“When are you going to turn that baby around?” is the incredulous question I’ve been asked several times recently. Of course, it’s typically when people see me putting my 24 month old, who happens to have jumped off the charts at 34.5 lbs and 37 inches, into her rear facing car seat. I smile sweetly and respond, “There are so many benefits of extended rear facing, I may never turn her around.”
One of them is knowing I’m doing all I can to protect her. She’s worth protecting!
Graco Milestone All-in-One Convertible Car Seat, Gotham
Occasionally they will respond with, “I turned my child to forward facing at a year old.” I get it. I really do. I turned my oldest at one, because it’s what everyone did back then. (I say back then like it was ages ago, when in fact it was just six and a half years ago, but it is what everyone did).
Of course, parents are often bombarded with a plethora of “advice” on how to keep their little one happy and/or safe during their growing years. It’s important when making decisions about baby gear that parents are educated on the proper ways to use the gear, as well as what current recommendations are. Especially when it comes to car seats! The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that all children remain rear facing until the age of two, at the very least, but preferably for longer. Small children simply do not have the muscle tone yet to control their head, especially in the event of an unexpected blow. In addition, the ratio of a small child’s head at this age is much larger with respect to their body. This combination of insufficient muscular capacity and a heavy head are no match for the energy and power associated with a serious car crash.
Statistics show that front end or side impacts usually involve the most force. In the event of a crash, a forward facing car seat would allow for a toddler or child’s head to suddenly smash forward, putting a profound amount of strain on their neck and spine. Although speed is certainly a factor, these types of accidents can be fatal to a forward facing child. Extended rear facing provides the necessary protection and support for the back of a child’s head, neck, and shoulders. Even after the age of two, kids are still growing into their head size, so to speak. Making the choice to keep your child rear facing as long as possible is proven to be the safest way to travel in a car. Most state laws allow for children to be turned forward much earlier, but experts in the field of physics and car safety have released a wide variety of reports and videos demonstrating the brunt force that an accident can have on an infant/toddler crash dummy, and frankly, the results are frightening and not something I like to envision my child enduring. So, rear facing she stays… as long as I can keep her safe that way.
When you have a larger than average toddler, though, like I do, finding a seat that will enable you to keep them rear facing as long as possible is no easy task. Little Miss reached the seated height limit for her convertible car seat this month, so we HAD to find an alternative. Many car seats have a rear facing weight limit of 35 pounds. Since Little Miss is just a few ounces shy of that, we wanted something that would give us at least to 40 pounds. The height limit for most rear-facing car seats is that there must be at least 1 inch of room between the top of the child’s head and the top of the car seat, so we needed something that would adjust up if need be.
The Graco Milestone™ All-in-1 Car Seat
fit the bill, so I was DELIGHTED to get the opportunity to review one!
Graco’s® Milestone™ All-in-1 Car Seat grows with your child. It’s three seats in one, for comfort at every stage! It’s a rear-facing (5-40 lbs.) and a forward-facing (20-65 lbs.) car seat, and belt-positioning booster (30-100 lbs.). Thanks to the Simply Safe Adjust™ Harness System, you’ll adjust the harness and headrest together, for an always-right fit. The 4-position recline keeps your child comfortable, while the InRight™ LATCH system makes installation easy with a one-second attachment. The seat is side-impact tested and SafeSeat Engineered, giving you peace of mind. With loads of safety features, Milestone is an obvious car seat choice!
Little Miss was eager to check it out once I took it out of the box.
Adjusting the headrest and harness is super simple with the Simply Safe Adjust™ Harness System, even with an angry toddler…
Securing the Graco Milestone All-in-1 Car Seat
was a bit easier than adjusting the headrest and harness, because the angry toddler was not in the seat. LOL.
Once we had the car seat properly installed in the van, I wanted to make sure it was a good fit for the formerly angry toddler. I knew getting buckled in without going bye bye was just going to make her mad again, so I resorted to a well known mommy trick… bribery… with a bit of candy!
Ermagoodness, would you look at her? Those cheeks! That smile! Like I said, she’s worth protecting! She may be the size of three year old, but she certainly doesn’t have the capacity to match her size, and I love that the Safety Surround™ Side Impact Technology will protect her head (and that smile) and body in the event of an accident! Of course, she wasn’t a fan of the fact that she didn’t get to eat her candy until after we were all done–and she was out of the car seat– but we managed to get the car seat installed properly and adjusted without her melting down.
Barring a major growth surge, the Graco Milestone All-in-1 Car Seat should enable us to continue extended rear facing for at least six months, although I am hoping for at least another year. The fact that the weight limit for the car seat as a forward-facing harness seat is 65 lbs and as a belt-positioning booster is 100 lbs means that this car seat should last us as long as she needs harness (at least 5) and then as long as she needs a booster (at least 8)!
