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Rear-facing Car Seats are Safer for Older Children

According to a new report published in the British Medical Journal, children under the age of four are safer riding in a rear-facing car seat than a forward-facing seat.

Reuters reports that infants in the U.K. are usually moved from rear-facing to forward-facing once they reach 20 pounds, which typically happens when baby is around 8 months. In the U.S. the guidelines for moving to a forward-facing seat are one year and 20 lbs. However, more experts are recommending that children remain rear-facing until they are around 4 years old.

Researchers looked at data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They found that children up to 23 months old that were involved in any type of crash were most protected if they were sitting in rear-facing seats.

Extended rear-facing car seat use is growing in popularity among mothers but experts say that in order for more children to be protected, manufacturers will need to make rear-facing seats to accommodate bigger kids more available and easier to buy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE55B4PL20090612

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5 comments

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By RyansMomAZ on 01/26/11 at 11:03 am

My son cried every time we drove in the car until we turned him around. I get really car sick and I know facing backwards makes it worse, so I always th ...

By Mandie in Germany on 03/02/10 at 1:11 am

There is, unfortunately, no such thing as a free lunch: children in rear-facing seats are more likely to have their legs or knee joints injured in an ac ...

By Twinkle on 06/22/09 at 3:49 pm

Kate is my first baby that I've done extended rear facing with. I had no clue before then that it was safer for babies, toddlers, and children to be re ...

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