as baby grows and becomes more active.
The Car Seat & Stroller
Again, I am a huge fan of Graco everything so my car seat and stroller are Graco as well. We bought the Graco Metrolite Travel System in Utopia (Utopia is no longer available because they are always coming out with new models and new fabrics). This system is great and the car seat can be used until your baby is 32 pounds. People might tell you that you don't want a car seat that holds baby until 32 pounds because you won't be able to lift it after awhile, but the truth is I don't think that really matters. For the first few months, we did carry the car seat in and out of the car, but now that our baby is getting older, we just leave the car seat in the car and carry her in and out...much easier!
Interesting side story...
I am a Canadian living in the U.S. and because we have Canadian tags on our car, we are required by law to have a car seat that meets Canadian regulations. My husband and I initially purchased our car seat and stroller at our local Babies'R'Us and thought that we would be fine because the car seat and stroller looked EXACTLY like the Graco version sold in Canada. We later found out that all car seats purchased in Canada have a sticker on them that indicate they meet Canadian standards and without that sticker, it was possible that we could have our car seat confiscated when we crossed the border. Luckily, Babies'R'Us took our travel system back and we bought the same system in Canada (for A LOT more money). Interestingly, there are quite a few differences in the stroller which make the Canadian version totally worth the money! Anyway, back to the car seat...
Make sure you have your car seat well in advance because you never know when you are going to need it. Have it installed and inspected, they are not easy to install!
The Highchair
This is another thing that you don't need to worry about right away. We did start using ours fairly early (shortly after our little one was able to hold her head up, to get her used to sitting at the table with us). As you might expect, we have a Graco highchair. It was given to us so I am not sure which model it is, but it is nice because the legs collapse together and it can be stored out of the way.
Hope this helps!
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