hannah, you should quit your other job and get a job for the gazette doing articles. You sure post enough to get your own column. Keep up the good work 'walter "hannah" cronkite'.

Hannah......Our daughter gets a happy meal twice a month my husband and I rarely eat out. We eat at home. The treat is for our daughter, our son is a picky eater so he eats at home also! So NO we do not eat out alot, we live a tight budget and that is just how it is! I was hit from behind in a car accident while pregnant with my son and the insurance company bought us a new car seat! Yes, I do drive to work and I have to drive in town, plus I have daycare for my son which thankfully is only part time BUT there is NO WAY I could be a stay at home mom with my husband losing his job a year ago and not making anywhere near what he was! So I am guessing you are a stay at home mom with a husband who makes a ton of money and we cannot all have that luxury!

Hannah: I'm all for purchasing the best for my children and fortunately I can but not everyone can and that does NOT make them bad parents. There are plenty of people out there that put their kids first but still may not be able to afford the $200 Eddie Baur seat. Somtimes, Hannah, even the grandparents aren't able to help as you suggested. Also driving 5 mph less than the speed limit might get you enough extra to buy the seat when the child doesn't need it anymore. Did you ever stop to think that some families are at the end of their budget and can't skimp anymore than they already are? It sounds like you have a lot of money, maybe you should donate a few to charity, don't skimp though, get the $150 dollar version for the people who can't afford them!

Also every seat that one could possibly buy at any store has to meet a minimum safety standard. I doubt there are any unsafe seats out there, some may provide more comfort but probably not much more in the line of safety!

Quit picking on the people who can't purchase to your standards.

Hannah, holy cow - you definitely have a fair amount of knowledge on car seats and safety as viewed by your several posts in a row????

Hannah.....I also DO NOT SMOKE and never have! I also am not a drinker and do not go to the tanning bed! You seriously need to get a life and stop assuming that because I cannot afford a friggin $150 car seat that I am too busy worrying about myself because that is FAR from true!

Hannah.....FYI.....I DO NOT get my nails done, do not buy new clothes etc....for myself! Do NOT have a cell phone and I ALWAYS look out for my kids first! I also DO NOT buy car seats from a rummage sale I have BOUGHT all 3 that I have had from Toys R Us, but are on the lower price scale because that is what I can AFFORD! Maybe you should have a husband who lost his job because of GM and took a $10/hr paycut and then we will talk! We do not do extracurricular activities because they simply cannot be afforded! My husband and I always go without so that our children have what they need! So, you can go take a jump somewhere and back off!

Hannah- you said: "DONT buy a seat from a rummage sale with outany info on it- age- model number to check for recalls- weight restraints"

THEN you say: "If in a crash DISCARD and cut in half so nobody else can use. theyre only good once even though you may not visably see damage."

Which is it? How do you know the carseat you buy from a rummage sale WASN'T in an accident? Better info is what I've known since my son was little (10 years ago) is to NEVER buy a used carseat. Like a helmet. Once it's been in an accident microscopic cracks can't be seen and in an accident...well...bad news.

bbwil....my daughter is 71 pounds so what do you suggest I do with her? She is in a booster with the seatbelt...is that unsafe too?!?!!? I am out of options there!

tmb.....bbwil....do you both have $150 to give me to buy a seat? That would be wonderful! My kids are the loves of my life and yes their life is priceless, but you cannot get blood from a turnip! This economy sucksand when you have a parent lose their job and do not have that money then what????!?!?!?!?!

Extended rear--facing carseats don't have to be expensive and it's a little expense worth your child's life. I guarantee a funeral is a lot more expensive than a carseat that could save your child's life.
Also I would keep a child in a 5 pt. harness for as long as possible. You can get a Graco Nautilus at Walmart for $150 and it's the only seat the child will ever need once they are forward facing. It's 5 pt. harness untill 65 lbs. and turns into a booster. It's much safer than a booster seat.

It is safer in both head on crashes and rear end collisions for toddlers to be rear facing. Rear end collisions are statistically at MUCH lower speeds, 20mph or less (I don't know the exact statistic, sorry) and the car continues to move when hit, meaning, it does not come to a complete quick halt as it would in a head on collision, so the motion continues and there is less force. Does that help?

Do they mean safer for head on crashes? Wouldn't it be the opposite for getting rear ended then?

Jvlmom, you can get a seat at Walmart, called the Cosco Scenera, for under $50 that will rear face until 35 lbs.
http://www.walmart.com/Cosco-Scenera-Con...

Also, a high weight harnessing booster may be a little pricey, but a childs life is priceless. Check Babies R Us for coupons and promotional deals, they are always offereing something. An adult seatbelt on a child that SHOULD be harnessed is not safe in a crash.

My son was off the charts huge (over the 95% line) and he was rear-facing until 15 months. That was 8 years ago too, way before these recommendations. It was just clear to me that in an accident, having his spine and head totally supported was a lot safer. Sure his legs were bent, but he didn't care, he was flexible. My younger child was rear-facing until 18 months. Also used a 5-point harness until she was almost 6 years old. Both use boosters now and will until they reach the height/weight limits. I mean if you know it is safer, why not do everything to protect them.

How did anyone ever survive to adulthood without all of this nonsense? It's amazing humans didn't just die out, as fragile, stupid and dependent as we as a species seem to have become!

I agree with the height & weight requirements that others are talking about. My son is in the 90%+ percentile for kids his age & I am going to turn him forward-facing as soon as he turns a year. He's squished in his rear-facing seat!! I applaud parents who are pushing for these age laws, but sometimes you do have to look at children on an individual level. Good luck to all you other parents out there on this decison!!

I sort of agree with this, but I also disagee with it! Both of my children are very tall for their ages and have very long legs! I tried to keep my son rear-facing but his legs were squished and he got very upset. Also, the car seats that are able to keep rear-facing up in the higher weight range also cost ALOT! Very expensive to buy, that money is just not there with this economy so then what do you do? Bad parents because you turn your child around in car seat??? My daughter who is 6 is in a booster seat, I would love to have her in a 5-point harnass but too expensive for the seat!

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/c...

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The new recommendation just came out in April and I guess the haven't updated their web site.

"Maybe I'm missing it but I don't see where the AAP recommends 2 years old to stay sitting backwards. I see it at at least 1 year and 20 lbs." --Ouisch Sep 15, 2009 at 10:09

http://www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.h...

I was thinking the same thing after researching the facts that were presented. The new information sounds good, but until the AAP makes any formal changes it would appear that Wisconsin laws are not outdated at this time. The law is confusing enough, why not make sure the public understands the basic law prior to confusing them more.

I agree with Baymom 100%. Child seat use should be based on ht. and weight, not age. I think, not 100% sure, that if you are 80lbs. OR (not and) 8 years old, you do not need a booster seat. However, I know an 11 year old who is pushing only 70lbs. and as tall as a 3rd grader who is 8. She should be in a booster seat until 80lbs., not just based on age. The age reqmt. is a scam and should be abolished. Ignorance to base child seat use on age at all.

michellemt640, I know many women who smoked through their whole pregnancies and had babies with no problems. Thank you for bringing up yet one more example of the fear-mongering that permeates our society.

MOC0428, I don't espouse these techniques, clearly a lego box and/or "the baby crusher position" are not good methods of child restraint. I do believe that car seats and their ilk are by and large good things, and far safer that the alternatives. However, this does not meant they should be mandated by law. Micromanaging is not usually necessary, and creates more problems that it solves. Laws and technologies change, but reality doesn't.

ConcernedCitizen_aka_Disgusted, just because you did it, doesnt make it right.
They also used to tell women to smoke while pregnant so they would have smaller babies and easy labors.

concerned citizen: It is because of people like you that there are laws like this. Use some common sense before you write. You turned out fine (debatable) because your parents never got into a horrific accident whilst you were sitting on your Lego box. That does not make it alright, it just means you beat the odds of getting into a car accident. People like you are what make blogging so fun, if you didn't blog I would never in a million years think that someone like you actually exists! Common sense goes a long way if applied.

Shouldn't this be up to the parents? I used a lego box as a booster seat when I was a kid, my wife's mom carried her on her lap in the front seat when my wife was a baby. We both turned out fine. Sitting in the front seat is only dangerous to a child if the vehicle has a passenger side airbag, and if one is wearing their seatbelt, airbags are redundant, serve no purpose, and should be disconnected as soon as soon as one purchases a vehicle. Hyperlegislation of day to day childrearing is not good for anyone and goes against everything our country stands for.

Maybe I'm missing it but I don't see where the AAP recommends 2 years old to stay sitting backwards. I see it at at least 1 year and 20 lbs.

http://www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.h...

"...it is best for her to ride rear-facing to the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of her car safety seat."

If you are going to extend the use of a rear-facing seat, please use safety precautions such as putting something you need in the back seat (brief case, purse, etc.) and putting a reminder (teddy bear, etc.) in the front seat. According to experts, the way the human mind works, if you have ever forgetten where you put your keys you are also capable of forgetting a child is still in a rear seat when you are in a rush, which risks hyperthermia to the child. There are several very good articles about this: http://healthmad.com/children/children-l... This has happened to intelligent people -- doctors, even a NASA astronaut. If your life is busy -- and whose isn't these days -- follow these precautions.

Ideally, the law would use height and weight requirements, rather than age ones. I know a family whose twelve year old still needs, and uses, a booster seat. By Wisconsin law, he shouldn't be in one, but due to his small stature and light weight, he's safest using one. On the other hand, I know families whose children have been too tall and too heavy for a carseat before passing the "legal" birthday to switch to a booster seat. Clearly, the safety issue has much more to do with body build than with age.

I can assure everyone that the carseat in the picture IS at a 45% angle.

One other thing I found when I checked my sister's carseat install. After installing the carseat, pull the seat belt all the way out and then let it back in so it locks in place. If your seat belt doesn't lock in place after being pulled out, you need to use a locking clip (little metal piece shaped kind of like an I that should come with your car seat and is probably snapped under it somewhere).
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Thanks Hannah and Mrs. Albrecht and the Gazette for highlighting this important issue!

First of all, awesome article. Thank you Elizabeth! It's great to see such an important topic in the Gazette.
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Second, the mirror in the picture is fine. It appears to be attached with a hook of some sort, making it a non-projectile. Now, "accessories" attached with velcro or suction are not as secure and should be tied down or removed.
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@joeschmoe: Toddlers are VERY flexible and limber. They can sit with their legs crossed, propped up on the back seat, or hanging off the side of the carseat. As someone else mentioned, a broken leg is much easier to fix than a broken neck. And besides that, many nicer seats have a rear facing tether which keeps the seat from rebounding in a crash, so the threat of broken legs or hips isn't even an issue.

@JoeSchmo-
A leg or hip injury is much easier to fix. The 5x safer refers mainly to spinal and neck injuries and death rates. I would rather have my kid is a cast from having his legs squished than having him break his neck.
Also, kids in Europe stay rearfacing till about 4 years old. Their seats have rear facing limits upwards of 45 pounds. Unfortunetly, those same seats are not approved for use here in the US

Thanks hannah for your passionate additions to this article.

I don't understand how a child over 1 can stay in a rear facing seat- Their legs are too long and they have to be bent or off to the side. Look at the picture, her legs are all curled up! How is that safe?
Also, not mentioned is that your child should stay in a seat with a 5 point harness (not the booster with the seatbelt) for as long as they can- according to the height and weight requirements of your individual carseat. The 5 point harness is the best in accidents and the safest for your child.