My son is 6 months old and weighs 19 lbs, and i was wondering when should i turn his car seat around. right now his carseat is facing the rear.
Thank you so much for all the answers they were very helpful :)
he must be atleast one year old and depending on the car seat 20-22 lbs. it not one or the other it is both...Over 1 year AND 20+ lbs.
Good Luck!
1 year old is the minimum age for forward facing, no matter the size. This is due to head control and other developmental issues.
No matter how heavy he is you cannot turn the seat around until he is at least 1 yr old , if he is in an infant carrier and you are struggling to fit him in then get a convertable seat and install in the rear facing position.
State law says they must be one year and 20 lbs before you turn them around. But many pediatricians are now recommending you keep your child rear facing until they turn 2.
A child cannot legally face the front of the vehicle until at least 1yr AND 20lbs. Even if your state does not have a specific car seat law stating 1yr and 20lbs, all states have proper usage clause, meaning you have to use he seat to the manufacturers specifications, and there is not one seat on the market that allows forward facing before 1yr of age and 20lbs, and most seats have a height minimum for forward facing too, of 34" tall.
If your child is outgrowing the infant bucket seat, purchase a CONVERTIBLE car seat, which will rear face to 35-45lbs (depending on model) and forward face to 40-80lbs (depending on model). NHTSA, car seat manufacturers, and the AAP all recommend children remain rear facing until they hit hte rear facing weight limits of their convertible car seat. A rear facing car seat is outgrown when the child goes over the rear facing weight limit or there is less than one inch of hard shell above the childs head.
PLEASE PLEASE google 'internal decapitation', 'extended rear facing', and 'Joels Journey' for more information.
Purchase your baby a convertible car seat and keep him rear facing as long as possible, but the very bare minimum is 1yr and 20lbs, but he should get more than the bare minimums. Please google what I typed above and educate your self on how to keep your child as safe as possible. Getting into the car is the most deadly thing you do many times a day, its worth his life to learn how to keep him as safe as possible!
A.,
I have not completed the training yet, but I've will be come certified in Oregon as a child car safety seat installer. At this time I'm very knowledgable about car seats.
DO NOT turn your son's car seat foward until he is 1 year old. It's ok when your child is 20 pounds AND 1 year. This is because while their weight is ok, their internal organs are not developed enough until they are 1 year old.
Sincerely,
R. Magby
The AAP USED to say until one- now they say until at least 2 (or longer depending on the seat)
My son is small (25 lbs) but is still rear facing at 33 months. The seat he is in is rear facing until 35 lbs. We won't last that long... but he doesn't know any differently- Just google Internal decapitation & carseats & you will want to keep him rear facing.
I attached a DVD player to the seat & h eis perfectly content.
FL doesn't require rear facing car seats at all. They do require the child to be in a car seat. Actually, FL doesn't even require the car seat to be in the back seat.
However, if you ask your pediatrician and review the manufacturer's suggestions, you will find that it is most acceptable to put your child in the back seat, rear facing, until at least 1 year old. Newer research suggests longer.
My son was a preemie with severe reflux and he hated being in the car at all. We turned him around a little before his first birthday because it reduces his car sickness and allowed him to ride more comfortably, without being upset and sick all the time while in the car.
HI A.,
What I've read says 1 year AND 20 lbs, so I think you still need to wait until he turns 1.
Babies are suppose to be facing back untill they turn 1 years old and I'm pretty sure until they reach at least 25lbs. He's too little still wait it out it is safer.
1 year and 20lbs is the minimum. But rear facing is the safest position. If he's in an infant carseat right now, you'll have to move up to a "convertible" when he gets bigger. In any case, the carseat you have him in will have a maximum weight and height limit for rear facing. Most of them have a limit of 35 lbs. Lots of people turn their kids forward facing earlier, but if your priority if your child's safety, keep him rear-facing until he reaches the weight or height limits for your seat.
New suggestions are to leave your child rearfacing (RFing) until they are two years old. But ideally until they have outgrown the height/weight for their RFing seat. Not the infant carrier if you use one, but their convertible seat.
There is much research that says that facing backwards in the car gives anyone a better chance to survive a serious accident. Even on Myth Busters tv show they have shown in airplane crashes that the stewardesses that sit facing backwards in the plane have a better chance for less injury and actually living through a plane crash.
If your child is only 6 months old he should stay facing backwards. If his feet or head are sticking out of the seat then you need to get a larger seat. The small carrier car seats that newborns fit in are only good until about 5-6 months. They are for new babies not growing kids.
We got our full size car seat at Wal-Mart. It wouldn't fit in our car between the backseat and the front seat so we had to put it in the middle of the backseat to go between the two front seats. I could just about sit and drive with my elbow on it. We got a van and it fit better there. When he was a full year old we turned it around, slightly reclining the back of the seat so if he fell asleep it would allow his head to tilt backwards.
A good rule of thumb is that this car seat you buy after the infant carrier will be the car seat they grow up in. That way you just move the straps up in the grooves more as they grow.
A really good one also converts to a booster that has cup holders for when they are older and want to have drinks in the vehichle. I know many people believe kids should stay in a 5 point harness until they are out of the car seat but I think it's wonderful when they can get in and out of the car by themslves. So we moved each of the kids into a booster between 3 and 4. It depend on lots of things to know when the time is right, but it helps to already have the seat by just taking the straps off.
If you google car seat regulations for states you can find tons of web sites that give information about the laws for when you can do what with your child pertaining to their car seat. Here is one I find to be really good:
According to this Florida doesn't have a rear facing car seat law, they just have to be in a car seat, I would assume that means a 5 point harness, until age 3 then a booster until age 5.
http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageNa...
Here is another that shows Florida is very lax in it's car seat laws:
http://www.iihs.org/laws/childrestraint.aspx#FL
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/statecarseatlaws/qt/flor...
An infant should stat rear facing for at LEAST 12 months, though studies have shown rear facing is safest until the weight limit of the caraway for rear facing is reached, which is typically 23-30lbs.
It's tough, at least it was for me, to keep my kid rear facin cuz she hated it. I switched her over at 12 mos but she was about 25lbs by then too
wanted to let you know that when you do turn your child around facing forward please do not put him in the middle of the back seat, because if you was to have an accident, there is a chance that if something was to fail with the car seat or seat belt that he could get thrown out the front window... I'm not saying this to scare you, just wanting to let you know.... a friend actually had to tell me about this when it was time to face forward.... A. M from Mountville, SC
The law states that they must be 1 year and 20lbs. before they can be forward facing. If you feel like he is getting too big for his carseat then I suggest going out and getting a seet that is convertable forward and backward facing.
By law they must stay rear facing until at least 12 months old but are suggesting they stay rear facing longer if possible.
the weight does not matter. facing the rear is the safest for kids. the new recommendation is until the child is 2 years old NOT 1.
http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/...
Definately Not!! Just because he is almost at the weight limit that dosent mean his bones are strong enough to handle a crash. Ask your doctor and wait until the proper age.
I bought a front-facing one when my son's legs grew too long to not hit the back of the seat...i was afraid if i was in an accident that his legs would be smashed. He is 18 pounds, but 28 inches long.
1 Year old AND 20lbs! Just because he is about there for the weight - doesn't mean that his neck is strong enough if in an accident. If he is getting too big for his car seat - and you are shopping for a new car seat - I highly - STRONGLY recommend watching this video first.
If the link doesn't work - on youtube - just search "5 point car seat" and watch the first video posted by kcmillerfamily. I am not related in any way to that video - or the posters - but found it very enlightening. My husband and father are both retired law enforcement officers - and after seeing many many many accidents over their careers - strongly encourage this type of safety as well. Good luck!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
He should ride rear facing until at least one year AND 20 lbs. So even if he hits 20 lbs before turing one, he should still be rear-facing. The issue is more about their neck strength in the case of a crash. Actually, I read recently that the new recommendation is to ride rear facing until age 2, but for my kids their legs were so cramped by one, I think we were all ready for them to turn to the front. Good luck!
