Monday, May 11, 2009

1 year Doctor Appt.

Sorry for leaving you hanging...



Our (not so) little lady weighed in at a few ounces shy of 27 lbs. That puts her off the percentile charts for weight. She measured 30 inches long, which is around 80th percentile (I think). So, her vertical growth has slowed a bit. (Her last check up she was 97th percentile for height.) Hopefully, her horizontal growth will now slow down. If not, well, we'll have a blueberry for a daughter.   

The doctor told me that it is now suggested to leave car seats in the rear facing position until 2 years old. We had already switched her to forward facing a day before her birthday and doubt that we'll change her back. (The law is 20 lbs. and 1 year old to sit facing forward.) What's everyone else doing?   

5 Responses to “1 year Doctor Appt.”

  1. Anonymous8:07 AM

    blueberry. that's funny.

    the mayor

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  2. I heard about he backward facing car seat from my friend Cara whose father-in-law is a pediatrician. She turned her son backward facing again, but he is very small and not very tall. I am not turning Samuel, he was shoved in the seat backwards and was uncomfortable at a year. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he would be now. Not doing it!

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  3. my sister has Brynn facing forward and has since she was about 1 too (she's now 21 months). Her doc agreed that as long as the weight was up and the height was there, no need to stay backwards because it's more uncomfortable for them.

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  4. My husband is a safety engineer for a company that makes seatbelts and airbags. I forwarded him your post because I thought he would be able to give me some good information regarding child safety seats.

    Here is the answer:

    How old is the child? I am assuming she just turned 1.

    Keeping a child rear facing until 1 year old and at least 20 lbs. is not a law, it is a minimum recommendation from AAP (American Academy of Pedatrics). Best practice would be to keep the child rear facing until they reach the rear-facing weight limit on the child restraint, typically 30-35 lbs. Based on her weight trend, she could remain rear facing until she is 18 – 24 months old if the seat allows. The AAP now recommends keeping children rear-facing until their 2nd birthday if possible.

    The reason for keeping children rear facing is that the child seat spreads the crash forces over the child’s back and head thereby protecting their neck. A toddler’s head makes up approximately 1/3 of their body weight and is not as well supported by the spine as in adults. Their neck muscles, vertebrae, and ligaments have not fully developed yet. In adults, the head makes up approximately 1/10 of body weight and is well supported by a fully developed spine.

    One final note, babies who are breast fed generally have a higher weight at their first birthday; however, a child’s weight will often correct to their normal weight trend (growth chart percentile line) between 12 and 18 months of age when they become more mobile and active.

    I realize this is a lot of detail, but the parent appears to be well educated and keeps track of details!

    If we could all sit rear facing in vehicles, we would all be safer!

    I hope this helps.

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  5. wow, thanks for all the information! so helpful!

    ReplyDelete

 

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