"Carseat Question" - Aliquippa,PA

The recommendation is to keep them rear-facing until 2yo. It has nothing to do with height or weight and everything to do with the necks in her muscles being able to support her head in a crash. Google "internal decapitation."

My dd was tall for her age and her legs were definitely tucked in. But she stayed backward until 2yo.

The recommendation changed at some point after 2009. My first daughter (born in 2007) was rear-facing only until she was 1yo.

Keep her rear facing as long as you can. I didn't turn my daughter untl she was almost 3 and a half and then it was by necessity because the twins wer born and I couldn't fit 3 rear facing seats in the car.

Think about it this way, would you rather she have a broken neck or a broken leg?

My DD was 4.5 before I turned her around. Your DD will be fine if you leave her RF and she will learn where to put her feet. I kept DD's shoes on, and she usually hung her feet off the sides of the seat. Leave her RF for a while. She'll work it out.

It is much safer to keep her rear-facing as long as possible. As her legs get longer, she will naturally bend or cross them. Internal decapitation is possible in an accident when a child is forward facing because their heads are heavy compared to their small neck. Google Joel's journey for more information about this.

Please do not forward-face a child before age 4 if you can help it. Obviously some kids will outgrow the seat by height and weight before then.

17 months? She should rear-face a long time yet. Plus, she does not even meet the FF height requirement, which is a huge red flag. Don't FF her!

Her feet are fine. She can cross them or whatever. What matters is her neck and spine, and FF, in a crash, she can break her neck in an instant. That's why it's important to stay RF as long as possible. Age 3 or 4 are ideal...

Please, please do not turn her around because you think she is squished. Children are very, very flexible. She can crisscross her legs or hang them over the sides. My 2yo 30lb son is still rear facing and will continue to do so until he reaches the maximum height/weight for rear facing in his current seat. Why do the minimum? Just because she's over the age of 1 and 20lbs doesn't mean it's safer for her to be forward facing. It's more about the muscles in the neck and the stability of the neck. It has nothing to do with weight or height. Like Jill said go to you tube and google Joel's journey and you'll understand why the standard has changed. But be warned it's heartbreaking.

I turned my girls around once they got age/weight - it is just fine.

How old is your daughter? I thought for forward/rear facing, age was a factor to let their neck muscles develop enough to handle forward facing? It may have changed by now. It's been a few years for me!

Sorry, should have read the question more closely. As long as the harness fits properly, I would switch it around since she meets the other req's.

My dd was long and skinny so I turned her face forward before the age and weight because her legs were scrunched and she would cry. As soon as i turned her face forward she was happy.

It's terrible that you have to ask people not to jump on you for asking a question. I don't know why the idiots just don't skip the question if they don't have an answer. As for your daughter do what you think is best. I can't see the reason to make her uncomfortable just because she isn't the right length.

If she meets the age and weight requirement I'd turn her around. If not she can bend her legs until she does. Thats what I would go by.

My youngest is 4, so the requirements might have changed, but when he was that age there was not height requirement.

The carseat itself is going to fit her the same whether she is forward facing or rear facing. If she fits in the carseat just fine right now, she will fit just fine when you turn her around.

The age and weight requirements set by the American Academy of Pediatrics are based on the motion of the car during an accident. If they've added height requirements since my child was young (which is entirely possible), then that's what you want to pay attention to.

My point is this, find out what the American Academy of Pediatrics (not the manufacturer) recommends. They are your go to in this situation.

Need more info. How old is your daughter? (This is the most important). What does she weigh? What seat is it?

I would not put her forward facing if she is under the height requirement of the specific seat. And I can almost guarantee you that, even if you do get the company on the phone/email, they will tell you the same because, legally, they are probably obligated to.

Unless she is complaining, her legs probably don't bother her as much as it looks like they should. The kids are usually more comfortable than they appear.

Where I live in Pennsylvania, the state requirement for a rear-facing seat is 20lbs and 1 year old. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you leave your child in a rear-facing seat until age 2. However, they also say that if your child has outgrown the height and weight specifications on the seat, then it is ok to put them in a forward-facing seat with a proper restraint system before the age of 2. If you can find out the height and weight specifications of the seat, I would go by that.