We haven't retired the infant car seat just yet, however, we now have the need for a second car seat. Matt takes Elise to "school" on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and I pick her up; it just makes sense to have one in each car now. She's still quite a bit under the height and length restriction in her infant car seat, so I think we'll get a few more months out of it. But it was also time to buy a convertible car seat. We bit the bullet, took out a second mortgage, and bought her big girl car seat the other day. This thing is huge! I nicknamed it the "Beast." I have no doubt the Beast will keep Elise nice and safe. We are following the AAP's guidelines and keeping Elise rear-facing until she is at least 2 years old. This is a slightly controversial topic in mommy circles. The general rule of thumb (and law!) is to keep your child rear-facing until they are at least 1 year old. Most parents get excited to flip that sucker around as soon as the first birthday party is over. But recently, more research has come out and has persuaded us to keep Elise rear-facing for at least another year. Namely: children under age two are 75% less likely to be killed or suffer severe injuries in a crash if they are riding rear facing rather than forward facing. In fact, for children 1-2 years of age, facing the rear is five times safer. (Pediatrics Journal, 2008) The fact of the matter is, their necks just aren't strong enough at age one to protect them in a wreck. I urge everyone to do their own research and make this decision for yourself. For us, it was a very easy one. Check out the following videos and links. I'm not trying to sound like a know-it-all mom... I just want the information out there so you can make your own, educated decision. A friend brought all of this to my attention and I just wanted to pass it along. :)
This one's not in English, but you'll get the general idea.
