When should I turn my baby's car seat around, is there a weight restriction?

Patti - posted on 03/20/2010

Thanks for all the good advice. I've been looking for a convertible seat that allows her to stay rear facing, I haven't decided on one yet. I think I'll do a little more research befpre I choose one.

Tegan - posted on 03/13/2010

Oh and by the way that is Australian standards.

Tegan - posted on 03/13/2010

Hi Patti
There is weight,length and age restrictions for turning your child around in a care restraint. If your child is 9 months, more than 70 cms or more than 11 kgs then you can turn them around. But you usually know when they are ready to be turned around it is usually one of the above and they have good head and neck supprt.

Hope this helps???

Stacy - posted on 03/13/2010

My DD is tall but they will figure out what to do with their legs. That's not a good reason to FF. I plan to keep her RFing until she's too big for her seat. Her seat is a Radian XTsl so it can RF to 45lbs and FF to 80lbs.

Holland - posted on 03/11/2010

Glad Im not the only one with a small one :)
We got Bugs a forward facing one at about a year, she did great sitting up and she started to crank her neck a lot trying to see what was going on, and her legs were getting too long and were squished against the seat so we thought it was time. She just loved it when she got into her new seat and could see what was going on. Just make sure, like with all seats, it's a safe one and that you buckle it in right.

Megan - posted on 03/10/2010

the best thing to do is check w/ red cross or the police department on the laws in your local area. there is also the standard car seat requirements say at least 12 mo. and 20 lbs but that rear is considered safer as long as it can be done. Many pple flip the car seat early, i waited as long as i could.......if ur are carrying that baby in a infant seat, i'd like some of your strength. LOL

Jessica - posted on 03/09/2010

Children should be kept rear facing for as long as possible. Please go to carseatsafety.org for additional information, you can also search youtube for videos that show you how dangerous it is for a young child to be forward facing too soon, they can be internally decapitated, this is because the majority of collisions are front end collisions which cause the internal decapitation. There are SEVERAL car seats now that are rated for up to between 35-40lbs rear facing and it is OK if their legs have to be crossed while sitting. I have a Safety First Complete Air that goes up to 40lbs rear facing and then forward facing up to 50lbs. You can also use it on infants as little as 5lbs, so it is a very versatile car seat that will last you a long time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 1 year AND 20lbs, but also states that they should be rear facing for as long as possible. I don't understand why people would choose to turn their babies forward just because they like it better?!?! REALLY PEOPLE? So if your child likes to run around with scissors are you going to let them because they like too? To me it is no different. Please do your own research and don't listen to people, especially the ones who tell you they turned their 8 or 9 months old forward facing because they were uncomfortable and too squished in their infant carriers! We had the same problem because we had a Chicco Key Fit 30, and when he outgrew that we bought the Safety First Seat which still allowed us to keep in rear facing, problem solved! My son is 15 months old and about 24lbs and still rear facing and will continue to be rear facing as long as he is under the weight and height conditions for the rear facing position, if you never turn them around they don't know any different! CAN EVERYONE PLEASE JUST DO WHAT IS SAFEST AND BEST FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND NOT WHAT IS MORE FUN AND EASIEST FOR YOU!

Amanda - posted on 03/09/2010

My daughter is 16 months old and she has been forward facing since she was about a year. She was 21lbs so she met all the requirements. But when she was about 4 months old she was hanging off her infant carrier so we put her in a rear facing convertible seat. She was much happier with that seat than her infant seat, but since she has been facing forward she really is a joy to ride with. Plus since she was over 32" when she was a year old she didnt have much leg room and was very uncomfortable. Do your research on the matter and come to your own conclusion but I would at least obey the law. I always tell my friends that are becoming new moms to do what they think is best after all they are mom and if they listen to everyone else they will never be able to please everyone.

Rebecca - posted on 03/09/2010

im in australia also and my son was able to go in a forward facing seat before 6 months as it is based on the head control of the individual child. although the seat was forward facing it is still not completely upright (it tilts back slightly)- and our seat is convertible and meets all australian safety standards (they have changed the law this month stating that they must be rear facing until 6 months). i cant imagine him still being in a rear facing seat - he is way to big and loves looking out the window. he is 15 months and is 11.2kgs - and tall for his age. (obviously if your in the US you must follow your current laws), but anyone in australia, please note that the new laws are 6 months and i believe 8kgs.

Marlaina - posted on 03/09/2010

When I asked my son's doctor the same question, he had to be 20 lbs and a year old. Even though he was at the right weight, he wasn't old enough. Just an FYI

Ingy - posted on 03/09/2010

I read its safer rear faced as long as possible. Unfortunately,I had to change it for my daughter at 14 mnths although she weighed 8.8kg cause she hated it. She was too old mentally for the rear faced seat, she wanted to look around and c ppl!! So we got her the front facing 1 (9-18 kg) and she stands it better. As long as ur daughter handles it well and she isn't over the restricted weight keep her in z infant seat safer. Even after that, there r seats that r rear faced (0-18kg) also recommended if the child has no prob facing backwards.

Julie - posted on 03/08/2010

My daughter's pedeatritian said they changed the reccomendation till 2 yrs. old. It used to be one yr and 20 lbs.

Amy - posted on 03/08/2010

Wow! I can't even imagine having my 16 month old in a rear facing car seat. The laws in Australia state that they must be 9kg and have good head control to be turned around. My son was this before he was 6 months old! I wouldn't want to endanger him in anyway but he simply would not fit in and infant seat now.

Beth - posted on 03/08/2010

we turned ours around when they protested to being backwards. Our first simply was not comfortable being rear facing because her feet were touching the seat and she felt trapped, she got turned around at 11 months (23 lbs). Our youngest got turned around at 14 months simply because she was getting into fights with her sister, she is 16 months now and would prolly still be rear facing if not for that.

Jen - posted on 03/04/2010

The NEW recomendation is 24 months, no matter the weight. Keep her backwards!!!!

Cathy - posted on 03/03/2010

We are rear facing in a convertible seat not one of those infant carry seats. Yes my daughter out grew that at about 9 months of age but it was not and is not safe for her to be forward facing. We will keep her rear facing until she hits the limits which for our seat is 35lbs. And walking really has nothing to do with car seats. Kids will walk when they are good and ready and not before.

Micah - posted on 03/03/2010

You can have a convertible seat that faces the back. It's not lazy, it's what's safest. My son has never forward faced and started walking at 9 months.

Liz - posted on 03/03/2010

My daughter is 15 months also ( 27lbs) I changed her car seat to foward when she was about 8 months. She was way to big for the carry on car seat. I didn't relize it until i accepted the fact that she was not a new born anymore and way to big for a carrier.lol
I feel like some moms dont let there babies grow out of those carriers.Its kinda shows lazyness when you see a child between 11-15 months old in a shopping cart and there legs are hanging out. :(
My husbands cousin has her baby in the carrier 24/7 and that baby is 15 months and doesnt even walk. My daughter started walking at 9 months .I feel like the car seat should be swapped out at about 8-9 months because this has a huge impact on how baby learns to move there limbs.
I bought a really nice car seat at target for about 50 bucks and it is wonderful. we actually have 2 one for each car and they are so much easier ...you dont have to carry an extra 10-15 lbs of weight on your arm. Hope this was helpful! :)

Micah - posted on 03/03/2010

The law is 1 year and 20 lbs. But the safest thing is to keep your child rear facing as long as possible. Up to 4 years if possible. There are convertible car seats that go up to 45 lbs rear facing.

Kelly - posted on 03/03/2010

My son is almost 29 pounds and still rearfacing...I bought him a seat that will rearface untill 45 pounds, but once his head has less then 1 inch of hard car seat shell above his head then I will have to turn him forward.....He was forward in my sisters car this weekend and it made me really nervous...I actually reinstalled the seat in her car so he could be rearfacing....
The AAP (American Acadmey of Pediarics) recommends rearfacing untill 2 years and 30 pounds....

Rachel - posted on 03/01/2010

My pediatrician told me they have changed the requirement to 2yrs of age. I'm not sure my son will be able to sit backwaeds for 2 yrs bc his feet are running out of room-but thats the new recommendation

Erica - posted on 02/26/2010

This is also a great resource for questions and tips: http://www.car-seat.org/

My little ones are almost 16 months and still rear-facing. I will rear-face them to the limits of their seats (they will probably outgrow them by height before weight, they are so tall!). Depending on when they outgrow their seats I might flip them or buy a seat with a taller shell/higher rear facing weight limit.

Also, my understanding is that infant carriers aren't recommended to be used after 12 months. I had to switch my kiddos to convertibles at 6 months because they were so cranky in the infant seats!

Jazi - posted on 02/26/2010

This is rather an interesting topic to see as I was at a Child Seat Safety Class this afternoon with my Sister who just gave birth to my niece on 2/12. These people gave a TON of information stratigies for getting your car seat installed correctly (98% of people don't strap them in tight enough)

with regards to turning to face forward - the reccomendation is to wait as long as possible. Use an infant seat until they grow out of it and then switch to a transitional car seat the does both rear and front facing. Try to find a model that has a high rear facing weight and strap it down as tight as possible. (the guys were actually climbing into the carseat and pressing it down with a 80 - 90 lbs of force while tightening the straps)

The muscles in a child's neck are not as ready to deal with the shock of a sudden stop or wiplash type movement as an adult. the neck muscles stregthen more as time goes on.

Oh one other good tip from this class - buy an extra carseat base if you use two vehicles regularly for transporting - or two carseats. it helps to make sure that they are correctly installed all the time - rather than risking a poor instalation.

good luck - Jazi
Mom to Zander.
aunt to Tessa

Marcia T - posted on 02/26/2010

My son is 15 mo old and weighs only about 19 pounds. I still have him rear facing but he hasn't been in the infant seat since his 1st birthday. For his birthday, I bought him a nice Alpha Omega Elite car seat for about $99 that can keep him rear facing for up to 33 lbs. It gives him plenty of room to grow but keeps him safe. Of course he isn't big enough to go forward facing, but even when he hits 20 pounds, I plan to hold off on turning him around. For safety reasons.



At one point, I was actually eager to turn him around b/c I thought it would make him happier. Then I started searching on the internet and discovered some scary stuff. The thing about internal decapitation, there is a video on youtube about a young boy who got in a car accident and dislocated his neck b/c he was thrown forward in his seat so hard. The car seat harness protected him, but his neck and head aren't strapped in. It is really Scary stuff and makes a lot of sense if you think about it. If you search youtube for extended rear facing, there are a lot of educational videos to get you informed.



The other day, I was so relieved that I had him rear-facing b/c I suddenly had to slam hard on brakes to avoid hitting a car that stopped without warning in front of us. It jolted me pretty bad, but he didn't even notice it b/c he was facing backwards and it only jerked him a little. I just couldn't stop thinking about how he would have been effected if he was turned the other way.



To each his own though so if you turn her around, at least wait until she is 20 pounds.

Anne - posted on 02/26/2010

Freddie was to big for his backward facing car seat at 4 months and we didnt know what seat to get next but a neughbourgave us theirs (which was still in box-a spare for grans car) but it was 9months to 4 years- we didnt know anybetter so he has been in that ever since-he is now 15 months x

Angela - posted on 02/26/2010

The weight restriction in the US is 20 pounds and 1 year of age minimum (as some have posted before). It is also highly recommended that you leave your child rear facing as long as possible. The Britax marathon car seat we have had for our child since birth goes up to 35 pound rear facing. Every car seat has a different weight rating for rear facing and front facing, be sure to read those labels carefully. If you leave the car seat rear facing beyond the listed rating, or turn it around before the listed rating you would be using the car seat not as intended or tested by the manufacturer.

If you want more information a good place to start is here:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT...

The nhtsa has a lot more good information on their webiste, but the address above has the basics.

Evelyn - posted on 02/26/2010

you certainly have to look at the car seat and see what the weight goes up to because there is certainly a weight restriction but if she looks like she doesn't have any room back there then you might want to take that into consideration.

Randi - posted on 02/25/2010

We got a new carseat when my daughter was 20 lbs. She was 7 months old when that happened. They still will tell you that kids under 30 lbs should have rear facing toddler seats because their neck and spine arent developed enough to endure a head on car crash. Mine just got up to 30 lbs so she is facing front now. I would go ahead and get a bigger seat for her but keep her rear facing. Sounds like she is a pretty small child. :)

Amanda - posted on 02/25/2010

All these moms are right, if your daughter is still tiny/petite then she should be rear facing. My son is 15 months old and 28 pounds and 35 inches tall! I have him forward facing, I may get a lot of flack for this, however, when your child is that tall its really not practical to have him rear facing. It just depends on your specific situation!

Ashley - posted on 02/25/2010

my son was 20 lbs by his first birthday so we put him in the "big boy" carseat at that time. i based it off reccommendations on the carseats and the law, as well as the fact that his legs were way too long in the rear-facing. if i were you i'd wait until she hits the 20-lb mark and then turn her around. i've also heard that if your child's feet hang off the end of the rear-facing by over 1 or 2 inches, they are big enough to be turned around as well. so if she's short enough and under 20 lbs, just wait it out.

Toni - posted on 02/25/2010

my son is 15 months old weight 24 lbs and has been facing forward since he was 10 months old, the car seat we bought whene he was 10 months could only face forward and didnt come with a weight guide it just sed suitable from 9 months to 4 yrs. he loves facing forward so he can look at the front window at the other cars

Melanie - posted on 02/25/2010

Hi in Australia the Infants need to be 17 lbs or 8kgs before they can be faced forward really depends on the country your in the laws you have and the car seat manufacturer

Jody - posted on 02/25/2010

My son is 15 months and still rear facing, Im just not ready for the front facing yet. I know its safer and that is enough reason for me. I would definetly get a new carseat. My son was so happy to be in his "big boy" car seat. Just getting them out of the infant carseat is so nice, less convient but nice for them. We are lucky because Ian is happy in the car but if you have a kid thats not happy get a dvd layer,lol, its a great little tool!!!

Jamie - posted on 02/24/2010

I know in the US the child has to be 20 pounds AND 1 year. My son is still in his rear facing because he is a year, but not 20 pounds. I feel bad for him, because he looks squished (even though the carseat is rated to 25 lbs) but I refuse to move him to a forward facing until he meets the requirements.

Megan - posted on 02/23/2010

you run the risk of internal decapitation and serious bodily harm by turning your baby around before they are weight 40 to 45 lbs and they should be in a 5 point harness until they are 65 lbs. it is amazing to me that people would risk the life of their child just b/c it is more convenient for the parent to have their child face forward and in the US you are breaking the law by turning your child around if they are less than a year of age and less that twenty lbs, they need to be both in order to turn them around. these standards fall extremely short of world standards. the argument for squished legs, I would much rather have broken legs than a broken neck if we are in a car accident.

Leah - posted on 02/23/2010

I think theres different restrictions on different makes and types. my one had a restiction of 28lb but we brought him a foreward facing one at the age of 9 months. although he was only about 20lb he was getting a bit long for it so we brought him a bigger forward facing one for 9months-4years. he absolutly loved facing forwards and a couple of times we used the old one he screamed and screamed! so there no going back now! i think it would be a very good idea to get her a new one or if your old one is safe to do so, turn it round. x

Megan - posted on 02/22/2010

leave her rear facing as long as possible. the norm in the rest of the world is two, sometimes longer. they can be internally decapitated if they are turned around to soon and you are in an accident. it is much safer for them refacing despite what the drs say. they are just plain wrong on this one.

Cathy - posted on 02/22/2010

Most states it is 1 year and 20lbs. It is recommended that a child stay rear facing as long as possible. My daughter is almost 15 months and about 23 lbs and is still rear facing. When she outgrew her infant seat (Graco SnugRide) we bough Britax Marathon seats which go rear facing to 33lbs and then forward facing until 65lbs. There are many convertible car seats on the market that go both rear and forward facing. My in laws have the Graco Comfortsport and that is nice too and not as expensive. We don't plan on turning my daughter around for while maybe whe she is closer to 2.

Andrea - posted on 02/22/2010

I know there is a weight restriction but you should check for your community. there is also some on the car seat them selfs.