After having 4 kids, I think we've pretty much nailed down our favorites for baby gear. Carseats are no exception!
Since doing an elephant sized amount of research on carseat safety, I knew extended rear facing was what I wanted to do. If your new to the idea of rear facing you might have some questions.
Why do it? What are the real differences in safety?
Surprisingly, many carseats aren't able to accommodate extended rear facing, and it can be tough to compare them all. After much search, we decided to go with the Diono Radian RXT- which rear faces from 5-45 lbs. Many of the seats we looked into only went up to 30lbs rear facing, so this was great!
Why do it? What are the real differences in safety?
Well i'm no expert here, but if you dabble into some research it just makes sense. If a child is forward facing and a frontal collision occurs, the child's head is flung forward in the seat. This will cause a huge amount of stress on their extremely volnerable neck and spine. A child's neck and spine are still soft and not yet solidified like an adult's. That is why it's important to keep them rear facing as long as possible.
What about accidents that happen from the rear end of the car?
They generally happen at lower speeds, so the risk is less.
Surprisingly, many carseats aren't able to accommodate extended rear facing, and it can be tough to compare them all. After much search, we decided to go with the Diono Radian RXT- which rear faces from 5-45 lbs. Many of the seats we looked into only went up to 30lbs rear facing, so this was great!
I liked how slim they were, and the possibility of putting three seats across. Also the steel frame- instead of the common plastic is a big factor for me. Not only does this seat rear face for quite a long time, you have the option to forward face at 20-80lbs, and after that it can be used as a booster seat up to 120lbs. Heck! That means mama could even qualify in the weight limit! ;)
I know i'm raving about these seats, but I really am passionate about them. Obviously, or I wouldn't have purchased 4 of them over the years! You can find this seat on Amazon. They are pricey, but in my opinion totally worth the investment. Not to mention they have a much further out expiration date- 10 years! Other seats I was looking at were in the 3-5 year range.
If you are in the market for a carseat I highly recommend that you do a little research and think of the benefits & risks of the one you choose. Safety should be our top priority with our little ones- especially when we're on the road!
xoxo Brittany
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