Williamsville Pediatric Center

Infants—rear-facing

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds.

There are 2 types of rear-facing car safety seats: infant-only seats and convertible seats.

Infant-only seats

• Are small and have carrying handles (and sometimes come as part of a stroller system).
• Are used only for travel (not for positioning outside the vehicle).
• Are used for infants up to 22 to 32 pounds, depending on the model.
• Many come with a base that can be left in the car. The seat clicks into and out of the base so you don’t have to install the base each time you use it. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.

Convertible seats (used rear-facing)

• Can be used rear-facing, then “converted” to forward-facing for older children. This means the seat can be used longer by your child. They are bulkier than infant seats, however, and do not come with carrying handles or a separate base.
• Have higher rear-facing weight and height limits than infant-only seats, which makes them ideal for bigger babies.
• Have 2 types of harnesses:

5-point harness: attach at the shoulders, at the hips, and between the legs	Overhead shield: a padded tray-like shield that swings down over the child

• Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits the child snugly.
• Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger air bag. If the air bag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right where your baby’s head is, and could cause serious injury or death.
• If your rear-facing seat has more than one set of harness slots, make sure the harnesses are in the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders.
• Be sure you know what kind of seat belts your vehicle has. Some seat belts need locking clips. Locking clips come with all new car safety seats. If you’re not sure, check the owner's manual that came with your vehicle. Locking clips are not needed in most newer vehicles.
• If you are using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt is routed through the correct belt path. Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure.
• If your vehicle was made after 2002, it may come with the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats. See below for information on using LATCH.
• Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your infant’s head does not flop forward. Many seats have angle indicators or adjusters that can help prevent this. If your seat does not have an angle adjuster, tilt the car safety seat back by putting a rolled towel or other firm padding (such as a pool noodle) under the base near the point where the back and bottom of the vehicle seat meet.
• Be sure the car safety seat is installed tightly. If you can move the seat more than an inch side to side or front to back, it’s not tight enough.