When to Turn My Car Seat Forward

My doctor told me it was more about head control. And my cousins baby was a early walker I believe 9mos. so she had great head control and her doctor as well said it was ok. I turned my daughter around at probaly around 8 or 9 mos. My daughter was a chunky chunky baby and her legs interferred with the seat being backwards. My daughter was well over 20lbs. I felt comfortable doing so and would do it again if I had the exact same situation. If I have another child that is a beanpole and light I probaly wouldn't do so.
I have tried, bought, and borrowed so many carseats I'd say atleast 10 and my daughter is 4yrs.old and I only like Graco and Britax. My daughter has been uncomfortable in others, they didn't fit right, or she has actually broken two carseats. With Graco and Britax I've never had a problem. My daughter is average size and will be 5yrs.old next month and she is still in the Britax Marathon and I'm not taking her out til she wants out and so far she has preferred that to several highback booster's we've tried. Just my opinion!

HE has to be both--over 20 lbs AND one year.

He needs to be 20# AND at least 12 months old to face forward. Keep it rear facing until he meets BOTH criteria, when he is 12 months (since he's already >20#).

I had the same problem with my son. I felt more comfortable waiting until his 1 year checkup. The doctor said he can face the front and we switched his car seat in the parking lot.

Hi A.,
It is still state law that he be facing to the rear.
Here is a great link from the state's website regarding safety seats for kids.
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/vehicle/child/docs/bo...

K.

It was always stressed to us when we had carseat checkups that it has to be both 20 lbs and a year old before they can face forward. If you already have the convertable carseat is it most likely able to be installed in a rear facing position-check the manual. Our boys out grew the carrier carseat very fast and we just used the next carseat in a rear facing position until they reached one year.

The weight thig is not really all that accurate and I wish company's would be more specific on the guidelines. If your son is tall like my daughter was then their legs can sometimes feel cramped being backwards. But really it is all about neck control. Don't fool yourself though, just because your son sits upright, or even starts walking doesn't mean they have enough spinal control to help them in a crash. really you should ask your sons pediatrician if he is physically ready to be forward-facing or not. Also, for help on carseats and more info you may need in the future check out www.carseatdata.org
I have found it to be a great resource, hope you do too.

*~J.~*

A.,

They have to be at least one year old AND 20 pounds. Actually research is saying the longer they can stay rear facing the better. Do you have an infant car seat? If so I would upgrade to a convertable carseat and put it facing for a while and make sure it is approved for rear facing up to like 30-35 pounds. My daughter was a peanut, but I kept her rear facing til she was 2. She was like 25 pounds. It is safer. We have a Britex roundabout and we love it, they are expensive but worth the money!

Hope this helps!
Shelly

I had the same issue with my son...he was long and big. We bought a Britax Roundabout and we really like it...I wish I had spent the extra 50 or so dollars to get the Marathon...it has a higher weight limit. We used it rear facing until he was about 13 months. Britax is more expensive but SO worth it (very high safety rating and so easy to use).

I think MN law now says 1 year and 20 lbs to turn forward. There are plenty of convertible seats out there that do that. You place them rear till they are a year, or ready to go front and then turn it around and it can be adjusted to fit that way.

Good luck.

We had the same issue with my daughter. We found it was best to follow the instructions on the seat. The seat can't tell that your infant is 2 months shy of being a year, it can't tell time, but we decided to switch because we figured if we were in an accitent, it might be more dangerous if she wasn't fitting into the carseat correctly, not that she's not 1 yet. You could run it past your pediatritian as well, but I think the reason that 1 year is the benchmark is because the spine on a baby will be more fully developed and could withstand some impact without spinal damage (of course depending on the seriousness of the accident). If your child is a big baby, like mine was, chances are his spine will be more developed than your average 10 month old. But, again, I'd double check with your pediatrition, and if you choose to switch seats, drive extra careful or as little as possible for the next 2 months, to ease your mind and heart.

You should not turn the seat around to facing forward until your child is 1 yr. Their neck muscles are not considered strong enough to survive a collision or a slam on the brakes. I know it doesn't seem like much time but for a young child it is a great amount of time. If you consider how only six months changes a babies muscle ablity from birth so they are able to sit up on their own and in another 6 months they are able to stand and walk, you can realize that 2 months of development is a lot. My son was also on the high side of all the growth charts so I looked into it a lot and consulted physicians. We had bought one of the bucket style car seats with the handle that has age limits up to 1 yr but my son was too tall for it at 5 months. We looked carefully for a sit up car seat to get the highest requirements for reverse that they made and we still had the problem that you do -his feet pushed on the seat at 10 months. It may be hard for a while to get him in and to make sure he is comfortable but in the event of an accident he is safer in reverse.

I personally would wait and did wait. With both of my children I waited. The reASON WHY THEY HAVE THEM FACING BACKWARDS IS BECAUSE THEIR spinal cord and neck muscles aren't fully develpoed. Meaning if they were to face forward before being developed and you were rear ended, serious damage could happen(it could happen either way, but might as well be as safe as possible) I once read something about facing backwards vs. forwards and it would be safer if everyone could face backwards while in the car!

Hi A.-
It's time to move to a convertable carseat.

These can face backwards and then at 1 year they turn and face forwards.

www.elitecarseat.com

has great info and seats available. Shipping is free and when I called to talk to someone they were very helpful and patient with me.

I love the Britax, Combi and the Evenflo Titan carseats. Britax and Evenflos are also available at Target, babies r us etc.

Consumer reports website also has good information.

Hope this is helpful to you!

J.
mom of a 2 year old and a baby any day now!!

I am a licensed daycare provider who has taken car seat safety classes, and even though your son is 24 lbs. he still has to face the back until he's a year old. His neck muscles are not strong enough to support his head if you were to be in an accident.

I'm a mother of four and you should wait until he is a year old. The rule is 20lbs. and a year old not one or the other.

Is there a weight and height or if the child reaches 20lbs. the height doesn't matter it's whatever comes first? I'm not sure so you may want to call the local police department and see if they have someone who inspects car seats and you could just ask them. I'd say wait one year.

Dear A.,
As improper carseat use is the number 1 cause of death in young children, I would suggest you take it to your local fire department. They are highly trained and should also properly install the carseat for you.

Hope this helps- K.

According to every pediatrician that I have talked to they should be a year old, regardless of their weight. I also spoke with a person that does the car seat safety training and she suggested having them rear facing until they were 18 months.

Your child should remain facing backwards until he/she is 20lbs AND 1 year old. I actually just confirmed this with my pediatrician friend.

It sounds like you are still using a baby carrier type car seat. Baby must face backwards until at least 12 months. Longer if at all possible as it is safer for them in a crash. It doesn't matter that his feet touch, but his head should be at least 1 inch from the top of the back of the carseat. You may have to get a convertible carseat now. That is one that can be installed both forward and rear facing and they have higher weight limits. Good luck.

Hi A.,

Your little man needs to stay rear facing until minimum 1 year and 20lbs. New state law that went into effect June 1 of this year. Is he still in an infant seat only? Most convertible seats go up to about 30 or 35 lbs rear facing. In any case, within just a couple months you will be needing a new seat, why not splurge on one now that has a higher weight limit. I don't mean to sound preachy - it's just that I'm a child seat inspector for my local police department.

Hope this helps - A.

If you child is long enough you can turn them. Before you do ask the Dr., they have an idea about YOUR child.

Hi A.-
Our daughter was the same way. We asked our doctor as well as the car care check people down at Children's Hospital. They informed us 1 year. It is not so much their weight as their muscles in the neck. At about 11 1/2 months those muscles become strong enough that if you were in an accident they should be able to recover, but not until that time.
I know it is tough!!! Our daughter REALLY wanted to be able to see outside where we were going not where we had been. Hang in there. You really don't want to do it to soon and have something happen.
R.

Our son was a little over 20 months and his feet were touching the seat. I would ask your Doctor about it first. I hope this helped a little

Convertable car seats can face the back until the child is ready to be in a front-facing car seat so that safety is maintained always. I kept my poor daughter rear-facing for a bit longer (probably until 16 months) because it is safer for them and I'm a nervous nellie. I used a Britax convertable seat -- it's a bit pricey, but it's worked beautifully. My daughter is 4, tall for her age, and just outgrowing the seat now.

While I realize that the new 'law' says you must keep them rear-facing until they're 1 year AND 20#, I turned my son forward facing after his 9 month check-up with the ok of his Dr. because he was too long for rear-facing and he was screaming the whole time in the car because he wanted to see us.

Remember also, that as recently as 1980, babies didn't even need to be in carseats. I sat, buckled in, in the front seat and my husband was laid on the bench seat of a pickup truck.

Oh how far we have come.

I hate to tell you, but its time for a new car seat. The most important part of the rear facing seat is the baby's age. Baby's neck muscles are not developed enough to withstand a car crash forward facing until at least one year old, the likely hood of severe neck/head trauma is huge.
I went to a car seat clinic put on by the fire department, and they said its even best to keep them rear facing after age one, as long as possible. Most convertible car seats are rated for rear facing up to 30 pounds and most kids are about 2 before that happens.