Don't worry Paris, my kids were forward facing in the car, too

"Before you come for me, I actually followed Australian guidelines, thank you very much."

In my almost decade of parenting, I have had many flex moments. One is that they never gave me grief in the car, as toddlers only. 

Not any more. The big boys need a perspex screen to keep the peace between them. But that's a story for another day. 

I never had to put in a mirror or play the 'Happy Song' on repeat or avoid meeting a friend because I knew the second they were strapped in, they would scream.

While it could be just a strange twist of fate, I believe it's because the boys have been facing forward since they were six months old. 

And before you come for me, as many did with Paris Hilton and her forward-facing babies, I followed the guidelines. 

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My boys when they first moved to their big seats. Source: supplied

It's only a recommendation! 

According to Raising Children, "If your child is six months up to four years old, they must use one of the following as a minimum legal requirement: a forward-facing or rear-facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness. It's recommended that children use rear-facing car seats until they're at least 12 months old."

Because Australia loves extra taxes and rules, it is recommended that you have the car seat installed by a mechanic or licensed professional. Bonus points if you keep that flimsy piece of paper they give you after they install it. 

My eldest Cooper was heavy and large, so I installed the car seats once he grew out of the capsule.

When I was there, he asked, "Do you want it rear-facing or forward-facing?" 

As a first-time mum, I wasn't sure, so I asked what the rules were. Considering his fee, he should know the do's and don'ts. 

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An extra $50? No, thank you

He told me Cooper would have to be either nine kilos or six months old to be forward-facing. I quickly learned that if I did rear-facing, I would have to pay another $50 to change it, even if it was only two weeks. 

So I did a quick girl math: he was two weeks shy of that age milestone and had already surpassed the weight limit, so Coops, get ready to see the world, and I'll keep that extra $50. 

I followed this method for my other two boys. Chunky babies continued down the succession line. 

From the day I flipped my boys to a forward position, I felt micro eye-rolls from my friends because they chose to keep their kids facing backward. If they had it their way, their kids would stay rear-facing until they were ready to drive themselves.

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It makes you feel sick 

But while they quietly judged me, their children screamed every time they got in the car. My guess is that the rear-facing kids hated staring at the back of the seat (boring!) and were suffering from motion sickness.

As adults, we avoid travelling backwards on a train because - it makes you feel sick! 

Think about it: if your baby has gone from your arms into a cocoon-like contraption, where they can't see you but hear you, and as the car takes off, they start to feel nauseous. I would scream, too.

Newsflash! Babies don't know how to communicate their discomfort other than to cry or scream, so maybe consider using a forward-facing car seat from six months to avoid the tears. 

Hearing your baby in distress while trying to drive is not only heartbreaking but dangerous.

It's not that I didn't think about my child's safety—and let's face it, the mechanic wouldn't have installed the seat if it wasn't road-safe. 

Put yourself in your kid's shoes or seats; if you wouldn't be comfortable driving backwards, why should they if they don't have to? 

So, who's off to flip their kid's seats?

Originally published as Don't worry Paris, my kids were forward facing in the car, too