As parents, we naturally want to do everything we can to keep our little ones safe, both at home and when travelling. Many parents spend hours researching the safest alternatives for car travel. However, the growing amount of research into car seat safety is pointing to one unmistakable conclusion: Keeping children rear-facing in their car seats for as long as possible is the safest way to go.
- The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has recommended for many years that parents keep children rear-facing until they are too big for their convertible seats.
- A 2007 article in the journal Injury Prevention showed that 2 year olds were FIVE TIMES SAFER riding rear-facing than riding forward-facing.
- A 2009 article in the British Medical Journal advised the use of rear-facing seats for children under 4 years old.
- In Sweden, children are kept rear-facing until they are 4 years old. Sweden has very few child injuries and deaths from car accidents.
Parents decide to forward-face their little ones for a variety of reasons. Some are concerned about the child’s legs touching the back of the seat and that this might be uncomfortable. However, because children’s joints aren’t fully formed, they can comfortably sit in positions that would not be manageable for an adult! There may be concern that children’s legs may be injured in an accident if they are rear facing. However, leg injuries are less severe than potential neck injuries that may be sustained if the child is forward-facing. Furthermore, research actually shows that children sustain more leg injuries forward-facing then rear-facing!
So, rear-facing is best until children reach the maximum height or weight for their convertible seat! And with seats such as the Radian Premiere and Radian XT with a rear-facing weight limit of a whopping 45 lbs, we can keep our children safer than ever!
How long do you plan to rear face your little one?
Tori from Stylin’ Mama, Baby & Tot, Fredericton
*Green Tip: When travelling, why not take along some snacks in a reusable snack container such as a Snack Trap or Packin’ Smart. Buy your snacks in bulk and save the packaging! Happy travelling!!