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Inventive Parent Newsletter

What You Need To Know About Driving With Baby

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Babies in Rear-Facing Car Seats

     The most common questions we receive at Inventive Parent are, 1) When can my baby’s rear-facing car seat face forward? and 2) Does my child need to be in a car seat?
     The answer to the second question is probably Yes. The NHTSA now recommends that children stay in appropriate car seats through 8 years, 80 pounds, or up to 4'9". Many states have amended their laws to follow these guidelines. More on this in an upcoming newsletter.
     Today we will focus on babies in rear-facing car seats.
     Do you feel strange about putting your baby in the back seat? It is so far away! And in a rear-facing seat? Seems rather like a punishment for both of you. He can’t see where he’s going. You can’t see him. You fear he’ll be bored, might even get car sick. And how can you comfort him when he cries? What can you do when the sun sneaks around the shades on your car’s windows?
     Everyone says this is the way to do it, but you are looking forward to the day you can turn that seat around!
     (I can remember driving during the day with my rear-view mirror adjusted for headlights because that way I could see my son’s face while I was watching the road. But he was older then, a toddler in a forward-facing seat. Soon we’ll show you how you can see your baby’s full face even when she’s rear-facing!)
     Babies do not watch the scenery because their young eyes can not yet focus on the distance, the gradations of color, or the movement. Think of the mobile you placed over your baby’s crib: strong contrasts, simple patterns, large objects that move slowly. It was designed for your baby. Trees flying by at 65 miles per hour outside a car window are nothing but a blur. Don’t worry: your baby will not miss the scenery.
 

There are two types of car seats for babies under one year old:
Infant Seat/Carrier Combinations and Convertible Car Seats.

• Infant Seat/Carriers are designed for Newborn babies through 20 or 22 pounds. They are designed to move in and out of the car. Some have bases that remain attached to the car’s seat, others are buckled in and out. Some have padded, crooked handles, or a stroller base ... they are changing all the time.

• Convertible car seats let you use the same seat from the day your baby is born through forty pounds. They will have both a rear-facing and forward-facing weight limit. The rear-facing limit may be as high as 30-35 pounds. They may have removable inserts that effectively make the seat smaller to fit an infant. This car seat is installed once, and stays put.

     Compare the seats first for safety, then look at the added features. Pay careful attention to the weight limits on your seat. The seat will not protect your baby once she is bigger than weight limit.
     If your baby is long and lean, watch where his head rests on the seat back. The entire head should be below the top of the seat. If he is sneaking up past the top, it is time to move to a convertible seat, still in the rear-facing position.

   But why does a baby have to stare out the back of the car?

     You first held your new baby gingerly, in awe and amazement, taking special care of her head. You will be cradling that precious head for months, outraged when you hear about a baby suffering, or dying, from Shaken Baby Syndrome. You love to watch her, to just stare at her.
     Think of how tenderly you always support baby’s head. During their first year, babies’ neck muscles are not strong enough to support their heads unassisted. When he is leaning back, you have to support the back of his head. But if he is more upright, that little head can fall forward, backward or roll to the side. Without support, his head goes where gravity and motion send it.
     A rear-facing seat holds your baby at a more reclined position than a forward facing seat. Try it yourself. Place an empty seat in the rear-facing position, and they turn it around. See?   The rear-facing seats should recline at 45 degrees!
     Okay, you say, but my baby can hold her own head up now, and she is already 20 pounds even though she is not a year old.
     Wait before you turn her around.
     Cars move quickly, zig and zag, stop fast, run through holes and hit bumps. It takes considerable strength to counter all those movements. Think of how tired you are after a long drive. Think of how startled you can be if the driver has to make a quick move when you were not paying attention to the road. Your baby is never prepared for those sudden movements.
     Now think about driving with an open drink, hot or iced, held between your legs. You would never do it, would you? Why? Your baby’s head suffers the same motion that would spill that drink in your lap.
     Is your baby’s neck strong enough for you to play bouncy games without supporting him head, to fly him through the air like a plane? If not, don’t rush to turn the seat around.
If your baby weighs 20 or more pounds before his first birthday, you should be using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position.
     Speak with your pediatrician about the best time to turn your baby around; all babies are different and have different needs. Never compete with your friends to see whose baby turns around first!
     Some safety experts, postulating that mild Shaken Baby Syndrome may be suffered through months of accumulated shakes from unsupported motion in a baby carrier, bike seat or forward-facing car seat, would like to keep children rear-facing through 18-24 months.

Some quick tips for using a rear-facing car seat:

• Read and follow the instructions that came with your seat and with your car.

• Make sure the seat is firmly attached to your car.
• Fit harness straps through the seat below baby’s shoulders so that the straps run up and over the shoulders.
• Keep the straps snug. If you can pinch the edges of a strap together between your fingers, the straps are too loose.
• Do not put heavy clothing, jackets, blankets or sweaters on your baby because this bulk keeps the straps from fitting snugly. Your baby could scoot around under the straps just like a hand inside a mitten--not very secure in case of an emergency.
• Place blankets over the straps, not under them.
• Make sure the straps are level, even and not twisted.
• Do not cover your baby’s face.
• Place the chest clip level and in line with baby’s armpits.
• Never place a car seat in front of an active air bag.
• For more information on installing your rear-facing car seat, click here.

     Surprised? If you found that you are not using the car seat correctly, you, unfortunately, are in the majority. Based on research and Car Seat Checks performed by Safe Kids,  85% of car seats are misused, with an average of two mistakes per seat. The most common are that the seat belt does not hold the seat tightly (63%) and that the straps are not snug (33%).
     Even if you made it through your first or second child’s infancy without incident, take some time to make sure that your new baby is safe in her seat. The roads are becoming more congested every year, drivers are more aggressive and streets are not always in the best repair.

How can you make Rear-Facing travel Easier and Safer for Both of You?