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Specifically, the AAA is considering changing their recommendation to encourage parents to rear-face their kids until the age of two.
They're about a decade behind the times here (although apparently they're still just ahead of the AAP on this), but you know, it's something.
However, you'll note that over at Pat's Papers he's going "I'm doubtful it'd work for two year olds, they'll complain about what they can't see".
OMG, did that ever set my internet argument senses tingling! Fortunately, armed with years of experience on LJ I was able, within minutes, to find a video showing the view from a rear-facing carseat. Wow, look - the baby can see things! I also can find videos showing older children in RF-carseats interacting with other family members, sitting comfortably or sleeping even though their legs are crossed or tucked up or kicked up on the seat back (including one where the poster specifically commented that now that her child is bigger he complains about his feet dangling, and he never complained before!), and generally being happy.
Which wipes out most of the common arguments. NOT the one about space in the car (there probably are ways to make your rear-facing carseat take up less space, or more compact ones, but I don't know) and NOT the one about what to do if your child really DOES scream all the time in the carseat, but not when forward-facing. (In real life, I understand that this can be a problem. However, I do not think it is responsible to mention it as a HUGE problem when you haven't tried it and you're talking to other people who haven't tried it. Don't discourage them first! Not unless you're selling condoms, in which case the cost of carseats can be a selling point.)
The thing is, when it comes to really fast really heavy vehicles? Safety actually comes first. This is not a "OMG, if I let my kid play outside she'll be kidnapped and killed!!!!" issue because that actually doesn't happen very often. And it's not a "OMG, there's no WAY I can let my 10 year old stay in the house alone, she'll burn the house down!!!" because if that's actually likely to happen then you and your kid probably need help. Car crashes, by contrast, are actually THE number one killer of children under the age of 15 (that is, non-drivers), killing about 2,000 kids yearly. And they seriously injure or permanently disable countless others.
Proper car seat safety doesn't unreasonably limit your child (I mean, they're in a CAR, it's not like they could move that much anyway) and it could save your kid's life. Maybe not in the worst, most epic disaster ever... but certainly in many more garden-variety crashes. (And yeah - sure, all us people posting online today survived bad carseats and no carseats. However (and I hate to use this argument, but I'm going to!), plenty of other children didn't. Unless you expect them to post from beyond the grave or something...?)
They're about a decade behind the times here (although apparently they're still just ahead of the AAP on this), but you know, it's something.
However, you'll note that over at Pat's Papers he's going "I'm doubtful it'd work for two year olds, they'll complain about what they can't see".
OMG, did that ever set my internet argument senses tingling! Fortunately, armed with years of experience on LJ I was able, within minutes, to find a video showing the view from a rear-facing carseat. Wow, look - the baby can see things! I also can find videos showing older children in RF-carseats interacting with other family members, sitting comfortably or sleeping even though their legs are crossed or tucked up or kicked up on the seat back (including one where the poster specifically commented that now that her child is bigger he complains about his feet dangling, and he never complained before!), and generally being happy.
Which wipes out most of the common arguments. NOT the one about space in the car (there probably are ways to make your rear-facing carseat take up less space, or more compact ones, but I don't know) and NOT the one about what to do if your child really DOES scream all the time in the carseat, but not when forward-facing. (In real life, I understand that this can be a problem. However, I do not think it is responsible to mention it as a HUGE problem when you haven't tried it and you're talking to other people who haven't tried it. Don't discourage them first! Not unless you're selling condoms, in which case the cost of carseats can be a selling point.)
The thing is, when it comes to really fast really heavy vehicles? Safety actually comes first. This is not a "OMG, if I let my kid play outside she'll be kidnapped and killed!!!!" issue because that actually doesn't happen very often. And it's not a "OMG, there's no WAY I can let my 10 year old stay in the house alone, she'll burn the house down!!!" because if that's actually likely to happen then you and your kid probably need help. Car crashes, by contrast, are actually THE number one killer of children under the age of 15 (that is, non-drivers), killing about 2,000 kids yearly. And they seriously injure or permanently disable countless others.
Proper car seat safety doesn't unreasonably limit your child (I mean, they're in a CAR, it's not like they could move that much anyway) and it could save your kid's life. Maybe not in the worst, most epic disaster ever... but certainly in many more garden-variety crashes. (And yeah - sure, all us people posting online today survived bad carseats and no carseats. However (and I hate to use this argument, but I'm going to!), plenty of other children didn't. Unless you expect them to post from beyond the grave or something...?)
