Have you ever wondered why rear facing car seats are vital for infants up until they are around 2 years old? We have a video below that shows you exactly what happens in an accident and how rear facing car seats help an infant more compared to forward facing.
Check out the video:
You can see very clearly how the front facing seat really offers minimal protection. The baby’s head and limbs are sent flying in many directions and the resultant soft tissue injuries will likely be quite extensive even though the child is carefully strapped in.
Compare this action to that of the rear facing seat and how the infant is so much better protected and the seat actually forms a cushioning effect, holding the baby well in place. It’s a very similar action to that of catching a baseball in a glove. The glove supports the ball in the same way the seat supports the child.
Moreover, in the front facing seat’s case, there is far more potential for injuries to limbs and hips in comparison to the rear facing seat. In fact, to date, there have been no reported injuries with limbs or hips from an impact when a child has been in a collision when in a rear facing seat.
Studies back this up and a study from 2018 titled, Rear-Facing Child Restraint Systems in Rear Impact Sled Tests by Kang, Bolte and Mansfield even looked at the impact of a collision from the rear and found that rear facing car seats were again superior to front facing seats.
The AAP suggests children up to at least two years of age should be in this type of seat while the NHTSA agrees and suggests also reading the guidelines of the car seat you have chosen for further instruction.
One thing is clear, it is vital to ensure the safety of your infants and rear facing seats are key to this.
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