When I first got pregnant with Lilly, the maternal instincts kicked in almost immediately. I started researching anything and everything I could about breastfeeding, cloth diapering… you name it. While I do not claim to be a parenting expert (I have realized that 99% of parenting is trial and error), I *can* tell you that one of the things that has stuck with me is my passion for car seat safety. While there are a lot of differing opinions on all things parenting, the one thing that I am incredibly passionate about and that there’s not a whole lot of room for debate is car seat safety. I learned about the importance of rear facing as long as possible and that is something I implemented with Lilly right away and have continued with Amos. We had Lilly rear facing until three and a half – when she hit the weight limit for rear facing on her car seat. Since September is Baby Safety Month, I’ve teamed up with Chicco and their Chicco Fit2 to share my own experiences and talk about WHY this is so important!

Chicco is one of the oldest baby gear companies and have been in business for more than 50 years! Their KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat and NextFit Convertible Car Seat have consistently been rated #1, plus offer the newly launched Fit2 Infant & Toddler Car Seat, along with a full line of playards, highchairs, car seats, strollers and soooo much more. (We also have the Chicco BravoFor2 double stroller and LOVE it!)

The new Chicco Fit2 Infant & Toddler Car Seat is AMAZING. It has two positions to be able to comfortably accommodate both infants and toddlers (which is KEY, y’all… KEY!!), making it easier for parents and caregivers to follow the AAP recommendation for children to ride rear-facing until at least age 2.

Now, we recently got Chicco’s new NextFit® iX convertible car seat since Amos is too big for the Chicco Fit2 and let me tell you… this car seat is also amazing! We have been SEARCHING for a convertible car seat that can rear face in my husband’s truck. My husband transports the kids in his truck a lot and we wanted to make sure that we could have a convertible car seat to safely fit in his truck. So many carseats we tried wouldn’t fit correctly or safely without the front passenger being pushed almost all the way up to the dashboard (and since I sit in the passenger seat… that was a NO GO). The NextFit® iX can fit in almost any vehicle (I mean, if it fits in my husband’s truck, I have a hard time picturing a car that it WOULDN’T fit in…) and it also fits your child with the SuperCinch® LATCH functionality and a new LockSure™ vehicle belt-tightening system. It was REALLY quick and easy to install. It is really easy to adjust and so it can accommodate kiddos from 5 to 65 pounds. Most importantly, you can safely rear face in the NextFit® iX until 40 pounds!

So why rear facing until at least two years old? Well, to put it plain and simple… it is literally FIVE TIMES safer for a child who is rear-facing in a collision than if they were forward facing. FIVE TIMES SAFER. A rear-facing car seat is positioned in a way that spreads the crash force more evenly across the back of the car seat and your child’s body. Rear-facing also limits the motion of the head, which reduces the potential for neck injury. This really isn’t about parenting opinion, it’s about scientific fact. (source) 

Well, earlier this year Chicco launched TurnAfter2™, a national movement designed to increase the number of children who ride rear-facing longer by educating parents about the benefits of riding rear-facing longer, and empowering them to celebrate and share their efforts to keep their kids rear-facing.

Chicco is incredibly passionate about this (as am I!!) and they want parents to share how they are keeping their children riding in the car rear facing for two years or LONGER by using the #TurnAfter2 hashtag on social media to share photos of their rear-facing-riding kids! (We got to three and a half with Lilly, I’m hoping we can get at least that with Amos, too!!) This is all with the hopes that it will inspire other parents to keep their kids rear-facing for as long as possible. You can visit TurnAfter2.com to learn more!

What about you? Are you as passionate about rear-facing as I am? Have your tried the Chicco Fit2? Share your #TurnAfter2 pictures in the comments and on social media!

I have also teamed up with Chicco to giveaway a Chicco Fit2 car seat to one of you! Simply use the Rafflecopter tool below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway