Rear-facing seats protect infants from head injuries in a crash. Forward-facing seats can allow an infant’s head to hit the roof or window, which can cause serious injury or even death.
Rear-facing seats lower an infant’s risk of developing spinal cord injuries in a crash. Forward-facing seats can raise an infant’s risk of these injuries by putting their head and neck in direct contact with the metal frame of the car.
Rear-facing seats reduce an infant’s risk of becoming trapped between the front seat and the console or door panel in a crash. Forward-facing seats can force an infant’s body into these tight spaces, which could lead to serious injury or death.
What to Do If Your Child is not Rear Facing in Their Vehicle Seat
If your child is not rearfacing in their car seat, there are a few things you can do to ensure their safety. First, talk to your pediatrician about whether or not rearfacing is the best option for your child. If your pediatrician feels that your child is too young or too small for rearfacing, they may recommend using a convertible car seat instead.
If your child is rearfacing and still experiencing problems, you can try to move them to a front-facing car seat. This may require some additional adjustments, but it’s worth it to ensure their safety. If you can’t move your child to a front-facing car seat or if they’re already old enough or big enough to use a regular car seat, you may need to get them a safety seat belt adapter.
Tips for Safe Reaching for Children in Rear Facing Car Seats
One of the best ways to keep your children safe when travelling in a car is to install rear facing car seats. Rear facing car seats protect your child from forward facing car seats, which are the most dangerous type of car seat. In a forward facing car seat, your child is leaning against the seat back and can easily be ejected from the vehicle in a crash. In contrast, a rear facing car seat places your child in a position that is more akin to being seated in a chair, away from the dashboard and door handles.
As long as you follow these safety tips when installing your child in a rear facing car seat:
1. Make sure your car has enough room for the extra seat. Most cars have enough space to install a rear facing car seat in the second row. If you have a small or large vehicle, you may need to upgrade to a third row seating for the extra seat.
2. Check your child’s size and fit properly into their new car seat. Rear-facing seats should fit children from 4 months old until they reach 65 pounds or 12 years old.
3. Use caution when installing the carseat in the vehicle. Always use correct installation.
Conclusion
As parents, we want to do everything we can to keep our children as safe as possible in the car. And one of the best ways to do that is by installing rear-facing car seats in their vehicles. Rear-facing car seats are specially designed to protect infants and young children from head injuries in a crash. Not only are they more safety-conscious, but they also cost less than traditional front-facing car seats. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to install a rear-facing seat in your child’s vehicle, I encourage you to read this article and decide for yourself which option is safest for them.