when do u put the car seat face front

Laura Zoey - posted on 03/30/2011

In america it's 1 year AND 20lbs. If the child is one year and 18 lbs it's still illegal to front face them. If the child is 9 months and 22 lbs it is illegal to front face them.
But don't think that just because it's legal means it's safe.
Remember it's legal to smoke cigarettes, it's legato drink alcohol. That doesn't make it safe to do so.
The law is the bare minimum, not the recommended limits.

Michelle - posted on 03/30/2011

by law the age is 1 YEAR OLD, dosen't matter the size or weight anymore only the age

Rebekah - posted on 03/28/2011

Roberta, if her head is falling forward while she sleeps, imagine what her head, neck and spine would do in a collision?! The decision is yours, but it's illegal in the US, and the AAP recommends rear-facing to the maximum weight/height of a convertible car-seat (33-40lbs) or to age two.

Personally, I couldn't live with myself if my child suffered a spinal injury all b/c he/she was a little happier forward facing. The recommendations and laws are to keep our children safer, and I don't know about you, but if someone with more knowledge on the subject told me that painting my kids blue would make them 5 times safer in an accident, I'd be buying some blue paint.

Anyway, my son was 2 and my daughter was 21 months old when I turned them forward facing. As for their legs, both of mine sat with their legs crossed... in fact, my son at age 4 still sits with his legs crossed in the car in his forward facing seat.

Crystal - posted on 03/28/2011

roberta, no you need a seat that will allow him to remain RF at 7 months even being 28lbs his spine is not devloped enough to with stand and impact if he's FF and you get hit his neck could be snapped by the impact and also in most states they have to be at least 1yr AND 20lbs to FF not one or the other but he's definetly not safe FF right now most seats RF to 35-40lbs theres a cosco scenera that RF to 40lbs for about 40-50$ and then FF to only 40lbs but there are other convertibles for around 100-150$ that RF to 35-40lbs then FF to 50-65lbs depending on which one you buy

Laura Zoey - posted on 03/28/2011

Roberta, most seats still allow rear facing until 35 lbs so check the one you have. Usually there's a sticker on one side for front facing, and on the other side for rear facing. By law she HAS to be rearfacing at least until 12 months but EVERY safety recommendation is rear facing until 2 years. When it's rear facing it's usually laying down enough for their heads to be ok while sleeping.

Roberta - posted on 03/28/2011

My baby is 7 months and weighs approx 28lbs if not more (due for a checkup soon). Her old car seat's (rear facing) max weight was 23lbs and started to tip with her in it. We brought her a big girl seat from Graco whose weight minimum starts at 22lbs. She loves the seat and yes I can tell..(when a baby is crying, squashed into a small carseat and trying to get out versus never crying when being strapped into another more open carseat, there is a difference there). However, I am wondering about her head because she likes to nap and it falls..If I buy one of those neck monkey things she should be okay right?

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/27/2011

Thanks rebekah, I'm going to make sure I can return it if it doesn't fit! Hopefully i can get it in a store, or with a 30day return period or something!

Rebekah - posted on 01/27/2011

FYI Laura Hoffmann: I have a Sunshine Kids Radian65 and it's such a tall seat that we couldn't get it rear-facing in either of our cars (Honda Civic or Honda CRV). We love the seat and it works great for my FF 4 year old, but we could never get it to work RF. So, before you get one you might want to make sure you can get it rear-facing in your vehicle.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/27/2011

We bought a convertible seat fro Eric that was fairly cheap, like 100$ and he is still rear facing in it now, he is 34inches tall!
He is almost two and he is in the 75% for height so if your kid is tall, just buy a convertible seat with the highest height rating you can afford.
Now I wish I had bought the sunshine kids radian instead of this one, cuz now he is outgrowing the rear facing limits on his seat. So I could turn him around front facing, but since there is a seat available that he can stay rear facing in, I will buy that one.
I think it's my responsibility to make him as safe as possible in the car, and that means keeping him rear facing as long as possible.
So the seat is expensive, but erics life could be saved because of that seat! There's no price on his life!

Crystal - posted on 01/26/2011

no problem a safe baby equals happy mommy

Christine - posted on 01/26/2011

thanks crystal

Crystal - posted on 01/26/2011

yes acualy there feet being up against the back seat is perfectly safe there have been no reports of that causing any damage in a crash and even if it did i'd rather my baby have a broken leg which has yet to happen but would be better than a broken neck and it depends on the age but never in my life would i face a baby forward younger than 1yr regardless of their height also alot of convertible seats rf until 40in and 35-40lbs to me safey is the #1

Christine - posted on 01/26/2011

What about younger babies who seem to be too long for rear facing car seats? That is, their feet are smashed against the seat adn their legs are bent and restrained from stretching all the way?!??! Any thoughts on those kiddos?

Crystal - posted on 01/26/2011

wowyou forward face a 3 month old sorry but at 3months he's not old enough to decide my first daughter cried in the car from day 1 untill she was about 2 because for some reason she just didn't like being in her car seat but fortunetly thats my choice please for that babies sake turn him back around and waht kind of seat do you have him in because infant seats are not even made to face forward and in the us it's illeagle

Cindy Leigh - posted on 01/09/2011

Our recommendation is any time from baby reaching 9kilograms. My is very tall and I've had him in a front facing since he reached 9kilograms and was basically outgrowing his maxi cosi.

Melissa - posted on 01/08/2011

Jennifer thanks for shareing those videos...it is so important to share!

Melissa - posted on 01/08/2011

They recommend these days to keep it rear facing as long as possible....there neck stregnth tech. cant handle a car crash front facing untill over 35 lbs...I say as long as possible or until carseat says!

Rebekah - posted on 01/08/2011

I turn my children around forward facing around their 2 year old Birthday (my son was 26 months old). Technically my 4 yr old could still be rear-facing (b/c he's a small kid), but we decided that 2 was the right age for our kids to turn around.

Iysha - posted on 01/07/2011

The instructions for the carseat I have says it will rear face for up to 35lbs so we are still using it rear faced for my 18 mo/20 1/2 lb daughter. We used to have the EvenFlo Aura Travel System carseat but when my daughter turned one and was 20 lbs we got this other car seat. Be Careful!!! I thought my daughter was going to be 21 lbs in no time at her 1yr check up and she is still not even at 21lbs...so it's a good thing we got the convertible carseat and didnt get a booster =]

Sarh - posted on 01/07/2011

Yea, not so worth it anymore for us with Jada as she will out grow it with in a few months if she has not already out grown it. Cade's seat that I am going to get will hopefully last him until he is 6 if not longer! He doesn't seem to be growing as fast as his sister did/is, but watch he will have this huge growth spurt.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/07/2011

Ya I know! It's so cruel to make the best seats the most expensive, just so only the rich kids are safe or something. It's bad. We have been putting money aside for a few months to buy erics seat, but he will get a lot of use out of it. Like 6 years so it's worth it.

Ashley - posted on 01/07/2011

The health department says they should be atleast 35lbs and atleast a year...

Sarh - posted on 01/07/2011

Thanks Laura, why do they make safety so EXPENSIVE?! I don't have $300 to spend on a darn car seat! Plus, I'm not for sure how much she weighs now, but I'm sure she is near 70-80lbs. :( I love big babies, but not when it comes to safety.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/07/2011

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/s...

Sarh, the sunshine kids seats And the britax frontier all keep harnessed until 53in and 80lbs, and there's a bunch of seats here that stay 5pt harnessed until 53 in and 65lbs. I'm not seeing a harness up to 100lbs...

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/07/2011

Katie, my son outgrew his infant seat height wise at 4 months! We bought a convertible seat and he is still rear facing now even though he is 34 inches.
Now we are buying him a new seat and using his for the new baby and this new seat will allow him to remain rear facing until 52 inches and 45 lbs.
It's all about what seat you buy. He is quite big and tall but still happily rearfacing.

Sarh - posted on 01/06/2011

Katie, what car seat do you have?! My daughter has always been a big girl and has been forward facing since I believe somewhere around her 1st birthday. I can't remember anymore. She was 65lbs and 4ft tall at her 4yr well check and she will be 5yrs old on the 26th of January. She has just been in a booster seat with the car's seat belt. She is a big girl, but that doesn't mean her body is capable of handling a car accident. This must be a new car seat? When she was 4yrs old I was unable to find a car seat big enough for her other then just a booster seat.
I'm only 5'6", her father is only 5'9", however, my mother is 5'11" and my grandfather is like 6'7" if not taller.

Katie - posted on 01/06/2011

The old recommendation was 1 year and 20 lbs. The new one is 2 years old or when they out grow their car seat. Sadly for me my Son is very tall (I'm 6 feet myself) and he was already 1 inch to tall for his car seat by his first birthday. I would have loved to keep him rear facing but I didn't have a choice in the matter. He currently has a forward facing car seat that goes up to 52 inches and 100 lbs, so it should hopefully work for him until he's of size to ride without one. Good luck!

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/06/2011

Front facing before the oldest heaviest time possible is irresponsible as a mom, we have to protect our kids and unless there is no way to keep them rearfacing you should just stick with the rear facing seat.
Different countries, and different laws say different things, but fact is,your child will never be as safe front facing as he is rear facing.
So don't rush it.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/06/2011

This is from the American academy of pediatrics

Age Group 
Type Of Seat
General Guidelines
 
Infants 
 
Infant seats and rear-facing convertible seats
 
Infants should ride rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant-only seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat.
 
 
Toddlers/preschoolers
 
Convertible seats and forward-facing seats with harnesses 
 
It is best for children to ride rear-facing as long as possible to the highest weight and height allowed by the manufacturer of their convertible seat. When they have outgrown the seat rear-facing, they should use a forward-facing seat with a full harness as long as they fit. 
 
 
School-aged children 
 
Booster seats 
 
 
Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult belts fit correctly (usually when a child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age).
 
 
Older children
 
Seat belts 
 
Children who have outgrown their booster seats should ride in a lap and shoulder seat belt in the back seat until 13 years of age.
 

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/06/2011

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/06/2011

If your child is Bigger then the height or weight requirements for the convertible seat then it's time to front face.
Forward facing is a huge step down in safety so it should be delayed as long as possible.
Most convertible seats go up to 35,40,45 lbs so kids should be above those weights before they go front facing.
The law says at minimum they have to be 1 year and 20 lbs but the law is the bare minimum,not the safety recommendation.
Think it this way,cigarettes are legal, that doesn't make them safe right!
So when your baby outgrows their infant seat,buy a convertible seat that they can be in until they are old enough to be in a booster and then just keep it rear facing as long as they are light enough to be.
Legs are perfectly fine touching the back seat, it's their necks that can snap in a front face seated crash.
Their heads are still so much bigger then their necks in proportion until around4 years old so this makes it more likely to snap their neck in a crash if they face forwards.
My son will be rear facing until 45lbs. I'm buying him a sunshine kids radian xtsl which is compatible with rear facing until 45lbs and then they can stay in a 5point harness front facing from 45-80 lbs!
So esentially I won't have to buy another sets for him now,he will be in this one until he is big enough to be in a regular seat belt.

Just remember,every step up in car seats is a step down in safety.
Rear facing is safest,5 point harness front facing is next safest, front facing with a booster and a seatbelt is next safest, and the least safe is no car seat with a regular seatbelt.

Take each step as late as possible, safety takes priority!

Sherry - posted on 01/06/2011

With both of girls I turned the around facing forward 2 months after they turned 1 only because they have really long legs and on top of that they were way over the weight limit so I moved them into a toddler car seat. I guess it just really depends on how tall they are and if the over weight the actual baby car seat.

Jeannette - posted on 01/06/2011

The law is 1 year AND 20 lbs. My son was only 19 lb 14oz at a year and his ped. said we could turn it forward. But after doing research and reading lots about this topic on Circle of Moms, I know I don't want to turn it forward yet. My son is now 14 months and lengthwise he is tall, but weight wise he is tiny. Actually, up until this past weekend, we only had his infant car seat, so he had to be backward anyway, but now we have his convertible one and it goes up to 30 lbs rear-facing. I don't know if I will keep him rear facing until he is 30 lbs. At the rate he is gaining, he could be 3 by then, but we will keep him backwards for awhile longer yet. No matter what you decide to do, at least follow the law and don't switch until they are 1 year and 20 lbs.

Teina - posted on 01/06/2011

I'm not sure where you live, but I'm in BC and the law here is they have to be rear facing until they are 1 year of age...Once they turn a year you can face them forward.

Maria - posted on 01/06/2011

The baby has to be one year old, I thought that had to do with the weight but a consultant told me that is about age because the car seats wraps them and their head is still heavier than their body until one year old, hope this helps.

Sammie - posted on 01/05/2011

Wow, I'm in Aus. Here you are supposed to keep your child rear facing until 6 months, however if your weight limit is reached you MUST change them. We had my daughter in a front facing seat when she was 5.5 months as shje had reached the maximum weight range for rear facing.

Brooke - posted on 01/05/2011

here in Aus our laws have just changed last july.. you can have your 6 month to 4 year old in a rear facing or forward facing carseat.
I waited until my daughter was one before changing.

Medic - posted on 01/05/2011

At three months they don't know what they want and don't have the choice to choose. There is no way I would first of all break the LAW and put my childs life at risk because of what they "wanted". Your child can become internally decapitated even in just a 10mph crash. Broken legs cast it broken neck casket.

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2011

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2011

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2011

jess are you aware that not only is that extremely unsafe, but it is also illegal if you are in the united states? muscle strength has nothing to do with it, it is about the development of the spine, and proportion of the head compared to the rest of the body. even at 12 months, the risk of very serious injury, or death is high with a forward facing child when in a front impact crash.



children need to be rear facing until they outgrow their convertible car seats weight limit. please make safety a higher priority than convenience.

Jess - posted on 01/05/2011

Thats a good question my baby boy is only 3 months old and he's really strong and he wont go in the car unless we have him facing forward so we just let him

Christina - posted on 01/05/2011

I always though it was 1 year & over 20 pounds.But I would wait as long as I could. I am thinking about keeping my son rear facing until 2 years. It's a lot safer!!

Ambyr - posted on 01/04/2011

I have always been told 1 yr and 20lbs.

Jessica - posted on 01/04/2011

I was told that the law says to keep them rear facing until they are 1 year old AND 20 pounds.

Sarah - posted on 01/04/2011

I have an Evenflo Triumph Advance (I THINK that's what it's called) & it has worked pretty well for us. My 15 month old is about 21lbs & he will remain rear-facing until he maxes it out (35lbs). I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling in the near future along interstates & busy roads & I feel soooo much better knowing my child is safe & sound in his seat. :)

Sarh - posted on 01/04/2011

Jennifer, that is great to hear! I was hoping it would be easy to use. We have the Evenflo Aura travel system with the Oh pattern and I absolutely love it! I looked up reviews about the infant seat and a lady was in a head on crash, totaled her SUV, she limped away, and baby was untouched!!! I believe she said baby didn't even cry and her baby was really young like newbornish I believe. Sorry, I read that review about a yr ago.
I was a little worried that a convertible car seat wouldn't fit in out car, but we now have a larger car and I'm hoping it fits in there.
Lydia, that is kind of scary, but get information!

Lydia - posted on 01/04/2011

Laura, I don't want to scare you, but "The simple way to estimate crash force is weight times speed. A 10-pound baby in a 30 mph crash would experience an estimated 300 pounds of force." quoted from this article:
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseat...

Laura - posted on 01/04/2011

I have had my car seat front-facing since i switched to a 9m+ when my daughter was 10m. We live in jersey where the max speed limit is 40MPH so this probably doesn't apply to us. :)

Jennifer - posted on 01/03/2011

Sarh, I absolutely LOVE that car seat! my parents have that one in their vehicle and i love it so much that my husband and i will be replacing the seat we have with the evenflo triumpgh 65. it is so easy to use, and you can get a perfect fit every time you put the babe in the seat.