Finally Forward Facing

In general I am not a terribly over-protective parent. I don't worry about germs. I let my kids play in dirt. I let Joshua use adult scissors. I do child-proof certain things,but I don't have a toilet lock or an oven lock. I have never owned a baby monitor. I think every parent worries about their kids and I am not an exception, but I am not a huge worrier and I am very moderate. One thing I do feel strongly about is carseat safety. Accidents in vehicles are a leading cause of death in kids and, though I can't totally prevent being in an accident, I can do everything I can to make sure my kids survive if we are in an accident. Rear-facing carseats are the safest way for children to ride in cars. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing until a child turns two. State law requires it until the age of one. No matter the age, it is always safer, but once kids' necks fully fuse between the ages of two and four, there is less of a difference between rear and forward-facing safety. Because it is always safer, I was in no hurry to turn Joshua around. I always said I was okay with doing so once he turned two if I had a good reason, but otherwise I was going to leave him backwards. We finally got a good reason. He can now unbuckle the chest strap. He does not do this often, but obviously a carseat isn't very safe if it is half unbuckled. So we decided to turn him forward so I can see him and act if he is unbuckled or if he starts to unbuckle himself. At first Joshua was very confused and didn't understand why he was "riding like mama". But he seems to have adjusted to it and it is basically comedy hour all the time in our backseat since his sisters now have a great view of all his antics.