Day 1

Hello,

Today is the first day of my blog, and the first day of my movement.
Let me start by introducing myself and what I am so passionate about.

My name is Racheal, I am the mother to a beautiful son, Aiden-Liam. I am currently in the beginning stages of pursing a career in Nurse Midwifery. I’m just like any other mother in the sense that I feel like there are simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I would like to. Although that is true I have recently found myself extremely passionate about spreading information on extended rear facing and the benefits.

I first found out about extended rear facing (ERF) when I was pregnant and searching the common concerns and questions about pregnancy and child birth online. I, like most people, originally thought that once your child has met the legal requirements (one year old, weighs at least 20 pounds) that you automatically switch their car seat to forward facing.

I was wrong.

I discovered, through many helpful websites and other mothers that you do not need to switch them forward facing, in fact it is safer to keep your child rear facing until s/he reach the height and weight restrictions for your car seat. I am not a professional or an expert of any kind, therefore throughout my blog I will reference the sources of any statistics, quotes, and information that I post.

“Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.” - http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Extended rear facing is a simple, no fuss way to help ensure your child’s safety. All you really need to ERF is a car seat that is rear facing compatible (a convertible one works well) and if at all possible, purchase one with a hefty height and weight restriction on it so that your child can stay rear facing as long as possible.

“Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 lb to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash. Infants who weigh 20 lb before 1 year of age should ride rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age.

When looking at photos of older children rear facing a lot of times you notice that their legs appear to be ‘cramped’, this raises the question:

Wont their legs break in a car accident if they are rear facing?

This website: http://www.carseatsite.com/FAQ.htm#Rear-Facing Seats addresses that question beautifully, as well as some other concerns that I have referenced below.

• “My baby's legs touch the back seat. Is this safe?It is just fine. There have not been any documented cases of children breaking their legs in crashes simply because their legs touched the back seat while they were rear-facing. There have been many documented cases of children breaking their necks in crashes because they were turned forward-facing too early. There have been anecdotal instances where children have broken legs in severe crashes, but it's also quite possible that severe spinal injuries could have occured in those crashes. Leg injuries heal, spinal injuries don't. In a frontal collision, the legs will fly up and away from the back seat.
  　
  
  • My rear-facing baby's head flops forward when she sleeps and she looks uncomfortable. What can I do?
  The angle for the car seat should be around 45 degrees for newborns, although the older the baby, the more upright s/he can be. A more upright seat is safer for older babies (5-6+ months) because it decreases the chance they will "ramp up" the seat in a crash. If your baby's head flops down to her chest when s/he's asleep, the angle is probably wrong. Increase the angle until 45 degrees is met, but no more than that (it's okay to guestimate)
   
  • When can I turn my baby forward-facing?
  After age 1 AND 20 lbs. at the bare minimum according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. You won't find a reputable CPS Tech who will suggest forward-facing at such a young age. It is preferable to have babies rear-facing past their first birthday, since a car seat that faces the rear of the car provides the most protection in a crash. Babies' neck BONES aren't ossified, or hardened, until they are around 1 year old (1 year adjusted age for preemies). Until that time, they risk severe spinal injuries if they are forward-facing in a collision. One study found that children under age 2 are at least 4 times more likely to be injured in side impact crashes　
  

I realize not every parent has a computer, or has heard of extended rear facing, and that is why I am doing this. I want this information to be available to all parents everywhere, just like the information that you probably see in pamphlets in your doctors office every visit.

I hope that you follow me throughout this process and try to spread the word about ERF yourself.

I encourage everyone to visit the wonderful sites that I have listed today and do some research on your own.

Thank you for reading!