infant seats with rebound management?

Jocey'sMommy

New member
talk to me about infant seats with rebound management :) I have my mind pretty much made up for future children (me and my patner are trying to get pregnant) that I will have the Britax Chaperone but I have a few friends that are expecting right now that have asked me about seats recently. In my mind I think it is better to have rebound management because no newbie faces would smack into the seat on rebound but can anyone give me the real pros and cons so I can pass them on? Also, how well does the Combi Shuttle fit preemies???
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Infant seats with antirebound measurements are the Chaperone and Shuttle. I don't think there are any others.

A newborn's face won't hit the back anyway. The shell of the seat will hit. The child's head will be within the shell. Maybe their nose will get bonked.

But even if their heads did hit, no big deal. The backseat is designed for your average size men to rebound into. It's padded.

Wendy
 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I have a chaperone and I love it. But, the base is HUGE, and if you don't have a bigger vehicle it wouldn't be a good choice. I bought the chaperone because the ARB was important to me.
 

Jocey'sMommy

New member
yeah I drive a honda odyssey so space isn't a huge issue for me which is why I like it, I am just wondering if anyone has any links or info as to why anti-rebound is better for small infants??

Again tying to also find out if the shuttle fits preemies well??

And I think the new learning curve infant bucket has rebound management too, the handle goes forward instead of up or back, I saw pics of it somewhere

Also,just cause I am excited, my partner and I talked last night and decided to go ahead and start trying this month :) I am back in the car seat game and since He has a daughter too I get to take over her carseat situation also :)
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Good luck!

There is no info I know of stating that antirebound is good for infants. In fact, if there's anything, it'd be that infants should rebound, but maybe heavier and older kids should have less.

Wendy
 

daycaremom2002

Active member
Did the shuttle just change designs? I have one that is over a year old, but I can see how small of a doll it will fit if you would like. :)
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
I don't know of any statistics you will find about anti-rebound. In general, the better a carseat is coupled to a vehicle, the more benefit the occupant will gain as the vehicle absorbs more of the crash energy. Better coupling also tends to reduce head excursion and the chance the occupant can strike part of the interior. In the case of rebound, the concern is that the infant seat could rebound all the way back into the vehicle seat or pillar in a crash. My understanding is that this is rare and only attributed to minor and moderate injuries in a few cases.

On the other hand, there really should be now downside, either. Many years ago, there was some concern about rear-facing tethers being a possible issue for small infants due to the potential for increased forces on the neck and spine during rebound. Rebound bar systems tend to stop more gradually and control this energy better, which may be why you no longer see rear facing tethers on infant seats. I never did see any indication that the increased forces posed any real world risk and some had the opinion that it was still better to reduce rebound in severe crashes than to allow the seat to potentially strike something in the vehicle.

Also consider that today, most infant seats allow you to leave the handle in the UP position while in the vehicle. That is a type of rebound management, too, though probably less effective than a bar that begins in contact with the vehicle seat.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Combi have stated that they require their handle up, in part due to rebound control. This says to me that they feel injuries would be better prevented with the handle up.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Combi have stated that they require their handle up, in part due to rebound control. This says to me that they feel injuries would be better prevented with the handle up.

I would agree, but only on models that allow it, of course. Many older models would not allow it, presumably because they had not re-inforced it or tested it and were concerned about a potential risk that the handle would break and possibly strike the occupant.
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
I do think some movement is beneficial to not put too much stress on the baby, but I do not like like full on 'cocooning'. Rear facing seats weren't designed to do this, they just do. It's been deemed 'acceptable'. Doesn't mean we have to like it, nor accept it. It's one of the reasons I use seats that offer rear facing tethering or anti-rebound. I also have infant seats that don't have it since very few offer it, and the ones that do don't meet my needs ATM. I do think I will start leaving the handle up on my infant seats, if it's allowed, to help prevent complete cocooning.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
I do think some movement is beneficial to not put too much stress on the baby, but I do not like like full on 'cocooning'. Rear facing seats weren't designed to do this, they just do. It's been deemed 'acceptable'. Doesn't mean we have to like it, nor accept it. It's one of the reasons I use seats that offer rear facing tethering or anti-rebound. I also have infant seats that don't have it since very few offer it, and the ones that do don't meet my needs ATM. I do think I will start leaving the handle up on my infant seats, if it's allowed, to help prevent complete cocooning.

As with any type of carseat, what you want is a controlled stop spread over as much time as possible. In the most extreme event, a rear-facing seat that lacks any anti-rebound feature will come to a very abrupt stop when it hits the vehicle seat, C-pillar or some other part of the interior. This is likely to be very rare and only in the most severe crashes, so that's why we've never really seen many case studies or data on it, other than theoretical assumptions from crash testing. Similarly, some internal and unpublished test results claimed there was more stress on infants when tethered rear-facing. That information alone is meaningless, even if accompanied by a claim of "double" or "triple" for emphasis. There is always stress on the body in a crash, the question is if any increased forces were beyond a threshold likely to cause injury.

I've never seen any information about this regarding anti-rebound features, so I'll stick with the theoretical advantages of keeping the child restraint as rigidly connected to the vehicle as possible. So, I generally think that it is a very sound concept to have anti-rebound, too. More coupling to the vehicle is almost always better in any type of crash. Of course, there are always exceptions, usually the otherwise unsurvivable crashes that generate the most publicity. Also, I suspect the advantages of anti-rebound are minimal, given the inherent degree of safety from being rear-facing in the first place.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I would agree, but only on models that allow it, of course. Many older models would not allow it, presumably because they had not re-inforced it or tested it and were concerned about a potential risk that the handle would break and possibly strike the occupant.

Obviously. And is one reason I WON'T buy an infant seat (well, if I ever buy an infant seat again, which is unlikely) which doesn't allow the handle up. :)
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top