My Daughter Just turned 2 a week ago, which made me almost leap for joy that it was FINALLY time to turn the car seat forward facing...OR so I thought??
We live in CT which is one of ONLY NINE (that's it, only 9!) states that require your child to continue to be rear facing until the Age of 2 (most states only require up to age 1 and 20lbs). However, there is COMPELLING evidence in MANY studies that have shown that a child is MUCH safer rear facing for as long as possible.
So what does that mean exactly? It means that, you guessed it, your child should be rear facing well beyond their 2 year old birthday. In fact, they should be rear facing up to the maximum height AND weight limits of your car seat. Our Graco4ever seat has a maximum weight of 40lbs rear facing...my 2yo is 31lbs so there's plenty of time to go before we hit this. The height maximum is usually up to 1inch below the highest point of the head rest.
The Car Seat Lady put together a Beautiful Article (including references to specific studies) that will convince any parent without a doubt that you should continue to rear face as long as possible. One look at the difference in neck positioning in a rear vs. forward facing car seat in a head on collision and you'll be SOLD! Don't take my word for it...check it all out in her article here
http://thecarseatlady.com/when-should-your-child-turn-forward-facing/
When it comes to our precious babies NOTHING should compromise Safety!
