Car Seat Safety - Extended Rear Facing

Regulations have changed for car seat safety a little over a year ago. Many people think that once their child turns one and hits 20 lbs that they have to turn their car seats around and have them forward facing.  The guidelines have changed and the research shows that keeping your child rear facing as long as possible is the best option.

In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

New research has found children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing. (healthychildren.org)



I would love to have Q face forward so we can see each other better and so she can see out the windows better. But none of that matters if we were in a car accident.  I will keep her rear facing as long as possible because the research shows it is the safest way to be.

Below are articles that show more about the studies done. Once you read them I challenge you to make the best decision for your family. I would never want to ask myself "what if" in an accident situation.

AAP's New Car Seat Guidelines
Ten Facts About Rear Facing Car Seats
Why Rear Facing Is Safer
Safercar.gov