Car seat safety is very important because accidents can happen at any time. It does not matter how good of a driver you are because you are on the road with other drivers. One of the most dangerous things your child will do on a daily basis is ride in a car. It is our job as their moms to keep them safe as best we can while in the car. One way to keep your infant and toddler the safest in the car is to do extended rear facing.
What is Extended Rear Facing?
It is when your toddler stays in a rear facing car seat past the age the law requires. For example, many state law requires a child to be rear facing until age 2. Extended rear facing would be keeping your child in the rear facing car seat until they reach the max height or weight limit and not switching them just because they turned 2.
The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) actually recommends keeping children rear facing as long as possible now and not immediately turning them at age 2. If you think about it every child is different. One 2 year old could be 40 pounds and another could be 28 pounds. Just because a child is a certain age does not automatically make forward facing safer.
It is hard to choose the best rear facing convertible car seat because I have the Graco Extend2fit for both of my children. But I did compile a list of rear facing car seats that have a max weight limit of 50 pounds into a table below. Feel free to check it out!
Why Rear Facing is Safer
- A rear facing carseat absorbs most of the impact from the crash.
- Rear facing protects the head, neck, and spine more than forward facing. When forward facing the head can get thrown forward and cause injuries to the neck and spine. Toddlers spines are not completely fused together like adults, there is still cartilage in their spines. This can make them at risk for serious injury or even death.
- Children are not uncomfortable rear facing and there is no evidence that their legs will be injured in a crash. Their legs are less likely to be injured rear facing than they are forward facing. Children are flexible and can find a comfortable position in the rear facing car seat even if their legs touch the back of the seat.
Rear Facing Vs. Forward Facing
Check out this simulation of a car crash on youtube. This video shows the impact of a crash on a toddler who is forward facing vs rear facing. It is important to see the difference here when deciding if you want to do extended rear facing.
One important thing to notice is the child in the rear facing car seat is cradled by the car seat. This child is pushed back into their car seat and their head, neck, and spine are not thrown forward.
The car seat is taking the brunt of the impact and allowing the child’s head, neck, and spine to remain neutral.
When looking at the forward facing child their whole body is thrown forward with the force of the crash. The harness stops them and you can see their head get thrown forward past where the rest of the body stops. This can cause serious injuries for a toddler who’s spine is not fully developed yet. Especially because a toddler’s head is disproportionately larger than their body.
When it comes to being concerned about their legs, in the forward facing car seat that child’s legs were thrown forward. If the child’s legs get thrown into the seat in front of them it could cause leg injuries as well.
Convertible Car Seats
When your child outgrows their infant carrier they can move to a rear facing convertible car seat.
I have compiled a list of convertible car seats that are good for extended rear facing with your toddler. These car seats have a weight limit of 50 pounds. What you want to remember is to always read the car seat manual when you purchase a car seat. Car seats have max weight and height limits, whichever comes first.
For example, my oldest will most likely outgrow the height limit of her Graco Extend2Fit before she outgrows the weight limit. So you’ll want to keep a close eye on both your child’s height and weight.
It is also important to note, review your car seat manual for latch weight limits. When installing a car seat with a the latch system it can only hold up to a certain weight. And yes, this includes the weight of the car seat too. Once you reach the max weight of the latch limit you will need to switch to a seat belt install.
Good Rear Facing Toddler Car Seats
| Car Seat | Weight Limit | Height Limit |
| Baby Jogger City Turn Rotating Convertible Car Seat | 4-50 Pounds | 49 inches |
| Britax One4Life | 5-50 Pounds | Head is 1inch below top of head reast |
| Chicco Nextfit Max | 4-50 Pounds | 43 inches |
| Clek Fllo | 14-50 Pounds | 25-43 Inches |
| Clek Foonf | 14-50 Pounds | 25-43 Inches |
| Cybex Externis S | 4-50 Pounds | 48 Inches |
| Cybex Sirona S | 4-50 Pounds | 17-49 Inches |
| Diono Radian 3QX | 4-50 Pounds | 18-44 Inches |
| Diono radian 3QXT | 4-50 Pounds | 18-44 Inches |
| Diono Radian 3R | 5-50 Pounds | 44 Inches |
| Diono Radian 3RX | 5-50 Pounds | 44 Inches |
| Diono Radian 3RXT Safe Plus | 4-50 Pounds | 44 Inches |
| Evenflo Revolve 360 Extend | 4-50 Pounds | 17-48 Inches |
| Evenflo Revolve 360 Slim | 4-50 Pounds | 17-48 Inches |
| Graco Extend2fit | 4-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
| Graco Extend2fit 3 in 1 | 4-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
| Graco Extend2fit 3 in 1 With Anti-Rebound Bar | 4-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
| Graco Premier 4ever dlx Extend2fit Snug Lock Featuring Anti-Rebound Bar | 4-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
| Nuna Exec | 5-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
| Nuna Rava | 5-50 Pounds | 49 Inches |
Resources to Review
Let me know, do you do extended rear facing with your kids? If you are just learning about it, it’s not too late! You can always turn your child back to rear facing!
Great info.
We live in a state where it at least to two years for rear-facing seats. It saves so many kids lives. I’ve heard the misconception of the legs getting injured over and over in toddlers with rear-facing, but a securely fastened seat doesn’t pose this risk. Thank you!
Great post. Very helpful information.
Thanks for getting this important information out to the public!