A few examples include the years I tried in vain to straighten my kinky curls to look more like my high school friends. Or the time I pretended to ignore the fact that every single one of my friends had forgotten to pick me up for our Homecoming dance. And then there’s adulthood and the Cabbage Patch Newborn™ doll I drove to three stores to find just because my neighbor had purchased one for her baby girl, even though mine didn’t know what a doll was.

So I’m definitely standing on new ground as, one by one, I watch my relatives, friends, and neighbors turn their 12-month-old, 20 pound tots forward in their car seats while Buttercup remains rear-facing. And this is where she’s gonna stay until she’s at least 30 pounds, if not longer.

The current standards
I heard it today from the pediatrician. I have also heard it from my mother-in-law, my sister, my neighbor, and the lady at the grocery store.

“You know, she’s 12 months old and 22-pounds now, so you can turn her car seat around.”

I just smile patiently as I gently explain that Buttercup’s not turning around anytime soon. I have learned to ignore the raised eyebrows, the doubtful “oh-kaaays,” and just change the subject. It seems that no one I know wants to listen to the growing body of evidence that suggests children are safer rear-facing for a much longer period than the current U.S. minimum guidelines.

And just for clarification, I am not being judgmental. The “at least 20 pounds and 1 year” mantra has been drummed into our heads for so long that it has somehow turned into the Golden Rule. And if Buttercup’s own pediatrician recommended turning her around (and looked at me like I suggested tying the baby to the antennae for kicks when I stated my intentions) then it has to be safe, right?

Not exactly.

Why rear facing is safer
Did you know that:

• In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its minimum guidelines to include the following statement, “If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.”

• In Scandanavian countries, children are kept rear-facing until about four years of age, and sometimes longer.

• According to Car Seat Safety, rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing car seat during a frontal crash.

• Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a baby’s back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

• Rear-facing car seats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but are less likely to occur than a severe frontal or frontal offset crash.

• Forget that rubbish about rear-facing seats being unsafe and uncomfortable because your child’s legs are bent or because they can kick the back of the seat. The idea of a car seat is to prevent spinal and head injuries, and this is most effective when rear facing for the 30-35 pound and under set.

• According to this MSNBC article, children in forward facing seats are four times more likely to be injured in side-crashes as opposed to children in rear-facing seats.

Safety first
“But my toddler hates facing backwards! At least they can interact when they are facing front!”

I’ve heard that one too many times to count. And while it may be true that when in the front-facing position, your child can see more than the cars in the rear window, it is also true that they are not as safe as they were when rear-facing.

Besides, there have been plenty of times when Buttercup has screamed her head off because she wanted to be held instead of being strapped into the seat. Could I use the same “but she’s happier” argument to my advantage and instead hold her close to me in a moving vehicle?

Of course not. The idea is preposterous.

Safety comes first. And for me, that means keeping my child rear-facing until she tops 30-35 pounds.

More resources
Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2008

Is Your Baby Ready to Face Forward in the Car?

Rear-facing: Unmatched Safety

Rear-facing Car Seat Rules