Hey Friends - a very quick but incredibly important reminder today. I posted this on social medial a couple of weeks ago and the response was overwhelming. It was my most viewed and most shared post in the history of My Strong Little Body.

So many families were unaware of the dangers of turning their bub around too quickly in the car. So to keep the word out there, here it is again, version 2.0, in blog form. Hope it helps to make an informed decision about how long you rear face your child for. Please share with well-meaning friends and family who might question your decision because ‘they’re far too old for that’.

Lots of Love, Alana xx

Which way do you face your bub in the car?

Australian law ensures we all rear-face our babies 6 mths & under in an approved, properly fastened car restraint.
From 6 mths until 4 yrs, children must wear an approved, properly fastened car restraint with an in-built harness that is EITHER rear-facing OR forward facing.
Children between 4 & 7 yrs must be in a forward-facing facing properly fastened restraint with a built in harness OR an approved booster seat which is properly fastened.

So. We can legally turn our babies around at 6 months.

And I get it. At 6 months of age I had real screamers in the car. BOTH of my babies would howl that awful baby death-rattle cry, the ear piercing one that makes you want to go ahead & howl with them, after just 10 mins of driving.

And sometimes it would not stop until I got them out.

Me driving on an hour long trip in traffic was not only anxiety & sweat inducing, but it also made me question myself as a mother.

In the event of an accident, a child who is rear-facing will be 5 x safer than a child who is forward facing.

Was he all of a sudden starving? (cue countless breastfeeds on the side of the road)

Was he in pain?

Did he feel sick?

Or was he scared that he couldn't see me?

And I think this is exactly why so many parents make the call to turn their babies around early.

But Mummas & Papas, I beg you to have a look at the below crash test video created by the Univervisty of Ohio below.

It takes less than 2 minutes and I promise it will change your mind about which way to face your baby in the car. I kept my babies in a rear-facing seat until they were almost 2 because of the below statistic.

In a car accident, a child who is rear-facing will be 5 x safer than a child who is forward facing, with the rear-facing seats distributing the crash load over a large surface area, rather than through their neck & spinal cord.

It could be the difference between life & death in a severe car accident.

It is recommended by the American Academy of Paediatrics that children should be rear-facing until at least 2 years of age.
Sweden suggests up until age 4.

And it doesn't matter at all if their legs are up on the seat. My screamy kids were actually totally cool with it in the end.

I'd love to know, is this news to you? Did you already know about the benefits of extended rear-facing? How old was your bub when your turned them around?

Rear Facing Vs Forward Facing Crash Test.

*This video comes with a trigger warning for those suffering from Post Natal Anxiety or PTSD following a car accident.

Rear Facing Vs Forward Facing - This could save your baby's life.