THE MOM STOP: When to turn the car seat is a personal choice

Weeks before my daughter was born, everything was ready to go.

Her nursery had been finished for months. Her crib was dressed with the matching sheets and cribskirt that I had sewn myself. We had carefully installed the “bucket” infant car seat in the backseat. Everything was ready. At least we thought so.

It was only when the nurse wheeled us out of the hospital and I got up to load my most precious bundle into the car seat that I realized I had no idea how to use it. In frustration I fidgeted with the buckle as traffic started to back up. Ashamedly, we drove to our home with our newborn half-buckled in her new car seat.

I was a nervous wreck. If I couldn’t figure out a car seat, how on earth would I figure out the next 18 years?

In my grandmother’s time, mothers brought their newborn babes home from the hospital in their arms. In the 1950s there were no infant carriers, convertible car seats or booster seats. Even my husband, born in the 1970s, sat on a wooden box in the backseat as a toddler, lightyears away from today’s five-point harness system.

But just because times were simpler doesn’t mean they were safer. Safety rules for children continue to evolve.

It was around the time that my daughter turned 1 that I became aware of the newest car seat debate: Alabama law states that children must be 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds before their car seat can be turned to face forward. Until then, they are required to face the rear of the vehicle, which is the safest position if a crash were to occur.

But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, that is a bare minimum. The AAP now recommends that babies should remain rear-facing until age 2, and that older children should use a booster seat until they’re at least 8.

Research has shown that babies should be kept rear-facing as long as possible. According to a 2007 safety study, children younger than 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash when in a rear-facing car seat. Babies are more susceptible to head and neck injuries if they are forward-facing during a crash, said Tuscaloosa pediatrician Bruce Pettit.

Although the state laws haven’t changed to match the recent APA recommendation, eventually more states will adjust car seat requirements, he said. More parents will keep their children rear-facing longer once word spreads, he said.

“If we make people aware of it, people are pretty quick to jump on board,” Pettit said.

But it’s still up for debate among many moms. Turning the car seat is a milestone parents look forward to. It’s nice to be able to see your kids in the rearview mirror. At 2 years old, many toddlers are cramped and some moms worry the toddler would break a leg in a crash if still rear-

facing.

When my daughter turned one, she didn’t meet the weight requirement, and by the time she did, I was in no rush. When we did turn her at 23 months, she was so tall she used the backseat headrest as a footrest. All you could see from the rearview mirror was legs and two tiny feet. But I didn’t mind. I felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

When it comes down to it, it’s a personal decision when to switch your toddler. Do the research and decide for yourself.

Reach Lydia Seabol Avant at 205-722-0222 or email her at lydia.seabol

avant@tuscaloosanews.com.