The Annual - Rear Facing Rocks!

Once again, here I am encouraging all you parents out there to take a few mintues to seriously think about car seat safety. It's something that we often dismiss, but in just a matter of seconds our lives and/or the lives of our children could be drastically changed by a car accident. The single greatest thing you can do to maximize the safety of kids in the car is keep them rear-facing as long as possible. Previously, most convertible car seats could hold a child up to 35lbs in the rear facing position. However, three new carseat companies are paving the way and there are now 3 models that can hold children up to 40lbs. This easily enables parents to keep their kids rearfacing into the preschool years....a fantastic safety benefit.




Ninja rides in a Sunshine Kids Radian 80. It holds children up to 40lbs rear facing. He is 4 years, 9 months old and weighs 37lbs. I chose this particular seat over the others because it has a very low profile design and gives him the most leg room. For the record, bent legs or legs touching the backseat IS NOT a safety hazard, not is it generally uncomfortable for children. They are much more flexible than and adults and usually prefer to sit with their legs close to their body anyway.



Gambit rides in a Sunshine Kids Radian XT. It also holds up to 40lbs rear facing, though Gambit is 31lbs and 2 years, 11 months old. I chose this seat for the same reasons as Ninja's, but also for the added protection the "wings" give. They help protect the vulnerable head in side impact crashes.

Safe and snug in their rear facing seats. Please watch this video for some great info and pictures of children who comfortably ride rear facing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyIv9QVRBE&feature=player_embedded

And just for fun....What I do when Gambit falls asleep and I REALLY don't want him to wake up: