Keep Your Child in an Infant Car Seat Rear Facing

The most secure method to ensure your child remains in a rear-facing infant car seat is to keep them there. Children should only be able to switch to a forward-facing car seat once they have reached the weight and height limitations of their current car seat.

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Safety Benefits

Rear-facing infant car seats are the safest option for infants and young babies. This is because they support and cradle their necks and heads. "Since their spines aren't fully ossified yet, it's important to keep the impact of a crash away from their necks and heads," says Purva Grover, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic Children's Pediatric Emergency Departments. In a frontal collision, the baby's head can hit the seat in front of them. This can cause whiplash that is extremely painful or even fatal. However, with a rear-facing car seat, the impact is taken up by the seat, and dissipated by the back of the vehicle. Adele says, "It feels like a hug." The legs of a child can be tucked into the car seat to prevent them from being thrown against the rear of the seat or any other surface in the vehicle. "This helps to prevent collisions with their own bodies, which causes internal injuries," she explains.

Many parents avoid ERF because they believe their child is bored or uncomfortable. This is not the case for my son, Lukas. In fact Lukas prefers riding rear-facing since the recline feature allows him to stretch his legs while reading an article or watch TV.

If you have a child who is reluctant to be rear-facing due to their leg length or for other reasons, convince them that this is the most secure option. Explain that the child is able to remain in the convertible or all-in one car seat so long as the height or weight limit is not exceeded.

Also, be certain to strap your child in the rear-facing car seat securely by using the vehicle's lower anchor system or seat belt. Don't allow them to wear bulky clothing like winter coats, as these can compress in a crash and cause the harness straps to loosen, putting your child at risk for injury. Make sure to use the Pinch Test when fitting your child's harness.

Convenience

Many parents prefer to keep infant car seats facing rear as long as they can because they are more user-friendly and more mobile than convertible car seats. If you keep your child rear-facing, they may require being placed in a crib or bassinet for nap or time to sleep. This could mean waking the sleeping child and this isn't a good idea. The benefits of rear-facing outweigh the inconvenience, however.

Newborn babies and preemies are smaller than full-term newborns and therefore the headrest of their car seats is lower. This reduces the impact force and also ensures that the harness' chest clip is located below their shoulders instead of at their necks. This is important for premature infants whose bones are still weak and have not ossified after birth or pregnancy.

The rear-facing position also allows you to observe your baby more clearly than a forward-facing position. This lets you easily observe their behavior and ensure that they are happy and comfortable. Many baby car seats have a built-in baby mirror that can be adjusted to allow you to view your child from almost any angle.

When your baby is outgrowing their car seat as infants or reaches the height or weight limit recommended by their seat manufacturer you can move to a convertible or all-in-one car seat that will allow them to remain rear-facing until they reach two years old. Some have rear-facing limits that are higher than rear-only seats which allows them to be used for a longer period of time.

All-in-one or convertible car seats are known for their versatility. They can be used rear facing, forward facing, and as a belt-positioning booster. They usually also have a larger base in the back of your car making them easier to install and remove. They are more expensive than single-use infant car seats however they last longer than an infant carrier seat car seat and will save you money in the long run.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children remain rear-facing until they have reached the maximum weight and height limits established by their car seat manufacturer or at least 2 years old. It is common for children to outgrow their rear facing infant car seat for newborn seat when they reach the age of two. However, it's best to wait.

Weight Limits

It is important to know that all infant car seats come with weight and height restrictions. Most infant car seats have a weight limit of 30 to 35 pounds and a height limit of about 30 inches, depending on the model. When your child is at the limit, you are able to move up to the next level of security. You can either choose a convertible seat that permits your child to ride either forward or rear-facing or an all-in one car seat.

In addition to the weight and height limit, there are other indicators that indicate your child is prepared for the next step in car seats, such as their comfort level while riding rear-facing. You can check for these signs by watching your child's behavior, and then looking at other children of similar age in their car seats. You can also seek help from certified child safety specialists at a car-seat inspection station, which is typically run by local government or community organizations.

Keeping your infant rear facing for as long as is possible is the best car seat infant option for them, and it's easy to understand why parents are hesitant to move their children around until they're fully grown. You can ward off this temptation if you make sure that your child's car seats is properly installed and don't switch them to a front-facing car seat before they're ready, even if their weight or height is close to the limits of their existing seat.

You can contact a certified child passenger technician if you have questions about your child's readiness for the next stage of car seats or if you are concerned that you may not install the car seat correctly. These experts are available through local community organizations, government offices, and child passenger safety programs. You can find one near you by looking online or by contacting your local health department or public safety agency. There are also mobile car seat check-in events that will visit your workplace or at home to make sure you have the right equipment and are using it correctly.

Installation

A car seat has to be installed correctly in order to be effective. The NHTSA states, with regret, that nearly half of car seats are set up incorrectly. This includes rear-facing seats. The best way to make sure that your child's car seats are correctly installed is to read through the manual, then have them professionally assessed by a certified vehicle safety technician.

The angle check is the first step to installing an infant car seat that faces rearwards. Check that the car seat base is set at a suitable angle for your baby's weight and height. You can check this on the indicator on the back of the base or in the user manual.

You should also make sure that the baby's head is properly positioned in the seat. Babies have big heads and soft necks and the forward-facing position could put pressure on their neck and spine in a crash. If a rear-facing collision occurs the back of the car seat absorbs the majority of the collision force, which shields the baby's delicate neck and spinal cord.

Once your child has reached the weight limit or height of their car seat for infants It is the time to switch to a convertible or an all-in-one car seat that can be used in the rear-facing position until your child has reached their front-facing limit. Be sure to get a new infant car seat with a higher rear-facing limit if you decide to switch to this type of seat, because older models have lower limits.

If you choose an infant car seats on sale car seat that is able to be removed from the car, and then re-attached to a stroller, this is an ideal option for parents who need to transport their infants in and out of the car frequently. It can be challenging and time-consuming to move your car seat and stroller in and out of the vehicle on a regular basis, especially when you have a baby. If you're willing to take the extra time each time to get it done, this could be a viable option for many families. Plan ahead and pick a day that you have plenty of time.