Comprehensive Guide To Infant Car Seat Rear Facing
Keep Your Child in an Infant Car Seat Rear Facing
The most secure method to ensure your child is in a rear-facing infant car seat is to keep them there. Children should only be moved to a forward-facing car seat when they outgrow the weight and height limitations of their current car seat.
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Safety Benefits
Utilizing a car seat for infants rear facing is safest for infants and newborns because it cradles and supports their neck and head. "Since their spines haven't ossified yet, it's important to keep the impact of a crash away from their heads and necks," says Purva Grover, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic Children's Pediatric Emergency Departments. In a frontal crash, the baby's head could hit the seat in front of them, creating a whiplash effect that can be severe or 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." In addition the child's legs are tucked into their car seat, preventing them from being thrown forward against the back of the front seat or any other surfaces in the vehicle. "This keeps them from colliding with their own body, which could cause internal injuries," she explains.
Many parents are against ERF because they fear that their child may become bored or uneasy. My son Lukas has never been uncomfortable or bored. In fact, he prefers to ride rear-facing since the recline feature lets him sit on his legs and read a book or watch tv.
If you do have an older child who isn't keen on being in a rear-facing seat because of leg length or other reasons, try to convince them that it's the safest option for them to travel. Explain that they can stay in their convertible or all-in-one car seats provided they don't exceed the height and weight limits set by the manufacturer of the seat.
Be certain to strap your child into a rear-facing car seat with the vehicle's lower anchor system or seat belt. Don't allow them to wear bulky clothes like winter coats, since they can compress during a crash, causing the straps of the harness to become loose and put your child at risk for injuries. Make sure to use the Pinch Test when fitting your child's harness.
Convenience
Many parents prefer to keep their infant car seats rear-facing for as long as they can because they are simple to use and more mobile than convertible car seats. If you keep your child rear-facing, he or she may have to be placed in a bassinet or crib during nap time or bedtime. best infant car seat could mean waking the sleeping child and this isn't a good idea. However, the security benefits of rear facing outweigh any inconvenience.
The headrest is lower for newborns and preemies than for full-term babies. This helps reduce the force of an impact and also ensures that the harness' chest clip is placed below their shoulders instead of at their necks. This is essential for premature infants, whose bones are still weak and are not fully ossedified following birth or pregnancy.
Additionally the rear-facing position offers the best view of your baby than the forward-facing position. This lets you monitor their behavior, and ensure they are happy and comfortable. Many infant car seats come with a built-in baby mirror that can be adjusted to view your child from nearly any angle.
You can use convertible car seats or an all-in one seat to keep your child facing the rear until they reach the recommended weight or height limit. Some rear-facing car seats have limits that are higher than rear-only car seats which allows them to be used for a longer period of time.
Convertible car seats or all-in-one seats are known as multi-functional. They can be used backward facing, forward facing, and as a belt-positioning booster. They are also easy to remove and install because they are built with a large base in the back of your vehicle. They are more expensive than infant car seats that are used once, but they'll last longer and save you money over the course of time.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride rear-facing until the maximum height and weight limits that are set by the manufacturer of their car seat or until they reach at minimum two years old. It is normal for children to outgrow their rear-facing infant car seat by the time they reach age two. But, it's always better to hold off until they reach the age of two.
Weight Limits
All baby car seats have weight and height limits you need to be aware of. Most infant car seats have a weight limit of 30 to 35 pounds and the height limit is around 30 inches, depending on the model. When your child has reached the limit, you can move up to the next level of security. You can choose a convertible seat that allows your child to ride rear-facing or forward-facing or an all-in one car seat.
There are other aspects apart from the weight and height limit that can indicate whether your child is able to go up a level in a car seat. One of them is their level of comfort when riding rear-facing. You can identify these signs by watching your child's behavior, and then looking at other children their age in their car seats. You can also seek assistance from certified child safety technicians at an inspection station for car seats which are often operated by local government agencies or community groups.
Keep your infant rear-facing for as long as you can is safest for them, and it's easy to understand why parents are reluctant to turn their children around until they're completely grown. But you can still avoid this temptation by ensuring your child's car seat is correctly installed and you do not rush to change to a forward-facing seat too quickly, even if they're close to the limit of weight or height of their current car seat.
Contact a certified child passenger technician if there are any concerns about your child's readiness for the next stage of car seats or if you're concerned that you may not installing the car seat correctly. These experts can be found through local community organizations, government offices, and child passenger safety programs. You are able to locate one near you by searching online or calling your local health department or public safety agency. There are also car seat check events that are mobile that can visit your home or workplace to help ensure you have the proper equipment and are making use of it properly.
Installation
A car seat needs to be properly installed to be efficient. Unfortunately the NHTSA estimates that more than 50% of car seats are incorrectly installed (and this includes rear facing). The best way to make sure that your child's car seats are installed correctly is to go through the instructions, and then have them professionally examined by a certified car safety technician.
Checking the angle is the first step to installing the rear-facing infant car seat. Check that the base of the car seat is in a safe position for your baby's weight, which you can find on the indicator on the back of the car seat base or in the user's manual.
Also, ensure that the baby's head is positioned correctly in the seat. The forward-facing position can put pressure on the spine and neck of infants with their large heads and soft necks. In a rear-facing collision the back of a car seat absorbs the majority of the crash force. This helps protect the baby's neck and the spinal cord.
When your baby is at the weight limit or height of their infant car seat, it is time to move to a convertible or an all-in-one car seat that can be used in the rear-facing position until your child reaches their front-facing limit. Make sure you purchase an infant car seat with more rear-facing capacity if you choose to change to this type of car seat, because older models have lower limits.
Parents who often transport their children by car will be able to pick an infant car seat that is able to be removed and attached to a stroller. The only downside to this is that it can be tricky and time consuming to get the car seat and stroller in and out of your car each time, especially with infants. If you're willing to spend the extra time each time to get it right, this could be a viable option for a lot of families. Make sure you plan ahead and select a date when you have plenty of time spare.