Forward Facing Carseat - Oxford,MI

A year and/or 20 for forward facing convertible seat is right. I was the same way when I bought the pretty girly Britax carseat but fortunately I was able to fit it in my Explorer rear facing so I got to use it earlier. Trust me the time will fly and you will get a years of use from the new seat. Better to wait and be safe.

Baby must be at least 20 lbs and she must be a year old is what the law states, but now they're saying if you can keep her facing backwards til 30 lbs do it if possible.

ya the rules are now 1 year AND over 20lbs...my son is 21lbs already but my pediatrician told me to keep him rear facing til he's a year old.

One Year AND 20 lbs. Not one or the other. It must be both.

Jennifer is correct. You have to be 20 pounds AND one year of age before switching to forward facing.

Good luck.
M. M.

At least 20 Lbs and one year of age. Regardless of what their weight is, before one year, their neck muscles are not developed enough to take on possible whiplash if you did get into a wreck.

Yes, you love the carseat, but since you love your daughter more :D keep her rear facing as long as possible. 1yr and 20lbs is the bare minimun safety requirement!

22 pounds is the absolute minimum, I normally wait till about 2 years. Rear facing is the safest! I was in an accident this past winter and my baby in her rear face set did not even feel anything she slept through it because her head did not fly forward in the crash. Don't rush it.

Please go to these links before you do anything. It will help you make a decision!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4xhLYXtnsE&NR=1

Best of Mothering,
M. - Mother of 4
Harley 6, Morgan Dee 4, Lucas 22 months, Gigi 3 month

You have to wait until she is a year old and 20 pounds before she should be facing forward.

A. -

I have this same car seat and also had difficulty using it as a rear facing seat, but it can be done. I took the base off of mine and the manufacturer suggested using a rolled up towel to recline it. That didn't work so well, so I went to a safety car seat check and they used noodles.

Your daughter needs to be at least 20lbs and 1 year old before you can turn her around and face forward. If you need assistance in getting the car seat to face backwards, I would suggest going to http://www.safekidslakeshore.org/ or http://grandrapidssafekids.org/ to find a car seat check near you. They are great at helping you install the seat properly.

BTW - I absolutely love my car seat!

J.

You can only start using a forward facing car seat when the child turns 1. You can use it rear facing from 20 lbs on up. My daughter was so big by 6 months, I had to put her in the bigger rear facing car seat. She was to big for her infant seat. It was a little more of a pain to get her in, but safety comes first. I also have an envoy, have you tried putting it in? I'm not sure how it will fit forward facing if the back is to high for rear facing. The car is the same height all over. You might want to give it a try.
Have a good day,
J.

hi A.
you have heard right you half to be both one year old and twenty pounds that is what the law say it can't be one or the other it neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed to be both well i hope i helped you well good luck

State Law says 20lbs AND 1 year of age. This is because your childs bones are still forming and hardening. She cannot withstand a crash front facing-It could snap her neck. Keep her rear facing as long as you can. If you ask your health care proffessional they will tell you the same. Your childs life and well-being is not worth switching it around early. I hope that you like it better than the others who bought it, the site I looked it up on didn't have much positive about it, and cool looking does not always equal functional.
Good luck,
C.

Your doctor would totally frown on the idea of you putting your daughter in a forward facing carseat right now. For your daughters safty, I would just wait until she is one. When you take her in for her age one check up, the doc will tell you to turn the carseat or wait if she is really little.

the child must be 20 pounds and 1 year.

she can ride in the cool comfy seat backwards until she is both 20 pounds and 1 year.

I think the alpha omega is a larger seat so it might not fit in all cars that well.

Keep her rear facing as long as you possibly can. You'll be able to use the Omega a lot longer after that. Your child's safety should be your first concern. Contact www.nhtsa.com for a local car seat inspector.

You should always go with what the carseat manufacturer states. Usually the carseat comes with a booklet that while let you know what the tested limits are.

ditto the others! 20lbs and 1 year. I've been told prior to the year mark a babes neck muscles are not strong enough and an accident would be much worse in a forward facing seat.

i have that same car seat and i love it! although i have it forward facing now for my 15 month old son. i did have it rear facing in the middle in the back seat of my jeep though and it did fit!

It is my understanding that you need to wait until they are 1 year old due to the strength of the muscles in their neck. It is more of a stability thing than an age thing.

I agree with the others at LEAST 1 year AND 20+ lbs. I just want to clarify though... no matter how strong the muscles are in your babies neck won't matter so much. Some babies (like mine) have extreamly good head and neck control by 6 months. It's the calsification of the bones. The bones cannot withstand the impact until after a years worth of calsification, and then it's a much better success rate fwd facing. If they are rear facing (and too tall as some parents have tall kids) they *might* break a leg rear facing. If your child is forward facing too soon they *might* break their neck. I'd MUCH prefer to have my childs leg casted then see them in traction for months in the hospital or dead. I know it sound HORRIFIC as a parent. I just wanted to explain why so you know the importance.

Make sure whatever seat you have your child in during the rest of this year goes up to her weight!! if it only goes to 20 lbs rear facing and she's 23lbs there's a problem. You could end up needing yet another seat (convertable?)

Best wishes,
C.

Babies should face backwards until they are a year old.

It is SO, SO, SO much safer for them to be rear facing. There are some crash test videos circulating on the net - do a search for them. The difference is just heart stopping. The child who is rear facing barely moves. The one who is forward facing is SO scary. I still have my 16 month old rear facing and I plan on keeping her that way for quite some time, she is still very comfortable.

I have to also add that it has nothing to do with the muscles in their neck - that is a common mistake that people make. It has to do with bone strength. The bones become strong enough at some time around one year, but you can't tell that without a bone scan. I have heard so many people say "Oh his/her neck control is great, so I put them forward facing early" Ugh. Can you tell this is a hot issue for me?! Keep your babies safe! :)

It is when they are one and over 20lb