Several weeks have passed since I first published my post on the importance of car seat safety. There is something I left out of that discussion because I felt the information was fairly graphic and could be upsetting to read. But it's continued to work at me that I didn't include this last piece of information on why allowing a child to remain rear-facing as long as possible is the safest choice. A couple of incidents have happened in just the past few days that have led me to believe I need to go ahead and share this, even if it may be upsetting.
When Dacey was an infant/early toddler, I can remember debates flaring on birth club message boards every now and again regarding people who were considering turning their child's car seat around "early" (as in before the 1 year/20 pound law). Some of the reasons given were 1) "my baby has weighed more than 20 pounds for months now," 2) "his legs are too long to stay rear-facing," and 3) "we live in small town - there are never any major accidents around here."
What I think most parents don't fully know or understand are the forces at work in a car crash and the damage even a slower-speed crash can cause.
I found some great explanations of why rear-facing is safest at childrestraintsafety.com. In this article, the authors explain that infants are quite "top-heavy" compared to adults: those precious baby heads make up twenty-five percent of an infant's total body mass whereas an adult's head is only six percent of body mass. A rear-facing infant is better protected in a car crash by the forces of the crash being spread over his head, neck, and shoulders and the shell of the car seat further buffers the infant's spinal cord from being stretched. The head (and spinal cord) of a forward-facing infant/young toddler has no such protection.
Now we've come to the part that could be disturbing, but I think it is crucial for parents and care givers to understand this:
When the heavy head of the forward-facing child is thrust forward in an accident, this puts an enormous amount of stress on the child's neck, which is trying to hold back the head. The heavy weight of the child's head can stretch the spinal cord. "According to documented research, autopsy specimens of infant spines and ligaments allow for spinal column elongation of up to two inches, but the spinal cord ruptures if stretched more than 1/4 inch. Real-world experience has shown that a young child's skull can be literally ripped from her spine by the force of a crash." (source: CPSTE ).
If the spinal cord stretches too far in an accident this can cause it to tear, thus resulting in paralysis or death of the child. This is often described as "internal decapitation". Even babies who ‘appear’ to have strong neck muscles and good head control are susceptible to these risks.
(Rear-facing at childrestraintsafety.com)
Upsetting, isn't it? But this is the severity of this issue. The article goes on to address the long-leg concerns that many parents have as well as reinforces the idea that weight alone is never a good indicator of when it is safe for an infant/young toddler to be turned forward in his seat.
Well, that leaves the "safety" of small-town driving claim. Now please understand, I don't mean to make any sweeping generalities about small-town parents versus big-city parents. Not at all. I think sometimes big-city parents are more aware of the possibility of a serious car crash because they are perpetually reminded by morning, afternoon, and evening traffic reports that car accidents can happen any day, any time, anywhere. Small-town parents may be lulled into a sense of "nothing like that ever happens around here" and feel that the convenience of turning their child to forward-facing outweighs any safety concerns.
But surely all of us small-town parents can pretty easily recall car crashes that have happened right in our own streets. When Dacey was approaching a year old, we were stopped at a railroad crossing. The bars had come down, but the train was not yet in sight. An elderly man didn't notice we were stopped and crashed right into my rear-bumper. There was no major damage to my car, but the force was great enough that I had a pretty nasty little case of whiplash in the days that followed. I was so very, very thankful Dacey was rear-facing that day.
Just this past Sunday, we were driving home from church when a car unexpectedly swerved into the lane in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes and we were all thrown forward a bit. You just never know! And yesterday morning, a dear friend of ours was in a terrible, terrible head-on collision on a state highway on her way into town. Surely all of us who live in small-towns have to get out on the highway sometimes, right?
I pray I am not coming off as preach-y. I don't know why this topic invokes such passion within me, but it's something I feel led to talk about. I really think many parents just haven't been exposed to all of the facts when making car seat choices. Those little babies with the big ol' heads are trusting us to make the best possible decisions for them every single time we put them in a vehicle. The responsibilty is great, and let's never lose sight of that.
