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Keep Your Child in an Infant Car Seat Rear Facing Insuring that your child is in a car seat that is rear facing is the safest option. Children should only be moved to an infant car seat that faces forward when they reach the maximum weight and height of their current seat. Remember that the body paragraphs are structured as hamburgers. The introduction and conclusion sentences are the top and bottom buns. The meat of the essay is the body paragraphs supporting it. Safety Benefits Rear-facing infant car seats are the safest choice for newborns and small babies. This is because they support and cradle their neck and head. “Since their spines aren't fully ossified yet, it's important to keep the impact of a collision off their heads and necks,” explains Purva Grover, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic Children's Pediatric Emergency Departments. In a frontal collision the baby's head is likely to hit the seat infront of them. This can cause whiplash that can be severe or even fatal. In a rear-facing seat, the impact is absorbed and dissipated in the back of the vehicle. Adele says, “It feels like a hug.” In addition the child's legs are secured into their car seat, preventing them from being thrown forward by the back of the front seat or any other surfaces in the vehicle. “This keeps them from hitting their own body, which can cause internal injuries,” she explains. Many parents avoid ERF because they think their child is bored or uncomfortable. Neither has been true for my son, Lukas. In fact Lukas prefers to ride backwards because the recline feature allows him to sit on his legs and read a book or watch tv. If you have a child who is reluctant to face the rear due to their leg length or other reasons you can convince them that this is the most secure option. Explain that the child can remain in the convertible or all-in-one car seat so long as the weight or height limit is not over. Make sure you secure your child in a rear-facing car seat by using the lower anchor system of the vehicle or a seat belt. Don't let them wear bulky clothing like winter coats, as these can be compressed in the event of a crash and cause the harness straps to loosen and place your child at risk for injury. Use the Pinch Test when fitting your child's harness. Convenience Many parents prefer keeping their infant car seats facing rear as long as possible because they are easy to use and more mobile than convertible car seats. If you decide to keep your child rear-facing, he or she may have to be placed in a crib or a bassinet for nap or at bedtime. This may require waking up the sleeping baby which is not optimal. However, the advantages of rear facing far outweigh any inconvenience. The headrest is lower for preemies and newborns than for full-term infants. This helps to reduce the force of an accident and ensures that the chest clip of the harness is at the shoulders, and not at the neck. This is important for premature infants, whose bones are still weak and have not been ossified since birth or pregnancy. In addition the rear-facing position offers an excellent view of your baby than the forward-facing position. This allows you to monitor their behavior, and ensure they are comfortable and content. Most infant car seats have a built-in mirror that can be adjusted to ensure that you can see your child at any angle. You can choose convertible car seats or an all-in one seat to keep your child rear-facing until they reach the recommended weight or height limit. Some even have higher rear-facing limits than rear-only seats, meaning they are able to be used for longer. All-in-one or convertible car seats are well-known for their flexibility. They can be used backward facing or forward facing, as well as belt-positioning boosters. They are also easier to install and remove due to their large base that is located at the rear of your vehicle. They are more expensive than single-use infant car seats, but they last much longer than an infant car seat and will save you money in the long run. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride rear-facing until the maximum height and weight limits that are set by the car seat manufacturer, or until they are at minimum two years old. It is normal for children to outgrow their rear-facing infant car seat before they reach the age of two. However, it's best to wait. Weight Limits All infant car seats come with weight and height limits that you need to keep in mind. The majority of infant car seats have a maximum weight limit of 30 to 35 lbs and a height limit of about 30 inches, based on the model. If your child is reaching these limits, it's the time to move to the next level of safety. You can choose a convertible car seat that allows you to change between rear facing and forward facing or an all-in-one car seat that lets your child ride in a rear-facing position until they reach the maximum height and weight suggested by the manufacturer. There are other aspects, besides the weight and height limits, which can help you determine if your child is ready to move up a stage in a car seat. One of them is their comfort level when riding in a rear-facing. You can look for these signs in your child's behavior, and compare it to other children similar to them in their car seats. You can also seek help from certified child safety technicians at an inspection station for car seats, which are often run by local government agencies or community-based organizations. Keeping your infant rear facing for as long as you can is the best option for them, and it's easy to see why parents are hesitant to move their children back until they're fully grown. It's possible to avoid this temptation if you make sure your child's car seat is installed correctly and don't change to a front-facing seat before they are ready, even when their weight or height is within the limits of their existing seat. If you're unsure whether your child is ready for the next car seat stage or you're worried you might not have installed their current car seat in a correct manner, reach out to an accredited child safety technician. These experts are available through community organizations, hospitals local government offices, and child passenger safety programs. You can search for one near you or call your local public safety agency or health department. There are also mobile car seat check events that can visit your home or workplace to help ensure you have the correct equipment and are using it correctly. Installation Installing a car seat correctly is crucial to its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the NHTSA estimates that more than half of all car seats are installed incorrectly (and this includes rear-facing). The best method to make sure that your child's car seats are installed correctly is to go through the manual, and after that, have them assessed by a certified vehicle safety technician. Verifying the angle is the first step towards installing the rear-facing infant car seat. Make sure that the base of the car seat is at a safe angle for your baby's weight and height. You can check this on the indicator on the base of the car seat base or in its user manual. It is also important to ensure that the head of your baby is positioned correctly in the seat. Forward-facing positions can create pressure on the neck and spine of infants with their large heads and soft necks. If a rear-facing collision occurs the back of the car seat absorbs the majority of the collision force, which shields the baby's delicate neck and spinal cord. Once your baby has reached the height or weight limit of the car seat they were in as infants It is the time to transition to a convertible or all-in-1 car seat, which can be used in the rear-facing position until your child has reached their front-facing limit. Make sure to purchase an infant car seat with a higher rear-facing limit if you choose to change to this type of seat as older models have lower limits. If you select an infant car seat that can be removed from the car and then reattached to the stroller, it is a great choice for parents who want to transport their infants in and out of the car frequently. The only downside to this is that it could be tricky and time consuming to maneuver the car seat and stroller into and out of your car each time, especially with a newborn. If you're willing to invest the extra time each time to do it done, this could be a great option for many families. Be sure to plan ahead and select a date when you have plenty of time spare.