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Rear-facing LongerCar seats are now designed to keep child passengers in the rear-facing longer. This helps to give the child improved head and neck protection. The following diagrams and video's below demonstrate this further.
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It is best practice and highly RECOMMENDED to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. This rear-facing recommendation has changed significantly over the past several years and fortunately, more and more new parents are learning of this and understanding the importance of keeping their child rear-facing as long as possible and even keeping the child at each stage as long as possible. Here are a few review tips:
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- Keep your child rear-facing up to the maximum height (the child usually reaches height before weight) or weight maximum of the car seat. With most convertible car seats, a child can be rear facing between the ages of 3 and 5 (depending on weight). Even if the child's feet are up onto the back of the vehicle seat, it is best to keep their head and neck protected.
- Remember, keeping your child rear-facing to the upper height and weight, as long as possible helps to protect the child's neck, shoulders and head. See video examples.
- Never rush to advance your child to the next stage (see Car Seat Stages). Follow height and weight maximum on the side of your car seat.
- For infants who have outgrown their rear-facing only car seat (base and car seat carrier that also goes into a stroller), they can move into a convertible seat to be rear-facing longer.
- When shopping for a convertible car seat, choose one that has the highest weight maximum. Also make sure it is compatible to your vehicle so it can be installed correctly, both rear and forward facing. The car seat must be able to be installed correctly, at the appropriate level, while having sufficient space between the back of the car seat and back of the front vehicle seat when rear-facing to allow for the ride-down-effect of a crash. There also needs to be sufficient space for the passenger and driver to ride safely (knees no close than 3-inches to the dashboard and driver no closer than 10-inches to the steering wheel and passenger no closer than 20-inchest to the airbag).
Questions, call 323-491-6197
Rear-facing head and neck support
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends keeping your child in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height as printed on the side of your car seat. Parents are often misled by some convertible car seat instructions that suggest forward-facing 22 to 65 pounds and turn their child prematurely which increases injury risk. Most convertible car seats allow children to be rear-facing until they reach 40 pounds, and some 50 pounds. This protects your child’s head (brain) and spinal cord. Talk with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Certified Technician by calling the National Telehealth Car Seat Call Center at 323-491-6197.
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Additional information regarding rear-facing
In general, nearly all convertible car seats go to 40-pounds and some 45-pounds of even to 50-pounds rear-facing. Based upon 90% percentile of clinical grown charts (see Baby Growth Charts), a 40-pound child can be between the age of 3-5 years old. This means because car seats are being designed larger to accommodate greater weight limits for rear-facing, your child can be rear-facing much longer and safer. So, keep your baby rear-facing up to the height and weight printed on the side of your car seat and when searching for a convertible seat choose one that is compatible to your car and has a higher rear-facing weight.
It is best practice and highly RECOMMENDED to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Rear-facing recommendations have changed significantly over the past several years and fortunately more and more new parents are understanding the importance of keeping their child rear-facing as long as possible and even to keep the child at each stage as long as possible. The video below illustrates misuse, but also shows the difference in how a forward-facing child, their head plunges forward and slams back into the seat. Whereas the rear-facing seat provides head and neck support.
It is best practice and highly RECOMMENDED to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Rear-facing recommendations have changed significantly over the past several years and fortunately more and more new parents are understanding the importance of keeping their child rear-facing as long as possible and even to keep the child at each stage as long as possible. The video below illustrates misuse, but also shows the difference in how a forward-facing child, their head plunges forward and slams back into the seat. Whereas the rear-facing seat provides head and neck support.
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Why are rear-facing car seats designed for higher weight and height of child?
This helps to provide support to the child's upper torso to protect their head and neck. Remember the moment you turn a child forward-facing, regardless of their age, in the event of a collision, they are 5-times more likely to sustain neck injury from their head plunging forward and sustain brain injury from their head slamming back into the seat. So, keep your child in a car seat rear-facing to the upper weight and height printed on the side of the car seat.
This helps to provide support to the child's upper torso to protect their head and neck. Remember the moment you turn a child forward-facing, regardless of their age, in the event of a collision, they are 5-times more likely to sustain neck injury from their head plunging forward and sustain brain injury from their head slamming back into the seat. So, keep your child in a car seat rear-facing to the upper weight and height printed on the side of the car seat.
Laws in each state in the United States vary. While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend "All Infants and Toddlers Should Ride in a Rear-Facing CSS Until They Are 2 Years of Age or Until They Reach the Highest Weight or Height Allowed by the Manufacturer of Their CSS", it is important for parents to understand and remember the second part of this recommendation. Whereas "All Infants and Toddlers Should Ride in a Rear-Facing CSS.....Until They Reach the Highest Weight or Height Allowed by the Manufacturer of Their CSS (car seat)". Because of this recommendation, and because car seat manufacturers are now designing car seats with increased weight and height limitations to keep the child rear-facing as long as possible, children can ride rear-facing much longer than every before in the United States.
