The Swedish car seat manufacturer teamed up with Dadsnet to invite the community to a London event outlining the differences between front and rear-facing car seats.
The two companies recently invited dads to see Axkid’s extended rear-facing seats for themselves and to learn the key differences between forward and rearward facing travel. The audience watched crash test footage of different car seats at the independent cinema.
Visitors to the event were also given the opportunity to try on a specially designed helmet to simulate the weight of a child’s head, which are about 25% of their bodyweight, as opposed to adults, whose heads are around 6% of their bodyweight.
The weight of a child’s head is important to consider when it comes to car seats. When children are strapped in with a five-point harness, their body is safe and secure, but the head is free to move. This means that in the event of a collision, the head continues to move in the direction of impact, while the body remains restrained.
In a rear-facing seat, this means the impact is cushioned by the headrest, but in a forward-facing sear, they can be flung forwards.
As part of the event, Dadsnet invited the audience to take part in a Q&A with Axkid’s Jayne Caul and Peter Holtham, which was featured on Dadsnet’s podcast Don’t Tell Your Mum. The discussion gave an opportunity to raise concerns and quash myths.
Al at Dadsnet, commented: “As dads, all we want to do is protect our kids. Judging by the audience’s reactions, I think a lot of us have been persuaded that rear-facing is the best way to do that.”
Jayne Caul, Axkid, added: “We liken the force to three baby elephants pulling on your child’s head – it’s the equivalent of that force.”
