Carseat Trouble? Confusion?

They must be BOTH 1 year AND 20lbs! AT LEAST! I have heard it is fine if there legs touch the back seat - they are still safer. If you are tired of the infant carrier there are several convertible seats that give them more room and can then be switched forward facing when they are ready.

Here is the website for the Child Restraint Laws in Texas:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_inform...

"Phase 1 - Rear-Facing Seats - Infants: Birth - 35 pounds. Rear-facing infant or rear-facing convertible safety seat as long as possible,up to the rear-facing height or weight limit of the seat. Properly install rear-facing in the back seat."

I have Britax for both my 2 yr old and 4 yr old....They are awesome--and totally worth the money!!!!

Keep them facing back for as long as you can-it is much safer for them.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR OWN STATE LAW! Every state is *different*!

Every State has its own laws regarding when a child can be in a front-facing configuration (some have minimum weight restrictions, some have age restrictions, some have both...and some (like IL) do not have these restrictions.) Unfortunately, most Moms do not know the actual law in their own state. Try googling "Texas State Police Car Seat Law" or something like that.

That being said...Much recent research and testing has shown that children are *significantly* safer in rear-facing configuration. As long as your child has not outgrown the weight and length limits of his rear-facing seat, the recommendation is to keep them rear-facing as long as possible.

I chose to go from infant carrier to a convertible car seat. One of my children outgrew the infant carrier at 6 months and my other at 11 months. A "convertible car seat" means that it can be positioned rear-facing until a certain height/weight, and then can face forward through a certain weight (usually 40 or 65 lbs depending on the seat) My convertible seat can take a child through 65 lbs, so I can keep them in a 5-point harness as long as possible. I think I kept mine rear-facing through 18 months.

Well the new recommendation by the AAP is to rear face until a child is at least 2. They now makes seats that can rear face to 35/40lbs. The minimum (and law) is 20 lbs AND 1 yr but why do the minimum? When it comes to my children's safety I go above and beyond. My 8 almost 9 yr old is in a booster (just recently backless) and my 3.5 yr old did not go forward facing until right around 3.
edited: I wanted to add that even if your child's legs touch the back of the seat when rear facing it is STILL SAFER. I'd rather chance a broken leg then a broken neck.

The law is both 20 lbs AND one year to face forward, but I feel the longer they are rear-facing, the better. It's about their neck and spine control and development, which is still pretty tender at one. I know so many moms that say their kid turned around on the first birthday and loves being forward. Of course they do! But they don't know what they are missing before then so you are not being cruel or doing them a disservice to not switch them yet. You are being loving by putting safety first!

We turned my son around when he was about 26 months. His legs were actually getting too long to rear-face on our skinny back seat. If we had a larger car or car seat where he could have had more room, he'd still face the back!

As for the carrier, he was out of that around 8 or 9 months. We simply faced a convertible car seat backwards then turned it around when we needed to.

Like the PPs said, your next step is what's called a "convertible" seat, a harnessed seat that can be used rear-facing or forward facing. Here is a nice list of safety benefits of keeping a child rear-facing past the *minimum * of 1 year and 20 lbs.: http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-you... and a list of some recommended car seats from the Certified Child Passenger Safety Techs at carseatblog here http://carseatblog.com/carseatblogcoms-recommended-car-se...

As Rachel said, the latest recommendations are for little ones to stay rear-facing until *at least* age 2! They are far safer in the rear-facing position. There has never been a reported incident of a broken leg due to rear-facing. But there are lots of reports of head and neck trauma and serious injury or worse when the little ones are in an accident and they are forward facing.

My almost 28 month old is still rear-facing and she is in the 95th percentile for height. So the long legs excuse really goes out the window as a reason to turn them around.

Take a look at this site:

http://www.joelsjourney.org/

Watch the crash test videos. It very clearly shows the force of an accident is horrible when a little one is forward-facing but they barely move when they are still rear-facing.

It's our job and responsibility to keep up with the latest findings and recommendations from the experts to keep our little ones safe. And currently that means rear-facing until at least 2.

older the better, many countries don't switch till 4

I didn't read your responses, sorry.
It is both weight and age, but if your daughter has grown out of her infant carrier in height, you need a convertible car seat. We love the Britax Boulevard. Keep her rear facing in the convertible seat until she out grows the rear facing weight and height limit. Then you can switch her to forward.

Like Tori said, 20 lbs AND 1 yr before they can be forward facing. If the child grows out of the infant carrier (taller or heavier than the limits of your specific carrier) before 1 year they need to be in a rear facing toddler carseat also called convertable carseats. These seats are then turned around at 20 lbs AND 1 yr unless you wish to keep them rear facing longer (as long as their legs aren't touching the back seat).
In Missouri they then need to stay in the carseat until they are 40lbs AND 4 yrs old. At that time they can move to a booster seat.

a toddler carseat not a booster and as soon as my children turned 1 yr old a changed carseats

It's better to keep them rear facing as long as possible. Babies MUST be 1 year old AND 20 lbs before you can turn them around, but the american academy of pediatrics and many pediatricians now highly encourage RF-ing until 2. Your baby outgrows the infant seat when she reaches the weight limit, her shoulders are above the highest harness slots, or there is less than one inch of car seat above her head. Your next seat should be a convertible seat to keep her RF-ing and then it can be used FF-ing when she gets older.

A child has to be 20lbs AND one year before they can be forward facing. Most carriers, although there are some new ones on the market now, have a weight limit of 22 lbs.

Both my children were big kids and were out of the carrier by 6 months. My son just turned a year and we're getting ready to switch his seat this weekend.

There are studies that say it's safer to keep them rear facing for as long as the weight limit on your convertible car seat, but I think it depends on your child too. OUr son is so big that his feet are touching the back of the seat, and that's not safe in a collision either, so we're switching him ASAP! As long as you meet the weight and law requirements, the rest is up to your judgements.

Hi Mommee - your doc's office should be able to give you a handout or something with the laws etc. in Texas. Generally, experts are recommending kids remain rear facing for as long as possible - well past the 12 months and 20 lb rule. Also check the weight AND length limits on your infant carrier. My youngest was too big for his at 8 mos because he was so long. We switched over to a convertible seat which means it can start out rear-facing and be adjusted to switch to forward-facing.

If we had it to do all over again, we would have purchased a seat that would accommodate kids up to 60 lbs rather than 40lbs. Our son is just a really big kid and he grew out of his car seat more quickly than I wanted to switch him over.

20 lbs. AND 1 year. Even then, you don't have to turn them.

We made the switch to a convertible car seat around 9 months due to their height. We kept both kids rear facing in the convertible car seat until around 15 months. The longer you can keep them rear facing, the better. Their heads aren't strong enough for forward facing until they are over a year. When you pick one out make sure it will last a long time and look for weight limits, shoulder strap positionings and if the buckle between the legs can move. The more flexibility it has the longer you will be able to use it, especially if your child is already on the tall side. Britax makes great car seats if you can afford them. They are a little more but the quality, safety, and comfort are worth it. We spent $250 on the Round About, it was the first one our son was in at about 9 months. He's 4 and now our daughter 2 has that one. He has moved up to the Frontier and it'll be the last car seat/booster that he will need.

Updated

We made the switch to a convertible car seat around 9 months due to their height. We kept both kids rear facing in the convertible car seat until around 15 months. The longer you can keep them rear facing, the better. Their heads aren't strong enough for forward facing until they are over a year. When you pick one out make sure it will last a long time and look for weight limits, shoulder strap positionings and if the buckle between the legs can move. The more flexibility it has the longer you will be able to use it, especially if your child is already on the tall side. Britax makes great car seats if you can afford them. They are a little more but the quality, safety, and comfort are worth it. We spent $250 on the Round About, it was the first one our son was in at about 9 months. He's 4 and now our daughter 2 has that one. He has moved up to the Frontier and it'll be the last car seat/booster that he will need.

My daughters also are really tall with long legs, and they both sat backward until almost age two, even before they recommended age two! The law, yes, states 30 lbs AND one year but they do recommend two years. It truly is safest! We were in a fatality accident when my daughter was 13months old. She was rearfacing in a britax marathon and was unhurt. That sold me! They learned to sit cross legged for comfort.

We had to switch from the infant carrier by 6-7 months because my kids outgrew it fast in height and weight. We switched both kids to the britax marathon, which I knew the safety of and once it's forward facing goes to 65lbs..Some convertible seats only go to 40, I would have bought three seats in two years! My tall and big 5.5 year old still fits in it, although we have given it to her sister and she's in a britax frontier booster, which harnesses to 85lbs, worth the money to us because the harness is safest.I'd research safety ratings and buy new in box on eBay, with coupons at babies r us (you can try out seats in their store), or on albeebaby.com. But from experience and thorough safety research, I will always go with britax. They have a comparison guide to their seats and which ones you need for which stage on their website as well. HTH!

I saw joel's journey mentioned. Also google Kyle David miller, and extended rear facing for more information on why they recommend what they do!

I purchased a Radian so we can rearface until 45 lbs. The newer Britax goes to 40 RF as well. The reason is safety. Frontal crashes are most common and when forward facing, a child's neck snaps forward. This does not occur when rearfacing. take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

The law says 20 pounds and one year old (both). And yes, for many children that means their feet touch the seatback and legs are cramped. You may have to get your child to sit criss-cross eventually if she is really tall. Or you may need a different car seat (but still rear facing).

if her legs go beyond the infant carrier she is too big. move her to a convertable car seat. The laws may be different in TX but in CA they have to be rear facing until 1 yr AND 20 pounds. The they can be turned around. Then they have to be in that until they are 4 and in a booster until 6 OR 60 pounds. ALWAYS check the seat manufacturer's reccommendations for size and weight limits so the safety in not negated.

My daughter had the same problem with her legs hitting the seat. My pediatrician (and many others) told me that the law in Texas is that they have to meet both requirements...both one year and 20 lbs. I think this is a recent change (along with the booster until the child is 4' 9"). We ended up getting a bigger carseat because her knees would be bent in the infant carseat because of her feet touching the seat. They have a lot of different seats that cover multiple ages--just be sure to get the right one. We got one that we thought was rear-to-forward facing, but it ended up that it was forward only and went from carseat to booster. I've seen basically 3 different kinds--infant (for up to 20 lbs.), rear-to-forward facing (from 5-30 lbs.), and forward-facing to booster (from 30+ lbs).

When my eldest was 9 months, we switched him to a convertible car seat. I talked with the Dr. about it as he was already 20# and his legs were hitting the back seat. He would use those legs to push himself up. He has great head control and was already walking so he saw no issue wot tuning him around.

Head control seems to be the big issue as that is what is going to get hurt the worst in a crash.

Rear-facing is infinitely safer. Keep her rear-facing as long as you can bear to. It's not a safety issue for her legs to be touching the back seat.

If you currently have an infant carrier, then next you will need a car seat. NOT a booster seat. Most carseats should take you up to about five years old. You DO need to switch from an infant seat if your child's head is higher than the back of the seat. At that point, the infant seat becomes unsafe.

you are allowed to go forward-facing at 1 year AND 20 pounds, BUT the american academy of pediatrics current recommended 2 years and 40 pounds. your daughter's legs will hit the back seat no matter what. my daughter is small... at 14 months, just 19 pounds and 28 inches, and her legs hit the back seat. we just went from infant seat to convertible rear-facing. the car seat technician/police officer who checked our installation said that although the child may break her legs in a crash rear-facing, it is much better than the spinal and neck injuries forward-facing.

She needs to be 20lbs AND a year old. Until they reach a year, babies' heads are in a different proportion to their body that makes it much safer to face the rear. Our daughter reached a 20lbs before she reached a year, so we bought a new car seat that could be used rear or forward facing. That said, many European countries keep kids rear facing until 4 or 5 because it is so much safer. The longer you can go, the better.

The law states 20 lbs AND 1 year old, so you have to wait for BOTH to turn her forward. My kids were small and didn't weigh 20 lbs until closer to 17-20 months old. That is the law, however, the newest recommendation based on safety is to keep them rear facing (in a convertible car seat since the infant carriers generally only go up to 22 lbs) until 2 years old. This is, of course, your decision, but you might want to do some research on this new recommendation so that you understand the benefits of it. I hope this helps!

1 year or longer. We had to go to a convertible car seat for my son at 7 months because he was so long.

I just looked up the laws for this myself, because we are having another baby and I wondered what the current laws say. Look up "Child Restraint Laws for Texas" and it should take you to the government website that lists all the info. Don't rely on heresay to understand the laws, because they just changed at the end of 2009.

FYI to all you moms: the new laws say that rear facing until your child outgrows the height/wt for that car seat, then a forward facing carseat as long as possible. This just changed in 2009, so the old 20 lb/1 year rule no longer applies.

It's a year old. You will have to go buy another car seat for her weight, I think up to 30 - 40 lbs., then you graduate to a booster seat.

If baby's head is w/in 1" of the top of the infant seat, then it is time to get a bigger seat. Get a convertible seat that can be RFing and then when she is ready, turn around to FFing.

BOTH of my daughters are RFing in our primary vehicle, and people can't believe it because they are 21months and 3yrs old. My girls could care less which way they are sitting. (They have sat both ways.) I constantly refer to the statistics at the Joel's Journey website to explain my decision.

The law is the minimum (1yr AND 20 lbs), but safety experts recommend you leave them RFing for as long as the manufacturer weight limits on your carseat. Legs touching the seat is not uncomfortable for most toddlers and does not make it any less safe.

FFing is easier to properly install, so if you are moving seats around (from car to car or traveling...) then that is a good consideration.

I know you didn't ask, but I am so enamored by my favorite convertible carseat that I have to share: First Years True Fit. I've used lots of different carseats, and this one is THE easiest to install RFing (with the best seat belt lock-offs I've ever used) and easy FFing as well, so it moves less than the allowed 1". It has great side-impact protection (without being too deep to comfortable place and click your child in). The foam and padding makes it soft and cushy comfortable for child. The harness is rated to 65lbs and there's no rethreading to adjust the shoulder height (yay!). The fabric comes off & on so easy and quickly withOUT undoing the harness, so you can wash it or shake it out when dirty. and it's reasonably priced.

She needs to be a year old and at least 20 lbs! If she turns a year and is only 19 pounds, you shouldn't switch her. The reason she needs to be a year old has something to do with strength in the neck (and head support). By the way, we have Britax Marathons. LOVE these carseats. My oldest is 6 and has been in it since he was a year old. It's held up great, washes well, simple to install and they ride high so they can see out the window. Well worth the price. Shop around online. You can often find them cheap with free shipping.

They should be rear facing until they are 20 lbs AND at least 1yr old. Then, if you have a convertible seat (one that is rated for both rear-facing and forward facing), you would turn it around until your child reaches the maximum for that seat's rating. If you only have an infant seat, you will need to get a new seat.

my little girl is 8 months also but weights 24+ lbs. so she outweighs her infant carrier. we are going to the next size up by weight (there is also a height requirement on the side sticker of the seat). she will still sit back facing. but we are putting her into a different style seat. just read the stickers on the side for weight height and try to face them backwards for as long as you can. the new seat is more upright and that should help out with the leg problem. when in doubt call the pedi to make sure.