Extended Rear Facing Car Seats

When I was a child, there were no car safety seats. We didn’t wear helmets when we rode our tricycles. We didn’t have curving slides that kept you from falling off at the top platform. We played on teeter-totters that are now nearly obsolete. We climbed trees, skipped rocks, jumped off bridges into quarries to go for a swim, and played in row boats in thunderstorms without a life jacket. And I survived! But obviously, a lot of other children did not, or there would not have been so many changes made to keep children safe. Granted, some of this safety-consciousness is really more related to a fear of being sued than for any real concern for children, but the two are not mutually exclusive. If we keep our children safe, then no one has to suffer the heartbreak of loss, and no company will be sued for damages.

Car seats now are so bulky! They have straps that go this way and that, and padding all over the place, and buckles that are nearly impossible to unbuckle! They have tether straps and latches that hold them secure. And they can be placed rear-facing and semi-reclining for newborns, then turned around and up, so a toddler can see out the window. Many moms are so eager to turn their child around, that they may not wait until their child has reached the recommended height and weight. They feel that their child will be happier facing forward. And maybe having a screaming child in the car puts us at greater risk of causing an accident? But new research shows that children are five times safer in the rear-facing position.

The seat belt holds an adult securely to the seat, distributing the combined weight of our body weight and the force of the crash across our hips, ribs, and shoulder. We have strong bones there to help absorb the impact. Little children do not have strong bones like that anywhere. And their necks are so fragile, their heads large compared to the rest of their bodies. In the rear facing position, the impact is distributed all over their body, reducing the risk of a serious neck injury. Turn the safety seat around, and in a bad crash, their necks are likely to snap.

Two year old twins in the rear-facing position.

The research is so conclusive, that it is expected that the recommendations for car seat standards will change in the near future. But why wait? Help to get the word out, and encourage parents to keep their toddlers in the rear-facing position as long as possible. So how long should you keep your child turned backwards? As long as the car seat will allow. Different car seat models will have a maximum height and weight limit for the rear position, usually around 30 to 35 pounds, with some newer ones coming out that go up to 40 pounds in the rear position, and 65 pounds once it is turned forward.

Some moms wonder about their child’s legs being damaged – because their legs will be touching the back of the car seat. Won’t their legs break in a crash? It’s possible. But better a broken leg than a broken neck! There is a popular slogan for this issue being spread across the internet: “Broken legs – cast it. Broken neck – casket.”

Some parents speculate that their child just doesn’t look very comfortable all scrunched up in a rear-facing seat. I think those infant seats look incredibly comfortable! I wish the adult car seat was as cozy! What I really wonder is, if the rear-facing position is so much safer in a crash – why doesn’t everyone except the driver face backwards?

For more information, check out:
Video of forward and rear-facing crash dummies
News article on car seat standards
Rear-facing Car Seats for older children
The Kyle David Miller Foundation

Photo Credits:
All photos by: MammaBunch84

Tags: car safety, car seat, car seat standard, ERF, extended rear facing car seat, Preschoolers, toddlers