In May 2011, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked parents of children between the ages of 7 and 48 months about their use of rear-facing car seats, and it found that 73 percent of parents switched their child from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat before the age of 2. Some 30 percent of parents turned their child’s seat to face forward before their child reached 1 year of age. The problem with this, however, is that it’s dangerous.
“Research has shown that riding in a rear-facing car seat is up to five times safer for toddlers than riding in a forward-facing car seat,” says Michelle Macy, a physician and a clinical lecturer of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. “Parents want to keep their children safe, but they may not be aware of the safety benefits of keeping their child rear-facing beyond their child’s first birthday.”
According to Macy, rear-facing car seats can prevent children from suffering serious injuries during front-end motor vehicle collisions. Here’s why: When a child is sitting in a rear-facing car seat, the stopping forces are spread out over their entire back. The back of the car seat is a cushion for the child, says Macy. In the forward-facing position, all of the crash forces are focused on the points of the body that come into contact with the car seat straps. The child’s head and limbs keep moving forward, pulling against the seat. Most infants will outgrow a rear-facing carrier-style seat well before their first birthday, but that doesn’t mean it is time to make the baby face forward. The next step is to get a larger convertible car seat that can be used as both a rear-facing and forward-facing seat.
