i have a seven month old who weights 18 almost 19 pounds. my infant car seat says up to 22 pounds . well i got a new car seat for older babies and it says up to 20 pounds rear facing . ok but i thought you were not suppose to turn them around until they were a year old?
My second ? is the car seat i got was from a friend and it says do not use after 12/06 does any body know why?
2006-06-13 10:31:55 · 12 answers · asked by mommy of two 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Other - Pregnancy & Parenting
You are right. Until your baby is both 20 lbs and a year old, you must keep your baby rear facing. If your baby is 20lbs, but younger than a year, the baby must stay rear facing until he/she turns a year old. If your car seat says do not use after 12/06, it is because car seats are only good for about 5 years. They keep making upgrades on them and the plastic deteriorates.
2006-06-13 10:47:16 · answer #1 · answered by seatonrsp 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Remember it is really based on weight not age. If you've got a big baby and they are close to a year old you can probably turn them around. It's a big debate, but the rule is really based on weight and size not age.
What I did to feel comfortable is I kept my baby rear facing until the weight limit and she was a good size then I turned her around when I felt comfortable.
My favorite story about the recommended weight and age chart for car seats is:
According to regulations a child should be in some sort of booster/harness system until they are 9 years old or 4'9 and 100 lbs. I called up my sister-in-law who is smaller than this and informed her that she needed to start wearing a booster seat right away!
Also check your region and see what the local authorities use as their rule of thumb for violations.
Plus many areas sponsor free carseat checks to help you make sure strapping the baby and carseat in properly. This sort of check will ease your mind.
As for the second hand car seat if it has a stamped date of use on it it probably means that the intergrity of the plastic and bits that make-up the car seat decreases substantily over time. In other words "it ages". I've never come across this personally, but if the company was required to put a date on the item then I would abide by the warning and replace the car seat within 6 months of its expiration.
2006-06-13 17:48:11 · answer #2 · answered by clgbutterfly 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same situation. Both my boys were big and well above the lowest weight range for putting forward facing. I asked their ped. about it, and she said that even though they might fit into the proper weight category, you should wait unitl they're a year old because the muscles in their neck aren't developed enough to take the brunt of impact if you are (god forbid) in an accident. It all has to do with head control.
Car seats have "expiration dates" because by the time they're no longer suitable for use, newer ones have come out, the car seat you have is used and might possibly have been "not too gently" used (i.e. no longer safe for a baby to ride in), and also, there might have been a recall on it. Your best bet would be to go buy a new one. You're talking about the safety of your baby here...
2006-06-14 06:33:49 · answer #3 · answered by brevejunkie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been told that you need to put babies up to a year in a rear facing seat. Pounds? I think it's 22-25 pounds.
2006-06-13 17:34:31 · answer #4 · answered by Rachel S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you shouldnt put your child in a forward facing car seat until age 1..although i did put my son in one at 11 monthd because his legs were scrunched up in the rear facing one....i asked the pediatrician and a state police officer at a car seat check about the weight issue in car seats and they both said wait until about age 1.....the date on the back is because of recalls, after so many years they have better and safer car seats...if the car seat was ever in an accident, do not use it! hope i helped with the professional advice i recieved
2006-06-13 17:46:06 · answer #5 · answered by dani may 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its about weght, and depends on the model of your car seat, follow the instructions of your new car seat. i had two BIG babies and their age did not match the fact that they didn't fit the infant seat anymore , so forward facing is ok if they're big enough. about your passed-on seat it must have something to do with the LATCH system that is now regulation for all new seats to be sold, but ifyou already have one, as long as it's well installed and not recalled you should have no problems with it.
2006-06-13 17:41:07 · answer #6 · answered by beebee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They make carseats that are for infants and go up to toddlers that are supposed to be forward-facing so maybe it's not too early. As for your 2nd question, they say it's not safe to use used carseats so even if it didn't say "don't use after 12/06" I still wouldn't use it because it might not be up to the codes they have for carseats now these days.
2006-06-13 17:34:47 · answer #7 · answered by GottaGoToGalveston 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call you local PD, Hwy Patrol, AAA, or insurance company. Any of them should have all the info you need for car seats age and weight.
2006-06-13 17:33:42 · answer #8 · answered by Stewiesgal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
look once the baby can actually hold his or her own head its safe to seat them in a seat up front car set, and about your last question i never hurd about a car seat expiing ...sorry but i found it preety hilarious
2006-06-13 17:35:18 · answer #9 · answered by lola 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
20-25 pounds or a year old it is both which ever comes first.
2006-06-13 17:33:14 · answer #10 · answered by The Invisible Woman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋