For one, I was afraid he’d decide to start unbuckling the seat belt just because he could quickly. He could manipulate his harness toward the end as well, but for some reason it never occurred to him to do it while we were moving.

For another, there’s the loose-belt factor you mentioned. That’s a huge one on the booster he has in Dad’s car, which is more awkward to buckle around the seat back, though the one in my car is easier to secure.

Boots, on the other hand, might remain in a harness until he’s 30. He already tries to get out of it now – thank heaven he can’t get the whole thing unfastened yet. I shudder to see what he’d try with a belt and booster. He’d be hanging out the car window like a dog.

Carrie, you are exactly right. He didn’t complain because he didn’t know anything else. It cracks me up when parents complain that babies will complain about new safety recommendations/regulations. No, Big Guy didn’t complain about sleeping on his back because he doesn’t know he was being “deprived.”

Tanya, mine will definitely remain in boosters until they’re 8/80, too. Maybe longer, because they’re both short and likely to remain so. Big Guy is balking already because he sees older cousins without boosters and riding in the front seat far earlier than is legal here. I know I’ll need to invoke my “different parents have different rules, and these are our rules” on this one. So be it!

And it’s not just a matter of coming out of a car accident “bloodied.” The reason for kids to stay rear-facing is that their heads are too big and heavy for their necks. If you are ever in a front-end collision with your forward-facing toddler, there is a chance that they will come out of the incident internally DECAPITATED. It’s an injury where the spinal column separates from the skull because of the forces of the accident. Having a child rear-facing supports their head in the forward momentum and keeps their skull attached to their spine.

No argument with my child would be worth risking internal decapitation.

I really can’t believe most people turn their kids around at 20 lbs and 1 year… the idea of that is startling to me.

My 4 1/2 year old is 45 pounds and 44 inches tall, but I kept him in a car seat with harness until late last year, when I began to fear that his size made the harness an unsafe option. Today, every time I strap him into that full booster seat (high back, with arms), I double check the seat belt and worry about how it would really perform on impact. I am STUNNED at the families that put their children in loosely or not at all.

Looks like you’ve hit a nerve, Debra.

I totally can believe the 1/20 arguments, too. I catch grief today because Big Guy’s “still” in a booster and that one cracks me up in a “poking knitting needles through my eyebealls” sort of way.

For one, he doesn’t meet either of the “ors” – 6 or 60 pounds – under California law. For another, even when he turns 6 in a month or so, he won’t be anywhere near 60 pounds soaking wet. And as far as height – which actually is a really important factor in boosters in particular even though California law doesn’t even look at it – forget it.

Yet, relatives who couldn’t wait to “free” their child from a booster the second they turned 6 are appalled at the way I torture my child.

I STILL haven’t found photos of rear-facing for older children in action, but I did find a photo of a Volvo car seat that looks about like I expected it to – cut-outs on the side for longer legs. That car seat can’t be sold in the US, btw, because it’s auto-brand specific.

The main problem I found was the height requirements on the seats that we had. They both hit the upper height requirements for rear facing at right around 2 years old, and were flipped around at that time.

LOTS of people thought I was mean or crazy, but I saw those videos of forward facing kids. I’d rather go through the hassle of keeping them rearfacing as long as possible, then to live with the knowledge that I could have done more to protect them and didn’t, KWIM?

Plus, you wouldn’t believe how many arguments I get into with people about 1 year AND 20lbs! Not only do they think it’s an “OR” in between, they don’t seem to get that that is just the minimum requirement, and in no way some magic number that says their baby will be safe forward facing in an accident I hate that parents choose convenience over safety…

Okay, off my shoebox now ;0)