What Are Anti-Rebound Bars?
Does My Rear-Facing Carseat Need An Anti-Rebound Bar?
This is an exciting time in the carseat world! Carseat technology is changing quickly and we are seeing the benefits in safety features like load legs and anti-rebound bars (ARBs) becoming mainstream and affordable. We address what load legs are in this article, so let’s discuss what ARBs are here and their safety advantages.
What Happens In A Crash
First you need to understand the physics of a crash. Remember back to science class where for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction? Now we also need to know that the most common type of crash is the frontal crash.
In crashes, everything in the vehicle will move toward the point of impact; in most cases, toward the front of the car. A rear-facing carseat will rotate down toward the floor—the vehicle cushion will compress and the seat belt (or LATCH belt, whichever you have used for installation) will stretch. Then the carseat will pivot around its belt path and come back up toward the back of the vehicle seat because of the energy initially released—physics in motion! Not to fear, however—a lot of that energy that went into the carseat heading down toward the front of the vehicle has been diminished by about 1/3 by the time the carseat impacts the vehicle seat.
An ARB will catch the carseat as it’s rotating into the back of the vehicle seat and help stabilize motion caused by a side impact (if there’s one), dissipating the rest of the energy that’s left. It’s as simple as that!
An ARB can be molded into the carseat base or attached as a separate piece. If a convertible or all-in-one carseat has a detachable ARB, it must be removed when the carseat is turned forward-facing or the child may be injured in a crash.
Does An Anti-Rebound Bar Help A Rear-Facing Carseat in Rear-End Crashes??
A rear-end type of crash is a little different with a rear-facing (RF) carseat, in that the RF seat doesn’t react as a forward-facing (FF) carseat would in a frontal crash, like many people think. The RF carseat starts out much more reclined and travels a greater distance before reaching the back of the vehicle seat. And, just like in a frontal crash, the carseat cradles and moves with the child during the crash. If a child was FF in a frontal crash, the child would come forward out of the safety of the carseat shell due to harness stretch. The ARB stops the motion of a RF into the vehicle seat back in a controlled fashion.
Data simply isn’t available at this time to show whether ARBs are beneficial in side impacts but it is believed that they do add stability.
How Does Rebound Affect Injury Outcomes?
Rebound doesn’t cause many injuries in the first place (remember that stat above about rebound energy being about 1/3 of the initial crash force?). We don’t have reports of leg or head injuries from rebounding, but the more we can control and spread force over a wider area, the less likely any injury will occur in the first place.
Is It Better to Have An Anti-Rebound Bar or A Load Leg?
First, let’s define what a load leg is. A load leg is a bar that extends from the base of a carseat down to the floor of the vehicle to disperse crash energy to the vehicle. A load leg can reduce crash forces 40-50%, which in turn greatly reduces rebound, so a load leg is the better choice as a safety feature and they are on carseats in all price ranges. However, not all vehicles and seating positions allow for the use of a load leg, which is why ARBs are also available. It’s all about the energy management!
Here’s a list of carseats* that have anti-rebound bars or anti-rebound height built into their bases separated out into rear-facing only infant seats and convertible/all-in-one carseats.
*As Amazon Affiliates, anytime you make a purchase through one of our links, we earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for reading our articles and supporting The Car Seat Pros! We strive to bring you the best carseat reviews!
Carseats with Anti-Rebound
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| Baby Jogger City GO 2 | $349.99 |
| Britax Willow S | $249.99 |
| Britax Willow SC | $299.99 |
| Britax Cypress | $329.99 |
| Chicco Fit2 | $329.99 |
| Chicco KeyFit35 | $229.99 |
| Cybex Aton G Swivel | $399.95 |
| Cybex Cloud G Lux | $449.95 |
| Cybex Cloud T | $549.95 |
| Diono LiteClik 30 XT SafePlus | $229.99 |
| Diono LiteClik 30 RXT SafePlus | $249.99 |
| Diono LiteClik 30 R SafePlus | $159.99 |
| Evenflo LiteMax NXT | $199.99 |
| Evenflo Revolve180 LiteMax NXT | $279.99 |
| Evenflo Shyft DualRide | $499.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 Elite | $239.99 |
| Graco Premier SnugRide SnugFit 35 XT | $319.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 LX | $179.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX | $199.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX ft. Safety Surround Tech | $199.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 XT ft. Load Leg Tech | $349.99 |
| Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 | $149.99 |
| Joie Rue | $149.99 |
| Maxi-Cosi Peri 180° | $449.99 |
| Nuna PIPA aire rx | $550 |
| Nuna PIPA rx | $325 |
| Peg Perego Viaggio 4-35 K | $349.99 |
| Peg Perego Viaggio 4-35 Nido | $349.99 |
| Peg Perego Viaggio 4-35 Nido K | $399.99 |
| Peg Perego Viaggio 4-35 Lounge | $399.99 |
| Romer Juni | $429.99 |
| UPPAbaby Aria | $349.99 |
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| Britax One4Life | $389.99 |
| Britax One4Life Slim | $399.99 |
| Britax Poplar | $299.99 |
| Britax Poplar S | $349.99 |
| Chicco Fit360 | $399.99 |
| Clek Fllo | $449.99 |
| Clek Foonf | $579.99 |
| Cybex Callisto G 369 | $599.95 |
| Diono Radian 3RXT SafePlus | $299.99 |
| Diono Radian 3RXT SafePlus Max | $299.99 |
| Evenflo Revolve360 Extend | $399.99 |
| Evenflo Revolve360 Slim | $329.99 |
| Graco EasyTurn 360 | $299.99 |
| Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 ft. ARB | $289.99 |
| Graco Premier 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit SnugLock ft. ARB | $429.99 |
| Graco True3Fit LX ft. ARB | $249.99 |
| Joie Chili Spin 360 | $299.99 |
| Maxi-Cosi Emme 360 | $449.99 |
| Nuna EXEC | $550 |
| Nuna REVV | $650 |
| Peg Perego Convertible Kinetic | $349.99 |
| Romer Veni | $499.99 |
| Safety 1st Grow and Go Extend 'n Ride LX | $199.99 |
| Safety 1st Turn and Go 360 DLX | $319.99 |