To turn or not to turn...

I have seen this question asked so many times on Parenting forums..."When should I turn my baby around in their car seat?"

It's a common misconception in Australia that a baby is ready to turn when they have 'good head control' and/or weigh 8 kilos.

Sadly, this information is incorrect, and no where near in line with safety standards of other coutries.

Another sad fact, is commonly this information is given out by professionals such a MCHNs and Doctors.

Here are some reasons why you should keep your baby rearward facing for as long as possible...12+months is the recommendation.

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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 carseat 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 carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.


Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a baby's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.

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Oh Fletch that would freak me out too..geez! I love the maxi rider..think our boys will be in them for a loooooong time!

Chrissy you are so right..for us though it was time to turn when little boys legs were getting cramped. He was 9kgs too.

Jo

The Maxi-Rider II is the safest convertible car/booster seat on the Australian market as:

1) The seat itself is achored to the car therefore is not relying soley on the adult seat belt to hold it in place in an accident.

2) There is a built in harness, so again, a young child is not relying on the use of an innappropriate adult seat belt.

3) Once the child grows out of the built in harness, they can graduate to the use of an external 'H' harness, which is anchored to the car...so both child and seat are achored securely to the car and are not relying on an adult seat belt.

4) It has the very important 'anti-sub clip' which allows a crotch strap to be attached to the adult lap belt, to eliminate 'submarining ' which is where the child slips down under the lap belt too far. The lap belt then sits over a child's internal organs and can cause serious injury and death in a collision.

Fletch: Perhaps you could show your nephew's parents the info posted in this thread here https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ad.php?t=32748
or visit Isabelle-Paige dot com and watch the you-tube video on why Isabelle lost her little life :(

A couple of questions......

Can a child go from a capsule into the Maxi Rider?

If you were using a capsule to start with, what car seat would YOU choose as your next step?

I have been looking at our car seat options lately, and I have noted that Choice do not have the Maxi Rider as one of the safest options. Still lists it as having above average protection, but doesn't rate it as the best. Any thoughts?

OMG - Chirssy what perfect timing you have! DH an i were talking about this last night, our little man is 6 months and 8.5 kilos, however i was not ready for him to be turned around and hubby thought it was time.. so we talked about it and have decided to wait a little while longer.. he isnt sittingup by himself yet..

Oh and DD is in a maxi-rider.. I Lurve this car seat!!!

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A couple of questions......

Can a child go from a capsule into the Maxi Rider?

If you were using a capsule to start with, what car seat would YOU choose as your next step?

I have been looking at our car seat options lately, and I have noted that Choice do not have the Maxi Rider as one of the safest options. Still lists it as having above average protection, but doesn't rate it as the best. Any thoughts?

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I believe the safest option for a baby once they outgrow their capsule, is a convertible car seat, even thow the Maxi Rider is rated from 8 kilos +, you are facing the dillema of your baby being turned too soon.

I feel that's why the MRII wasn't rated by choice in the car seat category.

BUT the Maxi-Rider II has impact protection as well as the arm rests, which are said to increase side impact protection as well, it is a safe option to move a baby into once they have outgrown their regular car seat.


I personally plan on having Paige move to a MRII once she has outgrown her Safe and Sound car seat.

So for me the safest option is in this order:

Capsule - Car Seat - Convertible carseat/booster

Whilst the 'ideal' option would be to move from a capsule into a carseat with more moulded protection, they Maxi-Rider II is a safe alterative, and you will get use out of it for may years to come.

The only dilemma I could see with moving a child from a rearward capsule to a forward facing Maxi Rider are the safety issues mentioned above.

Fletch, I totally understand re: your sister...there is only so much you can say before you are crossing the line hey.

Caro, yes the pegasus is another good alternative for you as it has the anti sup clip attached, so you can make sure your child doesn't sumbarine down.
It would be even safer with a 'H' harness thow as it has been found that the adult seat belt is not safe for children under 5 years of age due to their underdeveloped skeletal system. With a harness, the impact and force is spread out over the childs body.

I applaud you guys for taking the innitiative to look into your options.

Thanks so much!

I did think that the MRII looked too, um, advanced (?) for a bub coming out of a capsule, even though it says from 8 kgs. I was thinking of going with the SnS Royale for after bubs is out of the capsule, and it looks like we'll be sticking with that :)

Zander went straight from his capsule at 9kg (it was rated to 9kg) and strait into the Maxi Rider & thankfully didn't have any problems. He was five months old (photo here of his first ride in it). That said, our next bub will be in a convertible seat rear facing as long as possible. I didn't know the risks when we turned Zander & we were just lucky.

Sarah - the photo Alexzander is adorable!

I actually rang the company who makes the carseat we have the other day in regards to if I had ot turn jack around when he reached 9kg, a tech spoke to me and said that is the min weight for forward facing and as long as he is comforatble he can stay rearward *wooo* was a weight of my shoulders was so not ready to turn him, am sure he will be at or just under 9kg mark at CHN on tuesday

We just turned Jesse around when he turned 6 months.. he also weighed 9.4kgs and was getting to big for the chair insert (it says only to use up to 9kgs) .. not to mension it was getting to hard to lug his heavy boofhead out from the middle of the car. Our carseat slightly tilts for frontward facing and he sits perfectly in it.. and loves it. He was out of his capule at around 6 weeks as that was even heavier!

I kept Tehya rear facing until she was a little over 12 months old. Even then she was only just 8kgs. By this age and time she was starting to get bored of being rear facing but I am so glad that I kept her this way. It was a non issue for me.

I wanted to buy Noah the MR when it was time for him to go into a booster, but unfortunately money didn't allow for it, and DP went out and got another brand. I am considering buying one for Tehya, but atm she still fits nicely into her S&S carseat. It's so cozy for her and I love that she can still sit in it semi reclined, she often falls asleep in the car (when she's not spewing !!)

LOL Fletch, we did the same thing - Meridian and then Maxi Rider so bub could have the Meridian. I am a fan of both, it has worked well for us. Except, if we decide on no3, a third seat won't fit with those 2, so will have to look at other options.

We turned Jack around when he was not much over 8kgs as he was getting bored and wanting to face forward. At the time, I knew that it was recommended to wait until 12kgs, but I didn't know why so did it anyway. This time I have done much research and am appalled that I didn't do it earlier. If I had there is no way I would have turned him so soon. With Tom, I will try keeping him occupied with books/toys etc before resorting to turning him before 12kgs. Unlike Jack he often cries in the car anyway, so it is probably less of an issue anyway.

Has anyone read the stats in Sweden where they have bigger rear facing seats and keep kids in them until 4yo? It's amazing how much safer that is.

For babies who may appear bored rearward facing....I cannot recommend highly enought the Baby Dante mirror. It is big enough for bub's to see whats going on around them...and for the parent looking in their revision mirror, it looks like bubs is forward facing anyway.

I love mine...and I am always recommending it to others who are finding bubs getting restless in the car.

We decided to go with the Meridian so DS could stay rear facing til 12kg. As he's nearly 7kg at 3 mths I'm glad. The baby inserts make it nice and snug for a small baby and DS has plenty of room now they're out. When no 2 comes, we'll go for something like the MR so bubs can go in the Meridian.

We have the Safe and Sound Royale too, but if I were to wait for Tehya to get to 12 kgs beofre turning her we'd still be waiting. LOL.

LOL Trish, Matilda is only 14kg now at almost 3.

Callum was 9kg+ and Ive heard that they shouldnt turn untill after 9kg.

When I had Madison we changed her car seat just before she hit 6 months she was 8 kgs then, but If i new what I know now I would of held it back a little, With Charlotte I have a S&S car seat that I can change her at 12 kgs, She is 8 months old today and is only 7 kgs, so I wont be changing her for a long time.
Also with booster seats there is a new one on the market called Secure, it hooks up to the car, as well as having the space to hook up a HR harness, Its a great car seat, but it carn't be used until 14 kgs.

Some important info...

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Q: If my baby can hold his/her head up can they can be turned to face forward?

A: Even babies who ‘appear’ to have strong neck muscles and good head control are susceptible to the risks of forward-facing prematurely. 'Head control' is not a good indication as to whether or not to turn a child to the forward-facing position.

Q: If my baby's feet are touching the back of the vehicle seat, do they need to be switched to forward-facing?

A: No. Rear-facing car seats are not a safety risk if the baby's feet are touching the back of the vehicle seat. There have been no documented cases of rear-facing children breaking their legs, hips or feet because of their feet touching the back of the vehicle seat. There have however been many documented cases of head and spinal cord injuries because children were turned to the forward-facing position prematurely. Even if the child's legs did break, it is much easier to repair broken legs then it is to repair broken necks and ruptured spinal cords.

Q: Wont this positioning of the legs be uncomfortable for my child?

A: It's highly unlikely. This positioning of the legs is not uncomfortable for young children who naturally prefer to bend their legs anyway. How many children do you see sit with their legs straight out in front of them and not bent? While this may be very uncomfortable for an adult, children are very flexible and often get in to all kinds of positions that are totally comfortable for them, but not for us adults!

Q: Because my seat says I can forward face from 8,9,10kg that means that my baby is ready to be turned, right?

A: No, that is not right. Weight is not an indication of whether or not to turn your child to the forward-facing position. These weight limits hold no relevance as to how your baby's spine, skeleton, muscles and vertebrae have so far developed, they are merely entry level weight limits.

Q: But having my child forward-facing is easier for me because I can see them so does this mean it's better?

A: Everyone has different circumstances and they really need to weigh up the pros and cons. However, what's convenient, doesn't always mean it is best and doesn't change the fact that an infants body is still incredibly undeveloped compared to that of an older child or adult. If your child has remained rear-facing for how ever long so far, then try your best to keep persevering till the very bare minimum of one year of age.

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PC is playing up, I will be back tomorrow to put where I have quoted the infor from.

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regarding the harness I dont know if after the past few months she would cop to having a harness back on ???

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I have Glenn in the same Seat Caro with a H harness & I call it a racing car harness. Maybe your DD will like the idea of a fancy new race car seat belt?

Just an update...

Seth is over 12 months now and is still reward facing and happy :)

*hugs*
Cailin

Just a question too,
Does anyone know if its safe to keep the seat rear facing if the child needs to be in the higher shoulder straps? Isla is only 4 months & 7kg but I would need to adjust her should strap hight in the next month I would say, but the seat says to only use the higher position for forward facing.... this is the same seat that both boys where too tall for by the time they were 2 even though the seat is for up to 4yrs (18kg), neither are 18 kg but both are too tall for the seat.

FJ - as I mentioned in a previous post, we have a Meridian. I had to have the baby insert taken out and the shoulder straps moved to the higher position over a month ago as Angus was too big and too long for the newborn setup. It was all done to fit him by an accredited installer. I can't remember which seat you have - maybe call a fitter accredited by the RTA and check with them.

I am not even sure what seat I have Isla in. Its either a mothers choice or IGC. One of the run of the mill grey seats. Not one of the big flashy ones.

I'm the same in regards to the insert but I had a look today and I willl keep using but lift it up a bit it works fine :)

Another thing, what about this "LATCH" system I am reading about? I am pretty sure the 2 middle row seats of my Kia Carnival are fitted with these lower anchor points. I wonder if & when AUST seats will come with teathers to use this system.

Well I am happy to report that my seats are fitted correctly. They had a free car seat safety inspection thing at the hospital when I took Isla for her needles so I decided to see how good I am, as I have always been happy with my abilty to put the seats in. They were very impressed!

They also answered my question about keeping Isla rear facing beyond the seats recomended 9kg limit & they said that yes, once she hits 9kg she needs to be turned. So now I am going to work on DH to let me get a newer seat that the limit is 12kg rear facing on.

I'm having trouble getting Bonnie in and out of the car seat as it is...
The anchor belt for us attaches to the roof of the stationwagon and you have to manoeuvre bub underneath how can we minimise this and keep bub rear facing?

Tanya is it possible to come in from teh front seat & place bonnie in to her seat that way so your actually lowering her in to the seat inbetween the anchor strap? KWIM?

Hmmm... dunno Fiona, will give it a try next time we go for a drive. It's just so frustrating!

Tanya, was the seat fitted by ambulance service? I had to get mine refitted as it just wasn't correct when DH did it (I could tell just from looking it wasn't) so I got them to check it and I mentioned I didn't like it as much as the capsule. The ambulance guy showed me the best and easiest way to get Oskar in and out of the seat and now I love it. I do have to loosen the anchor strap - you may have to do the same. I wasn't doing that and that's why it was more difficult than it needed to be.

I've never been keen on the idea of loosing the anchor strap. It would be so easy to forget to tighten it back up. But if thats how you need to do it then I would suggest making a reminder of some sort, like maybe a post it on the dash saying "Did you tighten the strap?" so you remember each time you set off.

I loosen the anchor strap, the guy who installed the seat showed me that as part of the instructions for getting DS in and out. I would hate to forget to tighten it, but really, it's just as much a habit as doing up the seatbelt bit.