They See Her Rollin'

Check out Eva rollin' in her new big girl car seat! When we went to Hughes Springs a couple of weeks ago we experienced the longest car ride ever with our screaming one year old. Part of it is that she just doesn't like being in the car, she never has, but we thought part of it might also be that she was getting bigger and would be more comfortable in her new seat. She's only 28 inches tall and 18 lbs so she still had plenty of growing room for her infant seat (it went up to 24 lbs) but if you look at the photo above on the right you can see that she's leaned back a bit and that the seat isn't as wide since it's made for newborns. 

Enter the Graco My Ride 70 which we had purchased about a month ago when it was on sale at Target. I looked into many different brands, price ranges, and models of car seats and was happy to get this one. In her photo above on the right you can see that she has tons of room of grow, she has 2 cup/snack holders, and looks pretty stylish.  More than all of that, this seat is a rear/front convertible seat that will grow with her up to 70 lbs. Current Texas law requires kids to stay in a car seat until they are a minimum of 8 years old or 4'9" tall. With the exception of being in a car accident, which I hope and pray never happens with Eva in the car, this seat will last her for the next 7 years.

You can also see in the photo above that we installed her new seat in the rear facing position. The previous recommendations were to keep a baby in the rear facing position until they are one year old and twenty pounds. Now the recommendation is for children to stay rear facing for as long as possible, preferably up to two years as long as they don't exceed the weight limit for that position as listed on the car seat  (although the law is still set at turning them forward facing at one year). Ahhh! Let me state that I am so wanting Eva to be forward facing. I know she would be happier in the car, I could see her more easily, and it make the whole experience easier. I am not here to judge the decisions that others moms make for their kids. Your baby, your choice as long as you are following the law. I decided to write a post and share my thoughts on all of this because I read this blog by The Mom Diggity (my sister in-law's friend) the week that I was looking up information and research about this topic and I was thankful to know that other parents are wondering and learning about the same things I am. It is so much safer for a child to stay in a rear facing car seat as long as possible. I decided that it was the best choice for Eva to leave her rear facing for probably the next year. Sigh. I don't love it but it is what I think I should do for her. There is also a ton of information about where to place car seats (my car doesn't fit one safely in the middle), proper installation, and using the chest clip correctly. Mamas sure have to make some tough decisions for their babies.

And just because she is so darn cute - here is a photo of my sweet girl who climbed inside the cabinet while we were getting ready this morning. This had nothing to do with car seats, although it does reflect the important of baby proofing :)