Keeping your child safe in the car is so important for on-the-go moms, and knowing how long to keep baby rear-facing is an important step. The recommendations for rear-facing have changed over the last decade, but I have gathered the guidelines from top government and safety groups along with additional information to help keep your little one as safe as possible in the car.
Car Seat Types
Here are some car seat terms to know before delving deeper.
Infant seat: a rear-facing car seat for babies with a carrying handle for taking the baby out of the car in the seat. These can often be safely used for most of a child’s first year of life before they move into a rear-facing convertible or multimode seat (see below).
Convertible seat: a car seat that can be used rear-facing (usually for toddlers, but some can accommodate infants) for a time and then turned around for forward-facing as the child grows. It remains in the car when you arrive at your destination.
Combination seat: a car seat used for forward-facing riders that can be converted into a booster seat that uses the car’s seat belt to harness the child.
Booster seat: a car seat with no harness or buckle of its own, designed to help the vehicle’s seat belts properly fit older children.
Multimode or multi-use seat: a car seat that is designed to go from rear-facing to forward-facing to booster mode to cover a child from infancy until they outgrow child seats altogether.
Expert Recommendations
Basically, the best practice for how long to keep your baby or toddler rear-facing is for as long as possible.
In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its car seat guidelines to recommend rear-facing until the age of 2. That was a big change as the previous standard was often around the age of 1. My oldest was nearing 1 when this change occurred, so we continued rear-facing her much longer than we might have under the old guidelines.
Now the AAP says that infants and toddlers should rear face until they reach the highest weight or height allowed for their specific convertible or multi-use car seat. You should not forward face your baby when they outgrow their infant seat. You can find all the AAP car seat recommendations.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration also recommends you keep children rear-facing as long as possible. It isn’t until your child hits 4 that their recommendation is for a forward-facing seat. See all NHTSA car seat recommendations.
The CDC also recommends children ride rear-facing from birth until the ages of 2-4. For the best protection, they say to have toddlers rear face until they outgrow rear-facing in their convertible or multimode car seat.
Car Seats for the Littles, a website staffed by nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs), says to keep your child rear-facing until at least the age of 2, but it is ideal to rear face until they are as close to 4 as possible.
Why is Rear Facing Better?
The reason that infants and toddlers should be rear-facing in the car is that their spines are not as mature yet. This has nothing to do with their height or weight. The process of their vertebrae developing takes time, so it is based on their age.
Also, babies’ and toddlers’ heads make up a greater proportion of their body weight than adults’ heads do, so their growing spines are responsible for holding more weight.
Data shows that most crashes are from the front or side, so having the car seat’s back toward the front of the car provides more support and protection for a child’s spine in those crashes. Rear-end collisions do still happen, but they tend to be less serious and result in fewer fatalities.
When there is a front-end collision, the forces of the crash are more spread out across the back of a rear-facing child’s body, and their head stays within the confines of the seat.
For a child who is forward-facing in a front crash, their head snaps forward into the open space in front of them. This can result in serious neck and spinal injuries.
There is an in-depth discussion of the data in this article on the science of rear-facing.
Car Seat Laws
The recommendations and guidelines for rear-facing toddlers have changed over the last decade, and the laws don’t always keep up with best practices.
Fewer than half of the states in the U.S. require children to rear face until at least the age of 2. But just because it may be legal for your 1-year-old to forward face, it does not mean it is safe.
Some car seat laws are extremely lax or unclear. For example, Illinois allows children who are 2 years old and at least 40 lbs to ride in the back seat with only a lap belt. Most of us know that would be extremely unsafe for a 2-year-old!
So while it is good to know what your state’s laws are, don’t assume that your child will be safest just following those rules. They are more of a bare minimum than best recommendations. To find your state’s laws, check out our car seat laws by state.
Extended RF Seats
It might sound like it would be difficult to find a car seat that would keep your 2, 3, or 4-year-old rear-facing, but there are many more options now than there were years ago.
Many convertible and multi-use seats now have height and weight limits of at least 40 lbs and 40 inches. The average four-year-old would still be able to use seats with those limits, so you can definitely find something for your 2 or 3-year-old to ride safely and comfortably in.
Almost all the options from our favorite convertible car seats have at least a 40 lb weight limit for rear-facing, including:
- Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible Car Seat
- Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
- Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
And seats meant for longer rear-facing aren’t all expensive car seats. Cosco has two convertible seats that are budget-friendly and have a 40 lb weight limit rear-facing. Read our comparison of the Scenera Next and APT 50.
Safe Installation
Another key component to keeping your child safe in the car is to be sure you have installed their car seat correctly. The best seat in the world used rear-facing a long time won’t do the job properly if it isn’t installed as it should be.
It is crucial that you read the manual of your child’s seat thoroughly to understand all the instructions. You should also look through your vehicle’s manual to see if there are additional requirements on seat placement or seat belt use.
Your specific car seat might have instructions on what angle the seat needs to be (particularly when rear-facing) or if the seat is allowed to overhang the edge of the vehicle seat.
Car seats with harnesses can generally be installed using the vehicle’s seat belts or the LATCH system. It’s important to get either the seat belt or LATCH belt tightened properly so the seat won’t move more than an inch in any direction when you wiggle it with one hand at the belt path.
Other key issues (though not an exhaustive list) are:
- Making sure the harness is positioned correctly for your child. Rear-facing children should have the shoulder straps coming from below or just at the child’s shoulders. When forward-facing, you want the straps at or just above the shoulders.
- Making sure the harness is tight enough on your child. Try pinching the straps at your child’s shoulders and hips. If you can pinch extra material, it needs to be tightened. But it also shouldn’t be tight enough to hurt your child.
- Checking the belt path if using a seat belt to install the seat. Be sure the seat belt is going through the correct part of the car seat and that it isn’t twisted. Pull on it to make sure it is locked and won’t release.
- The use of the top tether. It is not used for rear-facing seats, but it is important to use for forward-facing children.
It’s a good idea to find a car seat technician to check on your installation as well. I made good use of one of the local techs to check my work and get a good, tight install when my children were little and growing faster and we were changing at least one child’s seat more frequently.
Find more information on proper installation and other safety issues in our car seat safety guide.
FAQs about Keeping Children Rear Facing
Why does state law allow me to forward-face my child at 1?
Many state’s laws have not kept up with the science and best practices of car seat safety. Many experts, including governmental organizations like the NHTSA and CDC, recommend rear-facing children until they outgrow rear-facing in their convertible or multimode seats. Most of those seats will let an average child rear face past the age of 2.
Won’t my child’s legs get squished facing backward?
Probably not! Kids’ joints are different than ours, and positions we would find uncomfortable are fine for them. If they are rear-facing, they will find a comfortable place to put their legs. It may be cross-legged, having their legs over the sides of their seats, or feet against the vehicle seat.
It is unlikely to be a big deal to your child, especially if they have always been rear-facing. It’s all they will know, and they will adjust as they grow.
What if my child gets motion sickness rear-facing?
This can be a real issue for many toddlers, but even if they get sick rear-facing, they are still safest in that position in the event of a crash.
If your child does get motion sick in the car, there are some things you can try, as suggested by CSFTL. If your car seat manual allows it, you might be able to put your toddler more upright. You can also try Sea-Bands, which are bracelets that use pressure on one’s wrist to reduce nausea. I used these for morning sickness, and it did help some.
You can also try ginger to reduce nausea. Try having your child eat before travel or try not eating beforehand to see if having a full or empty stomach helps.
For some people, motion sickness is triggered by their vision. Try covering up the side windows to reduce the visual of the world moving by. Poor eyesight that needs glasses can also lead to motion sickness, so try a visit to the eye doctor.
If all else fails, choose a car seat with a washable cover and cover your younger child with a towel or give an older child a container to catch throw up.
Aren’t extended rear-facing car seats more expensive?
Some of the seats that rear face the longest (up to 50 lbs) are some of the more expensive on the market. BUT there are many good options that should keep a child rear-facing until at least 2 years of age that can be found for less than $100, like the Cosco Scenera Next and APT 50, and the Evenflo Sonus.
Why was it OK for my generation to rear face for a shorter amount of time?
We have more data about crashes and car seat safety than our parents had to make decisions for us. As data and technology have improved, so have the car seat options on the market.
Our parents did the best they could with what they knew; now we can do the best we can for our kids with what we know now. And experts agree, it is best to have your child rear face as long as possible.
Final Note
Once your child has met the weight and/or height requirements where they can transition to forward-facing, it’s up to your parental discretion to decide if you want to transition him/her at that point or wait until absolutely necessary. We hope the tips and advice above help you decide what’s the best and safest option for your little one!
