Rear Facing Question Re. the Feet Touching the Seat

[noteasy]

Hello, we are wondering if it is ok or dangerous for the child feet to touch the back seat in a rear facing configuration. I can only find specs on weight in my book - nothing on the height.

Thanks,

Steven

[Maedze]

Hi Steven

Great question :). It's perfectly safe for a child who is rearfacing to have his/her feet touching the back of the vehicle seat. The seat is outgrown by weight OR when there is less than 1" of hard plastic shell over the head, whichever comes first.

[zeo2ski]

In fact a child's legs are much more likely to be injured while forward facing!

[ketchupqueen]

Indeed. And in a crash so severe that a rear-facing child's legs were injured, it is quite likely that a forward-facing child the same age in the same position would have been more seriously injured or killed.

Quite simply, legs are much easier to fix than heads, necks, and backs.

[codex57]

Plus, the point of RF longer is to prevent neck/spine injuries. Including internal decapitation. Think about how heavy a baby's head is relative to their body and imagine it being thrown forward in an accident. Even if a leg is injured, would you rather have an injured leg or a separated head?

[pastrygirl]

Just for reference, here's a link (http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFalbum.aspx) to photos of rear-facing children so you can see what they do with their legs. They look quite comfy! :)

[joolsplus3]

http://carseatblog.com/?p=34#more-34 That has a little diagram showing where the bulk of the major injuries occur to RF or FF kids...it's not what you'd expect, but it is what everyone here has said so far :thumbsup: