• A 2007 article in the journal Injury Prevention shows that 2 year olds were FIVE TIMES SAFER riding rear-facing than 2 year olds riding forward facing.

• A 2008 article in Pediatrics (the journal of the AAP) recommends rear-facing till age 2.  "A recent analysis of the protection provided in rear-facing compared with forward-facing car safety seats has revealed that children under the age of 2 years are 75% less likely to die or sustain serious injury when they are in a rear-facing seat."

• The AAP article "New advice: Rear-facing car seats safer for children until they are 2" and a handout for pediatricians to give to their patients entitled "Keep your toddler in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2 (not 1)."

• British Medical Journal (a highly regarded peer-reviewed journal) 2009 article entitled "Advise use of rear facing child car seats for children under 4 years old."

I thought I could turn my child at a year and 20 pounds?!
This was the old recommendation.  In 2011 both the AAP and NHTSA updated their recommendations to reflect the latest research in child passenger safety.  The AAP now recommends that kids sit rear-facing till at least age 2.  Since 2002, the AAP has recommended: "If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back."  NHTSA now recommends: "Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer."

Language required in car seat instruction manuals also creates some confusion and may lead parents to believe that a 1 year old and 20 lb child must sit forward-facing in order to be safe.  This is untrue for most car seats--read your owners manual carefully to note the maximum rear-facing height and weight limits, not just the minimum allowed. 

If not at a year and 20 lbs, then when is my child too big for rear-facing?
A child can be either too heavy, too tall, or both--but all of this depends on the specifcations of the car seat. Each car seat has its own height and weight limits for rear-facing children. Most convertible seats allow children to sit rear-facing up to 40, 45 or even 50 pounds.The height limit for any rear-facing car seat is that there must be at least 1 inch of room between the top of the child’s head and the top of the car seat. This inch ensures that as the child slides up the seat in a crash, his head will stay protected. Given the design of most car seats, the majority of children become too tall for rear-facing seats before they become too heavy. Therefore, when you purchase a convertible car seat, try to select one that is taller in seated height for the child.

Older Toddlers CAN Sit Rear-facing!

At 35 lbs, this 2-year-10-month-old was too heavy to sit rear-facing in his Britax Marathon Classic.  Look how long his legs are when he sits forward-facing.....

His parents decided to turn him back rear-facing.  His legs are okay! He fits fine rear-facing in a new Safety 1st Complete Air and he is now 5.32 times safer than before.

Simply put, there are ZERO documented cases of rear-facing children breaking their legs, hips, feet, etc., due to their feet touching the back of the vehicle seat. However, since it looks plausible, this rumor persists. Studies show that forward-facing kids are actually more likely to have leg injuries.

Unfortunately there are too many documented cases of head and spinal cord injuries due to children riding forward-facing too soon. Modern medicine can easily fix a broken leg, but not a broken neck.

What about big babies?
A 95th percentile baby may look stronger than his 5th percentile friend, but in a crash the bigger baby is likely MORE at risk if he's riding forward-facing. The rigidity of bones and the strength of ligaments in the spine is likely the same in children of the same age, no matter their size. And a 95th percentile baby likely has a much larger, heavier head, which will pull forward which much more force than that of a 5th percentile child.

My baby is unhappy being rear-facing!
Rear-facing does not have to be boring! Older kids can ride quite upright so they can see out the side and rear windows. If there is a head rest blocking your child's view out the back window, you can usually remove it. By 9-12 months your baby knows you're there when you talk to them from the front - even though they can't see you. So you can calm and entertain your child with songs, stories - and for older children games of "I spy" - all while they are rear-facing. Concerned about car sickness? Volvo looked at several thousand pre-schoolers and found the same rates of motion sickness in those riding rear-facing as those riding forward-facing. Regardless of the direction your child rides, placing them in the center seat with an unobstructed view out the front/back window will help keep the nausea away.

My child is 15 months old and forward-facing - should I really turn her back rear-facing?
Yes!  When we know better, we must do better.  3 months ago when you turned her forward facing you did what you thought was best, but now you know differently.  Avoid regrets, and give her the best protection you know how.  

Many parents worry that it will be a disaster turning an older child back rear-facing.  Here is one mom's experience turning her almost-3-year-old son back rear-facing: