Read the Manual People!

I have a toddler who is still rear-facing in his car seat. I have done the research and seen the proof that it is safer for kids to rear-face as long as your seat will allow this. Our Britax Marathon will allow Little Man to rear-face till 35 lbs, and he will be that way, even if he is 3 before he hits the weight. They have a height limit also, but I think he will hit the weight first.

My sister is a car seat tech, and has taught me a lot about car seats. She even bought us the Britax Marathon that Little Man rides in. I know, what I consider, a lot about car seats. I notice seats in cars next to us at red lights, and next to us in parking lots.

That being said, Friday I saw an infant car seat in the back of a Taurus sitting next to us at a red light. Nothing wrong with that, right? Wrong! Problem was, that infant carrier is only designed to rear-face, and it was forward facing. Top that off with a toddler sitting in it. Most of the infant seats have a weight limit of 22 lbs. This child was bigger than Little Man, and he is 27 lbs.

Then today, on the way back home from our trip, we stopped at McDonald's to change a stinky diaper. There was a white two-door truck parked next to us, with two people sitting in the bucket seats. Behind the drivers seat was an infant seat. Actually had an infant in it, BUT it was not an extended-cab that has seats back there! The car-seat was in the "jump seat" that has no buckle! There was no base to this car seat either, so I have no idea what was holding the car seat in.

Why even bother to buckle your child up if you are not going to do it correctly?

Check out these links if you want to learn more about extended rear facing. Remember, the law states that a child MUST rear-face until 20 lbs AND 12 months, but that is only a minimum.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-ppcarseats&msg=63647.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html

Keep your kids safe please!