Items in basket: 0 | Proceed to checkout

*Sign up for our newsletter to receive baby product updates and special parenting safety tips.

Join our mailing list

We hate SPAM and won't share your email address with anyone.

WARNING - Don’t take your Bub out of the rear facing position until you’ve read this!!!

The Beginning of Modern Child Safety

The impetus for modern child safety was born in Sweden 1963. The first rear-facing child safety seat was designed by Bertil Aldman of Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden. While watching an American TV program, Aldman noticed the position of the astronauts in the Gemini space capsule. By lying on their backs, in opposite direction to the force of acceleration, they were better able to withstand the acceleration. Professor Aldman believed that this principle could be applied to protect a child in the event of a head-on collision.

Volvo mirrors Professor Aldman's belief, further adding that children are best protected during the first three years of life by facing rearward in the car seat.

Real World Accident Research Team

Since its inception in 1970, Volvo has gathered over 35,000 real world accident reports, nearly 5,000 of which involving children up to the age of 10 years old. Volvo's own research shows that a 90% reduction in injury is reported with children who are rearward facing.

>> Why is rear facing the safest for my baby? >> How long should you use the baby seat? >> How long should my child stay rear facing? >> Australia is one of the world leaders in child car safety, why is the importance of rear facing not common knowledge here? >> My child hates not being able to see me - what can I do? >> Where can I find more information about children riding rear facing in the car?

Why is rear facing the safest for my baby?

A baby’s head is large and heavy in relation to the rest of its body, and its neck is not very well- developed yet, so it has to be prevented from being flung forwards if the car collides.

How long should you use the baby seat?

For as long as possible; until the baby can sit up properly, at around nine months. When its head reaches the top of the baby seat, then it’s time to switch to a larger rearward-facing child seat.

How long should my child stay rear facing?

Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age AND weigh at least 9 kilos to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash.

Infants who weigh 20 lbs or 9 kilos before 1 year of age should ride rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age.

If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.

Australia is one of the world leaders in child car safety, why is the importance of rear facing not common knowledge here, like in some other countries?

Australia was one of the first countries to indroduce the child car seats in the 70’s and also the first country to enforce use of the top tether strap.

However, at this point Australia does not promote what some of the other leading countries in child safety do in stressing the importance of a child continuing to ride rearward in the car.

The Fact Is: BACKWARDS IS SAFER FOR EVERYONE

The safest way of travelling in a car is backwards. It would actually be better for all of us to travel backwards, but, given the existing designs of our cars, this is not feasible for adults. But young children can and should travel facing the back of the car for as long as possible.

In a front-end collision, the head of a forward-facing car occupant will be thrown forward with considerable force. Its momentum propels it downwards onto the breastbone and then back up again. An adult neck can withstand this strain relatively well, a small child’s neck cannot.

My child does not like riding rear facing and I don’t like not being able to see her. What can I do?

Some babies get upset when riding rear facing for several reasons, like being able to hear a parents voice, but not being able to SEE the parent.

Parents get frustrated because the baby is upset and understands that this is confusing for the baby. Parents also find it hard to relax when they cannot see if the baby is awake or sleeping, if baby has its dummy, if baby is making strange noises, if the sun is shining in baby’s face, etc.

The only way to eliminate these problems is to use the Adore-a-View mirror so you and bub can see each other. Read our testmonials to see how we’ve helped others with unhappy babes.