Rear facing car seats are the most highly recommended car seat design and for good reasons. Infant and child safety seats are built to withstand the tremendous forces that are involved in high speed car crashes. They are capable of absorbing the force of the crash and redistribute said forces over a greater surface area of the passenger, thus softening the force of the impact. Adult seat belts work by redistributing crash forces to the sturdiest areas of the anatomy, the waist and shoulders. Because the bodies of infants are much more fragile, rear facing car seats redistribute the inertial force throughout the entire body instead of concentrating the brunt of the force in any particular areas of the body.

Rear-facing car seats work much better at giving support to the baby’s head which int turn protects the neck. The likelihood of extreme head and neck trauma is dramatically decreased with the use of a rear-facing car seat. Along with this added support, there is also a decrease in the amount of time it takes to reach a full stop. This added “ride-down” time dramatically increases a child’s survival chances as well as reduces the risk of injury during an accident.

No matter how much your child complains or dislikes the rear-facing car seat design, they should continue to ride in one until they have reached the proper weight limitations. It doesn’t matter if your child is constantly crying about the arrangement or their legs are in contact with the back seat. The proper weight limit should be heeded for their safety and well-being. The majority of convertible child safety seats now possess a rear-facing weight limit of thirty-five pounds. It should be possible to continue using rear facing car seats until the age of two or even a bit longer.

Children can simply express a general displeasure of car seats altogether. Though it is good to note that keeping your child properly restrained, regardless of how much they complain, can save their life. Parents are often concerned that their child’s legs may be fractured during an accident because their legs are in contact with the back seat or that they appear too confined. However, due to the tremendous forces exerted during a serious accident, the likelihood of a child’s neck breaking while in a forward-facing seat is much greater than if they are in a rear facing car seat. Broken legs have a much greater chance of recovery than do serious neck and spinal injuries.