I know you're supposed to wait until 12 months to switch a convertible carseat from rear facing to forward facing, but my son is 10 months old and 22lbs... is it still safer for him to be rear facing? The car seat says to face it forward at 12 months OR 15 lbs... so do I wait another 2 months before switching it, or should I go ahead and do it now?? (for someone who has 2 older kids, my memory sure does fail me at times like this!!) THANKS LADIES! :)
Thanks ladies for clearing that up. I promise, I have a brand new high rating carseat, LOL... I do have to slightly disagree with the people who say 'it's still safer to have them rear facing even if their legs are smashed up'... if you're hit from behind, the babys legs can very literally jam up into their body, possibly breaking their femurs and/or pelvis, and if the bone fragments shatter, they can tear through organs, causing internal bleeding, could possibly sever arteries, etc... but I am going by what the general consesus said: Wait until 12 months, 20 lbs, hopefully longer as long as my sons legs aren't cramping up ;) THANKS LADIES!!
Most pediatricians are now recommending rear facing until age two these days.
"Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a child's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat." car-safety.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo
Please watch this video on YouTube. There's a lot of great information, as well as video of FF vs RF carseats in crashes. I agree with PP's, they gave good advice on ERF. My ODS went to FF at 1 year, b/c that's what I thought he was supposed to do. But now that I've done more research, my YDS will be ERF as long as his car seat will allow (up to 40 lbs).
You're supposed to keep it rear facing for as long as possible -- at the very least wait til 12 months or 20 lbs (whatever comes later) but try to keep it rear facing up into the 2nd year of life, according to the AAP. Reason: if you ever get into a car crash, there's a MUCH greater chance of spinal cord injury if your baby is front facing given that many collisions are rear endings. If you think about where the impact is and which way your child's head would snap forward, you can see why. So try to keep it rear facing if your child still fits in that position!
Check out the above website. Please keep your child rear facing for as long as possible. This is the new recommendations from all pertinent groups and the above site will tell you why.
My DD was approaching 3 years old and 30 pounds when we turned her because she met the weight limit on her carseat, and at the time I was wishing I had one that was safe to 40 lbs rear facing. It is SO MUCH safer to be rear facing as long as possible!! I know people with 3 year olds rear facing. Wait as long as possible to turn the seat.
You are now recommended to keep your child rear-facing until they are 2 years old, AT LEAST. Most recommend you keep your child rear-facing as long as your carseat will allow it (for example, my Graco MyRide 65 is safe rear-facing up to 40 pounds). Your car seat is telling you it CAN be forward facing when your child reaches 1 year old, but it is absolutely not the safest option. There is a lot of research on this if you do a Google search, or just go to the AAP's website.
Definitely keep him rear facing!!! The American Academy of Pediatrics recently changed their recommendations: they now say keep your kids rear facing as long as possible (up to 30-35 pounds!). My son is 15 months old and 23 pounds, and he is still rear facing. We will keep him this way until he no longer fits length wise. The belief behind keeping them rear facing for longer is that their heads are still huge compared to their little necks, and whiplash is a real threat when they are facing forward. Google "rear facing carseats" for more info.
They actually say you should wait until at least 2 years old now to turn them so to answer your question it is NOT safe to turn your baby around infact most state laws say a child MUST BE BOTH 20 LBS AND 1 YEAR not one or the other.
edited: despite what you say it is safer to rear face even if their legs touch the seat most will sit cross legged instead and there is no documentation of even a broken leg with a child's feet touching the seat when rear facing. I'd rather mend a broken leg then a broken neck. The majority of accidents are front and side not rear impact.
http://www.homebizlifestyles.com/kyledavidmiller/car-seat...
it only makes sense to go by weight and size, not age.
khairete
S.
Children are always safer rear-facing until they reach the upper rear-facing weight limit of the seat, many of which are 30+ pounds. Also, if this is the same seat you used for your older kids, it may have expired. Convertible seats typically have a 5 year life while all-in-ones (ie: rear, forward, and booster) have a 10 year expiration date. If your seat has expired you might consider getting a new one with a higher rear-facing weight limit since it sounds like your little one isn't so little. :)
State regulations are changing and they are considering mandating rear-facing until 2 years instead of 12 months because they are so much safer that way.
Good luck.
You should buy a different carseat. Most newer carseats are rear facing until at least 20 lbs and most convertible carseats go up to 30 lbs rear facing. I've never seen one that only goes up to 15 lbs rear facing. It's not safe. Most state's laws require that the baby be 20 lbs AND 1 year old. At 10 months he doesn't have the muscle control that he'll have at 1. Rear facing is much much much safer for kids.
Car seats expire after 5 years. If you're using an old carseat, your child is not safe. You can buy convertible carseats at walmart for right around $50.00. We just bought a Cosco Triumph for my daughter and she likes it.
the law in most(all?) states is 12 months AND 20 pounds to turn forward facing. i'm curious to know if the car seat you have is a very old one to have such outdated safety information on it.
Rear facing is safer--but make sure he FITS the seat you have.
I cannot stress this enough: please, please PLEASE so to a free car seat inspection site and have them look at your car seat(s). Many, MANY well-meaning parents install/use car seats in a way that makes them less effective, even dangerous!
Find an inspector in your area at:
www.seatcheck.org
Good luck!
REAR FACE!!!! It is sooo much safer for your baby. Even at 12 months a babies neck is not strong enough to withstand a crash forward facing. Even our necks aren't strong enough, but they are stronger. My son is staying rear facing till he outgrows his rear facing weight. Even then I'll probably get a new seat that has a larger weight.
Watch this and you'll understand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8
Absolutely rear-facing, no question about it! Google some you-tube videos on this if you need to convince yourself. Rear-facing until at least a year.
Yes it is still safer for him to face backwards. It has to do with the development of neck and back muscles. My pediatrician said it is preferred to keep them rear facing until 2 but my son really wanted to look around so we switched him on his 1st birthday
the law says that they should be 1 before they are facing forward. cps says you should wait until your child is one AND weight the limit for the seat he's in to be facing backwards in...usually til about 30 to 35 pounds. then your child should stay in a 5 point harness til he is at least 5 and knows to stay put while in the car. then be put in a belt possitioner til he is 8 by va law.
NO NO No do not turn the seat until he is 12 months AND 20 lbs.
Please get a convertable seat like:
http://www.babyage.com/search.aspx?Query=alpha+omega&...
The babies muscles are not ready for a forward facing seat until 12 months. If you were to get into an accident lord forbid he will get REALLY hurt. Please Please Please wait the 2 months.
I use to manage a boutique baby supply store where we were certified to install car seats. Denise had some great advise! Most local police or DMV offices offer free carseat installs. It's worth the visit. Wherever you get the help from make sure they are certified. It was always amazing to me how many people had carseats installed incorrectly. It seems like it should be simple, but it's confusing.
Take Care!
There has been an update-rear facing until two years old! Just found this out with first grandchild! We read the instructions that came with the car seat-and 2 is the new standard. In the olden days-it was 6 months!
On Myth Busters they simulated a plane crash by dropping their crash dummies from a height in a plane looking shell and had some rear facing and some front facing. The rear facing ones had minimal damage where the front facing dummies were totally torn up...it is fact that rear facing is better for everyone.
The bigger convertible car seats that are for actual babies/toddlers and not the infant carriers are made for babies that are larger and still rear facing. They take up tons of space and don't fit in a lot of smaller cars but they fit the child much better and protect them too. Sounds like that is what you might have, keep the child rear facing as long as possible, even after a year of age.
I have been told by my pediatrician, and also read in literature that REAR facing is ALWAYS safest for children of this age group. In fact, many people say to keep your kids rear facing for as long as you possibly can. I would definately wait to turn him forward.....maybe buy a new car seat that faces both ways if you are concerned with the safety of your current seat.
Best wishes!
