New Rear Facing Car Seat Guidelines!

We have known for a while that rear facing is safest for our kiddos. Many states got on board with the notion that “rear facing is 5 times safer,” and even introduced (and some passed) legislation that requires parents to keep their children rear facing until at least two years old. Very recently, the study by B. Henary that shaped those changes and concluded that rear facing was five times safer, was retracted. It was a flawed study that could not be replicated. So where does that leave us? Does that mean rear facing isn’t safe? No, absolutely not! But it does leave us with very little data and not enough evidence-based information to say that “rear facing is X times safer.” The good news is, the data is lacking because the sample size of injuries to children in restraints is so low!

As of now, “The Academy [of pediatrics] continues to recommend that all children ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, up to the manufacturer’s stated weight and length limits.” Many seats on the market nowadays will accommodate children rear facing to at least 4 years old, and even beyond that. So keep those kiddos rear facing up to the limits and make sure those seats are installed correctly! Below are some photos of my son (always off the charts for height and weight) rear facing at 4 years old. Hopefully these serve as a good illustration that big kids are safe rear facing and bent legs are not a safety concern!

Full update from American Academy of Pediatrics: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2018/08/28/peds.2018-2460

Kristen Sanders is a Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor and owner of Buckle up, Bumblebee; a mobile service that offers private car seat checks and educational classes for families of all backgrounds. You can contact her at www.buckleupbumblebee.com or Kristen@buckleupbumblebee.com