European Study about Rearfacing to age 4

[Joolsplus2]

http://kidsincars.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-european-research-children-should.html

See this blog entry, it will link to the study. I'll comment more as I get a chance to read it :)

[Joolsplus2]

So it's a good study (lots of pictures, too!)... I also get from it that boosters for 3 year olds are totally, completely inappropriate, that shield seats and three point infant seats are not adequate, and that even keeping stuff in your trunk won't protect you from the 'projectile hazards' we worry about in SUV's and minivans (seatbacks just aren't strong enough to hold back heavy things back there, some of the child occupants were 'loaded' substantially when the seats crush forward into them)...so strap everything down! (I'm cursing my Escape for not having any cargo tie downs...)

[Joolsplus2]

And PS, don't feel bad that most of us simply CAN'T keep our kids RF that long. Use of a properly installed and used harnessed seat with EPS foam and top tethered would keep our kids much safer than the ones in this study (loads of old style Cosco seats abounded....)

[christiedavid3]

Interesting, I'm still amazed at all the well-meaning moms and dads who "celebrate" turning their one year old's seats FF.

[HIU8]

Or the ones who look at you funny or talk about how weird (obsessed) you are b/c you don't do what your ped tells you at a year, or what the general public expects that you do--turn your DC FF.

[christiedavid3]

Jools, this is a little OT, but DS turns one in August and I'd like to be prepared for "the carseat talk" at the ped's office. Do you have any suggestions for literature to print out and bring to my ped? He's pretty open-minded so he'll be receptive I'm sure. I'm really hoping I won't need it, that he'll suggest staying RF'ing, but I want to be prepared, just in case!

[Joolsplus2]

www.cpsafety.com has some nice printables, I'm sure the extended RF one includes the link to the AAP statement that says RF to the limits of the convertible seat is optimal. Yeah, I looked, it goes to their carseat buying guide http://www.cpsafety.com/PDFfiles/RearFacingBrochure.pdf

[christiedavid3]

Thanks! I made a bunch of copies to take to DS's Mommy & Me class tomorrow too.

[Swirvin]

I find this study to be so ironic since outside of Scandinavia, these convertable seats are almost impossible to find. We live in Belgium where most people turn to ff'ing at 9 months - just crazy! Also most ffing seats only go until 18kg (about 40lbs) so most 3 - 4 yo.s go directly to boosters.

My ils and most of my Belgian friends thought I was crazy to keep ds rfing so long (we have an imported Britax Blvd and he stayed rf'ing until he reached the weight limit at age 3 years 4 months).


I hope this study starts to make a difference in the selection of seats available on the market.

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, I hope it does! It's amazing how one country can be so enlightened, and even the adjacent ones can be so different... even over 'here', Canada is wise enough to mandate top tethers while the US doesn't... I think the US has been able to draw from the safest practices in the world: Rearfacing at least pretty long ('average' 3 year olds can do so), top tethering like Australia and Canada have had for decades, seats that harness easily to age 5 at least, boostering till age 12 like Germany has had for years now... but yup, I'd sure LOVE to see higher weight and heigh limit rearfacing seats!

[vwh99]

So it's a good study (lots of pictures, too!)... I also get from it that boosters for 3 year olds are totally, completely inappropriate, that shield seats and three point infant seats are not adequate, and that even keeping stuff in your trunk won't protect you from the 'projectile hazards' we worry about in SUV's and minivans (seatbacks just aren't strong enough to hold back heavy things back there, some of the child occupants were 'loaded' substantially when the seats crush forward into them)...so strap everything down! (I'm cursing my Escape for not having any cargo tie downs...)

I hadn't even thought about the stuff in the back of my mini-van... any suggestions on what kind of cargo 'tie downs' that will sufficiently keep things from being a projectile?

Thanks
Val

[Joolsplus2]

Try any auto parts store or department for 'ratchet tie downs' or ratchet straps...they are thick almost like a seatbelt, and have strong hooks and, well, ratchets (you know, you click a little metal plate down and it has teeth that keep things tight...I wonder if howstuffworks.com tells about them? lol). Or at least use bungee cords if you have them on hand....(they aren't crash-worthy, but will slot things down and are 'better than nothing', IMO)

[Puddy73]

That's interesting - thanks for posting. The owner's manual for my old Volvo suggests that children be in RF seats up to age 6 and I remember wondering where the heck they found seats that allowed big Scandinavian kids to RF for that long!