Big Boy Ride.

Mr. Landon has a big boy car seat. He’s had it for a while now. He has been much better about riding in the car since he has had it. It’s plush and comfy.

You know that scene in Borat when he gets in to the hotel room and sits in the huge chair and says,

"King in the castle. King in the castle. I have a chair. I have a chair. Oh, go do this, go do this. King in the castle."

Well, that is Landon in his big boy car seat.



It is the Graco MyRide 65. This is an innovative seat. It allows for the child to remain rear facing even longer than any other seat. Most go to 30-35 pounds. This Graco MyRide allows the child to rear face until 40 pounds. Car seats have weight/length requirements on when the child needs to be forward facing. The minimum requirement to keep a child rear facing is 1 year AND 20 pounds (but this is only the bare minimum). You can keep them rear facing longer if the seat allows.



Why extend rear facing?
Because it is safer.

Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absorb the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.

Videos like this are all I need to convince me.
Forget statistics- there is hardcore evidence--


(one of many videos proving the point with a very obvious difference in crash tests. Watch long enough to see the crash tests and you will see the reason to extend rear facing)


Many parents turn their kids forward facing as soon as possible. This is usually out of lack of knowledge about how unsafe it is or out of pure convenience. Yep, it is easier to have your kid face forward, but in Landon’s case he won’t know the difference. If he never forward faces- he won’t know it exists.

Some parents turn kids forward sooner because their legs are scrunched against the back seat. I say a broken leg in a crash would be much better than a broken neck. Forward facing kids are 4 times more likely to have “internal decapitation” in a crash than a rear facing child of the same age. Although, there has never been a case of a broken leg or foot in extended rear facing. I would like to make it to 18 months with him rear facing, but 2+ years would be ideal. I guess it depends on when he hits 40 pounds or gets too tall!

Landon loves to sit in his big boy seat and play with his toys and look at the world through the rear window. Accidents happen, but I want to be sure that I have done whatever I can to prevent my child being injured.