Car Seat Safety

YES!!! I have a 13 month old son and 5 year old daughter. Both are very tall and seemed crushed as well. I asked my pediatrician too and he stressed that it's not necessary the length and weight, but the strength of the baby's neck. His exact words "I'd rather fix a broken leg than a broken neck"- me too! I also read recently that we should keep them facing forward even longer when possible- I kept my daughter rear facing until apx. 15 months, my son at one year because he was impossible to put in rear facing.
Good luck- it's only a few more weeks.

I think its the size not the age that matters. One month if he is that big is not critical. Dont be paranoid about not being a year yet. My son was a premie at a year he weighed 12 pounds. Its the size not age that determines what you need to do,

I was told by my pediatrician that it doesn't have anything to do with weight but has to do with bone density and their neck's ability to deal with the potential slam of the breaks. So she said that kids do not reach the right bone density until they are 12 months old so they should sit backwards until then.

Sorry - I know what you mean. Had the same problem. Just one more month...

Good luck

M.-

I recently went to a carseat fitting clinic at the Newburgh, NY FA Squad and learned that in reality, you should keep your child rear facing for as long as the seat allows. We use two convertable seats (one in each family vehicle) and they are rated for rear facing up to 30 lbs. For our little girl who is 13 months, and only 20 lbs, this could be another year. Find someone who is LATCH trained and certified and have them look at your seat. They have the best and most recent information.

Good luck with your decision and yes, the law is a minimum requirement.

~C.

Hi. Congratulations. I am a mom of 3. The recommendation is 20lbs and 1 year old. They are actually in the safest position you can be in, in the car. I think they are even changing the recommendation to older and heavier. My youngest who is now 14 mos. was also crunched up so I bought a convertible seat, which is bigger, but is made to be front- facing or back-facing, when she was 10 mos old and turned it around at 1 year. You will need a new seat anyway unless he is already in a convertible. Good Luck.

It's even better to keep them rear-facing even longer than 1 year. Give him a few toys to play with. Rear-facing is safest, please don't risk his safety for comfort.

Its much safer to keep your child rearfacing, I recomend rear facing untill they outgrow the limits of their convertable seat. You should look up internal decapitation. Thats what can happen to children who are forward facing in a car crash. There have been no reported cases of a child braking a leg because of them touching the seat. You should go to you tube and look at videos too. My daugher is still rear facing at 21 months. Your childs safty should be your number one concern not convenience.

I would. If you are in an accident it is truly the safest position for him. His neck really can't support his head in an impact if he were forward facing. Besides what is the law in your state. In some states its 20lbs or 1. In others it's 20lbs and 1. But for safety reasons I'd wait the month.

I was thinking the same thing before my son turned one. I decided to keep him backwards facing even though he was 23 lbs at the time. The week before his first birthday we were rear ended on the highway by a teenager who fell asleep at the wheel. My son was perfectly fine except for a couple small bruises where his seatbelt was. Fortunately he was still back facing which saved him from having a neck injury. After this I decided to keep him facing backwards for a couple of more months until it was definitely time to turn around due to his size. Try to stretch out the backwards sitting for as long as you can - it really does make a difference in an accident and no matter how safe a driver you may be it is the other people on the road you have to think about - it happened to me and I was very glad my son was facing backwards - even the cop noted this.

Hi, I turned my daughter at 10 mos. she was much happier. do what works for you....make sure you have a good seat and you know all details on installing, straps and how tight, etc.
I have the graco boulevard...only one with side impact safety.

let me know if i can help.

I think the law is a guideline. Its a good guideline, but it may not fit every family and every child.

You should do what is best for your child. Both of my kids were turned around around 10 months. They were long and their feet were up against the seat.

I spoke to my drs office, and they said my kids were fine to be turned. Meaning they were developed enough and over the 20 lb requirement.

People say, and research has been done that says its okay for them to sit rear-facing and scrunchy. It didnt look right to me. I know of a mom who has her two year old rear-facing. That may work for her, but it would never work for us.

Also, 10+ months is about the age they start wanting snacks, cheerios, gerber stars and they can hold their own bottles and cups.

I felt safer being able to see my kids eat and drink. If they were backwards and choking, I may not know right away.

Yes, they do sell those mirrors you can use to see your rear-facing child. But, they have been frowned upon. In case of a collision they could detach and do harm to a child.

They also say you should not have toys in a carseat because they could pose a risk to the child during a collision. I can see their point. But, C'mon.

We need to be realistic. Do what you think is best.

I would either call or stop in at your local police dept - they are aware of all of the requirements and if he is able to be put front facing they will normally adjust your seat to be sure it is secure. I'm not sure if you police dept offers this service, but my husband dispatches in our town & they do it all the time. It may be worth looking into. Good luck!

It is the law to leave it rear facing!!!! It is in his best interest to wait ONE more month!

Hi M.,
First of all, in most states, it's illegal to turn a baby forward-facing before they're a year old. So no, don't turn him early.
Also, it's now recommended to rear-face as long as possible, to the limit of the child's carseat. What is the name of the seat your son is in? How much does he weigh? A lot of seats rear-face to 30-35 pounds now (convertibles--meaning they go rear- or forward-facing). The reason for this is that the bones in the child's neck don't start to fuse until they are 2-3 years old. Rear-facing is much, much safer for babies and small children!
Here is a link about rear-facing: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

If your baby is close to outgrowing his rear-facing seat by height or weight (weight is according to the seat manufacturers guidelines, so check your manual; most rear-facing seats are outgrown by height when the child has less than 1 inch of seat shell above their head). A lot of seats aren't outgrown rear-facing until closer to 2, but check your child's seat and your manual. I know his legs might look kind of squished, but it doesn't usually bother kids--they fold their legs up or hang them over the sides or prop them up on the back seat; he doesn't know anything different so even if it looks uncomfortable to you, he probably doesn't mind it. I would encourage you to continue to rear-face your little boy for as long as you can.

Ibelieve it is 1 year old or 20lbs that you can move to front facing car seat so you can certainly do it

i turned the seat around before 1 year. my pediatrician said that if the baby's feet are touching the back of the seat, you should switch to forward facing. god forbid you should get into an accident, it could hurt the baby's hips. you can look on your dmv's website for more guidance or ask your pediatrician for advice.

As long as your baby is 20lbs and you feel as though his neck is sturdy enough for sudden stops then you can switch him around to a foward facing five point harness. I did with my first daughter and prob. will with my nine month old son. He's very long, so I'm waiting for him to be more sturdy, we already had to switch him out of the infant carrier b/c of length to a regular rear facing car seat. Good thing for us is we have a van and the girls are in the way back, so he is amused by looking at them during car rides, otherwise he would HATE it!!! Have you tried using mirrors, or toys that attach to the car seat to amuse him?

hi M. i just want to let you know that i was told my daughter had to stay rear facing until she turned one and she was 28 inches long and was sqwashed she could not straighten her legs but she had to stay that way until she reached 20lbs and was a year. my daughter was 15 months old and 23 lbs.

You should actually leave him facing rear for as long as possible. Children's necks and upper bodies aren't developed well enough to not sustain injuries in a car accident in the forward facing position until they are 4 years old. All studies indicate there is no harm in allowing them to be scrunched up as you spaek of. I do know if you get pulled over with your child forward facing before 1 yr of age that you can be ticketed. Maybe you can find some toys that are car only (as in leave it in the car, it's only to be played with in the car so he doesn't get bored with it) to keep him preoccupied while rear facing. I don't know if everyone waits, but everyone should. This is your child's safety you are talking about, in my opinion if they don't like it, tough, they will get over it. I would rather have my daughter scream her head off at me because she's miserable than have something horrible possibly happen to her because I turned her around sooner than I should have. I am sorry if I should harsh, but our kids safety should be our #1 priorites above all else in my opinion.

I turned my daughter round once she reached the 20 lb wieght limit - she was long too and she looked really uncomfortable as her legs didn't fit in any more. She was much better facing forward and much happier too! She was about 10 months when I turned her round but she was just too long to go rear facing any more. So I don't think you need to wait so long as he is big enough!

My son was a super huge & tall baby. I turned him around a few weeks before his 1st birthday. His dr. was ok with it because of his physical development was advanced.

It's not enough to turn him around just because he is bored. safety comes first. Ask the dr. his/her opinion.

A.

It's a safety issue, and legally you have to wait. However, I have 4 kids and turned them all forward facing before 1 year. They have all been big enough to pass for older, and have all had good back and neck strength before they turned 1. I turned my now 2.5 yr old forward at 10 1/2 months. So I think it depends on each child. You should judge by size, AND strength, and how you feel about breaking the law also. If you keep him rear facing you could always buy a toy that hangs over the seat so he has something to do. Even a baby mirror so he can look at himself would work nicely.

It is the law that you need to keep your child rear facing until he is 20 lbs AND 1 year. I'm going to keep my son in his car seat rear facing as long as possible.

Here's a good video on youtube. It is a little long, but contains crash test footage to show you the difference in rear facing vs forward facing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

We were in a front-end car accident about 6 months ago. This was my first accident so I got to see, and feel, what impact is like at about 35-40 mph. The car was totaled but everyone was fine except for some bruises. My son (also Jack) was 6 months at the time and in his infant car seat. Before the accident, I was so excited to turn Jack around once he hit a year. I started doing a lot of research and now I am keeping my boy rear facing as long as possible. It's not worth the risk.

Yes, you need to wait for safety sake first and by law second. There is also a bunch of articles, etc out on the fact that not only should you wait til they are a year, but actually for as LONG as Possible. So what if their legs are crunched, that it's just safer. Alot of kids actually have fun that way playing with their feet against the seat and crossing their legs, etc. In my book it's always safety first. I would hate to have an accident, and think,,gee, I wonder if he woulda been ok if he was rear facing, I would feel awful if something like that made a difference.

Rear facing is the safest position in the car for your child. I know what it's like having a big baby. My son is over 30 inches and weighs 24lbs,is 13months old and is still rear facing. Our car seat can go to 35lbs rear facing and not that I'm going to keep him rear facing until he's 3 or anything, but it's the safest spot for him. And as for neck strength, their are adults who suffer from whip lash or other neck injuries after an accident and they have a lot more neck strength than an 11 month old. I would wait.

Yes, you're supposed to...but I didn't for the reason you mentioned...My kids are tall, their legs were always crunched.

I waited for the 1 year mark with our 3rd...actually, I did it a week before she turned 1.

The law changed about 9 years ago and is now 12 months AND 20 lbs. As someone had written previously, it is about the bone density and neck control, not how much your child weighs. It is best to wait the month, or more.

Hi,
I had the same problem. My son was 20 lbs at about 8 months. He is a solid boy, but mostly tall. My husband and I are both relatively tall. I called the police department (because I knew they do those car seat safety checks) and asked them what I should do. They suggested that I buy a convertable car seat. It is a five point harness car seat for toddlers, but the "convertable" part is that it can be rear facing or forward facing. The police department told me I should make every effort to keep him rear facing until he was a year old because of the childs neck muscles. Their neck muscles just aren't strong enough... so if they are in an accident, rear facing is the safest position for them. It has a lot more leg room then the infant car seat did.
It cost about $70 or $80 at Walmart. I just bought a basic convertable car seat. They can get really expensive. The one I bought will last him a few years. I think it will hold him until he is 60 or maybe 80 lbs. And once he is old enough it may be able to convert from the 5 point harness to a regular seat belt. That's a long way off for me, so I will have to reread the car seat manual when the time gets closer.
I was also told that the childs feet touching the seat isn't as big of a concern as you think. Infants don't tense up in an accident like adults and older children do. So they don't brace themselves in an accident. So, they aren't as likely to break their legs or hips because they don't tense up. I am not sure that this is true, but it does make sense.
My son is almost a year old now and still sits in it rear facing with plenty of room.
Hope this helps.
S. L.

It's the weight of your child, not his age, that determines when to change car seats. At 20 lbs, Jack can certainly be turned around!

The rule of thumb I always follow is, would you rather have a couple of broken legs or have your baby die?

The US is one of the few countries with car seat laws that does not require children to remain rear facing until 2 or 3 years old. In fact the state we live in actually only recommends that children be rear facing until 1 year, but the law actually reads that children must be in an approved safety seat until 4 years (nothing about rear facing) and then only recommends that they e in a booster until 7years or 70lbs. It is not the law which is sad.

My husband wanted to turn our dgtr around early (she has been in 95% for height and 75-90% for weight so her weight was at the mark too) , but then I started looking things up and it all pretty much says that up until 2 1/2 they are safest rear facing. That really helped make our decision (actually everyone is safer rear facing they say - we'd all be carsick, but apparently it's safer!! LOL).

We did turn her around at 1 yr old - mainly b/c she was TERRIBLE in the car rear facing, but we did wait until that mark. Better to be safe than sorry in my opinion. It's hard - but he'll be 1 soon - and Happy Birthday! Amazing how fast the year goes - right!!

Yes, you have to wait. Not only is it safer for him but it is the law. We were just talking about this in a mommy group. The law in most states is rear facing until 12 months AND 20 lbs. Car seat until 4 years old and 40 lbs and booster seat until 8 years and 80 lbs. Here in NY it is 7 years and 70 lbs but those figures are the most common and I've never seen the rear facing number compromised. Studies have shown that while children may look too long to be rear facing they are NOT and it is SAFER for them to stay that way because their heads and necks are protected.

Try putting something up for him to look at or play with in the meantime. :)

hopefully this video on the importance of keeping your baby rear facing for as long as possible will help with your decision:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

I turned my son around at 10 months for the same reason, he was totally fine!

Yes, WAIT -- it's the law.

1) A law is not a guideline. It's a law for a reason - this one is for the safety of your child.

2) For those who responded that they turned around their children early and they were okay, were you in an accident with your child when they were less than 1 and forward facing? I think that a lot of people forget that car seats are really designed to to withstand the impact of a crash. Yes, they keep your child from being thrown around the car when you hit a pot hole. What about when someone runs a red light and they hit you? Or you are driving in the snow or rain and you skid and hit a wall? Accidents happen every day - whether they are your fault or not.

Please just watch the youtube video for yourself and see the crash test footage at 35mph. It's not gory or bloody (I was worried about that so I didn't watch it right away). Just watch and decide for yourself if your child has enough body control to withstand a crash. You can start watching from 1:20 to see the crash test footage.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

Dear M.

Please make sure to keep Jack facing the back as long as possible (preferably till he is about 30 pounds)- it could save his mobility or even his life! If he is crunched up you may consider buying a bigger seat for him. He can easily transition into most toddler seats and still face backwards.

My 16 months twins are still in the back-facing position even though they weigh 28 pounds and I can assure you they would love to switch around for a better view. But they are much to precious to me to take the risk.

We turned our kids before they were 1 (maybe a week or two)just because they did not fit and secreamed their head out every time we put them in(they were too big for those infant seats at 4 months and by 11 months ...you can imagine).However if your child does not complain, I would keep him backwards longer. Look at some videos on UTUBE on what happens in the accident with chids neck.....it is awful. A cop one time told us that they do not see many broken legs(from beeing too long when facing back), but they see way too many broken necks in kids that were facing forward( even after age 1).

I would go talk to the local police department, they will advise you as to the laws reguarding your childs seat and how it is used, along with they will be able to give you reasons why and why not. Remember if someone were to hit you, that carseat is there for you childs protection. I actually saw a car that had rolled over, when i looked inside, there was a seat in the backseat in perfect condition. had the child been in the seat, they would have been scared maybe, but unharmed. So it has to be used properly to ensure the childs safety, and if your little one is too big for it, then it is no longer safe. The police department will NOT stear you wrong on your little one's saftey. T.

I would wait until the one year mark. From what I have learned, they are the safest in the rear facing position. I

Yes, wait. For longer than a month if possible. Kids are safer rear facing. It may just be that he has outgrown his seat. A car seat is outgrown once the child reaches the height OR the weight limit. Most of the infant seats max out at 20 lbs. or so. Invest in a convertible seat that will give him more room. Then give him some toys and maybe try putting a mirror (with soft edges) up. Someone even makes a mirror that plays music and lights. If you do some research about rear facing vs forward facing I think you will change your mind. The statistics are alarming!
My daughter is 19 months old, 32 inches long and weighs 24 lbs and she's still rear facing. We plan to keep her that way until she reaches the limits for her seat.(30 lbs. rear facing)

Please wait!

And if your son is still within the weight limits at one year wait even longer! The limits given are the MIMIMUM requirements for turning the seat around, but that doesn't mean you should. Rear facing is much safer than front facing. Boredom is no reason to turn him around. Some countries that don't turn kids around until much later and have significantly fewer injuries and fatalities as a result. Do everything you can to keep him content back there. My daughter loves the monkey mirror on the back seat. You might rotate unfamiliar toys often to keep his attention and when there's a third person they could ride in back with him.

Bottom line: Turn him around only when absolutely necessary for safety sake!

U.S. law states that a child must be one year old AND 20 lbs. before they can be forward-facing in a child safety seat in a car. If the child is 25 lbs. and 10 months, they CAN NOT be forward facing, and if a child is 13 months old and 18 lbs. they CAN NOT be forward facing.

boys are big .. do what you feel is best