Safest journey is rear facing
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News from Lake County Health Department/ Child Care Connections of Bozeman
POLSON — At one time or another you will face the age-old debate, when can I turn my child’s car seat around?
Many parents experience conflicting messages when considering the “right” time to face a toddler forward in their car seat. Grandparents may say, “We turned our children around at 1 year old.” The pediatrician may say, “You can turn them around at age two.” The truth is everyone would fare better in crashes if we all faced the rear of the vehicle. Your child is no exception.
According to Safe Kids World Wide, best practice is to keep a child rear facing until they max out either the height or weight requirement of their rear facing seat. Rear facing seats support the child’s head, neck, spine and hips while helping them “ride down” the crash forces. As toddlers, the head is the heaviest part of a child’s body. When we place a toddler in a forward facing car seat the harness does a nice job of securing the child’s upper body, however their head continues to travel forward in a whip-lashing effect. This is where we typically see spinal cord injuries. With rear facing seats there is little to no whiplash. You can determine the rear facing guidelines on every car seat by reading the labels on the side of the seat.
If you are still unsure how your child should ride, meet with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPS Tech) for a free car seat check-up. You may stop by the Lake County Health Department, at 802 Main Street in Polson, where child passenger safety technicians are available to help you make sure your child is riding safely, or call 883-7341 to set up an appointment.
Also, on Sept. 19 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the parking lot of Walmart in Polson, there will be a Child Passenger Safety Check Station set up over by the garden area during the Polson Police Department’s annual Safety Days event, where you may stop by and have your child’s car seat checked. For more information on child passenger safety, go to www.nhtsa.gov.
