Facts on Rear-Facing Car Seats

Question: How long should children be in rear-facing car?

Answer: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children should ride rear facing until AT LEAST 2 years of age.

Best practice says that children should ride rear facing until they have reached the height OR weight limit of their child safety seat...YES, this means that there are some 3 and 4 year olds that should be riding in rear-facing car seats!

How Do Rear-Facing Car Seats Keep Children Safe?

In young children, the vertebrae that make up the spine and protect the spinal cord are not fully developed. Full development of these structures typically occur after toddler years. If a child is forward facing before it is developmentally appropriate and is in a car crash, the risk of a high level spinal cord injury or internal decapitation is significantly increased due to the vertebrae not being fully converted to bone from cartilage. For most children, the spine will not be fully reinforced until age 6.

 Blog credit:  Thank you to Meghan Tullos, physical therapist assistant and certified child passenger safety technician for the safety tips presented in this article!