The first stage of chld seats is a Rear-Facing seat. Most state laws indicate that a child must be in a rear-facing seat until they are 1 year of age AND 20 pounds in weight. While that is the legal minimum, it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to keep children rear-facing until they have outgrown the limits of their seats.
There are two types of rear-facing seat: Infant “Bucket” Seats and Convertible Seats.
Infant “Bucket” Seats
Infant “bucket” seats are typically used for newborns and younger infants. They have detachable bases and handles to make them portable. Often they are paired with strollers to make a travel system.
Advantages of the infant seat includes being able to easily transfer the seat from one car to another and the ability to put baby in and take baby out of the vehicle without removing him from the seat. Infant seats are outgrown quicker due to lower weight limits and once the baby gains weight, lugging the seat with the baby can become quite cumbersome. In most cases, an infant seat will not last until a child is ready for a forward-facing seat so a convertible seat will be needed once the child reaches height or weight limits.
Keep in mind infant seats should only be installed rear-facing and should never be used in front of an active airbag.
When using an infant seat, please be sure to read your manual and confirm where the handle should be positioned while in the vehicle. Each manufacturer has different guidelines. Another thing to check is whether a seat can be used without the base and if it can, the proper way to install the seat base-less.
Convertible Seats
Convertible seats remain installed in the car. They are made to sit rear-facing and then later forward-facing when the rear-facing limits are reached, hence the label “convertible”.
While infant seats are more common for little itty-bitties, most convertible seats are suitable for babies as young as newborns. The key to finding a convertible that will fit a newborn is making sure harness slots are low enough to be at or below baby’s shoulders.
Weight limits have increased in most convertible seats to accommodate older toddlers both rear- and forward-facing. When choosing a convertible seat, weight is important but you don’t want to forget the height of harness slots either. Seats with higher harness slots will last longer. This will be explained further in the forward-facing post.
Rear-Facing Guidelines
Below are general guidelines to keep in mind when using your child’s rear-facing seat. Some manufactuers vary so always refer to your car seat’s manual as the source of truth.
Always use the harness slots at or below the child’s shoulders. Rear-facing seats are outgrown by height when the top of the child’s head is one inch from the top of the hard shell of the seat. When installing a rear-facing seat for a newborn, it should be at a 45* angle. As the child gets older and gains more control of his head and neck, the angle can be decreased to 30-35*. There is little to no risk to your older infant or toddlers legs when rear-facing. Broken legs are more common in a forward-facing child when the legs make impact with the seat in front of them. Rear-facing seats should NEVER be placed in front of an active airbag!!
That’s the first stage. Next up is stage two: forward-facing seats.