[blparent] Carseat.

[Lisamaria Martinez]

Hey Shelby.

don't forget that weight isn't the only reason a kid should get a new
car seat. Erik was 27 in a half inches long at 5 months and we had to
put him in a stage two car seat. We went with the Britax. I think the
Marathon model. We really like it.

The alpha omega looked pretty good too.

So Erik's original car seat went to 35 pounds I think, but apparently,
when his head started creeping too close to the top, we researched and
found out that it had a length limit too. And, it was 27 inches. So, I
really wish height was mentioned just as prominently as weight.

The britax can be rear facing for 40 to 50 pounds I think. Erik still
sits rear facing even though he'll be turning 22 months in a week and
he's almost 3 feet tall and about 32 pounds. Our pediatrician really,
really, really recommends keeping kids rear facing until 2. She
brought up lots of good points about safety. Even a strong kid doesn't
have adult strength neck and spine. So, if they are front facing and
you are in an accident, a kid is more likely to get a spinal injury
from the accident than the adult because their spines are so fragile.
If they are rear facing, the support of the car seat's back can save
them from being extremely injured. When I pointed out that he is so
tall and what about his legs, she said he'd learn to cross his legs
and it was better to have a broken leg than a broken spine--and that
is of course, if the leg were to break.

Anyways, that's my soap box about car seats. My nephew just turned one
and his parents have had his front facing for months now and I get so
upset and scarede for his safety. Please nobody get mad at me because
I might be judging. It isn't judgement, but concern. My father works
for the DMV. He gave the driving tests for 15-ish years and he had all
sorts of horror stories about driving and accidents. And now that I am
a mom, but don't understand why people don't think of these things.

LM