Answering the rear-facing myths

Do you know someone who has turned their child forward-facing because they heard a myth like “the child’s leg won’t fit”? Happily, we can let you know that most of these myths are not true. It’s time to answer the most common myths about rear-facing travel.

“My child will break their legs in a collision.”

Firstly, you should be aware of this point: a fracture of the bone occurs when the bone is loaded with more force than it can handle.

Many people believe that if a child is rear-facing during a collision, the legs will break because of the small legroom. When rear-facing, the legs won’t hit any hard surfaces, and therefore have a small risk of breaking. The legs of the child will be pushed more into the car seat and closer to the body and stay protected. At the same time, the fragile neck is protected which is an essential safety benefit with rear-facing.

The only risk of breaking the legs in a rear-facing car seat would be if the car seat bounced back against the back of the seat, but safety elements like anti-rotation bar and lower tethers prevent that from happening.

“My child gets car sick travelling rear-facing.”

Nausea in the car is not usually due to the car seat but is a conflict of interpretation that takes place in the brain regardless of the direction of travel. If your child easily becomes car sick, remember to keep a good temperature in the car, ensure that the child can see out of the window and avoid large meals right before travel. Also, singing or playing games can help as a distraction!

Short answer: Nausea in the car is not usually due to the direction of travelling but is individually based.

“I drive carefully, and we often drive short distances.”

When an accident occurs, the distance is long forgotten. Many crashes occur close to home, so no matter what the distance, never compromise on your child’s safety. This applies to everyone, even the best of drivers. You cannot control other drivers on the road nor external disturbances, so always install both the car seat and child correctly. This is one reason why it is so important to choose a car seat that is easy to handle and to install – it should be simple to do correctly.

Short answer: Even if you drive carefully, others might not. Many crashes occur close to home.

“My child will not see out when they travel rear-facing”

Answer: A rear-facing car seat lifts your child up, which makes it easier for them to see out through the side window. Additionally, by removing the head rest from the seat they also have the possibility to clearly look through the back window instead of staring into the front seat.

“There is no room for my child’s legs.”

A child is not a miniature adult, their bodies have a different structure of bones and joints, which make them more flexible. Thanks to this, their legs can be positioned comfortably in multiple ways which an adult’s cannot. Many car seats are adapted to growing children for example, One 3, Minikid 4 Pro and Minikid 4 Max offer your child up to 30cm legroom. Additionally, Axkid car seats are designed with low seating edges to allow crossed legs – which is a natural seated position for a child.

Even though you, as an adult, might think it looks uncomfortable for the child – it probably isn’t. Most likely, it’s just a perception since you as adults can’t sit in that position, but the child have no complaints.

Short answer: Children’s bodies are more flexible and is not harmed from rear-facing seated positions.